Chapter 50

Jack was in a good mood recently, but Mistle Town had been quite lively these past few days. The bar business had improved significantly, and everyone had been talking about two things: the drought and the crazy Chinese kid. Jack was truly grateful for Hank's sacrifice, oh, no, he should thank God, the poor Chinese. Jack smiled as he wiped the glass and hung it on the rack. It was another fine day.

Oh, a customer arrived, the sound of a car engine rumbling outside the door. Who could it be? The bar door opened, and Wilson walked in, taking off his cowboy hat. "Hey, Jack." "Good morning, Mr. Wilson, would you like a whiskey?" Jack greeted with a smile.

"Oh, why not, it's such a beautiful morning, how can it be without a whiskey?" Wilson had been in a good mood these past two days. With Wang's farm guarantee, Wilson had secured a million-dollar loan. He thanked God and the generous and kind Mr. Krenk, a truly good person.

"Jack, any news about the crazy kid? I think this is the best thing every morning." Wilson opened his wallet and placed ten dollars for the morning drink. Jack took the money and smiled. "Yes, Mr. Wilson, Han plans to clean up Oram Lake."

"Oh, that fish-loving Chinese kid, I hope he still has the appetite after a few days." Wilson said with a smile.

"Another whiskey and a beer." At this moment, the bar door opened again, and Obam waddled in, his fat body squeezing through. He took off his hat and complained, "Damn it, Jack, can't you open this damn door a bit wider?"

"Mr. Obam, I'm really sorry, I think there's nothing wrong with the bar door, Mr. Wilson, what do you think?" Jack said with a smile, and Wilson raised his glass. "Of course, maybe Obam should go live with the elephants."

"Damn Wilson, you skinny monkey, Jack, give me a beer, what a frustrating morning, why do I have to be with a stingy monkey." Obam grunted, his large body creaking the chair. Jack poured a beer and placed it on the counter, continuing to wipe the glasses.

"Damn Obam, you black Obam brother, don't you know what a bath is?" Wilson frowned, keeping his distance from Obam. Jack was already used to their bickering and continued to wipe the glasses. Wilson kept drinking whiskey and a small beer, occasionally arguing with Obam.

Amid their bickering, the small bar slowly became lively. It was rare to have more than ten people in the morning. Jack was busy serving drinks and greeting customers. Wilson and Obam stopped arguing and started discussing the recent news in town. Li Han's crazy actions continued. After transforming nearly 5,000 acres of pasture, Li Han made a surprising decision to open the water gate between Oram Lake and Yellow Creek, using the lake water to irrigate the newly constructed pasture. It was said that the crazy Chinese kid planned to catch fish today.

"Oh, this stupid Chinese kid, doesn't he know how much the drought threatens the new pasture?" Obam wiped the beer foam from his mouth and knocked on the counter. "Jack, another beer."

"Of course, I think this crazy kid doesn't know how to build a good pasture. Maybe this Chinese kid is just happy about the fresh fish and shrimp." Wilson pointed with his finger, and Jack added a whiskey.

"Damn, Mistle Town is getting worse because of these fools, the ranches are abandoned, the farms are ruined, damn it." Obam said fiercely.

Wilson said with a smirk, "Obam, this crazy kid will probably pack up and leave Mistle Town soon. I think Mr. Lemton must be thinking the same."

"No, Wilson, I think you misunderstand. I really want to help Han. We are friends, aren't we?" Lemton said with a smile, but not far away, Andre and Eddie rolled their eyes. Wang's farm had secured nearly a twenty million dollar loan, and Lemton, the smiling tiger, had ulterior motives. Who didn't know what he was up to?

"Wilson, maybe Lemton is more interested in Wilson's farm, isn't that right, Lemton?" Andre looked at Lemton and Wilson, and Wilson's hand paused as he held his glass, giving Lemton a suspicious look.

"Oh, no, Andre, you misunderstand a kind-hearted good person. Wilson, don't you believe in helping your friends?" Lemton said with a pained expression.

"Of course, Lemton, you are my best friend. Andre, the crazy Chinese kid might not appreciate your kindness." Wilson grunted, and Andre and Eddie shook their heads slightly.

"Andre, Han, why transform the farm into a pasture now? This isn't a wise move." The drought, the high cost of transformation, and the significant risk of reduced yields made many farms choose to fallow this year. The impact of the drought was significant, and the cost of irrigation was too high. The difficulty of securing bank loans increased, and delaying the transformation could save a lot of money.

"Han, he's too impulsive. Marbury told me that Han was subtly excluded at the Wang farm party, maybe that's the reason." Andre said, taking a sip of beer. Andre and Eddie were not part of the mainstream in Mistle Town. They were Latino, while conservative Anglo-Saxons still dominated the town.

"Maybe, Han will surprise us. I think Han is a smart kid." Eddie said with a smile. "God bless, Han will succeed." The bar was getting busier, with over twenty people. Many were discussing Li Han's crazy and foolish actions, separating Oram Lake from Yellow Creek. This was a foolish move, and many were gloating. Li Han didn't know he had become the symbol of craziness and foolishness. At this moment, his family was driving a farm truck and a pickup truck, carrying large water buckets, fishing nets, and a small boat.

Dudu and BaoBao were driving a small ox cart, with a large water basin on it. They were all happy as they arrived at Oram Lake. Though small relative to the farm, the lake was quite large, about 400,000 square meters. At this time, the water surface was less than 200,000 square meters, and the lake had not been cleaned for a long time, with a lot of silt around it. Li Han drove the pickup truck, pulling the small boat to the small dock. There was a waterway leading to the center of the lake.

"Xiao Han, look, there's a big one over there." His brother-in-law jumped out of the car, pointing to a puddle by the lake, shouting loudly. "Oh, it's not small, we'll have it for lunch."

"Alright, Xiao Han, I'll change into my waders and catch this big one."

"Okay, let's get this big one first." Li Han was hungry, and this big fish, with a head weighing at least ten pounds, would make a delicious fish soup for lunch. It was a wild fish.

The two changed into their waders and jumped into the puddle. The big fish seemed to sense the danger and thrashed its tail, splashing mud everywhere. Unprepared, Li Han and his brother-in-law were covered in mud.

"Good one, I'll cook you in a bit and see if you still act so tough." His brother-in-law and Li Han blocked the two ends of the puddle. The water was shallow, and the big fish struggled. The two put in all their effort and finally threw the forty to fifty-pound fish onto the shore.

Dudu and BaoBao had just arrived with the ox cart and saw a big mud-covered fish fall from the sky. The two kids were thrilled. "Wow, it's raining." "No, Dudu, it's a big fish." BaoBao corrected Dudu's mistake.

"Oh, a big fish, BaoBao, look, it's not moving, it's dead." "No, it's not." The two kids squatted by the big fish, and BaoBao poked it with her finger. The big fish's tail thrashed, and it jumped up, scaring the two kids, who screamed and ran away. After a moment, they ran back, and Dudu had a new weapon, a fishing net.

Dudu used the net to catch the big fish and tried to lift it, with BaoBao cheering her on. Li Han and his brother-in-law climbed ashore, and Dudu and BaoBao ran over, their faces full of pride. "Dad, dad, look, we caught a big fish."

"Dudu caught it." Dudu puffed out her chest proudly. Li Han and his brother-in-law looked at each other, unable to help but laugh. It was really something; the fish they had struggled to catch became the catch of the two kids.

"BaoBao, Dudu, you're so amazing. Okay, let's change clothes." Li Han took Dudu, and his brother-in-law took BaoBao to change into their waders. They then drove the small boat to the center of the lake. "Han, you really plan to drain all the water? That's a large area and will cost a lot of money."

"Exactly, the farm needs irrigation. Besides, I plan to dig a canal to divert the lake water to a few smaller lakes on the other side of the farm. It shouldn't cost much, but cleaning the silt will be more expensive and will require some money." Li Han estimated it would cost about half a million dollars.