Chapter 22

After seeing off the guests, Qi Ping's life seemed to be returning to its usual calm. For Qi Ping, this party was quite interesting, at least he now knew that hunting could be quite fun. However, he was still just a beginner and shouldn't attempt anything too challenging.

However, one thing was certain: Qi Ping had truly visited the forest of his own timberland, and he spent almost a whole day there. He saw large animals, such as a few deer, and one or two that looked like they could be birds of prey.

Fortunately, the group didn't push too far into the forest, so they didn't encounter any fierce beasts. This was a good thing; venturing deep into the mountains when not strong enough would be irresponsible, and Qi Ping knew his limits. Although this was his timberland and he was the legal owner, the wild animals wouldn't follow the law.

Qi Ping felt that his life needed to be more colorful. The organic vegetable project went surprisingly smoothly, which greatly relieved him. He no longer had to worry about his financial situation. Although he still needed to purchase some equipment to meet higher certification standards, Qi Ping felt it was no problem—after all, it was just a matter of spending money.

Although the vegetables were growing well and the organic certification process was proceeding smoothly, Qi Ping's timberland lacked a solid foundation, which exposed some shortcomings. This forced him to continuously spend money, and he had already bought quite a bit of equipment.

Qi Ping thought he had a few hundred thousand dollars, but the initial investment was substantial. Although the results weren't fully realized yet, he now had less than $400,000. Qi Ping hadn't been extravagant or wasteful; it was just that the dollar had depreciated too quickly.

However, it didn't matter. Although Qi Ping now had little spare money, he was still satisfied. He had almost all the necessary equipment, and even if he needed to meet USDA standards in the future, it wouldn't be a problem because the current equipment was still useful.

Qi Ping wasn't petty and hadn't taken out any loans. He could handle these small expenses. Most importantly, he felt he wasn't short of money, and these issues would be resolved soon. Although the initial investment was significant, the future harvests would be substantial.

One hundred and thirty acres of land had been leveled, and the vegetables were growing rapidly. There were 20 acres of lettuce, 20 acres of green beans, and the remaining land was occupied by cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, and Chinese cabbage.

Qi Ping calculated that each acre could produce 5,000 pounds of lettuce. The price of lettuce in the U.S. varied, but his was top-tier and wouldn't be cheap. The unit of weight in the U.S. is pounds, which is similar to the Chinese jin.

Twenty acres is 120 acres, and the minimum yield for this season would be around 600,000 pounds. This was Qi Ping's most conservative estimate, and in such a spiritually rich timberland, the lettuce would grow even faster. For Qi Ping, this was more than enough. About two months would be enough to ensure the ranch had its first harvest.

In summary, Qi Ping didn't need to worry about money; it was just a matter of how much he would earn. He felt he could now consider more interesting things and had found a sense of purpose. He wanted to enjoy life more and find some interesting activities, which were all feasible for him.

Qi Ping felt his timberland was still quite empty. Although he had four people—Dong, Nan, Xi, and Bei—his place still lacked a lively atmosphere. Living in a large house felt too empty, and he needed to make his life more fulfilling.

"Buy a Quarter Horse; it's quite practical for a timberland or a ranch. Purebred horses and English horses might look better, but they are too delicate. A Quarter Horse is more suitable," Huang Siqing suggested when he heard Qi Ping wanted to buy a horse.

Qi Ping felt it would be a waste not to use such good resources. In China, it was impossible to keep a horse due to the lack of space. Now, with his excellent timberland, keeping a horse was definitely feasible. He was quite envious; as a child, he watched TV and saw heroes and generals with excellent horses.

Qi Ping was still quite envious. Now, he didn't need to envy others. Once he learned to ride, he could gallop through his timberland.

Qi Ping listened patiently to Huang Siqing's explanation. Although California wasn't as developed in livestock as Texas, it wasn't impossible to buy horses. Buying a few horses was no problem, and there were places in La Mesa where he could find them. Many farms still needed a few horses for transportation, so it wasn't difficult to find them.

"This is a pregnant mare with good bloodlines. Of course, we're not horse breeders, so we don't have many bloodline certificates; they just live on my farm," Qi Ping contacted a nearby farmer who had horses for sale.

"I think this could be a problem. No one in my timberland can take care of the horses, especially during foaling. So, if you allow it, I'd like to take the black foal," Qi Ping didn't want to create unnecessary trouble. Although many people liked to buy animals with offspring, he didn't have anyone who could handle it, so he decided to stick to what he could manage.

"OK, no problem. It's over a year old and can handle short trips. But I think you should know, it has a very good appearance," the farmer was clearly trying to raise the price.

"A gentle mare and the black foal, I think $600 is a fair price," Qi Ping offered a reasonable price. The foal wasn't very expensive, and the mare wasn't in her prime for riding. After all, these were Quarter Horses, not purebred thoroughbreds.

After some negotiation, he bought the two horses for $730. Considering Qi Ping didn't have a trailer, the farmer would deliver the horses to his timberland.

Qi Ping was very happy. He wasn't an expert in horses, but he felt a connection with the black foal. Looking into its big, black, shiny eyes, he felt this horse would become a good companion. Whether it was the fastest or the most majestic horse didn't matter; Qi Ping just wanted a good companion that he felt a connection with.

After buying the horses, he still needed to prepare other things, such as a saddle, bridle, and stirrups. Qi Ping was still a beginner and needed to learn how to ride.

So, in addition to taking care of the two new members of his timberland, Qi Ping also enrolled in a basic riding class while learning to fly a helicopter. It was simple; since no one could teach him, he had to start from scratch to be more confident and efficient.