Chapter 65

Not far from the crowd, a pavilion was set up. In this small space, someone was playing a guitar and singing. Around this person were hay bales placed haphazardly, with a few people sitting on them, listening intently. A few children were running around, occasionally stopping to curiously observe the singer.

"Brother, Miaomiao, Uncle, Aunt, come quickly, there are seats here." Zhou Rui, seeing someone playing the guitar and singing, excitedly ran over and sat on a hay bale, waving to everyone. She was quite happy, as the hay bales were cut into stool-sized pieces, similar to the ones on Li Han's carriage, making them comfortable and convenient to use. They were scattered without any particular pattern, allowing people to sit down and listen to the music or rest whenever they wanted. Li Han, who hadn't played music for a while, felt a bit itchy to play. He hadn't played the drums for a long time, so he mentioned it to his parents and walked towards the drum set. Zhou Rui watched curiously as Li Han spoke to the middle-aged white man who had just finished a song. The man nodded happily, and they formed a temporary band. Li Han's voice had a wild quality, and his drumming was excellent. They played quite happily, and their first collaboration went well. After the song, the middle-aged man became even more enthusiastic towards Li Han, saying, "Hey, brother, that was great, how about another one?" The middle-aged cowboy patted Li Han's shoulder, showing a very open personality.

Li Han smiled and said he had something to do, but would consider it next time. The middle-aged man didn't say much, saying it was all about having fun. Zhou Rui, however, encouraged Li Han to play another song. She thought Li Han looked very cool playing the drums and had a good voice, saying he had the look of a country singer. Li Han was quite pleased with the praise, feeling that he had made some progress after not playing for so long. He waved his hand, saying he would consider it next time.

Leaving the music pavilion, Li Han's sister smiled at her mother. "Mom, I didn't expect Li Han to be able to play the drums, it's quite interesting." "Yes, he's done well. He's learned a lot since coming to America, much better than when he was always playing and being naughty at home. Coming to America was a good decision."

Li Han was very mischievous as a child. His parents enrolled him in various classes, but he often skipped classes or got into fights with classmates or arguments with teachers. Despite paying a lot of tuition, he didn't learn much. He could draw a bit, but everything else was a mess. He almost broke the piano during his piano lessons, and the teacher refused to teach him anymore. His reputation spread, and no one would take him as a student, which made his parents very angry. Li Han, who wouldn't listen to anyone, secretly ran away to America, scaring his parents to death.

"Dudu wants to learn to play the drums." Dudu tugged at his father's hand, tilting his head and saying in a clear voice, "Okay, I'll buy you a drum when we get home." "Yes, Dudu has money from selling vegetables to buy a drum." "Dudu is so good, let's go sell vegetables."

Baby didn't like playing the drums, pouting and saying, "I don't want to learn." Baby tugged at the rope, saying the little sheep was moving too slowly.

Li Han picked up little Dudu, bumping his big head against Dudu's small head, making Dudu giggle. "Little Dudu is so well-behaved." He said they would go back to sell vegetables, but they hadn't finished exploring yet. Not far ahead were some small enclosures made of wooden posts, with foals, lambs, and calves inside. Many children were playing with the animals, and the owners were happy to let them. The adults wanted the children to interact with the animals to cultivate their love for them.

Li Han explained this to the others, and his parents nodded, agreeing that it was a good opportunity for the children to interact with animals. The owners provided hay and water, and the children could feed the animals for free. The animals for sale were very gentle and not afraid of people, sometimes even enjoying playing with the children.

Dudu and Baby led the lambs and a large turtle, following the little turkey into the enclosure. They put the lambs down, and the two little lambs, used to people, went to "greet" the other lambs.

Li Han's brother-in-law smiled and said, "This is great, the kids have a place to play, it's more interesting than an amusement park." "That's true, it's free, and many parents bring their children here. It helps to cultivate the children's love for animals. Hey, there's a black donkey over there." Li Han was attracted by a small black donkey, thinking of the delicious donkey meat from his hometown. He had long planned to buy a few donkeys to raise and make braised donkey meat, and this was a good opportunity.

A small donkey wasn't expensive, and Li Han, his brother-in-law, and his father negotiated with the owner. The transaction was completed in a few minutes. Dudu and Baby fought over who would lead the donkey, but in the end, Dudu promised to buy Baby an ice cream with the money from selling vegetables, and Baby let Dudu lead the donkey. Dudu's leadership was impressive, and the donkey, which had been startled, soon calmed down and followed Dudu without needing a carrot to lure it.

After a round of exploration, Li Han pointed to a nearby area and said, "We're lucky today, there's a gun collection exhibition ahead. We might see some big guns." Li Han was quite excited, as such opportunities were rare, happening only once or twice a year.

Li Han's brother-in-law and Zhou Hao's eyes lit up, as they both liked guns. Even Li Han's father was interested, which made his sister and mother, Wu Miaomiao, roll their eyes. Zhou Rui, the little girl, was even more excited, urging everyone to hurry. Wu Miaomiao was a bit embarrassed, but her mother smiled and said, "Zhou Rui is a very lively child, let's go and see."

At the gun exhibition, a long pavilion was set up with several tables displaying various guns, mostly antiques. A Gatling gun was the most eye-catching, and Li Han moved closer. It was a big gun, powerful, and though well-maintained, it was mostly non-functional. The Gatling gun was the first practical machine gun, and this one had six barrels and a manual crank. Such antiques were rare. As Li Han walked through, his heart raced, seeing many guns he had been looking for, such as revolvers, the Peacemaker, and even the Hitler's Saw, a World War II German machine gun.

Li Han introduced the guns to his brother-in-law, Zhou Hao, and Zhou Rui as they walked. Li Han was a gun collection enthusiast, and he was very excited to see so many rare items. The collection was impressive, and Li Han was envious. After a thorough exploration, he was reluctant to leave, as there were still areas to explore. In the distance, showmen were demonstrating cowboy life, horse riding, roping, and bull riding, with many people watching. "It's quite lively, and there are even female cowboys." The two female cowboys who had just performed roping were likely sisters, as roping required close cooperation, usually between family members or close friends. Strangers couldn't do it well, and the calf would run away.

"It's a pity they didn't succeed." The two female cowboys failed, with one catching the calf's hind legs and the other failing to catch its neck, allowing the calf to escape. It was a shame, but the cowboy performance was interesting for Li Han's parents, brother-in-law, sister, and the children.

"Usually, the performances include these few items. You have to wait for the Cowboy Festival for the real competitions, which are much more exciting." The performance ended after a short while, and on the way back, Li Han said, "Really? Brother, can we come and see if we have time?" Zhou Rui smiled and asked. "Sure, if we have time." "Actually, there aren't many people in Montana. The Cowboy Festival in Texas is much more lively."

Li Han explained that various performances were rare in Montana due to the sparse population and vast grasslands, which were not as good as those in the south. "In that case, we can visit Texas next summer."

Zhou Rui, the little girl, was quite interesting. After walking for a while, they returned to the carriage, rested for a bit, and the two children, Dudu and Baby, climbed onto the carriage. They took down a small iron bucket and stuck their heads in, pulling out a pile of coins. They divided the coins, one for each, and Li Han and the others were amused. The two children had collected quite a bit of money, but too much was not good.

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