Chapter 39

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The atmosphere at the dining table was quite pleasant, and the conversation was very enjoyable. However, pleasant times always pass quickly. After dinner, Li Han stood up to see Ronald and the others off the small farm. When he returned to the small building, his mother and father, as well as his sister, were clearing the dishes. Doudou and BaoBao, the two little ones, had secretly hidden some uneaten snacks, like little mice stealing rice. When BaoBao and Doudou saw Li Han, they hurriedly hid the snacks behind their backs, pretending they hadn't done anything. Li Han laughed; the two little ones had been waiters all evening, and their little bellies were even more round.

After cleaning up, the family didn't delay, washed up, and went to bed. It was late, and everyone was quite tired from the day's activities—watering the pasture in the morning and preparing dinner in the afternoon. Li Han took the last shower, changed into his pajamas, and was about to go to bed when he remembered what his sister had said about BaoBao and Doudou knocking over the flower pot on the windowsill. He had been so busy these past two days that he almost forgot about the experiment. The flower pot was one that Li Han had moved from George's farm, and he had been watering and tending to it every day. He squatted by the windowsill, turned on his flashlight, and dug through the soil.

Comparing the marks, Li Han carefully observed the differences in the grass. To his delight, he found that the space spring water had a good effect on the grass. He was relieved and decided to add some space spring water when watering the grass the next day, thinking it would grow even better and faster. With a joyful expression, Li Han returned to his room, feeling very excited and almost unable to sleep. With the spring water, he felt much more at ease about the pasture. He finally fell asleep in the middle of the night, and the next morning, he woke up early and felt quite refreshed. Indeed, good news makes one feel invigorated.

After washing up, Li Han first called Hutton to discuss the irrigation of the pasture. After finishing the call, he busied himself making breakfast. It was rare for him to wake up so early, so he made a hearty American breakfast for the family: milk, eggs, sausages, bacon, and toast.

After breakfast, Li Han drove his pickup truck to the town square. Kemi Town didn't have a mayor; it was managed by three commissioners who handled daily affairs. There was no police force, and the town usually hired police from Butte City. Most of the time, there were no police in the town unless there was a case.

Ronald, the father of Will, was one of the three commissioners and also the president of the Small Farm Association, enjoying considerable prestige in Kemi Town. Today, Ronald was presiding over a meeting to discuss some farm-related matters. This was Li Han's first time attending, as his farm had previously been too small to be considered a real farm. By nine in the morning, over a hundred farm owners had arrived.

"Uncle Ronald, Uncle Marbury, Uncle Andre, good morning."

"Good morning, little Hank. I heard you bought old George's farm. That's a good farm, lucky little guy." Andre patted Li Han on the back and said with a smile.

"Yes, Uncle Andre. George's farm is really good, and old George is a respectable and good person. May God bless him."

"Han, Andre, I think we should go in." Wilson looked worried, and Andre smiled and said, "Wilson, it's a shame. Perhaps you should invest in some advanced irrigation equipment. I think your pasture needs it."

"Damn it, Andre, I will never do what you suggest. Stupid Andre." Wilson said angrily as he walked into the meeting room. Li Han and Andre laughed heartily. Wilson was a miser, and it was quite amusing. "Uncle Andre, let's go in. I think today will be very interesting."

"Haha, little Hank, you're right. This is an interesting morning. Oh, has God taken a day off? God, Wang Farm actually sent a representative." Andre said with a hint of sarcasm. The middle-aged white man who passed by grunted and looked displeased.

"Little Hank, I think there will be more surprises today. I can hardly wait." Andre took off his cowboy hat and smiled as he walked into the meeting room. Li Han's lips curved into a faint smile. He mused that Wang Farm usually didn't participate in farm owner gatherings, so something interesting might be happening. The weather was really nice today, and it was a beautiful day.

The people in the meeting room sat around casually, chatting in small groups and drinking coffee. Li Han walked in without drawing much attention and sat next to Marbury and Andre. "Thanks." He took a cup of coffee and thanked them. Marbury was talking about the drought in several states in Texas, and of course, Montana hadn't had rain for many days, but fortunately, the melting snow provided enough water.

"Uncle Marbury, do you know what Uncle Ronald will discuss today?"

"Maybe the Wall Street vultures are trying to take another big bite out of us. Damn vultures." Eddie, who was sitting next to them, said angrily. Eddie's farm was mostly mountainous and raised a lot of sheep. Last year had been a good year, but the Wall Street vultures had suppressed the price of lamb when the cattle and sheep markets opened in the fall and winter, and Eddie had barely made any money. He was a pitiful guy.

"Eddie, you might be right. Those guys should have been dead a long time ago." Andre, like Eddie, had no good feelings toward the Wall Street vultures.

At that moment, Ronald stood up and went to the stage. Li Han put down his coffee. Ronald's speech was brief, introducing the drought in several states in Texas and the situation in Montana, and finally mentioning the floodplain. The expressions of the people in the room changed slightly.

"Those damn guys, they want to destroy the floodplain, destroy the Yellowstone River, and destroy Montana." Ronald's words sparked a chorus of curses from the crowd. After the crowd calmed down, Ronald explained that the construction of the oil pipeline had reduced the river flow, which was not good news for Kemi Town, which was already suffering from a drought. The crowd was even more concerned about the water levels in the rivers on their farms, as it was a matter of life and death for them.

After Ronald finished speaking, the representative from Wang Farm, Lemton, went up to the stage and proposed that the many farms in Kemi Town join together to build a more scientific irrigation system to reduce water waste. Li Han pursed his lips; modern irrigation equipment was too expensive and not cost-effective for the pasture. Wang Farm, being a highly modernized company, might be feeling the pressure from the reduced water flow downstream. It was going to be an interesting show, and sure enough, Lemton's proposal was met with opposition from many small farm owners.

Li Han took a sip of his coffee. It was indeed interesting. The drought had just started, and Wang Farm, the largest irrigation farm in Montana, was already feeling the pressure. Marbury and Andre chuckled as they sipped their coffee. There were at least forty to fifty small farms downstream from Wang Farm, mostly flatland crop farms that required a significant amount of water. Wang Farm's proposal was too self-serving, and it was unrealistic to expect the other farms to comply.

Li Han and the others upstream were even less willing to listen to Wang Farm. Li Han sipped his coffee and talked to Uncle Marbury about the construction of the oil pipeline upstream of the Yellowstone River, and more about the increasingly rampant wolf problem in recent years.

"Han, perhaps we need to organize a big hunt this year. What do you think, Andre?" Marbury said.

"That's a good idea. The damn beasts cost me dozens of lambs every year. Damn them." Andre said, noting that pregnant ewes were very prone to miscarriage if they were startled by wolves.

"Uncle Marbury, I would be very happy to participate." It was Li Han's first time joining a hunt, and it might be a good opportunity to integrate into Kemi Town.

"Ronald will agree with this idea. Han, I think you need a good horse and a hunting dog." Marbury said, holding his coffee.

Li Han nodded. A hunting dog might be a bit of a hassle, but a good horse, like the chestnut mare, had a good lineage. "Thank you, Uncle Marbury. I think I will have a good horse and a fierce hunting dog with me."

"Little Hank, you'll love hunting. It's fantastic." Andre talked to Li Han about hunting while the commotion on the other side was coming to an end. The conditions proposed by Wang Farm were too different from what the downstream farm owners wanted, and the matter was ultimately unresolved.

It was meaningless. Li Han said goodbye to Ronald, Marbury, and Andre and returned to the small farm. This matter wouldn't end here. Wang Farm would likely come up with more plans. Sure enough, not long after returning to the small farm, Li Han received an invitation from Wang Farm to attend a charity party on the weekend in three days. It was the first time Li Han had received an invitation from Wang Farm, and a smile appeared on his lips. He couldn't help but feel a bit proud, as it was a form of recognition and success, even if he was just a small player. After all, he had stepped onto this stage, and Li Han didn't hesitate to accept the invitation.

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