Chapter 23

The pasture is the life of the ranch, and Li Han had to take it seriously. It was still early, and Li Han planned to visit this mysterious neighbor with Hutton and have a good talk. Following the path through the pasture, it took them over twenty minutes to reach the entrance of the neighboring ranch, which was the boundary of the pasture.

"Damn it, Han, we can't go in," Hutton cursed, pointing to a sign by the road that clearly read "Private Property, No Trespassing" in English. In the United States, land is entirely private, and without the owner's permission, entering private property can even result in the owner shooting the intruder.

"Damn it, Hutton, I think we should go back," Li Han swore, and had no choice but to turn back. These rich people have bad tempers, and Li Han didn't want to argue with a gun pointed at him.

"Han, maybe we can ask Ronald," Hutton thought for a moment and suggested to Li Han. Ronald is the president of the small ranchers' association in Komi Town, organizing parades, demonstrations, and protests. Perhaps Ronald knows this mysterious neighbor.

"That's a good idea, Hutton. I think we should buy a few good sheepdogs; I don't want my pasture to be full of wild animals," Li Han sighed, looking at the entrance. He had to find a way to protect his pasture.

"Sure, Han, my hunting rifle is already ready," Hutton had no good impression of these criminals who were destroying Montana; they were the enemies of all cowboys.

"Hutton, I'll reimburse you for the bullets," Li Han nodded, knowing that an old cowboy's shooting skills were not to be questioned. "Han, thank you for your generosity, I'll show them what Hutton John is made of."

"Hutton, the pasture is in your hands. I'm sure you'll take good care of it," Li Han and Hutton discussed some methods on the way back to George's farm. Li Han brought over two baskets of fresh vegetables, half a sheep, and some corn.

"Han, I think I will. Han, I have a suggestion. Perhaps we should add some lambs," Hutton was most afraid of the neighboring pasture being unmanaged, with wild grass growing everywhere, which could easily affect the surrounding pastures. Wild grass seeds could be carried by the wind across the boundary, and sheep were the best tool for weeding.

"Hutton, I'll write you a check," Li Han considered for a moment and nodded in agreement. "So, Hutton, the pasture is in your hands. I'll ask Uncle Ronald, maybe there's a better way to solve this."

Li Han returned to the small building and realized he hadn't seen Dudu for a while. This little guy had planted vegetables all over the grass, open spaces, and woods around the building, and the vegetables were growing well. Li Han didn't have the heart to pull them out, but he still scolded Dudi a bit. The little guy didn't quite understand, and Li Han didn't want his farm to turn into a vegetable garden, waking up in a pile of vegetables. Fortunately, there weren't many vegetable seeds in the warehouse, and Li Han decided to keep a closer eye on them next time. "Starting a small vegetable garden isn't a bad idea. The vegetables watered with space spring water taste pretty good."

Li Han took a bite of a tomato, which was sweet and sour, thick-fleshed, and juicy, and quite large. It was organic, not genetically modified. He chewed while dialing Ronald's farm number. "Han, this is Will."

"Will, is Uncle Ronald at the farm?" "Han, hold on, Dad, it's Hank's call."

"Han, congratulations on owning your own beer estate," Ronald was repairing the electrical circuit, took off his gloves, and took the phone from Will.

"Thanks, Uncle Ronald," Li Han wiped his hands, enjoying the good taste. "Uncle Ronald, I need your help with something."

"Han, what do you need help with? Brewing beer, maybe Marbury or Kennedy know more about it," Ronald said with a smile.

"No, Uncle Ronald, there's a problem with my pasture. I've encountered a troublesome neighbor. Uncle Ronald, I think we need to have a good talk." Li Han felt a bit regretful about buying the three farms. Although the price was not high, it seemed there were some issues with the farms.

"Han, I think I can help you with this. On Sunday, God will let us meet this generous neighbor," Ronald said. Li Han learned from Ronald that his mysterious neighbor was a senior investor on Wall Street who, after retiring, bought 20,000 acres of land, including the Creek Ranch and Lincoln Farm. He was a wealthy old man who donated $1,000 to the town's fundraising last Sunday, the highest donation in three years.

A retired old man, a Hollywood star, and a hotel heiress with a notorious reputation—Li Han's three new neighbors were truly bad news. He felt his luck was really bad. These three had no intention of managing a ranch or farm, which was really frustrating.

Far from the farm, Dudi was chasing a little rabbit, while Xiao Mili was chasing a calf with her tongue out. Dudi was waving a small whip, looking like a cowboy. "Oh, Dudi is lost," mimicking the tone from a cartoon, Dudi sighed. The grass was nearly half a meter high, stretching as far as the eye could see. Dudi looked around.

"The calf is so stupid, it's lost," Dudi pouted, patting Xiao Bai, who mooed in distress. Dudi climbed off Xiao Bai. "Dudi is hungry." Dudi grabbed a large tomato, took a big bite, and with the other hand, pulled some carrots and stuffed them into the cowboy's pocket. Xiao Mili was circling around Dudi anxiously. "Dogs eat meat, Dudi doesn't have any," Dudi had seen his father's tutorial, which said dogs eat meat.

Xiao Mili hugged Dudi's leg, whining and sticking out her tongue, as she was thirsty and hungry. "The calf, Xiao Mili, and Dudi are all hungry." Xiao Bai helplessly lay down, letting Dudi climb back on. A calf, a child, and a dog walked for a while until they reached a road. Dudi looked at the sign, blinked, and couldn't recognize the words. Climbing off the calf, Dudi erased all the words he didn't recognize, leaving only two big characters. "Ginseng." "Wow."

Dudi was happy because ginseng can be eaten. Climbing back on the calf, he happily continued on his way. Not far from there, he saw another ginseng sign, making Dudi even happier. He patted the calf and ran, counting the ginseng signs with his fingers. After half an hour, Dudi counted the signs five times. "Wow, so many dogs." Xiao Bai ran for half an hour and arrived at a large estate, where over ten bulldogs were either sitting or lying down at the entrance.

Dudi slid off the calf and quickly ran to the bulldogs, blinking his big eyes. "Dogs." Dudi patted each bulldog's head, giggling. His father had taught him to be polite and greet everyone, so Dudi greeted each dog. Dudi was happy and remembered to tell his father when he got home. After greeting them, Dudi squatted in front of the largest bulldog. "Dogs, do you want to play with Dudi?" Dudi asked, but the bulldogs only bared their teeth, growled, and continued to lie down.

Xiao Mili and the Brahman calf were terrified by the ten bulldogs, which looked fierce, and a few black German Shepherds on chains. Dudi pouted and asked each dog, but none of them paid attention to him. Dudi's lower lip stuck out, and he stood up to find a big dog on a chain to play with. Four German Shepherds growled, showing their teeth, but Dudi wasn't afraid. He giggled, patted the big dog's head, and the four large dogs growled and lay down.

Dudi unchained the largest Shepherd and dragged it. "Big dog, play with Dudi." The other ten bulldogs and three Shepherds all lay down and growled, not moving. Dudi played for a while, but his stomach was hungry again.

"Cake." Dudi sniffed, smelling cake. He pushed the big iron gate open, showing considerable strength, and dragged the large Shepherd into the unfamiliar estate, with the calf and Xiao Mili following closely. Entering the estate, they saw a castle-like house, a huge lawn, and a courtyard like a square, with a fountain spraying water, a fence, and several valuable brown horses leisurely eating grass. No one was around.

Dudi pulled the chain hard, but the big dog moved very slowly. The Shepherd was pitifully dragged to the stairs by Dudi.

On one side of the fence, a row of seats was set up, and an old man was sitting under a sunshade, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. The slightest noise disturbed this old man who liked peace. "Davis, didn't I tell you not to disturb me before lunch?"

Dudi heard the voice and exclaimed, happily dragging the reluctant large Shepherd to the old man. Dudi reached out and took off the old man's glasses, blinking his big eyes. "Hmm, it's a grandpa, with a beard." Dudi politely patted the old man's head and greeted him.

Dudi confirmed that the old man had a beard and white hair, so he was a grandpa, not an uncle. Dudi was happy because grandpas always praised Dudi for being well-behaved.