My Manor

The next task was much simpler. The two of them headed to the president's office at Boston University. Jiang Hai explained the amount of investment and deposited $100 million on the spot. The president of the university practically worshipped Jiang Hai, continually recommending other projects. However, Jiang Hai showed little interest in them. In the end, the president didn't take a penny from Jiang Hai's pocket, but the coach, Baker Gerard, was ecstatic. With Jiang Hai's investment secured, the experiment could continue.

At the same time, Gerard handed Jiang Hai a thick stack of biological reports. These not only included the domesticated bison Jiang Hai had seen, but also many reports on the domestication of other animals. The best results had been achieved with omnivores, such as bears and wild boars. Their wild nature had been nearly reduced to a level humans could tolerate, making them almost as tame as some fierce dog breeds. They were at least able to recognize people.

The domestication of carnivores, such as mountain lions, black panthers, crocodiles, and pythons, hadn't been as successful. Without spiritual energy, it was nearly impossible to erase the ferocity ingrained in their DNA. Even if raised from childhood, exposure to nature and blood would trigger the wild instincts buried in their genes.

However, domestication had been quite successful with herbivores. In addition to bison, wild horses and many types of deer had been tamed. There was also an animal known for being extraordinarily docile—the capybara.

The capybara, unlike the pufferfish (a fish), is a large rodent and the largest in the world. It is a relative of the guinea pig, from the same family. Native to South America, the capybara stands about half a meter tall at the shoulder and weighs between 40 to 60 kilograms. Though bulky, it is incredibly gentle.

In South America, the capybara is as common as domestic pigs in China, living in swamps. Their numbers are substantial, and what sets them apart is their temperament. It's said that while rabbits might bite when angered, capybaras rarely get upset. They are so docile they can be easily bullied and are often playmates for children.

The U.S. government has long been keen on diversifying the American diet, as it's quite simple. Americans rarely eat pork, and the common options are beef, seafood, chicken, and almost no lamb. Introducing guinea pigs could benefit them, but there's a significant difference between North and South America: the cold weather in the north. In Florida, guinea pigs could thrive, but in Boston, a special effort was required to make them adaptable to the local climate.

After hearing the report, Jiang Hai decided to visit the facility. I have to admit, capybaras are indeed cute and appealing.

Seeing Jiang Hai's interest, Baker Gerard, not entirely without humanity, immediately gave him two freshly weaned capybaras—untested and clean specimens. Jiang Hai, without hesitation, decided to take them home for fun.

After placing the capybaras in a box, Jiang Hai left. Meanwhile, the matter of Jiang Hai Manor had been officially set in motion. A team would be sent soon to investigate why Jiang Hai's cattle were so exceptional.

Driving back to the manor with the two little capybaras, Jiang Hai shared some spiritual energy with them—one for each—fearing that they might become overwhelmed and die. Halfway through the journey, the capybaras appeared a bit drowsy after receiving the energy. Their adorable appearance even made Jiang Hai, who usually thought of wild animals as food, find them charming. He deliberately slowed down, and when he reached the outskirts of Boston, he decided to stop by Zhang Dehai's store.

As usual, Zhang Dehai was basking in the sun and sipping tea. Jiang Hai found solace in such a simple life, something that his acquaintances would likely joke about, calling it the "aging world" phase. After buying two bottles of Lao Gan Ma at Zhang Lao's store, Jiang Hai and Zhang Lao discussed the timing for the third batch of cattle slaughter. According to Zhang Lao, it should coincide with Walmart's schedule, so Jiang Hai didn't have much to add.

Since his somewhat awkward encounter with Prawalton, Jiang Hai had been somewhat reluctant to deal with Walmart.

After two hours of conversation, Jiang Hai sensed that the capybaras were waking up. He bid Zhang Lao goodbye and drove back to the manor. As he arrived, Darlene, Marian, Xiaobai, Xiaohuang, Jiujiu, and Banya rushed over. The dogs had likely heard the car, and the two little capybaras, who had been drowsy, opened their eyes in curiosity. Upon seeing Jiang Hai, they seemed relieved.

"It looks like the energy transfer worked," Jiang Hai said, smiling at the capybaras. He got out of the car with them in his arms, and the others gathered around, curious about the new arrivals.

"Wow, so cute!" Darlene and Marian couldn't resist exclaiming, immediately reaching out to pet the capybaras. Despite sensing that all the animals at the manor shared Jiang Hai's aura, the capybaras were unusually tame. They didn't shy away from Darlene's fingers and even nuzzled forward, winning her favor. Marian followed suit, taking one of them into her arms.

Xiaohuang, Xiaobai, Banya, and Jiujiu also observed the capybaras curiously. They hadn't seen this type of creature before and were puzzled by it.

"This is a capybara. It'll be your good friend in the future. It's better to make a nest for them by the swimming pool, as they need to be near water. By the way, these two little ones don't have names yet. Let's think of something for them," Jiang Hai said, smiling as he ruffled Darlene and Marian's hair.

The two girls thought for a moment before trying to come up with names for the capybaras. "I think these two look a bit silly. How about Da Er and Xiao Er?" Jiang Hai suggested, showing off his "naming talent."

The two girls frowned at his suggestion. "Is that really a name?" they thought, though they couldn't bring themselves to protest since it was Jiang Hai.

"Okay, stop showing off your questionable naming skills. Let the kids come up with names themselves," Bernice called out with a smile as she emerged from the house, hearing the commotion.

"Is my name bad?" Jiang Hai asked, scratching his head in confusion.

Bernice shook her head and began commenting on the names of his other pets. "I won't comment on your squirrel and bald eagle. At least the squirrel has buck teeth, and the bald eagle chirps. But why is your dog called Xiao Huang? It's a big yellow dog! And Xiao Bai is pure black, so why not call it Xiao Hei?"

Jiang Hai, unfazed, replied confidently, "Because when it first came, it was hungry and thin, so it was naturally called Xiao Huang. And Xiao Bai—haven't you seen Crayon Shin-chan? It's like Big Yellow and Xiao Bai."

Bernice, feeling it was impossible to reason with him, simply instructed him to help her decorate the room. "Your patient will be here tomorrow. Go help me finish setting up."

Jiang Hai agreed and went upstairs to assist. Bernice had clearly put a lot of effort into preparing the room. Everything was meticulously disinfected, from the bedding and curtains to the floors and even the wardrobes. Though it couldn't compare to a sterile room, it was certainly the cleanest in the house.

The room itself was decorated in white, with heavy curtains to block out sunlight. This was essential for albinos, as they couldn't tolerate direct sunlight but still needed light. The white interior made the room appear brighter than the outside, a testament to Bernice's attention to detail.

After finishing up, it was already night, and Jiang Hai didn't need to worry about dinner. He had plenty of beef at home, and Edward had already been contacted to bring back some fish.

When Edward returned with a large Atlantic cod, Jiang Hai was reminded of how his breeding program had shifted. Though cod was once the top priority in his fishery, he had now replaced it with American redfish. Though more challenging to raise, Jiang Hai was confident in his success.