"Oh? Xiao Jiang, what brings you here?" Elder Zhang Dehai said somewhat helplessly as he watched Jiang Hai walk in. He reluctantly managed to force a slight smile, overriding the anger that had been on his face.
"My tea is finished, so I brought some over for you. What's the situation here?" Jiang Hai frowned, looking at the thugs poised for conflict around him. It shouldn't be anything malicious, right? After all, Haishang Supermarket has a degree of influence in the United States, being one of the biggest Chinese supermarket chains. Would these people really dare to provoke them? Impossible!
"Alas, misfortune in the family!" Hearing Jiang Hai's question, Zhang Dehai sighed. He motioned for a little girl behind him—Zhang Qian, his granddaughter, whom Jiang Hai had met before—to take the tea from Jiang Hai's hands, speaking to him with a feeling of deep resignation. She had grown up quite a bit in the few years since he last saw her and was much less timid.
"Old Master, have you made up your mind yet? If you haven't, you still have to feed us." Jiang Hai's arrival was an unexpected factor. Some of these thugs had heard of him. They might be ruthless and seek fortune through danger, but they knew that as long as Jiang Hai was in Boston, they couldn't make a move. Because of this, the thugs had become much more subdued, but the leader, a man who looked skeletal, continued to rail at the old man.
"You said..." Jiang Hai frowned, seeing the man's arrogance. He hated it when people acted so brazenly in his presence, so he immediately wanted to step forward. But before he could, Zhang Qian pulled his arm from behind and shook her head gently. Seeing that she was asking him not to intervene, Jiang Hai held his tongue and stood to the side, observing the scene. Meanwhile, Elder Zhang Dehai, hearing the man's continued shouting, finally erupted in anger.
"You bastard! Even if I die, you won't get a single penny from me! Get out!" Roaring, Elder Zhang Dehai found strength from somewhere, grabbing the discounted promotional cans from the nearby supermarket display and hurling them at the men in front of him.
These were meat cans, made of sturdy metal, meaning they packed quite a punch.
Instantly, one can struck the leader right on the head, immediately raising a large lump. The men didn't dare retaliate; they covered their heads and fled. Just as Jiang Hai had suspected, Haishang Supermarket was far from a typical small grocery store, and these thugs wouldn't dare to pick a fight here. Now that they had been hit, they could only run away quickly, clutching their heads.
They showed absolutely no intention of fighting back, and soon they had run ten meters away, a distance Elder Zhang could no longer throw.
"I'm telling you, this isn't over! I'll be back!" The skinny Chinese man shouted loudly at Zhang Dehai from a distance, then covered his head and quickly ran off. Seeing this, Zhang Dehai couldn't help but sigh.
"Sorry you had to see that. Thank you so much, Xiao Jiang, for still remembering this old man." Turning around with a look of resignation and seeing Jiang Hai behind him, Elder Zhang Dehai managed a bitter smile and addressed him.
"It's nothing; this is just produced on my own ranch. It's not really anything special," Jiang Hai said, waving his hand and smiling. However, the elder also smiled when he heard Jiang Hai's humble reply.
"What your ranch produces *is* the good stuff, especially your tea, and your chicken and pork. If possible, I'll buy whatever amount you're willing to sell, at ten times the market price. Will you sell?" Elder Zhang laughed at Jiang Hai's polite words and asked him. However, Jiang Hai couldn't agree to that; he wasn't planning on selling those items.
"It's noon now, you must have come here to mooch a meal, right? Let's go, I'll take you to a nice restaurant." Seeing Jiang Hai smile without saying anything, Zhang Dehai chuckled and led him outside. The supermarket had its own manager, and Zhang Dehai was only there to keep watch and didn't interfere with the actual work, so his departure was irrelevant. Zhang Qian, the girl, followed them out after seeing her grandfather leave.
"Oh, alright..." Jiang Hai hadn't intended to stay for a meal, especially since Elder Zhang had just dealt with a disturbance, but since the elder insisted, he couldn't very well refuse. So, he followed him.
Although Boston was once a stronghold for white supremacists, and the KKK still holds considerable influence there, perhaps because it is a city of academia, the Chinese population in Boston is quite large.
However, the number of Chinese laborers brought over as "coolies" during the development of the American West was not particularly high in this area. Instead, there has been a significant influx of immigrants in recent decades, with a large proportion of these families coming over as study companions for their children.
There is an old Chinese saying: 'No matter how hard life is, don't let the children suffer; no matter how poor you are, don't skimp on education.' Coupled with China's One-Child Policy in recent years, many families have only one child. To ensure their child receives the best education, wealthy families naturally strive to get their kids into the best schools—the best elementary, middle, and high schools. After high school, they go to college. Where are the best universities? Boston. Consequently, fearing their children might be taken advantage of, fail to adapt, or be bullied, many doting families move the entire family over when the child starts university.
Once they arrived, the children were fine—they naturally had visas for university—but the parents did not. So, these parents started looking for work here. Those with marketable skills started their own companies, since the people who came were generally from affluent families.
Others opened restaurants, and the one Jiang Hai and the others went to was one of them. The owner was originally a master chef in China. How much money can a master chef earn back home? It's quite a terrifying amount; at the very least, a year's earnings would be enough to immigrate to the US without a problem. Furthermore, by opening a restaurant, he also created jobs for many people, so the US naturally welcomed him.
Elder Zhang appeared to be a regular here. After they entered, the owner personally came out smiling to greet them. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the owner went to the kitchen himself to cook. He naturally prepared dishes that Jiang Hai liked: Guobaorou, Liushuangduan, shredded potatoes with tree peppers, Disanxian, and a large bowl of winter melon and pork rib soup. Jiang Hai loved every one of them.
The dishes were served quickly. Jiang Hai picked up a piece of Guobaorou first, and his eyes narrowed in appreciation. This chef's skill was truly excellent. The dish hadn't been modified to the excessively sweet and sour flavor often favored by foreigners. The outer batter was crispy but not hard, and the meat inside was plump and juicy. The taste was superb—it was even better than what Qi Ya made. Jiang Hai was delighted.
Grabbing his chopsticks, he didn't hold back and ate with gusto. Soon, he had finished two large bowls of rice, and Jiang Hai patted his stomach contentedly, signaling how much he had enjoyed the meal. Elder Zhang, meanwhile, was still slowly sipping his infused liquor.
"Elder Zhang, although I don't know the full situation from earlier, if you're willing, please tell me about it. If there's anything I can do to help, I will." Looking at Elder Zhang, Jiang Hai hesitated, but ultimately couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked.
"Alas, misfortune in the family!" Hearing Jiang Hai ask, Elder Zhang likely felt he needed someone to confide in, so after a moment of hesitation, he began to tell Jiang Hai the story.
Elder Zhang had three sons: the eldest was Zhang Liangwen, the second was Zhang Liangcai (who happened to share a name with a certain person back in China, though the difference between them was vast), and Zhang Qian was Zhang Liangcai's daughter. The third son was named Zhang Liangwu.
He was the skinny, tall man Jiang Hai had seen earlier. Elder Zhang had originally hoped this son would grow up strong and be proficient in both scholarly and martial arts to safeguard the Zhang family. The boy did take up martial arts, but somewhere along the way, he went completely off track.
Perhaps because of his name, Zhang Liangwu had violent tendencies from a young age and loved fighting in school. That wasn't the worst of it, but in middle school, he was corrupted by bad kids from the streets. When Zhang Dehai tried to discipline him, he refused to listen. If the father hit him, the son dared to hit back, and he ran away from home. He barely managed to fool his way through the three years of middle school, constantly starting and stopping.
As soon as he started high school, he ran away from home, claiming he was going to fight for his dreams. He stole ten thousand US dollars from the family. He returned three months later with no money and had picked up a drug habit. Yet, he didn't care at all. He always believed he was a 'badass,' that he had status in the underworld, and that everyone he met had to call him 'boss' and show him respect.
Zhang Dehai was nearly driven mad by this son, but going mad was useless. Once a person is rotten to the core, there's truly no way to fix them. He would constantly sneak out to fight and use that stuff. Every week, Zhang Dehai had to go to the police station to bail him out. This continued until he was twenty-five. Seeing that he showed absolutely no sign of improvement, Zhang Dehai severed their father-son relationship and threw him out of the house.
And this man was truly shameless. Not only did he continue to drift around outside, but he also used his identity to extort money and steal from Haishang Supermarket. Zhang Dehai finally couldn't bear it anymore and decided to teach him a lesson: he sued him for theft, sending him to prison for five years. Zhang Dehai was thoroughly disappointed with that region, so five years ago, he moved to Boston to live with his second son. Unexpectedly, the guy was just released this year and immediately tracked him down. (To be continued.)
No Way Out
According to this guy, regardless of whether Zhang Dehai acknowledged him as a son or not, he was still his son in the eyes of the law. Now, if Zhang Dehai wanted to sever their father-son relationship, he could, but he had to give him one-third of the family assets because that was what he deserved.
If he didn't give it, the son would constantly find thugs to block the entrance of the supermarket, shouting and making a scene. If Zhang Dehai wasn't afraid of losing face, the son was even less afraid. For such a person, although he constantly clamored about having 'face,' the problem was that he had no shame.
"Uh..." Hearing Old Man Zhang Dehai's words, Jiang Hai didn't know what to say. Indeed, there wasn't much he could say.
As the saying goes, even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes, and that was exactly the situation here.
If this were ancient China, it would be easy to handle. Filial impiety was a massive crime. In ancient times, there were often cases where a father and son had a few words, and the father would hit his own head with a piece of wood until it bled, then go to the magistrate's office, beat the drum, and accuse his son of being unfilial.
The magistrate would ask if he wanted the son alive or dead. If dead, the son would be beaten to death directly. If alive, he'd be beaten half to death. If he returned and was still unfilial, he'd be beaten half to death again. This was also why, in ancient times, fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law were so terrifying.
In the past, would a daughter-in-law dare to talk back to her mother-in-law? A single word could get you beaten to death, and you'd be killed with the reputation of being unfilial. Your maternal family wouldn't be able to hold their heads high for the rest of their lives, and they would curse you too. That was how things were back then.
But the problem now was that whether it was the United States or China, human rights had to be respected, especially in the US.
You want to sever the father-son relationship? Sure, but doesn't your blood run through his veins?
Even illegitimate children have to be supported for a lifetime, let alone a legally recognized father-son relationship. No matter how much he made a scene, it was useless.
Knowing this, Jiang Hai couldn't help but suck air through his teeth; it really was a hassle.
"Sigh, don't think too much about it. I just felt uncomfortable keeping it bottled up. Now that I've said it, I feel much better. If that guy dares to come again, I'll beat him to death!" Seeing Jiang Hai's expression, Old Man Zhang Dehai said with a smile. However, Jiang Hai knew he wouldn't actually be that cruel. But whether Jiang Hai said anything or not was useless; it all depended on what the old man himself thought.
Jiang Hai was powerless to help with these matters, so he could only speed up his pace of eating.
Incidents like unfilial behavior were also very common in China. Some were due to the parents, some due to the children. Every day, news would break about someone being 'unworthy of being a son' or something similar, but what use was that?
The law couldn't handle it, so who could? For people like this, everyone could only pin their hopes on the legendary retribution. However, looking at the current situation, good people generally die young, while such bad people actually live quite long.
After a lunch that was slightly heavy on the heart but very satisfying for the taste buds, Jiang Hai drove away and went straight to Tenglong Company. 'Tenglong' was actually just a translated name—FlyingDragon. You could translate it as Tenglong or Longteng; it didn't really matter. Jiang Hai drove and soon arrived at his company's building.
His company and Moses Adams' law firm were on different floors of the same building, but he didn't drop by today. Instead, he went straight to his office. When he reached the front desk, he noticed the receptionist had changed.
Jennie Pond, whom he had initially hired, was no longer at the front desk. In fact, months ago, she had been promoted to a mid-level manager in the sales department, reporting directly to Zheng Jin, and she held a fair amount of influence in the company.
The new receptionists were two very pretty girls. After all, the front desk represents a company's image, so it's natural to have young, beautiful girls there. However, some state-owned enterprises like to use older people, perhaps to appear very 'incorruptible'... "Hello, sir. How can I help you?" Seeing Jiang Hai approach, the two did not recognize him. Jiang Hai didn't promote any personality cult, and there were no portraits of him hanging in the company, so it was reasonable that they didn't know him.
"Oh, I'm Jiang Hai. I'm here to see Zheng Jin." Hearing the girls' professional greeting, Jiang Hai smiled and spoke. Upon hearing his name, the two girls were momentarily stunned. Although they didn't know his face, they had at least heard of him. One of them immediately called Zheng Jin to confirm Jiang Hai's identity.
When Zheng Jin saw Jiang Hai, she naturally confirmed that this was indeed the man himself.
"Chairman, I'm sorry. We're new, so..." After confirming it was Jiang Hai, the two couldn't help but feel a bit flustered.
"It's fine. You were doing what you're supposed to do. Good job, keep it up!" Hearing their words, Jiang Hai smiled. Since they were being responsible, he had no reason to make things difficult for them. He walked straight past.
Upon entering the office, Jiang Hai saw that the entire company seemed quite busy, with everyone walking at a brisk pace.
There was no choice; although Soaring Dragon was still a new company, their orders had never been lacking.
Relying on Jiang Hai's beef, fish, and alfalfa, their planes rarely stayed grounded for more than three days.
Flying all over the US, Canada, Australia, China, South Korea, the Middle East, and they had even opened routes to Japan now. It could be said that Soaring Dragon's planes went everywhere in the world. Because Zheng Jin managed things very well and their inherent strength was high, they also accepted many external orders besides Jiang Hai's own.
In Boston, there was at least a high level of trust in Soaring Dragon. Currently, nearly one-twentieth of the large local companies used Soaring Dragon's planes to transport goods. In the logistics business, reputation is paramount. Rather than saying they trusted Soaring Dragon, it was more accurate to say they trusted Jiang Hai. Even if something went wrong with the goods, Jiang Hai could afford to pay the compensation.
Because of this, Soaring Dragon's growth rate was something ordinary new companies could not even hope to match.
Moses Adams had even idly calculated that, excluding the boost from Jiang Hai's personal wealth, the current market value of Soaring Dragon was around 8 billion USD. While not massive, it was certainly not small, and it was even larger than the Qi Corporation back when Jiang Hai first obtained the Dragon Pearl. Meanwhile, Zheng Jin was increasingly developing the commanding presence of a CEO, likely learned from Qi Li.
"What wind blew you here? Is there something you need?" As Jiang Hai walked in, Zheng Jin was hunched over her desk reviewing documents. She didn't even look up because she knew it was Jiang Hai, who casually sat down on the nearby sofa.
In Zheng Jin's heart, Jiang Hai was a good boss—he knew how to use people and how to delegate—but he was definitely not a 'good man' or a 'good businessman.' As a man, in her eyes, he should only love one woman; things like being a stud or having a harem were unacceptable. Secondly, he lacked the ambition and drive a man should have. To her, Jiang Hai was just a lucky person. If this weren't a place where she could truly realize her own ambitions, she wouldn't have come to work here. To her, a man should be the type who speaks eloquently, has grand ideals, and might be biding his time now but is destined to amaze the world later. If Jiang Hai knew her thoughts, he would probably just chuckle.
Because the type of person she imagined, if they succeeded, would be a cult leader; if they failed, they'd be the head of a pyramid scheme. Those who spend all day thinking they are highly capable and need to have 'ambition' and 'drive' are basically just scammers. People who actually get things done understand what it means to keep their feet on the ground.
Although Jiang Hai wasn't an ambitious or driven person, he at least wasn't stupid. He knew what he could have and what he couldn't! So, his development to this point wasn't just due to luck.
Furthermore, Jiang Hai really wasn't a businessman in the way Zheng Jin thought. He didn't count as a businessman at all; calling him a farmer would be more accurate. If Soaring Dragon belonged to Zheng Jin, its value might have already doubled to over 10 billion USD.
Raising capital, going public, opening branches—in Zheng Jin's view, since Jiang Hai had such resources and could collaborate with Walmart, why not find an opportunity to become Walmart's exclusive logistics provider? Opening offices all over the country would earn more, expand the reach, and provide a greater sense of achievement. But to Jiang Hai, it also looked much more dangerous. One wrong move, and the company would no longer belong to him.
Jiang Hai rarely took risks—extremely rarely. No matter the situation, he would only take a risk if he was guaranteed an eighty percent chance of winning or better. This was because he didn't believe he was some 'child of destiny' who would always turn danger into safety. He knew that if he took one wrong step, he could lose everything.
It could be said that Jiang Hai and Zheng Jin's philosophies were completely opposite, but that didn't stop her from working for him.
"Nothing much, I just went to pay my manor's taxes. What about the company's taxes? Have they been paid?" Looking at Zheng Jin, Jiang Hai asked with some curiosity. He knew what kind of person she was, so he didn't mind her attitude.
"They've been paid. I was planning to have Valenjina bring the reports to you this week, but since you're here, you can just take them back with you!" Hearing Jiang Hai's question, Zheng Jin looked up and spoke seriously. She then took a report out of her drawer and handed it to Jiang Hai. Jiang Hai took it and glanced through; to be honest, he was quite satisfied.
Soaring Dragon had only been in business for about a year, but the reports for the past year showed that, excluding the initial investment, they had basically broken even and even made a small profit. This was quite a rare achievement. (To be continued.)
Intelligent System
The main reason Jiang Hai had the idea to establish Tenglong Company was because of events around this time last year.
Prue Walton and Qi Li had both spoken to Jiang Hai about establishing his own brand, and Qi Li was the one who put in the most effort.
She brought it up with Jiang Hai after arriving here last year, and under her initiative, Jiang Hai established Tenglong Company.
The initial registered capital was 200 million USD in cash. Since Jiang Hai wasn't establishing the company just to go public and speculate, he genuinely put forward 200 million US dollars to found Tenglong Company, appointing Zheng Jin as the General Manager, or CEO.
Initially, these 200 million were used to hire staff, purchase planes, hire security, rent office space, and other necessities.
In the beginning, the primary business—which was Jiang Hai's own enterprise—was transporting beef cattle to China and to various cities served by Walmart.
According to Prue Walton, this arrangement would at least keep the logistics under Jiang Hai's control, ensuring that operational issues wouldn't halt shipments or potentially damage his beef. Therefore, when Jiang Hai first established the company, his mindset was that he would rather lose money on the logistics side than fail to profit from the beef—a natural human calculation.
Compared to the corporate world, which he was unfamiliar with, Jiang Hai was obviously much more knowledgeable about the beef business.
Following that was the fish sales, and then Zheng Jin developed the company. Losing money in the first year of operation was inevitable; Jiang Hai was prepared to lose millions, even tens of millions. However, after reviewing the financial statement today, he saw that Zheng Jin was truly impressive.
Registered with 200 million last year, the total revenue was 37 million, and total expenditure was 29 million. This means that in just one year, Jiang Hai's company not only successfully established its brand but also earned 8 million USD in profit, which was truly unexpected.
Of course, this eight million wouldn't be cash in hand because taxes still needed to be paid. Unlike Jiang Hai's ranch, which receives various subsidies, Tenglong Company had virtually none, receiving only a 0.5% tax break for employing socially disadvantaged individuals.
In any country, taxes on purely commercial enterprises are the heaviest compared to those levied on farmers, ranchers, and fishermen.
Looking at the financial statement in his hand, Jiang Hai nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that handing Tenglong over to Zheng Jin had been a very wise decision. He closed the report, chatted with Zheng Jin for a few more minutes, and prepared to leave.
There was no helping it; Zheng Jin herself wasn't particularly fond of Jiang Hai, and Jiang Hai certainly didn't have the habit of trying to force a relationship where he wasn't welcome. Since he trusted her with the company, there was nothing left to discuss. After exchanging a few polite words, Jiang Hai prepared to depart.
No sooner had he left Zheng Jin's office than Rerise Carter pulled Jiang Hai into the adjacent office. Upon entering, Jiang Hai saw Belyak, Valentina, and Aller Sala, who had just left yesterday. Although these girls could only spend two days a week with Jiang Hai, they were genuinely attached to him. Seeing Jiang Hai arrive, regardless of whether he came specifically to see them, made them very happy, and their happiness, in turn, made Jiang Hai happy.
Originally, Jiang Hai had planned to stay until evening—not to spend the night, but at least to have dinner with Rerise Carter and the others. However, just after two o'clock in the afternoon, a phone call interrupted his schedule.
"Hello, is this Mr. Jiang? This is Google. The customized holographic intelligent home system you ordered has been completed. When would be a convenient time for us to come over and install it for you?" As soon as the call connected, a voice speaking Mandarin came through. It had to be admitted that Google truly lived up to its name as the world's leading IT company; they had specifically arranged for a Chinese speaker to call Jiang Hai, and the pronunciation was perfectly standard and authentic.
"Naturally, the sooner the better. My place is ready whenever you are." However, Jiang Hai's attention wasn't focused on the caller; what he truly desired was the cutting-edge technology—the intelligent system—that the person had just mentioned.
"Very well. If that's the case, we will arrive at your home in one hour for the installation." Hearing Jiang Hai request immediate installation, the female voice on the other end was not surprised; after all, even the Google employees were itching to see this kind of technology in action.
After hanging up, Jiang Hai had to apologize to the four girls. He went downstairs, got into his car, and sped toward his ranch. It seemed that the team had only called Jiang Hai after transporting the system to Boston, because just five minutes after Jiang Hai arrived at his estate, a pickup truck bearing the Google logo pulled up outside. Jiang Hai had just parked his car and hadn't even had time to grab a drink of water before welcoming the crew inside.
"Hello, you must be Mr. Jiang, correct?" After the group entered, a young man who appeared to be of Chinese descent, speaking with a slight accent from Shandong Province, asked Jiang Hai.
"Yes, that's me. How long will the installation take?" When Jiang Hai was at Google, he had already discussed the system with Larry Page and the others. The system's intelligence was divided into four levels: Entry-level, Mid-level, High-level, and Top-tier.
The Entry-level is similar to Apple's Siri and iBrain; it responds to whatever you ask but does not think autonomously. Essentially, it's like having a talking phone, except this phone can connect to your entire household.
The Mid-level is slightly better. For instance, if you ask it to play music, its camera observes the real-world environment and searches the internet for songs that match the current mood. If you are throwing a party, it will play upbeat tracks; if you are feeling sad, it will play emotional ones, and so on. However, it cannot perform overly complex reactions.
The Advanced level is very powerful; it can extrapolate information. For example, if it's cold outside, it will turn on the heating and adjust the temperature based on your current activity. If you are exercising, it will set the temperature slightly lower; if you are watching TV, it will be slightly higher, and so forth. Furthermore, if the weather outside is pleasant, it will notify you and ask if you want the curtains opened. No manual programming is required; for instance, if you get up in the middle of the night, a small nightlight will turn on, and when you lie back down, it will turn off. It is essentially comparable to having a personal servant.
At the same time, it would make cooking much easier for Qi Ya because the system can autonomously connect to appliances. It will regulate the baking time and temperature for the oven, and the duration of use for the microwave, adjusting everything independently—highly convenient.
It was precisely because of these functions that Jiang Hai decided to install the system: first, because it was cutting-edge technology, and second, because it genuinely appeared powerful. Furthermore, it could connect to Jiang Hai's Google Glass.
It could truly project the 3D structure of any object right in front of Jiang Hai, just like Iron Man, rotating as Jiang Hai moved his hand. Previously, the Entry-level and Mid-level systems required a massive main unit and a huge platform for projection, but the Advanced level eliminated this need, saving a considerable amount of space in Jiang Hai's home.
"That depends on how many devices you want to connect. Configuring the main unit is quick, but the connectivity aspect is somewhat complicated." Hearing Jiang Hai's question, the installer smiled and explained. Jiang Hai had the main unit installed in his room first; he had already prepared by having a hidden compartment cut into the wall where the unit was placed.
After the main unit was set up, the crew began installing motors and receiving devices throughout Jiang Hai's house.
Take the curtains, for example; they naturally needed a receiver to pick up the signal from the main unit, and then a motor to open and close them.
Although it was a simple movement, it still required specific components.
Curtains, wardrobes, all the various lights inside the house, the outdoor fish tank, kitchen appliances... virtually everything, except for Jiang Hai's few warehouses, was connected to the system. They started working at three in the afternoon and didn't finish until after nine in the evening. The girls at Jiang Hai's place simply stared at the four workers. Perhaps it was the first time these four workers had been surrounded by so many beautiful women, and they seemed genuinely a little embarrassed.
However, the speed and passion of their work clearly increased significantly. At six o'clock, Jiang Hai asked Qi Ya to prepare dinner and treated the crew to a meal at the house. Since accepting hospitality makes one obligated, and after enjoying such high-quality cuisine prepared by Jiang Hai's staff, the workers became even more dedicated. Finally, around 9:30 PM, the system was completely installed.
"These are the simple command prompts and the verbal key to put it to sleep. As long as you can restart or hibernate the system, no one else can. This system is yours, and there are no backdoors. If you manage to break the system, it will be completely defunct." The biggest concern for wealthy individuals regarding such intelligent systems is potential betrayal—that everything they do might be known by the people behind the system, such as Google. That would be troublesome, especially since Americans are so focused on privacy.
Therefore, the system was designed this way: it has only one owner, Jiang Hai. If Jiang Hai crashes the system, he will have to purchase a replacement, which is where the real expense lies.
Jiang Hai was very pleased with this setup, so after giving each of the five men a two hundred dollar tip, they left fully satisfied. This trip had certainly not been for nothing.
As soon as they left, Jiang Hai was eager to try the system out! "Boot up!"
"Ding. Command retrieved. Permission check: ID 0000, Level 1 Maximum Authority... System initializing..." (To be continued.)
The Sea God Festival Has Arrived Again This Year
As the cold air moving south could no longer withstand the warm currents carried by the equator, the gentle warmth gradually pushed back the icy chill from the north. Where the warm and cold air masses converged, the first rain of early spring began to fall.
With the approach of spring, Jiang Hai's estate also welcomed the new season.
The trees that had shed their leaves began rapidly sprouting new buds. The perennial pastures, which had never truly died, were growing thicker, and the grass seeds Jiang Hai had sown in March were now quickly taking root and flourishing, nourished by the spring breeze and rain.
Temperatures quickly climbed above freezing, reaching well into the teens during the day and settling around five or six degrees at night. The cattle were once again released onto the pastures to forage, a necessary step to help them shed the excess winter fat.
Vegetables were growing, grapes were blooming; everything was proceeding according to nature's established rhythm.
There is a saying that the best time to plan the year is in spring, and the best time to plan the day is in the morning. Jiang Hai had heard this from his teachers and parents since childhood, yet he never adhered to it. This early morning, after Qi Jie, Qi Ya, and Aphra had all departed to start their work, Jiang Hai simply took a short walk along the outer corridor before returning to the villa.
He reclined on his jade lounge chair by the window, having brewed a cup of tea, scrolling through his phone while watching the rain outside.
"This rain is truly a bit irritating," he muttered softly, before continuing to scroll through his phone.
Spring rains rarely involve heavy downpours, thunder, or lightning; those belong to summer. Spring rain tends to be a relentless drizzle—not too heavy, but persistent—that seems to go on forever once it starts. Unlike a thunderstorm, which might last half an hour until the cloud passes and the sky clears, this rain, Jiang Hai knew, had started drifting down around three in the morning when he got up to use the restroom, and six hours later, it was still falling.
You definitely needed an umbrella, but carrying one was bothersome because the rain was constant yet never quite heavy enough.
Fortunately, Edward Anderson and the rest of the staff were long accustomed to this kind of rain. Aside from the workers cleaning manure in the barn, everyone else was out on horseback, clad in rain gear, keeping an eye on the herd in the outer pastures.
Jiang Hai had visited the barn earlier that morning, mainly just to check things out and chat with his Little Xia, before returning home. Truthfully, Jiang Hai had very little to do every day—genuinely very little.
He didn't have many other redeeming qualities, but he trusted his staff implicitly. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, he would never interfere or give unsolicited advice to Edward Anderson or Robbins Garcia. Naturally, these men were also quite skilled at managing their boss.
Whenever Jiang Hai was present, they would consult him on every decision, even though Jiang Hai clearly knew less about the subject than they did.
Jiang Hai was also very clear about his own limitations. Before, frankly speaking, he was a nobody. And now? He was still a nobody, only he had evolved from a low-level, poor nobody to a high-level, rich nobody.
He didn't understand cattle ranching, so he delegated authority to Robbins Garcia. He didn't understand aquaculture, so he delegated authority to Edward Anderson. He didn't understand company operations, so he delegated authority to Zheng Jin. He didn't understand growing grapes or making wine, so he delegated authority to Dulles Gerard... There was nothing more to be said; this was simply the kind of person Jiang Hai was. His daily schedule on the estate was remarkably consistent.
He wakes up around 8 AM, eats breakfast, and then takes a stroll—a longer one if the weather is nice, or a shorter one if the weather is poor, like today. He returns around nine or ten, then kicks back: watching TV, reading novels, catching up on variety shows, playing games, scrolling through his phone, and drinking tea. Qi Ya returns at noon for lunch, and afterward, he continues his afternoon of leisure: watching TV, reading novels, catching up on variety shows, playing games, scrolling through his phone, and drinking tea. This entire cycle repeats daily.
After dinner in the evening, he soaks in the hot spring, takes a bath, and then goes to sleep. Naturally, this schedule is occasionally punctuated by activities strictly for adults, which requires no detailed elaboration.
This is Jiang Hai's day. Some might ask if he ever gets tired of this routine. Jiang Hai would reply that he is never bored, because this is exactly the life he always wanted. Now he has money, he has beautiful women—and not just one, but every type imaginable. What reason does he have to be unhappy? He dines on the finest delicacies and sleeps with stunning beauties; he wouldn't trade places with an emperor!
Then again, Jiang Hai was already the unofficial ruler of Winthrop, so perhaps this was inevitable.
"Ding ding ding, Sir, you have a visitor." Just as Jiang Hai was sitting there idling away the hours, a voice suddenly chimed in his ear. It was a woman's voice, soft and sweet, though tinged with a slight mechanical quality and artificiality, much like navigation systems used back in China. However, it wasn't grating; in fact, it was quite soothing.
This was Jiang Hai's smart home system. Currently, nearly every appliance and fixture in the villa, excluding the warehouse, was controlled by this entity. It offered significant convenience. For instance, if Jiang Hai got up to use the bathroom at night, the light would automatically illuminate when he entered, as would the lights in the corridor, all perfectly calibrated.
The large aquarium housing Jiang Hai's many Arowana fish—water changes, regulation, oxygenation—everything was handled by the system. It was quite impressive.
In the morning, the curtains would automatically draw open when Jiang Hai stood near the window. If he leaned forward, the window would open. If it was raining outside and water threatened to come in, the system would automatically close the window, making it extremely convenient.
The system provided details on everything inside the refrigerator: contents, storage duration, temperature, and so on. For example, if Jiang Hai opened the fridge now, the special Google Glass he wore would project a pale green interface before him, identifying every item, showing how long it had been stored, its calorie count, its optimal shelf life, and even suggesting recipes based on the ingredients detected. Jiang Hai had bought new Google Glasses for everyone in the villa specifically for this purpose. It was truly dazzlingly high-tech, radiating a strong sense of cutting-edge technology.
Jiang Hai was quite fond of the system and had given it a name: "Little Sis." Clearly, Jiang Hai was not good at naming things.
"Who is it?" Hearing Little Sis's voice in his ear, Jiang Hai asked, sounding a little confused.
The camera installed at the main gate immediately activated. Jiang Hai's glasses flashed, and the next second, an image appeared before him: a car slowly pulling to a stop. Once the car halted, he saw Mayor Wallis stepping out under an umbrella, preparing to press the doorbell.
"It's the Mayor. Please come in!" Before he could even reach the bell, Jiang Hai's voice was relayed directly into his ears, giving him a fright. He looked around in surprise, then watched the large gate slowly swing open. He remained uncertain and bewildered, but he returned to his car, started the engine, and drove onto Jiang Hai's estate. As soon as he passed through, the gate closed behind him. Between the persistent drizzle outside and Jiang Hai's bizarre automatic gate, he was thoroughly confused.
Reminding himself that it was broad daylight, he drove his car to the parking area. After stepping out, he approached the front door to knock, but before he could, the door swung open. He peered behind it, seeing clearly that there was no one there, which made him uneasy. Luckily, he spotted Jiang Hai drinking tea in the living room, yet he still hesitated to step inside. He stood with one foot inside and one foot outside, staring at Jiang Hai while nervously surveying the interior of the home.
"Hey, hey, are you alright? Is there... something in your house?" Mayor Wallis called out to Jiang Hai twice, speaking in a hushed tone. Hearing his question, Jiang Hai couldn't help but chuckle.
"It's nothing. It's my smart system, not a ghost. High-tech stuff you old folks wouldn't understand." Jiang Hai waved a hand and laughed as he spoke, standing up as well. Although still slightly perplexed by Jiang Hai's words, Mayor Wallis generally grasped the situation: as long as it wasn't something supernatural, he was relieved. He swapped his shoes, entered the house, and settled onto Jiang Hai's sofa with familiar ease. Jiang Hai then walked over to the refrigerator.
"What can I get you to drink?" Jiang Hai asked Mayor Wallis.
"Any juice or soda is fine," Mayor Wallis replied with a smile. Jiang Hai poured him a glass of freshly squeezed blueberry juice and set it down in front of him.
"What brings you here?" After all, the two had been dealing with each other for three years. While their friendship might not be exceptionally deep, they were certainly familiar. Mayor Wallis had visited Jiang Hai's house dozens, if not hundreds, of times. Sometimes he would come daily for urgent matters, other times only once every month or two, but he rarely dropped by without a reason. He was here because he had something important to discuss.
"I came to discuss the fact that the Sea God Festival is fast approaching." Winthrop, being a coastal town, held a Sea God Festival every year. Jiang Hai was well aware of this, as he had already participated twice; this would be his third.
"That's great news. Do you need me to donate some money, or what is the plan?" Jiang Hai nodded upon hearing Mayor Wallis. Since Jiang Hai was also involved in the fishing industry, he wasn't against such festivals. Rather than seeing it as superstition, he viewed it as a tradition and a communal expression of hope for a good life. He was, naturally, fully supportive.
Furthermore, the festival itself didn't cost much. For Jiang Hai, after paying his hefty taxes, the expense was nothing more than pocket change!