Chapter 5

Stopping the bleeding, disinfecting, and taping it up, Li Han rested for a while to regain his composure. The piercing pain made Li Han feel a bit dizzy. After resting, he got up, poured a glass of milk, and sat down again, muttering to himself, "Am I too tired lately? Just a small cut, and I react so much. Looks like I need to exercise more in the future."

After finishing the milk, Li Han remembered that his jacket might be stained with blood and needed to be dealt with quickly, or it would be troublesome. However, after checking several times, he found no trace of blood. Li Han muttered to himself, "What's going on here?" "Really weird." He complained casually, then took out the meteorite fragment from his pocket and examined it, feeling puzzled.

"That's not right, why has the meteorite fragment changed color?" The originally charcoal-black fragment now glowed with a phosphorescent light. Li Han rubbed his eyes hard, wondering if he had drunk too much. "It must be because of the stress from Chris, and I drank a couple of extra glasses, making my eyes blurry."

After complaining a bit, Li Han decided to go back to his bedroom to sleep, casually tossing the meteorite fragment aside and turning off the light. Having had a few drinks, Li Han felt a bit dizzy. In his drowsy state, he mistook what he saw for an illusion.

Not long after Li Han fell asleep, the phosphorescent fragment suddenly emitted a bright light. The fragment flowed like mercury, and a blood-red glow appeared within the phosphorescent light, accompanied by a mechanical voice. "Host selection, Milky Way Year 40988, Blue Star, Li Han, blood type O, genetic perfection 45%, Shennong System compatibility 10%, energy 5%, initiating初级 Shennong System." A faint white space appeared, with white sandy soil and a dry spring that gradually moistened, droplets of water emerging. Glass-like fragments were scattered around. The space appeared for only a few seconds before vanishing as if it had never been there. Li Han, who was sound asleep, was completely unaware of all this. He felt particularly exhausted and fell asleep immediately.

The next day, Li Han was woken by the phone ringing. He rubbed his sleepy eyes, glanced at the number, and picked up the receiver. "Will, so early, is there something wrong?" "Early? Han, it's already noon. Rarely do you sleep this long. Han, did you get infected by Black Bam?"

Black Bam was a boar who spent most of his time sleeping and breeding.

"Midday?" Li Han looked at the clock and saw it was indeed almost twelve o'clock. Could he have slept for sixteen hours? That's impossible, Li Han thought, feeling a bit dizzy. "Will, I'm sorry, I couldn't take Haley to Seattle today." Li Han remembered that Haley was supposed to go to Seattle early in the morning and felt a bit embarrassed. He felt lucky that he didn't have to see Haley and Chris together.

"Han, I kind of hate Chris. Damn, does Haley have a blind spot for him?" Will was a bit angry, but not at Li Han. He was more upset with Chris, who was too proud, and Will didn't like that. "Oh, shit, damn Chris. Han, there's some good news. The Little Straw Hat Farm has a few foals for sale."

"God bless, Will, come back, and I'll buy you a drink." Li Han hadn't expected to get news so quickly. Last night, he had mentioned wanting to buy a foal, and now he had a lead. Li Han hung up, washed his face, and got dressed. He didn't waste any time and drove his pickup truck to the Little Straw Hat Farm, buying a hamburger and a cup of coffee on the way to have for lunch. Unfortunately, when he arrived at the Little Straw Hat Farm, the foals had already been sold.

Kemi Star Town was surrounded by farms, mostly growing barley and beets. Apart from a few large and medium-sized farms like Xiao Wang's, which raised a lot of livestock, most farms only had a few horses. Of course, if you had the money, you could buy a horse, but Li Han didn't have much money, only enough for one foal. He was disappointed and shook his head, not giving up.

Li Han approached Old Montello to ask if he had any foals for sale. "Han, I'm so sorry, I can't help you." "It's okay, Montello. I came too late. They are really beautiful little ones." Li Han looked at the three foals that had already been sold and sighed regretfully.

By the time Li Han returned to town in the afternoon, he had made plans with Will to visit another farm. "Han, damn it, Chris bought Uncle Marbury's foal yesterday. That was the most beautiful foal in Kemi Star." "Will, Uncle Marbury raises the best Quarter Horses. I don't have that much money."

Li Han was being honest. A good Quarter Horse costs at least a few thousand dollars, and Li Han didn't have that much. "What a pity. Uncle Marbury's Quarter Horses have champion bloodlines." Li Han felt a bit regretful but, considering his situation, there was nothing he could do.

"Get in the car. Maybe we'll find what I need at the market." Li Han decided to go to the livestock market, which was only a half-hour drive from town. As soon as Will got in the car, he started complaining about Haley and Chris. Li Han had no idea what Chris had done to upset Will.

Li Han had to change the subject and started talking about the Sunday football game and the barbecue party. The barbecue distracted Will. Li Han smiled, knowing that most Americans don't like Chinese dishes, especially salty and spicy ones. The dietary habits are different; Americans prefer lighter flavors, using less salt than in Chinese cuisine, and often no monosodium glutamate. They prefer animal fats and dislike greasy foods, unlike Chinese cuisine, which is often cooked over high heat. Many Americans also prefer raw foods and have little interest in bean products.

However, they do enjoy grilled meat, sweet and sour meat, and fried meat. Li Han's grilling skills were famous in Kemi Star Town. Every time he threw a party, grilled meat was a must. Will and Little Mitch were Li Han's loyal fans. As they approached the livestock market, Will kept talking about the barbecue party. Li Han and Will walked into the market, where there were mostly cows and sheep, with few horses. The market wasn't very large, and most of the surrounding farms raised cows and sheep. In recent years, many Americans have recognized that eating red meat isn't very healthy, so many people choose to eat red meat only once a week, and more are gradually switching to white meat.

"Will, let's go over there." Li Han saw a few white men talking around a stable, occasionally pointing at a chestnut Quarter Horse inside. Will nodded and walked over with Li Han. "Oh, God, Han, my eyes must be playing tricks on me. A hundred-dollar Quarter Horse?"

Will looked shocked and exclaimed, not believing it. Li Han was also surprised. When had Quarter Horses become so cheap? Even though Li Han wasn't very knowledgeable about horses, he could tell that this one had good bloodlines. However, its coat was a bit dull, and it didn't seem very spirited. Li Han frowned slightly.

"Han."

"Will, let's take a closer look." Li Han wasn't easily swayed by cheap deals. This Quarter Horse might have some problems. Before he knew what they were, he wouldn't buy it impulsively, even if it was cheap. Will was a bit disappointed, but Li Han smiled and shook his head, pointing to the middle-aged white men discussing the horse. They were experienced cowboys or small farmers like Li Han. Indeed, the horse had a strange gastrointestinal disease, and its owner had spent over a thousand dollars trying to cure it without success.

The only option was to sell it. At a hundred dollars, it was practically being given away, but few people were willing to buy a horse that was so sick. "What a pity." Will regretfully shrugged at Li Han.

"It's okay. Maybe there will be a miracle." Li Han was a bit tempted. It was so cheap, and perhaps the owner didn't really want to sell it but couldn't bear to watch his beloved horse die. "Sir, I'll take it for fifty dollars." Li Han found the owner and said, willing to try for fifty dollars. Even if it didn't work out, the horse's hide would be enough to cover some of his losses.

"God, Han, that's a sick horse." Will couldn't help but remind him. Fifty dollars for a dead horse was still a loss, even if it was cheap. "Fifty dollars? Okay." The middle-aged white man looked at the chestnut Quarter Horse in the stable and nodded slightly.

Li Han paid fifty dollars and led the horse out of the market. Will was puzzled. "Han, do you have a way to cure this Quarter Horse?" "Oh, no, just a fifty-dollar bet." Li Han smiled. Fifty dollars, after all.

A sick horse, no one wanted to buy it, fearing that other livestock would catch the strange gastrointestinal disease. Li Han didn't mind. On the way back, Will drove the pickup truck, and Li Han led the chestnut Quarter Horse. He hadn't named it yet, thinking it wasn't necessary until a miracle happened.

Back in town, Will had already spread the news about Li Han buying a sick horse. Many people couldn't believe it. Li Han was a cautious person, so why would he do something so foolish? When they saw Li Han leading a sick horse back, they all shook their heads. This Chinese man was crazy. Even some of his acquaintances who raised livestock kept their distance, fearing that their animals would get sick. Li Han had already asked the previous owner of the horse, who said it wasn't contagious, but he still had it checked, which cost him thirty dollars.