Chapter 74

Returning to his hometown to pay respects at the family grave, Li Han spent the evening drinking with a group of old classmates. The next day, he busily bought some high-quality seasonings, white liquor, and local specialties. Li Han and Doudou toured the farmers' market, purchasing items worth thousands of dollars. The space was piled high with goods, and they had only been home for a couple of days. Li Han and Doudou hurried back to the United States, as the insect disaster was still ongoing. Li Han was not at ease leaving the farm unattended; without the space spring water to feed and exchange for step armor, the step armor might chase after the grasshoppers and run away, causing a significant loss.

Back in the small town of Burton, Li Han held Doudou's hand and waved to Diana. Diana drove up in a pickup truck to pick up the two. "Diana, thank you for your hard work. How's the farm?" "It's going well, Han. Pandora, our little angel is back, and we're so happy." Diana squatted down to kiss Doudou and helped Li Han put the luggage in the car. There were quite a few bags, as his mother had instructed him to bring them.

Driving the pickup truck, the wind blew, and unlike the crowded streets back home, Burton was extremely spacious and somewhat desolate. There were few houses around the roads, mostly vast pastures, farms, or wilderness. The sky was high and the clouds were light, and there were hardly any cars on the road.

Everything at the farm was fine. Li Han and Doudou moved the luggage and the items from the space. Doudou helped, and Diana went back first. After finishing, Li Han lay on the sofa like a big character, and Doudou imitated him, lying down with his belly exposed, even mimicking the second uncle's gesture of patting his belly.

The day before, they had returned to the old house, which hadn't been lived in for many years. They stayed at the second uncle's house for a day. Doudou said that the second uncle's cooking was very fragrant and delicious. The second uncle had learned to make medicinal dishes, but now it was hard to pick herbs as the mountains were contracted to outsiders for fruit tree cultivation. On the day of the grave sweeping, they couldn't walk through the orchards and had to take a long detour. Along the way, Li Han helped the second uncle pick some herbs, and surprisingly, Doudou recognized the herbs better than Li Han. The second uncle was delighted and said that Doudou was a good candidate for learning medicinal dishes, but it was a pity that they had to return to the United States.

After resting for a while, Li Han and Doudou suddenly found the house empty when their parents returned, and it felt quite unfamiliar. For lunch, Li Han and Doudou worked together, with Doudou picking vegetables and Li Han cooking. They had a simple tomato stir-fry with a side of donkey meat. The two of them ate heartily, and Doudou, with a full belly, waved her little hands and said, "Doudou will wash the dishes." Doudou tidied up the dishes and put them in the sink, stood on a stool to wash them, and hummed a children's song. Li Han stood by, smiling, helping Doudou rinse and arrange the dishes.

After resting enough, Doudou went out to play with the little calves and deer. Little Millie circled around Li Han's feet. According to Diana, Little Millie hadn't been eating well lately. Li Han was very worried and gave Little Millie a bath, combed her fur, and dried her. He took her for a walk, and Little Millie was very happy, running around Li Han. Doudou rode the little calf, and the two little turkeys were let out of their cage, following closely behind, chirping happily. The little fox, which had bitten the white fawn's leg, had recovered and was limping behind the calf and the white fawn.

Doudou was very happy playing with the little animals, and her giggles didn't stop. Of course, Li Han found the proud turtle a bit annoying. The turtle ignored him and even deliberately crawled over his foot, making Li Han laugh and cry at the same time. "Doudou, are you hungry? Would you like to have turtle soup for dinner?" Li Han kicked the crab by his foot, and Doudou blinked her eyes.

Doudou climbed down from the white fawn, ran to Li Han, and picked up the big crab. "No, Doudou doesn't want to eat the big crab." The old turtle, now looking pitiful, made Li Han smile. "Okay, we won't eat the turtle."

Li Han played with Doudou for a while, picked some vegetables, and brought some donkey meat and local specialties. He drove a four-wheeled motorcycle with Doudou to George's farm. Hutton and Jim were doing a good job, with Lulu responsible for the sheep, Diana for the farm, cleaning, and feeding the cattle and horses. When Li Han arrived, Diana was brushing a horse.

"Aunt Diana, Doudou is here to help you." Doudou jumped off the motorcycle and ran over to hug the little chestnut horse's head, which rubbed against Doudou, making her giggle. "This guy doesn't show any affection when he sees me, it's a waste to help you brush him," Li Han said with a smile.

"Han, why don't you rest a bit more?" Diana put down the brush and took the ingredients Li Han brought.

Li Han smiled and said, "I slept for over ten hours on the plane, I'm well-rested. I'll go change clothes and move around a bit." "Doudou, I'll change clothes, see you later, Aunt Diana." "Pandora is so well-behaved." Li Han and Doudou changed into work pants, small rubber boots, and rubber gloves, carrying a small bucket and a brush to help Diana brush the horses. "Diana, have there been any news in town lately?"

Diana thought for a moment and said, "Jim said yesterday that the Chris family has acquired three small farms, and the prices of cattle and sheep have dropped a bit, while the price of hay has increased by a few cents." Diana usually didn't pay much attention to these things, and after saying that, she continued brushing the horse, which was her favorite job. Seeing the horses comfortable made her very happy.

"Oh, how are Jim and Hutton doing with the hay harvest in the second field?" Li Han finished brushing a spotted horse, changed the water, and asked.

"Very well. The hay in the second field isn't as good as in the third field, but there are fewer insects, and the yield is expected to be good. Jim and Hutton are very happy," Diana said. After finishing the horse brushing, they tidied up the tools. Hutton and Jim drove the tractor back with the herd of about 400 to 500 cattle, mostly calves, a few cows, and a dozen bulls. Watching the herd come in from a distance was quite exciting.

Jim gave Li Han a big hug and said, "Han, welcome back. How does it feel to be home?" "Not bad, Jim, Hutton, our herd looks great. Hey, Hutton, are the pregnant cows in the herd?"

"No, Han, the pregnant cows are in the pen. The new bulls and calves haven't fully integrated yet," Hutton said. Li Han understood Hutton's concern about the pregnant cows being injured. "Han, Mr. Glasserman's steward came to see you. He wants to lend us over a thousand acres of pasture near our farm for free."

"Oh, why would Glasserman do that?" Li Han asked curiously.

Jim said, "It might be due to the insect and weed problems. Glasserman doesn't want to spend money on weed control and insect removal, and the town doesn't agree. He plans to lend it to us to help solve the problem, and the pasture will be free for us to use." "Jim, Hutton, what do you think?"

Jim said, "Han, this is a good thing for us. If we let the weeds and insect problems in Glasserman's pasture grow unchecked, it would be detrimental to our pasture. Taking it over and solving the problems, though troublesome, is better than doing nothing." "Han, Jim is right, this is beneficial for us," Hutton added.

"Let's agree to it. What about the other two farms?" Li Han was concerned about the pasture issues, as the three neighbors were all problematic. Glasserman, with his peculiar personality, and the other two, a California celebrity and a hotel group heir, had no interest in managing their pastures, which were almost as bad as Glasserman's, with weeds and insects. Li Han was worried about the impact on his own pasture.

Jim and Hutton shook their heads and said, "The other two farms haven't made any moves. Perhaps we can ask them." "Alright, the Chris family is having a party tomorrow. I'll find out more," Li Han said.

After discussing the matter, Li Han prepared a barbecue and beer for the evening. Hutton, Jim, Diana, and Lulu all came over, and Doudou helped her father serve the grilled meat. "Han, you're a good person," Lulu said, drinking beer and eating the grilled meat.

"Of course, Han is the best boss I've ever seen," Hutton and Diana said, and Jim nodded. The beer tasted good, and the grilled meat was excellent. "Yeah, Dad is the best," Doudou said, munching on the grilled meat and nodding her head.

"Thanks, let's raise a glass for the farm." Li Han raised his glass with a smile. The beer tasted great, and the barley seeds were almost ready to be planted. Tomorrow, he would use his own barley to brew beer, which should taste even better.

After dinner, they tidied up, and Li Han took Doudou's hand to the space. Doudou had planted many vegetables in the space, and the energy crystals had increased to 112. "Doudou, what kind of dog do you want?"

Lulu had mentioned the issue of sheepdogs during dinner, and Li Han thought about exchanging a few good sheepdogs. Border Collies were good, and a basic level one cost 10 crystals. He planned to exchange for two and reward Doudou with a guard dog. Doudou thought for a while and pointed to a large white creature. "Doudou wants this."

Li Han was taken aback. The creature had a sinister look. He checked the name and saw, "Doudou, this isn't a dog." "But Doudou wants it, it's so cute," Doudou said, making Li Han laugh and cry at the same time. It was a large white wolf, a pack leader, and a high-level basic one costing 20 crystals.

Seeing Doudou's hopeful look and her shaking his pants, Li Han said, "Alright, but Doudou has to promise not to let it bite anyone." "Yes, the big white dog is very well-behaved," Doudou nodded vigorously, and Li Han clicked to exchange.

A giant white wolf, about 2.5 meters long and almost 200 kilograms, appeared in front of Li Han. Doudou cheered and ran over to hug the wolf's head, hanging happily on the wolf. The wolf's eyes flashed with a mysterious light, and Li Han was startled. Just as he was about to step forward, the wolf affectionately rubbed Doudou's face, making her giggle. Fortunately, nothing happened, and Li Han breathed a sigh of relief.

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