Chapter 69

Not far from George's farm, in the third pasture, Dudu and Baobao rode the little cow Xiaobai, waving a small net, and shouted with small iron buckets on their heads, chasing after Xiaomili and Xiaohongzao. The iron bucket hat was made by a Latino child on Hat Day, and it even had armor, making them little knights. They won the best creativity award on Hat Day, and Teacher Cynthia rewarded them with strawberries, which were very delicious.

Riding the little cow, waving the net, and chasing after Xiaohongzao, the two little ones played for a long time without feeling any烦恼. Until they were tired, Dudu and Baobao each held a cow's leg and slid down. The two little ones had a serious mission: to finish the cake and ice cream. After Li Han left, the two little ones set out. Their sister and mother had fallen in love with horseback riding over the past two days, and their father and brother-in-law were practicing by fetching water and leading the horses. The two little ones played on the farm, worry-free, as there were no cars around, only a few mischievous squirrels. The squirrels were afraid that Dudu would catch them to dig holes and plant vegetables, or pick vegetables, and they didn't have time to hide. Besides, the cow was fierce, even a hunting dog couldn't match it, and with the big horse Xiaohongzao, Baobao and Dudu were safe. Their mother and sister were reassured that the two little ones were playing at home, but who would have thought that the two little gluttons had gone to the third pasture to catch grasshoppers.

There were more grasshoppers in the surrounding grass of the third pasture than in the second pasture. Dudu and Baobao shouted and waved their nets, chasing after the grasshoppers. However, the big grasshoppers didn't fly low, and for a while, grasshoppers were flying everywhere. After a while, the two little ones were sweating profusely, but only a few clumsy grasshoppers were caught in the net.

Dudu pouted, her eyes twinkled, and she took out a small black ball and threw it into the grass. With a rustling sound, a group of insects scattered. Baobao looked back. "Dudu, run fast, the grasshoppers are flying away." "Okay, I'm coming." Dudu chased after Baobao, and in no time, the two little ones caught a pile of grasshoppers, all of which had their wings bitten off. They were very happy. Dudu and Baobao ran with their small buckets, filling them with the grasshoppers. In the grass, groups of beetles surrounded the grasshoppers, forming small piles of grasshoppers.

"Look at all the grasshoppers, Dudu, let's go ask Uncle to drive the tractor to help us, okay?" "Okay." In a short while, the two little ones caught a small iron bucket full of grasshoppers. They brought the little turkeys to eat the insects, and Dudu and Baobao only wanted the grasshopper legs.

The piles of grasshopper bodies made the two little turkeys roll in the piles of insects, and soon their bellies were full. Dudu caught the two little turkeys and put them in a box, hanging it on the cow. The two little ones climbed onto the cow's back, waved their nets, and chased the flying grasshoppers, happily carrying the small iron bucket of grasshopper legs back home.

Li Han left Willie's house and unexpectedly met Chris at the intersection. Li Han was a bit surprised, as Chris's attitude towards him was neither cold nor warm, and they didn't have much interaction. He didn't expect Chris to be waiting for him specifically. "Chris, I'm really sorry, I have no intention of selling the farm right now. Thanks, maybe we can cooperate in the future."

"Truly regrettable. When Harriet asks, I hope you can be honest with her." Chris's words puzzled Li Han. "I think I will. I'll take my leave. Harriet is a nice girl." "Han, Harriet is my girlfriend. I think you should understand."

"This is a friend's concern. Be nice to Harriet, Chris. Goodbye." Li Han left Ronald's farm and returned to the small farm. He listened to the voicemail messages. Andre and Marbury left messages similar to Ronald's, and the last message was from Lemton, who, like Xiao Wang, wanted to buy Li Han's farm for eight million dollars, which was a pretty good price. Li Han rubbed his forehead, sensing that the insect disaster might have the shadow of some large agricultural companies, or they might be behind the scenes, pushing the disaster. After a major drought followed by an insect disaster, the price of farms would definitely plummet. For large companies, insect and drought disasters were not a big deal; with enough funds, they could solve the problems of insects and drought over time.

Another headache for Li Han was his three neighbors on the farm, who completely neglected the pasture, allowing weeds to grow unchecked. In the fall, the seeds of the weeds would scatter, affecting the quality of the pasture. This was a minor issue, but with the drought and insect disaster, these people still did nothing. Li Han was annoyed, but he had no good solution for the moment. Filing a lawsuit might not be effective, and there was no time. Li Han sighed and walked out of the small building.

"Uncle, Uncle, look, look, Baobao and Dudu caught so many grasshoppers." These two little ones were carefree, and Li Han didn't take it too seriously, but when he looked down, he was stunned. Two small buckets of grasshopper legs, how many grasshoppers must that be? Li Han swallowed hard. "Baobao, tell Uncle, how did you catch so many grasshoppers?"

Baobao tilted her head and pointed to her mouth with her little finger. "Baobao found a lot of piles of grasshoppers, right, Dudu?" "Yes, a lot of piles." Dudu nodded vigorously, and Li Han was shocked. The grasshoppers had gathered into piles. This was bad. Without hesitation, he took the two little ones in the pickup truck to the third pasture, following what Dudu and Baobao said. However, after driving for a while, Li Han was puzzled. There weren't many grasshoppers, especially in some areas where they were scarce. What was going on? Li Han found Hutton, and the two of them toured the area, returning to the boundary between the third and second pastures. They stood there, staring at each other in amazement, especially Hutton. "Han, I think God must have heard our prayers. God bless us."

"No, Hutton, perhaps it's a gift from Old George." Li Han speculated that it might be the effect of the space spring water. If it was, that would be great. "Yes, Han, may God bless Old George. This is truly a wonderful thing."

Genetically modified pasture grass was the first thing Hutton thought of. Although he didn't like the technology, in the face of the insect disaster, this was excellent news. "Hutton, let's have a beer to celebrate." Li Han returned to the car, took out a few cans of beer, and brought them over.

Sitting on the ground, Hutton and Li Han felt more confident. They drank beer and discussed the impact of the insect disaster, feeling more relaxed. "Han, the pasture in the third field is growing quite well. Harvesting tomorrow might be a bit early, but delaying for two days shouldn't be a problem."

Li Han took a sip of beer and nodded. "Of course, let's wait two more days. It's a pity for Glasserman and the other two farms with thousands of acres of pasture, though." "These damn rich people and celebrities, they come to Montana for pleasure, buy farms and ranches just to build estates, throw parties, take vacations, ride horses, and hunt, completely ruining good farms and pastures." Hutton, a traditional cowboy, was very angry at these people.

"Let's drink, Hutton. We don't need to worry about them. Let's plan ahead. To prevent a large-scale insect disaster from affecting our farm, let's harvest a buffer zone first." Li Han was willing to sacrifice some pasture, harvest less, and dry it near the ground, burn it, or do whatever it takes to prevent the insect disaster from the three neighboring pastures from affecting the new farm.

Hutton nodded and finished his beer. "Han, I need two more people to help me. The new pasture is expanding, and we need to buy more cattle and sheep." "Hutton, you know the cowboys around here. How about one thousand one hundred dollars plus insurance?"

"Han, that's a good salary. I don't think anyone will refuse. My old friend needs a job." Hutton said, and Li Han trusted Hutton's character. "That's great news. Maybe we can meet him today."

"No problem. I'll call Jim. Jim has been a cowboy for twenty years and ran his own ranch. He sold it a few years ago due to illness, but don't worry, Jim is now recovered." Hutton said, fearing Li Han might misunderstand.

"Jim Hofford?"

"Han, you know Jim?" Hutton was surprised, and Li Han smiled. "On my first day in Kemi Star Town, Jim treated me to a chicken sandwich. It was a wonderful taste, the most delicious food I've ever had."

Recalling his once destitute life, with no money and begging, a sandwich, and the help of the people from the small and old farms, Li Han managed to get through it. He had heard that Jim had come to town, but didn't expect him to return. "Hutton, I think we don't need to meet. Let's start work directly. Hey, let's have a party tonight. Jim will love the barbecue and beer, don't you think, Hutton?" "Of course, Jim will love it. Han, I'll go back and call Jim. See you tonight."

"See you tonight." Li Han patted the grass off his pants and walked over to Baobao and Dudu, who were poking at insects in the grass with sticks. "Dad, Dudu's insects." A group of beetles, which are natural enemies of grasshoppers, were like soldiers being inspected.

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