Chapter 71

In the following days, life was quite leisurely. He accompanied his parents on a trip to Yellowstone Park. It was rare for them to come, so he fulfilled his child's wish to ride a small airplane. However, the helicopter was quite expensive, over two hundred dollars per person, which was really too high. Li Han thought that if he had the chance, he would buy one himself, for hunting or just for fun. The farm work was managed by Hutton and Jim, making it much easier. Back at the farm, he would take a morning ride, stroll around the farm, breathe in the fresh air, and in the morning, help Dudu plant some vegetables and water them.

On the weekend, he participated in a football game, which was quite enjoyable. His physical fitness and reaction speed had improved significantly. They won by more than twenty points, which was quite rare. On the way back, Kadi and Bill were very excited and took Li Han to a bar for a drink.

He drank a bit too much and it was already late when he got home. After washing up, he went to bed. The next morning, he got up, cleaned the horse stable, and brushed the horse. He kept two cows and had Dina move the rest to George's farm for care. A few days ago, he bought ten cows, three hundred sheep, and two hundred more, spending a large portion of his loan. He rode Little Red Date around the farm and, upon returning, coincidentally met Hutton driving a four-wheeler. "Hutton, good morning."

Hutton came to inform Li Han about the hay harvesting. Li Han patted his forehead, realizing he had forgotten. "I'll go over after breakfast. I've been quite relaxed these days and forgot about it." "Is the machinery checked?"

Hutton nodded and said, "No problem. Jim and I checked it yesterday, everything is okay, Han." The hay in Field No. 3 was irrigated with space spring water and grew the best. It was the best time to harvest, with the highest yield and quality.

Li Han and Hutton discussed the situation in Field No. 3, then led the horse back to the small farm. His mother and sister had already prepared breakfast. "The rice porridge made by Mom is so fragrant, I'll have another bowl."

"This child, it's just white rice porridge." Though she said this, Zhang Xiuying was quite pleased and filled another bowl for her son. Li Han smiled and, thinking about the hay harvesting, said, "Brother-in-law, we'll be harvesting hay in the field later, want to come and see?"

"Sure, I've never seen how hay is bundled." His brother-in-law said, and Li Han smiled, taking the rice porridge from his mother.

"Bundling is still early, it needs a few days to dry. If it's too wet, it can only be stored as green feed, and the farm's conditions aren't up to that yet." Li Han picked up some small dishes and enjoyed his rice porridge, saying, "Your father will be free, he can help you and your brother-in-law."

"Sure, I'll go with your brother-in-law to help you," his mother said, and his father nodded. "There's nothing to do in the morning, we might as well all go and see." His sister said, and Dudu and Bao Bao, who were eating rice porridge, looked up and nodded vigorously. "Dudu will help Dad cut the grass." "Dudu is still young, you can help Dad when you grow up." Li Han patted Dudu's head, and Dudu nodded. "Dudu will eat more and grow faster."

"Bao Bao will help Uncle too." "Bao Bao and Dudu are both good, eat some meat to have the strength to help Uncle." Li Han smiled and gave each of the two little ones a piece of meat. The two little ones ate the meat with big bites, trying to grow faster, which made the whole family laugh.

After breakfast, Li Han drove the large tractor with a flatbed, and the whole family went to George's farm. Hutton, Jim, Lulu, and Dina were busy moving the large mower. Li Han stopped the tractor, and his brother-in-law and Li Han went to help. It took a while to move the seven-meter mower to an open area. Jim drove the tractor over, hooked it up, and headed towards Field No. 3. Harvesting hay takes a lot of time, and by noon, they had only harvested less than half.

Li Han's mother and sister, who had gone back early to prepare lunch, sent two little helpers to deliver the food. Dudu and Bao Bao drove the ox cart, and the sound of the bells could be heard from far away. "Hey, Hutton, take a break, our lunch is here." Li Han pointed to the distant ox cart and told Hutton and Jim.

His brother-in-law drove a small mower left by George's farm, about four meters long, a bit old, and its cutting speed was only about a third of the large mower's. In the morning, his brother-in-law and Li Han took turns driving. The small tractor was quite bumpy, and it was tiring. After wiping the sweat, the ox cart arrived. Dudu jumped off the cart, and Bao Bao handed the small buckets. Li Han, his brother-in-law, father, Hutton, and Jim came to help. "Beer, grilled meat, grilled chicken, grilled bread, it all smells so good."

Li Han poured the beer, and after a tiring morning, he didn't hesitate to eat and drink heartily. Dudu and Bao Bao each gnawed on a chicken leg, their mouths shiny with oil. After lunch, they found a bush, spread out a cover, and took a nap.

For two consecutive days, they were busy harvesting hay. Fields No. 3 and No. 2 were completed, and after drying for three to four days, they were bundled and stored in the warehouse. During the two idle days, Li Han took the family to Los Angeles for two days. They had been in the U.S. for some time and were about to return to China, but they hadn't had a chance to play. Los Angeles was not far away, and they visited Disneyland, Hollywood, the beach, and Chinatown, where they found it quite interesting to eat authentic Chinese pancakes, though his mother complained about the high prices compared to China. The two little ones were the happiest at Disneyland, Universal Studios, and the zoo, while his parents were a bit tired and returned to the farm early.

The hay in the fields was almost dried, and Hutton drove the rake to form rows, while Jim used the baler to make cylindrical bales. The whole field was filled with round bales. Dudu and Bao Bao were excited and ran around the bales, very happy. "These two kids, be careful and don't fall," his mother called out, worried, but the two little ones were too happy to listen and only stopped after a while.

Li Han, his brother-in-law, and father walked behind his mother, sister, Dudu, and Bao Bao. Jim did a great job with the hay, and Li Han didn't have to worry about it at all. "American agriculture is really advanced, fully mechanized, easy and quick. One person can manage thousands of acres without feeling it's too much."

"Speaking of which, although the U.S. is not as large as China, its cultivated area is more than ten times that of China. On our way back, we saw many fallow fields, planted one year and left fallow the next." Li Han said. There was no way around it; China has a large population concentrated in the plains, and the per capita arable land is quite limited.

After a walk around the field, with nothing needing help, the family returned to the small farm. In a few days, his parents planned to return to China. Mentioning the return, Bao Bao was unwilling, as there were so many fun things with Uncle, big horses, cows, little dogs, and little deer. Bao Bao had made many friends and enjoyed the good food. The kindergarten was not as good as Teacher Cynthia's. Bao Bao clung to his sister and brother-in-law, not wanting to go back. His sister, annoyed, patted Bao Bao's little bottom, and Bao Bao started crying.

"Bao Bao, don't cry, it's okay, Uncle will make you a cake." Li Han comforted Bao Bao for a while, and he finally stopped crying. His brother-in-law and sister were at a loss with Bao Bao. The U.S. was nice, but they couldn't stay forever. They had family and friends back home, and life in the U.S. was lonely, with few people they knew.

Before Bao Bao returned to China, Li Han talked to Cynthia. It happened to be during the cultural week, and Cynthia invited Li Han to give a class on Chinese culture. A few days ago, Li Han had heard Bao Bao and Dudu talking about a new black-skinned friend whose father had come to give a class, which was quite fun and included dancing. Cynthia first introduced the other children to Li Han. Including Dudu and Bao Bao, there were thirteen children in total, from China, Africa, Spain, and Latin America, almost forming a mini United Nations.

It was Li Han's first time teaching, and he was a bit nervous. Cynthia smiled and said, "Han, just talk casually. You can talk about Chinese festivals, food, or sports." "Okay, Cynthia, I'll just talk casually."

In the classroom, Dudu, Bao Bao, and a group of little ones sat on mats. "Hey, kids, I'm Hank Li, you can call me Han." "Dudu's dad." Dudu proudly stood up and introduced Li Han to the other children. Li Han smiled and handed the small cakes and ice cream to Dudu and Bao Bao to distribute to the children. As they ate, they listened to Li Han talk about some things in China, which many of the little ones didn't quite understand but listened attentively.

Cynthia stood to one side, smiling as Li Han talked about life in China and the changes after coming to the U.S. As Li Han narrated his experiences in the U.S., Cynthia's eyes became slightly red. Li Han's experiences were perhaps similar to those of many ordinary foreigners in the U.S., where dreams and reality coexist, and reality is harsh, requiring step-by-step struggle. At the end of the class, Li Han introduced several games played by Chinese children, such as kicking shuttlecocks, playing with string, and throwing stones. Cynthia was curious and followed along to learn.

"Han, these are really nice games." She particularly liked the string game and asked Li Han to teach her. Cynthia was dressed quite loosely, especially on top, which made Li Han feel a bit ticklish.

Back home, his brother-in-law handed Li Han a party invitation from the Chris family farm. Li Han called Will to ask about the party. The Chris family had officially entered Kemi Star Town, and he wondered what Mr. Krenko of Little Wang Farm was thinking. After hanging up, Li Han pinched his chin. Hunting? Ha, maybe it was just to show off some fine horses and hunting dogs. Little Red Date was good, but Little Millie was too young. Perhaps he could exchange for a good hunting dog. With Bao Bao returning to China, there would be fewer playmates for Dudu. A hunting dog could protect Dudu and play with him, which would be nice.

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