"Jiang, I missed you so much!" Dinah Taylor threw herself into Jiang Hai's arms, her face flushed with excitement. Without giving him a chance to respond, she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a sweet kiss on his lips.
Aphra, standing nearby, leaned in as well. Though she didn't say anything, the longing in her eyes made her feelings clear—she had missed him too.
The party hosted by Huang Yunfei and the others had ended early. Although their bodies had undergone slight improvements from consuming food produced at Jiang Hai's manor, those changes weren't significant enough to make a real difference.
So, by a little after eight o'clock, everyone had wrapped up, enjoyed a dip in the hot springs, and gone to bed.
When Jiang Hai returned to his room, Aphra and Dinah were already waiting for him.
He'd been exhausted the previous day and hadn't allowed them to visit him then, but this morning, they'd shown up early, clearly eager.
As soon as they reunited, it was like a spark igniting dry tinder—they were drawn to each other like magnets, with an intensity that couldn't be ignored. As their lips met, the heat between them quickly rose.
What happened next needs little elaboration. Soon, the three of them found themselves on Jiang Hai's white jade bed.
Dinah was the more assertive one tonight. In a flash, she pulled off her top. But as she did, she paused slightly. Jiang Hai then noticed she was wearing a pair of black stockings.
"I bought them because I heard you liked this kind of thing. Should I keep them on?" she asked playfully, catching his gaze and giggling.
Jiang Hai shook his head with a smile.
"I don't really have a thing for that. Honestly, I never understood the appeal," he said truthfully. Stockings didn't do much for him—maybe during spontaneous moments, but when there was time and space, he preferred a more natural approach.
Hearing that, Dinah pouted slightly but then took off the stockings.
"She prepared all kinds—black, white, thigh-highs, garters, fishnets—you name it," Aphra added with a chuckle. "But I knew she was overthinking. You wouldn't be into that."
It was true—Aphra understood Jiang Hai better than Dinah did.
"Well, whatever. Let's enjoy ourselves," Jiang Hai said with a laugh, pulling Dinah into his arms. From there, things took their natural course. As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
At this point, it was clear that Dinah and Aphra needed this more than anyone else, and Jiang Hai wasn't about to hold back. Since he had already decided to keep them by his side, there was no reason to hesitate anymore.
The rest of the night passed in passionate silence, though the room's atmosphere was anything but subtle. As October approached, it was no longer warm enough to sleep with the windows open. With the windows shut, the lingering scent couldn't escape…
Not that Jiang Hai gave it much thought. The next morning, after Dinah and Aphra left, they opened the windows and fresh air flowed in.
By the time Jiang Hai got up around eight o'clock, the room was fresh once again.
After a quick wash, he got dressed and headed downstairs. Most of the Fuyuan group was still sleeping. Only Xu Wei and Fuyuan were awake. Rather than heading outside to look at cars, they were in the living room, mesmerized by the giant fish tank.
They'd noticed it briefly when they arrived a couple of days ago, but this was their first time taking a closer look. Xu Wei didn't know much about fish, but even he could tell these were golden arowanas and red arowanas.
Fuyuan, however, was examining the tank carefully. He had visited many real estate offices, and in business circles, feng shui was important. Aquariums played a key role in feng shui, and dragonfish were a top choice.
Though he didn't know the exact prices, Fuyuan was sure the fish weren't cheap.
"When did you start keeping these?" he asked, seeing Jiang Hai coming down, still half-asleep.
"Maybe about a month ago?" Jiang Hai said, glancing at the fish tank.
"A month? They got this big in just a month?" Fuyuan asked, astonished.
Jiang Hai rolled his eyes. "You think I bought them as fry? Obviously, I bought them full-grown."
He didn't mention where the fish came from—explaining would be too troublesome. After all, buying and selling arowana is illegal in the U.S.
Fuyuan paused and nodded thoughtfully. It made sense that Jiang Hai could afford to buy adult fish.
"But these things are super expensive," he muttered.
"Yeah, no kidding," Jiang Hai replied with a grin. "I'm hoping they breed soon, so I can sell the offspring to China."
That had been his plan all along. Not the usual red or golden arowanas—those don't sell for much. The most expensive, well-bred red arowana might go for 300,000 RMB unless it's heavily hyped, maybe 2.68 to 5 million in extreme cases.
To Jiang Hai, that was barely worth it—his cows were more valuable and matured faster. Those arowanas take years to grow, while his cattle mature in one.
What Jiang Hai was after were platinum arowanas—just one baby can fetch $300,000 USD. That was the real target.
Of course, even ordinary offspring could sell for tens of thousands. It would be worthwhile to ship some to China.
"This might work," Fuyuan said, his eyes lighting up. "If your fish start breeding, we could open an aquarium shop. I'll sell them for you."
Jiang Hai didn't mind. It was just business. As long as Fuyuan paid for the fish, he had no issue. If the fish gave birth, some could be sent to him—it made no difference.
Seeing Jiang Hai agree, Fuyuan turned back to the tank, already calculating the costs and risks of opening such a store.
Jiang Hai and Xu Wei didn't interrupt his daydreaming. They headed into the kitchen to start breakfast.
Just as the food was ready, Huang Yunfei and his wife came downstairs. They joined the others, helped set the table, and began eating.
Today's breakfast was Western-style. Jiang Hai preferred simplicity, and preparing Chinese food was a bit of a hassle. So it was cheddar soup, bread, sausages—and milk.
Not store-bought milk, though. This was from Jiang Hai's own cows.
When he bought his cattle, he also got a few Holsteins—Dutch black-and-white dairy cows. Two of them were pregnant. Less than half a month after arriving at the manor, they gave birth.
Cows that have calved can be milked. Jiang Hai even bought milking equipment. Of course, raw milk isn't drinkable as-is—it must be pasteurized or boiled. That part was handled by Robbins-Garcia.
Robbins-Garcia was an old cowboy and knew his way around both beef and dairy cattle. He took care of the fresh milk each day. Though the yield wasn't enough to sell commercially, it was more than enough to supply the manor.
Jiang Hai had never planned to make money from dairy cows. Beef cattle were where the real profit was. Milk? That was just for the household.
After a hearty Winthrop-style breakfast, they packed up, and Jiang Hai took everyone into town.
They climbed into Jiang Hai's War Shield SUV and headed to the heart of Winthrop. The weather had cooled, and the once-busy tourist town was quieter, though not empty.
Swimming was out of the question now, but seafood was in peak season. Crabs were fattest during the Mid-Autumn period, and it was the same in the U.S.
As Jiang Hai's SUV drove into town, locals greeted him warmly. Even tourists tried to strike up conversations, hoping to get a discount. Most visitors came for the seafood, and Jiang Hai's products had built a strong reputation.
The group drove slowly, stopping often as people approached to say hello or ask about seafood. What should've been a 30-minute drive took nearly an hour.
But they eventually arrived. After parking in the town lot, Jiang Hai led his friends on a tour of the area.
To be continued…