"Xiao Jiang, I've got your wine. When can you come and pick it up? As for your tea trees, you can take them, but you'll have to sell me some beef." Jiang Hai smiled upon hearing the voices of Zhang Dehai and Uncle Zhang on the phone.
"Okay, I'll be there right away." After hanging up, Jiang Hai said goodbye to Darlene and Marian, who were studying, before leaving the house and driving his war shield to Boston.
Today was the third day since the beef cattle exhibition. After the exhibition, Jiang Hai had been harassed the entire night.
There was no choice. All the major livestock companies wanted to talk to him about the sales of his beef cattle. In their eyes, this was real money.
In addition to these livestock companies, many private enterprises, like the Suzuki Company from the island nation, wanted to cooperate with Jiang Hai to introduce his live cattle breeds. Naturally, that was impossible.
Eventually, Jiang Hai, feeling truly frustrated, drove to the cowshed.
He stayed there for a night, checked out of the room the next morning, and rushed back to Boston.
The journey back followed the same pattern as when they came—stopping and starting. But the mindset of Robbins and the others had completely changed.
When they arrived, they were confident in their beef cattle, but it was still a competition! No one could be too sure.
So, they were three parts confident, two parts anxious, and five parts nervous.
Fortunately, the results met their expectations, so they felt much more relaxed on the return journey.
Robbins, who had hardly spoken or smiled when they arrived, finally wore a smile as they made their way back.
After a long day's journey, they returned to the manor, and as expected, they celebrated their victory. It was a major win, and it was clear that as long as Jiang Hai agreed, the 20,000 cows would convert into countless U.S. dollars. This eased everyone's nerves. At first, they were all worried that Jiang Hai's cattle wouldn't sell. After all, the manor had cost him a lot of money.
But now it seemed that even 280 million dollars—or even 2.8 billion—wouldn't matter, because Jiang Hai would earn it back.
Of course, if it were really 2.8 billion, Jiang Hai wouldn't have bought it. It had nothing to do with his IQ—he simply didn't have that much money.
When he returned home, he ate large chunks of meat and drank generous amounts of wine. It wasn't until after 3 AM that everyone finally fell asleep. The next morning, when Jiang Hai got up, he felt some soreness in his body despite his good physical fitness.
Luckily, after running and sweating, the soreness disappeared, though he still felt a little weak.
He had spent the whole day resting at home and was finally recovering. But just when he started to feel better, he received a call from Mr. Zhang.
With the roar of the engine, Jiang Hai drove to Mr. Zhang's small shop in Boston.
However, Mr. Zhang wasn't alone. A little girl was standing there, looking at Jiang Hai with curiosity. Upon meeting his gaze, Jiang Hai smiled at her, but the girl got scared and hid behind Zhang Lao, peeking at him.
Jiang Hai had seen this girl before—she had accompanied Zhang Lao to the beef cattle exhibition.
"Why are you scaring my granddaughter? You're the same as her. Why are you so timid? You didn't inherit your grandfather's courage; you're more like your father. Come on, get in the car." Seeing his granddaughter frightened by Jiang Hai, Zhang Lao couldn't help but glance at him. Elders are often 200% doting on their grandchildren.
If they hold them in their mouths, they're afraid they'll melt; if they hold them in their hands, they're afraid they'll fall. Although Zhang Lao looked stern, Jiang Hai could sense the deep affection behind his words. Lately, with his growing relationship with Darlene and Marian, Jiang Hai had started to feel that way too. It's hard for those who've never been fathers to understand.
Opening the rear and co-pilot doors, Zhang Lao and the girl got into the car.
"Let's go." After fastening their seat belts, Zhang Lao gave Jiang Hai an address, and the three of them headed to Zhang Lao's home. As they drove, they didn't say much, given that the little girl was sitting behind them. When they arrived, the girl quickly hopped out and ran toward the manor.
Indeed, Zhang Lao's home could be called a manor. While it wasn't as grand as Jiang Hai's, it was still sizable.
The estate consisted of three parts: a three-story villa covering an area of about 300 square meters per floor, totaling over 900 square meters—nearly 1,000 square meters. Jiang Hai couldn't tell if there was a basement.
With the villa as the centerpiece, there was a garden in front, spanning about 1,000 square meters. Behind the villa, several separate buildings were connected to it. Jiang Hai spotted a swimming pool and a tennis court.
By these standards, Zhang Lao's place was definitely not small. It even felt more like a home than Jiang Hai's estate.
"Curious about how I can afford such a luxurious place?" Zhang Lao smiled when he noticed Jiang Hai's puzzled look. Jiang Hai, admittedly, was a little curious.
"I recall you have some connection with the Walton family's girl. It seems she didn't explain things clearly to you." Zhang Lao, smiling, led Jiang Hai into the villa while telling his story.
"My real name is Zhang Dehai. My father fought in the War of Resistance against Japan for eight years and later became a major general. But after the Japanese were driven out, our country changed dynasties. At that time, we didn't follow Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan, but came to the United States. With the family business we earned in China, we opened the first Chinese supermarket in the U.S. Over time, we showed our business acumen…"
As Jiang Hai walked alongside him, Zhang Lao continued his story. It was a straightforward one: Zhang Lao had come to the U.S. with his father when he was young. His father established the first Chinese supermarket in San Francisco. Due to his military background and loyal subordinates, they dared to fight for what they wanted. Early on, the U.S. underworld didn't dare cause trouble for them, and they gradually expanded, opening over a dozen branches in San Francisco.
When his father passed on the supermarket, Zhang Lao grew the brand further, conquering other cities in California before expanding nationwide. Although it wasn't as large as the big retail giants, Haishang Group now owned over 300 Chinese supermarkets across the U.S.
Zhang Dehai was now the chairman of Haishang Group.
He had three sons. His eldest son was now the president of the group, primarily based in California, while his second son, a Harvard professor, lived with Zhang Lao. Jiang Hai had met him before. The third son, Zhang Lao didn't mention, and Jiang Hai didn't pry.
As they entered the villa, Jiang Hai got a clearer sense of Zhang Lao's life. He was the head of a company with over 300 supermarkets, yet it was privately owned and not publicly listed. The exact net worth was difficult to estimate.
Jiang Hai now understood why Zhang Lao was interested in his beef. Items sold in Chinese supermarkets are typically more expensive than in regular American stores. Adding a high-quality beef counter would attract attention.
However, selling ordinary beef wouldn't work. Given their premium pricing, they could only sell unique, high-quality beef. Jiang Hai's beef was just what they needed.
Not to mention the special-grade beef, even the special and preferred grades were rare in supermarkets. After all, a $50-per-pound beef price was far from affordable for most people. So Jiang Hai understood Zhang Lao's intentions.
"Zhang Lao, just tell me—how much are you offering?" After a moment of thought, Jiang Hai, though waiting for a price, knew that his beef was valuable, but only if it sold. At this point, he needed funds to move forward. Having no money felt uncomfortable.
"How much do you have?" Zhang Lao chuckled at Jiang Hai's directness. His own straightforward nature mirrored Jiang Hai's.
"I have plenty. Nearly 20,000 cattle on my farm, including 13,455 bulls, 51 cows, and 872 calves. All the bulls are of slaughterable age, and I can guarantee each one is as good as Robbins No. 1 and No. 2." Jiang Hai said seriously, looking at Zhang Lao.
"This is really a big deal," Zhang Lao murmured. If a cow were worth $150,000, 13,455 bulls would be worth 2 billion dollars.