"Jiang Hai won't leave this place. If he wanted to leave, where else could he find such a good ranch? The reason he's making money is because of his ranch. If he left, where else could he find a ranch like this?"
"You've all been fooled by him. If he leaves, how would he keep making money? Winthrop is his cash cow. He won't leave!"
"Is Winthrop really his? If he wants to leave, then let him go. We'll just pay again and rebuild whatever he built. It's not like we can't afford it—we could even get a loan from the municipal government. We're a respectable enterprise here!"
"Exactly. Think about it: who profits the most from Winthrop right now? It's Jiang Hai! He's a businessman, and for businessmen, making money is the priority. That's the whole point. Don't you get it?"
"The reason he blocked Celanese from coming in wasn't pollution. He just wanted to control all your income, to be the undisputed local ruler here. Can't you see that?"
When news spread about Jiang Hai possibly pulling his investment, some idle folks in Winthrop circulated another version—that Jiang Hai didn't want to leave because he still wanted to make money here.
This rumor calmed the townspeople, who had been panicking over the news.
They weren't fools. They couldn't believe the people badmouthing Jiang Hai, nor could they fully trust those demanding he leave. If Jiang Hai left, where would the Chinese tourists come from? They were the main source of income here.
Local tourists, whether by number or spending, were far less significant than the Chinese visitors.
Jiang Hai simply could not leave. No matter what, the people wouldn't let him. After enjoying months of a good life, they had no desire to return to their old ways. So Jiang Hai had to stay.
Whether Jiang Hai truly planned to leave or was just bluffing remained to be seen.
Though the town had calmed down for the moment, most people were watching closely—and all understood one thing clearly:
Jiang Hai, like Mayor Wallis, was against the chemical plant's entry. Whether he was being tough or not, it was obvious he opposed it.
Originally, about 60% of the people supported the chemical plant because everyone wanted income for their families. Another 20% didn't care either way. Less than 20% supported Mayor Wallis.
But after today's events, many who once backed Jiang Hai now also sided with Mayor Wallis. The anti-chemical plant camp quickly rose above 50%. Nearly 60% opposed the plant. Those in favor dropped to 40%, with less than 10% indifferent. The situation for Celanese was turning grim.
What was surprising was that Celanese mainly relied on those idle locals to discredit Jiang Hai or claim he wouldn't leave. Beyond that, they took no other significant action.
It wasn't until the afternoon that Augustine Wilson spoke up. He said he'd brought Celanese's representatives here because he'd worked at the factory before. He knew the factory met American standards and wouldn't pollute the environment—it was his home, after all. However, he wanted to avoid a serious conflict between Celanese and Jiang Hai, so he intended to talk to Jiang Hai directly, persuade him to stay, and allow Celanese to move in.
After Augustine stood up, many supported him and followed him toward Jiang Hai. For a while, he became a positive figure—though everyone knew the crowd was a mixed bag. He had become a leader... But unfortunately, they were turned away. Jiang Hai wasn't at the manor today—he was still with Huang Yunfei and the others. Naturally, Jiang Hai had to spend time with them. His stance was clear, and whether they believed him was a story for later.
At worst, Jiang Hai could sell the manor, take the cows and his fish, and move somewhere else—though it would be troublesome.
But Jiang Hai had the freedom to go anywhere he pleased, and that was his greatest strength.
When these visitors came to the manor's gate, Jiang Hai was at Old George's horse farm, riding horses with Fu Yuan and the others.
He had horses at his manor, but with more cows now to care for, Robbins-Garcia and others were busy with the ranch. No one was around to teach Fu Yuan and the others to ride horses or look after the animals. So instead of causing trouble at the manor, it was better to come to Old George's place for fun. Old George clearly had heard some news.
"I say, Jiang, you're not really leaving!" Old George approached, handing Jiang Hai a drink as he took a break from riding, concern evident in his voice.
"If the chemical plant isn't built, why would I leave? I still like this place—it's my home. But if the chemical plant comes, then I'll have to go." Jiang Hai took a sip of the Coca-Cola Old George handed him, burped, and spoke seriously.
"Why? If the chemical plant doesn't bother you, why would you leave?" Old George couldn't hide his excitement and disappointment. His horse farm had barely made ends meet selling horses before, but thanks to Jiang Hai's Chinese tourists, he'd earned more in two months than he usually did in a year. Now, if Jiang Hai left, Old George would lose a lot.
"Well, I'll tell you something. You know the cows on my farm are top-notch, right? That's mainly because of the clean environment. I don't allow pollution here. If pollution comes, the quality of my cows would plummet. So if that chemical plant is built in Winthrop, I'll have no choice but to leave." Jiang Hai looked at Old George and thought for a moment before fabricating the story. There were some things he couldn't say—dragon balls, scales, spiritual energy—Old George wouldn't understand, and he certainly didn't want to risk being dissected and studied.
Talking about the cows was the best excuse he could think of after hours of pondering the night before.
The explanation was quite convincing. Old George couldn't help but nod.
Jiang Hai did want to make money through Winthrop, but realistically, how much could Winthrop generate for him? Eighteen million a year at best.
His main source of income was still the manor and the ranch.
If the chemical plant destroyed Tenglong Manor, Jiang Hai would lose more than he gained.
After hearing this, Old George believed him. It made sense.
"But didn't they say the factory wouldn't pollute the environment?" Old George asked, already biased in Jiang Hai's favor. Jiang Hai's presence was important to him, and if the conflict with the factory became irreconcilable, Old George would definitely side with Jiang Hai, which was clear from his recent behaviors.
"Is there any chemical plant that doesn't pollute the environment? Haha, believe it or not, I don't buy it." Jiang Hai shrugged calmly. Old George, a veteran of the American Revolution, laughed bitterly.
He remembered all the lies the government told in the name of development when he was young.
"Chemical plants don't pollute. Mining doesn't pollute. The West is full of gold..." For ordinary Americans, government credibility was just like that. Now Jiang Hai had another ally.
Unnoticed by them, a white man in a distant corner heard Jiang Hai's words. He frowned, walked aside, pulled out his phone, and began typing.
Soon after, Peter — who was investigating Winthrop — received a call from his superiors. Upon confirming Jiang Hai's statements were true, his eyes narrowed. It seemed either he or Jiang Hai would have to back down to settle the matter. Still, he felt a surge of excitement. If things went too smoothly, how could he shine? Recently, the company's board had grown restless with the current general manager.
If he played his cards right now, maybe he could rise to become the one person above thousands.
With that thought, Peter's eyes gleamed. To take Jiang Hai down, the verbal battle would continue. Jiang Hai said he would leave? Fine, he'd make sure Jiang Hai didn't get away so easily.
He took out his phone and sent a text to Augustine Wilson. Sometimes, the easiest moves come unintentionally. Most importantly, he didn't think Jiang Hai could beat him.
When Jiang Hai returned to the manor, a new wave of verbal clashes erupted—much fiercer than the morning's. Many radicals shouted that Jiang Hai should get out of Winthrop.
Although Mayor Wallis and Police Chief Morris Smith quickly suppressed these extremists,
Winthrop was a town of thousands, and was on the map. Idle vagrants, unemployed drifters, and racists were everywhere.
Usually, they didn't target Jiang Hai because there was no benefit. But now there was, and they dared to provoke the President of the United States.
(To be continued.)