My Manor

The grass and trees are green. Well, Jiang Hai himself isn't a top student or a scholar, so it's difficult for him to come up with too many words related to green or spring to describe the scene at school at this time.

Chinese culture boasts a long history. With a rich 5,000-year heritage, many poems and lyrics have been left behind to describe such scenes.

But for Jiang Hai, when it comes to spring, the only word he can think of is, "How much sorrow can there be? It's like a group of eunuchs coughing in the green, so let's just call it green." After all these years of schooling, Jiang Hai has returned everything he learned to the teacher—he doesn't like to owe anyone anything.

However, when it comes to ancient poetry, the one that sticks with him the most is Li Bai's poem about the moon.

It's the one that says, "The moon is bright in front of the bed, and I wonder if it's frost on the ground. When I look up, I forget the bright moon; when I look down, I think of my hometown."

When he was younger, Jiang Hai always thought that this poem was about homesickness, but later, he realized it wasn't.

This poem should actually be interpreted as follows: There's a woman named Mingyue in front of the bed, completely naked. Her snow-white skin is like the frost in December. When he looked up at this girl, named Mingyue, he lowered his head and thought of his wife back in his hometown.

The main theme of the poem revolves around Li Bai's longing for a woman in another place. Could this be seen as contributing to the construction of the homeland?

But no matter what, in this moment on the campus of Boston University, the feeling of youth is still quite nice.

After parking in the designated lot, Jiang Hai strolled onto the campus.

The education system in the United States is actually quite similar to that in China. In fact, China has learned much from the U.S.

This includes driving on the right, steering wheels on the left, and other aspects such as the school system and start times.

Most schools in the United States follow a two-semester system, though some schools have three. The start times are generally January, May, and August, though a two-semester school only has the August and January starts. Enrollment typically occurs in August. Now, Jiang Hai was wandering around, and as time passed, June arrived. June was also the time for graduations, and the flow of people around campus increased.

Students who excelled in their studies began preparing their final theses. Students who weren't as academically inclined were considering what kind of job they might land after entering society. Employment conditions in the U.S. government were fairly relaxed. In fact, the employment rate in the U.S. wasn't as high as that in China. Of course, some students struggled to find jobs because they simply didn't want to do certain work, such as being couriers or waiters. Even becoming civil servants didn't appeal to them.

Most capable people in the United States would work for large private companies. The idea of stable government jobs that is common in China had little appeal in the U.S. That's just how things were.

Different educational methods naturally lead to different ways of thinking among the people.

Jiang Hai looked at the students around him, who seemed to be getting luckier one after another, and couldn't help but sigh. It seemed that he was, indeed, getting older.

Unknowingly, he had been walking for more than half an hour when he suddenly remembered that he still had someone to meet.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where the ecological evolution department is?" He looked at the students around him. Most were white, with a few black students in groups. After a bit of searching, Jiang Hai found an Asian girl walking alone, so he approached her.

The girl stopped, looked up, and froze when she saw Jiang Hai.

"It's you! What are you doing here?" She said with some surprise.

"Uh, do we know each other?" Jiang Hai was taken aback. He didn't recall recognizing this girl.

"It's me, Lu Qing. I sold you the car when you bought it," the girl said, smiling as she saw Jiang Hai's confused expression. For Jiang Hai, she was just a saleswoman, but for her, he was the biggest customer she had. Thanks to his commission, she didn't have to work for the entire month and had enough money to support herself while studying abroad.

"Oh, it's you! Aren't you from Harvard University? What are you doing at Boston University?" Jiang Hai scratched his head in confusion. His memory was still sharp, and as soon as the girl mentioned her name, Jiang Hai's mind quickly recalled the situation. She had introduced herself at the time, and Jiang Hai had been quite surprised.

"We're conducting a joint experiment with Boston University. It's about the genes of the Biliang cattle breed. My thesis is also on this subject. The main venue is here, so I have to come here every day for experiments," Lu Qing explained, smiling. She pointed out that Boston had a large Asian student population, many of whom were very good at their studies.

However, the local students still had some reservations about them, as evidenced by her being at school alone.

"Is that so? Well, congratulations. Keep up the hard work, and you'll contribute to the country's development when you return to China," Jiang Hai said with a smile, patting her shoulder and expressing approval.

"Then why don't you return to China?" Lu Qing asked, looking at him curiously.

"I'm a cattle breeder, and China doesn't need me. By the way, can you tell me where the ecological evolution department is?" Jiang Hai laughed. If it weren't necessary, he wouldn't move his business back to China.

Although taxes were much lower in China than in the U.S., there were two key issues: First, China was developing rapidly, and environmental concerns meant Jiang Hai's tattoos, which were key to his business, would be negatively affected. Second, although taxes were higher in the U.S., Jiang Hai's property still belonged to him. In China, all land belongs to the state, and if the government wanted his cattle, fish, or land, he'd be compensated with a pittance. This was the harsh reality.

"What are you doing at Ecological Evolution?" Lu Qing, curious about the change of subject, asked without pushing for more details. She was puzzled as to why Jiang Hai would be interested in ecological evolution.

"I raise cattle, don't I? I want to set up a research team to study why my cattle are so exceptional," Jiang Hai shrugged. He wasn't sure how to explain it—it felt a bit shameless to put it that way.

"Hehe," Lu Qing raised an eyebrow. It was the first time she had seen someone be so blunt.

"Well, no matter what you're up to, come with me. Our research lab is in Ecological Evolution," Lu Qing said, leading Jiang Hai toward the school.

Ecological Evolution studied not only cattle but also monkeys, gorillas, cats, canines, and rodents. They had a large facility to accommodate their research.

At the more remote part of Boston University, there was a small zoo-like area, which housed the research institute.

As they entered, Jiang Hai could hear the sounds of animals from within the facility.

Once inside, he saw many animals.

The first area housed herbivores like rabbits, sheep, cows, horses, and donkeys. There was also a fake bison that Jiang Hai had seen at the Massachusetts Livestock Show. According to Lu Qing, this bison was one of Boston University's research outcomes, though it wasn't particularly successful. The bison's grandfather was a wild bison, but its grandmother, mother, and father were all gentle cattle. The hybridization resulted in an Angus cow, but it was too gentle and had some brain issues, often called "stupid." It would follow any command but lacked basic instincts or group tendencies, making it more machine-like than animal. This bison was more ornamental than economically useful.

While Jiang Hai was interested in this kind of cow because of its size and docility, he wasn't planning to expand his breeding operation just yet.

Next, there was an area for omnivorous animals like monkeys, gorillas, bears, and wild boars. These animals were more agile and smart than herbivores and pure carnivores.

After the omnivorous animal area came the carnivorous animal section, where Jiang Hai discovered even more animals. In addition to what Lu Qing had introduced, there were crocodiles, pythons, coyotes, foxes, and more, including mountain lions and black panthers, but no tigers or lions.

Most of these animals were on edge, pacing nervously around their enclosures as they saw Jiang Hai and Lu Qing approaching. They were clearly unhappy to be confined to such small spaces.

To be continued.