My Manor

"Hey, boss, you're here! Let's go chase the mountain lion today," Bell-Lester said with a smile as he approached Jiang Hai, who was lounging on a recliner on the lawn in front of the villa, reading a book.

"Alright, let's go today. Wait for me—I'll grab the gun," Jiang Hai replied, smiling as he marked his page, stood up, and stretched. He whistled to the dogs playing in the distance. If they were going into the forest to hunt the mountain lion, Xiao Huang and Xiao Bai would be the main force.

By the time the two dogs rushed over, Jiang Hai had already gone inside and retrieved his gun from the room on the second floor. Unlike others who favored Remington shotguns, Jiang Hai preferred his AUG and Desert Eagle. Perhaps this preference was influenced by his past days of playing Counter-Strike. While the Remington 870 and 1100 were powerful, they weren't his style.

After loading both guns, Jiang Hai came downstairs to find Xiao Huang and Xiao Bai waiting patiently. Jiujiu and Banya, the young raptor and squirrel, stayed behind—they weren't exactly a good match for a hunt. As Jiang Hai approached, the two dogs fell in step behind him.

"Boss, you're reading this kind of book?" Bell-Lester asked, picking up the book Jiang Hai had been reading and raising an eyebrow in surprise. Jiang Hai chuckled awkwardly.

"Just flipping through it when I have nothing better to do," he replied. Truthfully, Jiang Hai hadn't been particularly interested in such books before, but this one had been an accident.

The book in question was the second installment of the Twilight series, which Azarina Vicarbolio had bought. On the day Jiang Hai went to sign the contract, he'd noticed a bookstore across from the restaurant where he and Moses Adams had dined. While Moses returned to Boston to pack, Jiang Hai had wandered into the bookstore and picked up the books Azarina wanted.

However, on his way out of town, he got caught in a traffic jam caused by a car accident involving one of the construction teams working in the area. With the road blocked, Jiang Hai had nothing to do but pick up one of the books and start reading. To his surprise, he found himself engrossed.

Twilight, a horror-romance novel by American author Stephenie Meyer, wasn't particularly scary in Jiang Hai's opinion. The romance was the main focus. The series consisted of five books: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and Midnight Sun. The last one, Midnight Sun, retold the story of Twilight from the male protagonist's perspective and was optional reading.

The plot revolved around a human girl, Bella Swan, and her love story with a vampire, Edward Cullen. The series began with Bella moving to the small town of Forks, where she met Edward in high school. The lore of vampires and werewolves in the series traced back to an ancient plague in Europe, which led to the creation of the first vampires and werewolves. The story was simple yet captivating, appealing to the American audience with its delicate, character-driven narrative.

Jiang Hai had already finished the first three books and was now deep into the fourth, Breaking Dawn, where Bella and Edward married and faced new challenges. The series had been a pleasant distraction for Jiang Hai, though Azarina found it amusing that he'd taken such an interest in what she considered "light reading."

After finishing Twilight, Jiang Hai planned to dive into The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, two of the three pillars of Western fantasy literature, alongside Harry Potter. He'd never read any of them before, and with time on his hands, he was eager to explore these iconic stories.

Once packed, Jiang Hai and Bell hopped onto a four-wheeled motorcycle and headed toward the forest on the outskirts of the manor. It was late May, almost June, and summer was in full swing. The landscape was lush and green, with the sun shining brightly and wildflowers dotting the fields. The air was filled with the scent of nature, and Jiang Hai couldn't help but feel invigorated.

The grass in Jiang Hai's manor wasn't ordinary wild grass—it was carefully cultivated forage. Different types of livestock required different grasses. For example, geese and chickens thrived on chicory and alfalfa, while rabbits preferred rye and timothy. Fish, though rarely raised in the U.S., benefited from Mexican corn grass and Sudan grass. For cattle, sheep, and pigs, pennisetum and purple alfalfa were the top choices.

Jiang Hai's fields were a mix of alfalfa, wolftail grass, sorghum, and chicory, all thriving under the nourishing effects of spiritual energy. The clover patches were particularly striking, with four-leaf clovers—and even five-, six-, seven-, and eight-leaf variants—outnumbering the traditional three-leaf ones. Among the grasses, Jiang Hai had also planted saffron, the world's most expensive spice. Though native to the Mediterranean, saffron had been cultivated in China since the Ming Dynasty, with Shanghai now producing over 90% of the country's supply. Jiang Hai wasn't growing it for profit but to enhance the diet of his cattle.

As they rode toward the forest, the sea breeze whipped around them. Living by the coast had its perks—mild winters, abundant seafood, and stunning beaches—but summers could be brutal. The Boston area, perched on the edge of the Atlantic, was no stranger to strong winds, heavy rains, and the occasional typhoon or tornado. Even on calm days, the wind was often relentless.

When they reached the edge of the forest, Jiang Hai and Bell dismounted and joined the rest of the hunting party. This time, Jiang Hai had spared no expense to drive out the mountain lion. Six people had been assembled for the task: Jiang Hai and Bell, two cowboys—Burke Dahler and Harriman Fells—and two fishermen—Andrew Christian and Enor Cece. Robbins Garcia and Philemon Turner stayed behind to watch the bullpen, while Edward and Tommy Charles prepared fish food. Maren Rupert was on standby for aerial inspections.

Once everyone had arrived, they checked their weapons. At Jiang Hai's signal, the group moved into the forest, ready for the hunt.