Chapter 26

Li Han returned to George's farm and encountered Hutton, who had come to see him. Li Han invited Hutton into the house and had him sit down. "Hutton, sit down first, have a cup of coffee, I'll go wash my face," Li Han said. After washing his face, Li Han went to the bedroom to check on Doudou. The little guy was indeed asleep, having played somewhere in the morning and now tired, sleeping soundly. Li Han walked over, took the pacifier out of his mouth, and pulled the towel blanket to cover his little belly, revealing his white, small tummy, not afraid of the cold.

Back in the living room, Li Han poured himself a cup of coffee and asked Hutton, "Hutton, what's up?"

"Han, I think we can go to the auction to buy some sheep now. Today is the day for the sheep auction," Hutton said, putting down his coffee cup.

"Really, let's go now," Li Han got up and drove with Hutton to the auction. Kestar Town is mostly a mix of farms and ranches, with flat land mostly used for growing crops, and hills and areas with poor soil used for planting fruit trees or as pastures. Sheep are the main livestock, with fewer cattle and even fewer horses. The main trading places are the sheep auction and the cattle market on the edge of town, with horses mostly auctioned at the cattle market.

The auction is located on the left side of a street. From the outside, it has a modern look, a two-story building with "PRODUCERS" written grandly on top. Entering through the front door, as soon as you go up the stairs, you see a group of sheep penned in several dozen enclosures, their bleating never ceasing. Each enclosure is numbered. Hutton, who is more familiar with the place, led Li Han to the sheep auction, where Ben, an old cowboy, works. Ben first led Li Han and Hutton to look at each enclosure, then took them inside the auction.

As soon as they entered, they felt a heavy business atmosphere, just like in the movies. Dozens of people sat quietly on the semicircular steps, listening intently and seriously to the seller's quotes on the stage. Most people in the West wear wide-brimmed cowboy hats, with skinny jeans and high-waisted cowboy boots, looking very spirited.

There were three people on the stage: one quoting prices, and two recording. The person quoting prices rattled off a series of prices at a speed so fast, like beans pouring out of a bamboo bucket, that outsiders couldn't even tell where the sentences ended, nor could they understand what information was being exchanged between the stage and the audience. In reality, everyone in the audience was listening very carefully to the price changes, staring intently at the sheep walking by. Every slight nod, shake of the head, raise of the hand, or bend of the finger was conveying information, clearly a deep science. Although Li Han had been in Kestar Town for a few years, he had only been to the auction a few times, so he was an outsider and could only watch for the excitement.

While the person on the stage was quoting prices, the sheep also had to enter the stage for reference. There were two sheep pens on either side of the stage. The sheep would come out from the left pen, pass by the stage, and then enter the right pen (apparently to be weighed on the right). Next to each pen, there was a more intelligent goat to guide the sheep in and out.

Hutton, who was more familiar with this, spoke to Ben while paying attention to the quotes on the stage and the sheep being herded. "Hutton, I want to hear your thoughts," Li Han said after listening for a while, not quite understanding.

"Han, Ben just introduced us. Buying lambs is cheaper, but it's not suitable for George's farm. We need some half-grown lambs and a few good rams, and a few lambs to deal with sudden attacks by wild animals," Hutton whispered to Li Han. Ben, being a sheep broker, shouldn't hear some of these things.

"Hutton, you're right. Let's do it your way," Li Han thought it was a good idea. While buying lambs might be more cost-effective, Li Han needed to deal with the negative impact of changes in the neighboring pasture, such as threats from wild animals and weeds. Half-grown sheep were very suitable.

Hutton spoke to Ben for a few moments, and Ben nodded. "Han, I think you'll find what you need here. This way, please." The quoting on the stage continued, and Ben led Li Han and Hutton to a sheep pen, introducing them.

"These are a batch of lambs left over from a bankrupt farm. Most are over thirty pounds, some are under ten pounds, and there are also a dozen good ewes," Ben pointed to a pen with over a hundred lambs.

Hutton went down into the pen to check and nodded to Ben. "Not bad, old friend. Han, these sheep are very healthy."

"Hutton, you decide. My check is ready," Li Han felt quite satisfied, especially with the fluffy little lambs, which Doudou would surely like. He thought the baby and Doudou would be the same.

"Thank you, Hutton, and Han." Ben was very happy, giving Hutton a hug and turning to shake Li Han's hand in gratitude. After finalizing the deal, Ben and Hutton went to the auction stage to complete the procedures, while Li Han just needed to hand over the check. Ben helped find a cart, opened the pen, and herded the sheep onto the cart, with Li Han and Hutton helping on the side. "Thank you, old friend. Maybe I'll be back soon," Hutton said with a smile. The grass on Li Han's farm was good, and he might buy more lambs.

"You're welcome, my friend. I'll treat you with good beer and roasted lamb," Ben had made a good deal and was in a good mood. "I like your roasted lamb, Ben. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Hutton, goodbye, Hank." Ben saw Li Han and Hutton out of the auction. Li Han and Hutton drove the pickup truck, leading the trailer. After about forty-five minutes, they arrived at George's farm. The sheep were herded off the truck, and Daina and Hutton drove them to the barn, closed the gate, and brought some hay and water, using a small cart to push some feed. Li Han stood by, helping to fill the water trough and checking the temperature, which was fine.

"Daina, I can handle this alone," Hutton said to Daina, who needed to take care of the cattle. "Daina, I'll help Hutton," Li Han, who was quite strong, just needed to do some checks and disinfection, which didn't take much time.

Hutton, with his experience, was very excited after the inspection. Half of the dozen ewes were pregnant, which was great news. "Han, I can handle this alone."

"Okay, Hutton. I'll prepare the meat and vegetables for dinner and bring them over later. I'll be going back to the small farm tonight."

"No problem, Han. I'll take good care of things here. By the way, Han, I think I'll buy a few good sheepdogs tomorrow," Hutton said.

"Of course, I think we should buy a few more. I'll write you a check," Li Han loved dogs, and little Milly was his favorite. She was too young to follow him to herd sheep.

"Thank you, Han. I'll take care of it." Hutton was very happy. Li Han was a good boss. After a few more words, Li Han left, bringing the vegetables and beef over. He drove the pickup truck with Doudou, little Milly, Niu Niu, and Xiao Bai back to the small farm.

The small farm's rooms were newly renovated, with new curtains and bed sheets, all neatly arranged. Li Han took Doudou to check each room. "Doudou, is this pretty?"

"Uh-huh." The small room was decorated for the baby, very cute, and Doudou liked it very much.

"Doudou, will you and your sister Baby stay here tomorrow?"

"Uh-huh." Doudou happily nodded her little head.

"Let's go to Grandma's room. Grandma likes flowers. We'll dig some flowers and put them in pots later," Li Han held Doudou's little hand and went to the larger bedroom on the second floor, which he had renovated, waxing the floor with Doudou.

After touring the entire small house, father and daughter each took a small flower pot and a small shovel to the backyard flower bed. The rooms lacked a bit of life, and Li Han planned to decorate with some nice flowers. Doudou helped her father, sticking out her little bottom, digging a large flower seedling with a small shovel and putting it in a small pot, then digging some soil and patting it down with the shovel, satisfied and nodding her little head.