Chapter 94

Li Han pinched his chin and sized up the situation, nodding his little head in satisfaction. Not bad, not bad. A small hat, a floral dress, and little leather shoes—truly a pretty little lady. Doudou pouted her little mouth, unhappy. The little girl had changed into many outfits, and Li Han smiled as he pinched Doudou's little nose. "Alright, Doudou is the prettiest. Did you bring the gift?"

Speaking of the gift, Doudou perked up and nodded her head vigorously. "Doudou has packed it." With the gift packed, Doudou carried it, holding her father's big hand as they left the house. Michelle had invited Doudou to her birthday party. Michelle's family ranch was not far from Li Han's farm. Michelle's grandfather, Anderson, was a stubborn German-American and a staunch Republican supporter who strongly opposed non-white immigrants. Li Han and Anderson had only met a few times and were not particularly familiar, so he was somewhat surprised by Anderson's invitation.

On the surface, the United States is a country that promotes racial equality, and any public acts or statements of racial discrimination are condemned. In reality, however, whites and people of color, especially new immigrants, maintain a cautious distance. Social circles are completely incompatible. This cider press party was a gathering of the white upper class, with about 200 people, mostly farmers and ranchers, and some good friends. Li Han drove his pickup truck to the parking lot, where a neatly trimmed lawn, about the size of two football fields, was sufficient for parking.

Li Han parked his pickup truck, and Doudou was carried down. The white wolf jumped down and followed Doudou, acting as her bodyguard. "Dad, Doudou's gift." "I know." Li Han took the gift, which consisted of some small trinkets from back home, packed and brought over. A wooden carved basket, shaped like a plate with a series of indents forming a basket, and a set of bamboo scrolls, two small gifts.

The host, Anderson, owned a considerable ranch and apple orchard, with over 50,000 acres of land, making him one of the largest landowners in the small town of Kemixing. The party was held on the ranch's lawn. Li Han led Doudou over, and little Michelle ran over when she saw Doudou, the two little girls hugging each other affectionately.

Li Han handed the gift to Doudou, who then gave it to Michelle. Michelle opened it on the spot, and the wooden carved basket was truly beautiful and very interesting. Michelle was delighted and cheered. "Wow, so pretty, Doudou, thank you." "Mm-hmm, Dad bought it from Grandma's house. This is Doudou's gift."

Doudou also gave Michelle a bamboo scroll and a big foot charm. Michelle tilted her head in confusion at the big foot charm. "Doudou, this is a big foot, it's so fat and strange." Doudou nodded and pulled her father. "Dad said it's good, right, Dad?" Doudou looked back at her father, who she admired so much.

The guests around were quite puzzled, but before Li Han could speak, someone explained for him. "The greatest misfortune comes from not knowing when to stop, and the greatest fault comes from desiring to get. Therefore, he who knows when to stop is content, and he who is content is always happy."

Liu Ming, holding a whisky, smiled and said. Li Han smiled bitterly and shook his head. No wonder Anderson invited him; it was probably out of respect for Liu Ming. "Nice gift, thank you, Han. Would you like a whisky?" "Of course, Mr. Anderson." Li Han took the whisky and nodded at Liu Ming. "It's quite nice here, Han, what do you think?" Liu Ming sipped his whisky.

"Of course, Anderson's ranch has been passed down for three generations, with over a hundred years of history. The houses here can be considered antiques, and there are few ranches in Kemixing that have been passed down for over a hundred years. The scenery here has always been beautiful." Li Han and Liu Ming went to the guest registration, where Li Han wrote his name on a sticker and stuck it to his chest, greeting the guests. They then walked to a quiet wooden bridge, surrounded by some hay bales, and sat down. Liu Ming smiled and said, "Han, the apples here are quite good. Would you like to try some?"

A few large boxes filled with various apples were placed on the lawn nearby, along with large water buckets and a big juicer. Doudou and Michelle, along with about ten other children, were busy washing apples and making juice. "Of course, I think such good apples would be quite expensive in China."

Liu Ming nodded with a smile. "Yes, there are many wealthy people in China, and high-quality apples, even at a higher price, actually sell better, don't you think?" "Congratulations, that's a great business." Li Han genuinely couldn't understand how Liu Ming seemed to have a hand in everything; he was a truly strange person.

"Talking about business is too boring. Han, I'm planning to open a horse ranch. How about it, are you interested?" Liu Ming put down his whisky glass, and Li Han sized him up, shaking his head slightly. "There are already plenty of horse ranches in the U.S. I'm not interested in getting into that mess."

"No, no, Han, you misunderstand. I mean in the outskirts of Beijing. I have a considerable farm there, which could be converted into a horse ranch. In the past two years, horse ranches have been quite profitable." Liu Ming smiled and shook his head.

"The outskirts of Beijing, a good location. However, Anderson's ranch is mostly sheep, with only a few Quarter Horses. I suggest you check out Milton or Laura's ranch. If you need a smaller number, you can visit Little Flower Hat." Li Han explained that Anderson's ranch mainly raised sheep, with over ten thousand sheep, both meat and wool sheep, and a few hundred llamas. Although there was a horse ranch, the horses were mostly of poor bloodlines. Liu Ming was aiming for a high-end market, so he would need to purchase better Quarter Horses.

"Han, perhaps you could try raising some horses. What do you think?" Liu Ming swirled his whisky glass, and Li Han frowned. "I need to think about it." "Financial issues, I can contribute some, or consider it a deposit. Of course, a partnership would also be fine. I have no problem with that."

Li Han was increasingly puzzled. Liu Ming's offer was too good. Li Han couldn't understand why he had such charm or influence. "It's a tempting offer. Alright, initially, 100 Quarter Horses. I need a $500,000 deposit."

"Ok, no problem, Han. I think you understand what I want." Liu Ming's eyes changed, and he gently swirled his whisky glass.

"No problem. I can't guarantee the best bloodlines, but they will definitely be comfortable riding horses." Li Han knew that with a good, intelligent lead horse, training would be much easier.

"Let's drink to a quick partnership." Liu Ming raised his glass with a smile, and Li Han clinked glasses and drank the whisky, then stood up and said to Liu Ming, "Excuse me, I need to go over there for a moment." "No problem," Liu Ming smiled.

Li Han raised his glass and hugged Andre. "Uncle Andre, how have you been recently?" "Not bad, except for the damned hay." Andre poured a whisky and patted Li Han's shoulder. "Little Hank, not bad. The new pasture is a success. Congratulations."

"Thank you. I think the hay will improve. God will bless you." Andre was a good person, and Li Han chatted with him for a while. "Uncle Andre, perhaps I can help you."

Andre was in trouble, with severe hay withering, pests, and drought. Most small farms couldn't afford the rising hay prices and had to sell their cattle, sheep, or even the farm. "Thank you, Han, I'll figure it out." "No, no, Uncle Andre, this is something that benefits both of us."

Li Han explained that his two other neighbors, the Grasermans, had done well with their pasture, with Doudou's help, and had eliminated most of the pests. The other two families had signed a free pasture lease contract with Li Han for six months, during which he would handle pest and weed control. "Thank God, Han, I need to have a drink with you. That's great news."

"Andre, you're disturbing the guests. Perhaps I shouldn't have invited you." Anderson was slightly displeased, and Andre laughed. "No, no, no, Anderson, today is my lucky day. Han, this is my brother, hey."

Li Han sized up Anderson, who indeed resembled Andre, though their personalities were quite different. Li Han had never thought about it before. "Excuse me, Han, Andre, come with me for a moment. It might be helpful to you."

"No, Anderson, Han has already helped me solve my problem. We're about to have a drink. Would you like one?" Andre raised his glass. "Oh, Han is a good young man, of course." Anderson sized up the young man in front of him, who had gone from an illegal worker to a successful farmer in just a few years, and raised a glass to him.

Li Han, Andre, and Anderson had a drink, and Andre, in a good mood, introduced his family to Li Han. Andre's son, David, was in college in New York, a great young man, and his young daughter, a blonde beauty around eleven or twelve years old, was curiously looking at Li Han. "Oh, Han, is China fun?"

"Of course, China is a great country like the U.S., with a 5,000-year civilization and vast territory." Li Han smiled.

Lis nodded and asked if the Great Wall was really that long and if there were many Bruce Lees. Li Han answered all her questions, and Doris was delighted, extending her hand. Li Han shook it. "Han, we're friends now. Can you tell me more about China? David doesn't want to talk about these things with me."

Li Han nodded with a smile. "Of course. Oh, I have a small gift for you." Li Han took out a small foot charm and gave it to Doris.

"Wow, it's so cute." The chubby little foot charm was adorable. "Thank you, Han." "It's just a small foot charm." Doris played with it, and a boy around her age pouted.

Doris was unhappy and tugged at Li Han. "This is the most interesting gift I've ever received." "Thank you. I think I should tell you the story behind this gift." Li Han smiled.

"Contentment brings happiness" comes from Chapter 44 of the "Tao Te Ching": "Which is more intimate, fame or the body? Which is more valuable, the body or wealth? Which is more harmful, gain or loss? Great love must be paid for with great cost, and great hoarding must be paid for with great loss. Therefore, contentment brings no disgrace, and knowing when to stop brings no danger, and thus one can endure long." Chapter 46: "When the world is in order, the horses are used to fertilize the fields. When the world is in disorder, the horses are used in battle. The greatest sin is to desire, the greatest fault is to desire to gain, and the greatest disaster is to be discontent. Therefore, contentment brings true contentment."

Li Han translated it, meaning: When the world is in order, the horses are returned to the fields for plowing. When the world is in disorder, the horses are used in battle. The greatest disaster is to not understand the art of war, and the greatest mistake is to fall for the enemy's trap. Therefore, true contentment is the only lasting contentment.

"Wow, Han, this is really what the ancients said over 2,000 years ago? That's amazing, Emerton, did you hear that?" Doris kissed the small foot charm and pulled Li Han to continue listening to the story. "Contentment brings happiness," and several small stories from Buddhism and Taoism, and so on. Li Han noticed that many guests had gathered around. "That's a great story, Han. You told it so well." Many of them clapped lightly. Yes, it was a great story.

Many people didn't know much about China, and even many Americans didn't know where Afghanistan or Iraq was. China was mysterious, and in recent years, it had gained an image of being wealthy, but there was little understanding of Chinese culture.

Li Han was troubled by Doris's adoring gaze, which was both a happy and helpless situation. Fortunately, Doudou came to rescue her father. Doudou had washed apples and made a small bucket of juice, drinking a large cup herself and bringing a large cup to her father.

"Dad, Doudou made juice, it's so good." "You're so good, Doudou. This is Doris." "Oh, hello, Doris." "Hello, Doudou, you should call me little auntie."

Li Han shook his head helplessly. These little girls, he didn't want any trouble, or Andre might kill him. Liu Ming walked over at this moment and gave Li Han a thumbs up. "Not bad, I really have a good eye."

Li Han and Liu Ming were a bit more familiar, and he rolled his eyes at Liu Ming's winking. "Han, have a beer." "German beer?" "Of course, how could you forget who the host is?"

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