"Well, gentlemen, congratulations, you got a job." After a brief understanding, Jiang Hai hesitated for a moment, nodded to the people in front of him, and formally accepted them as his employees.
Upon hearing Jiang Hai's words, these individuals' faces lit up with joy. They hadn't expected to find a job so quickly. Afterward, they quickly agreed on their wages.
Jiang Hai had set a weekly salary of 800 USD for Robbins-Garcia, which was quite reasonable. For the others, Burke-Daller would receive 750 USD per month, Filiese-Turner also 750 USD, and Harriman-Fiers and Bell-Lester would earn 700 USD per week. This would just be a fixed salary, with potential bonuses based on profits. Once the salaries were set, Jiang Hai felt a sense of relief.
With the first wave of employees recruited, the next step would be to find winemakers and crew members. However, this couldn't be done locally.
As Philemon Turner, a former sailor, explained, finding sailors would require going to another bar. Winthrop, being a real seaside town, would have easier access to sailors. Cowboys could only be found at Cowboy Songs, but sailors were more abundant. Once everything was settled, Jiang Hai and the others climbed into Robbins' old pickup truck and headed to Jiang Hai's manor.
"Hush, now the structure of the farm is finally coming together," Jiang Hai muttered while watching the scenery pass by. Robbins-Garcia chuckled at his words.
"Hey, boss, you're overestimating things. We've only hired the people so far. Now we need to buy cattle. Oh, by the way, if you're raising that many cattle, you'll need plenty of cattle dogs, which we'll also need to buy. There are vehicles to pull the cattle as well. We can't keep renting them because the amount we need is too large. And don't forget about lawn mowers and machines to clean the cowshed. Phew, raising cattle involves so much trouble!" Robbins continued, detailing the many challenges ahead. Raising fish, too, would be just as complicated.
However, Jiang Hai found raising fish a bit easier. With his abilities, he could just dilute his blood and sprinkle it along the waterside. He was confident that the fry and other fish would stay around, and it might even attract larger fish. But of course, he kept this to himself.
When it came to cattle, Jiang Hai had already considered feeding them with his blood, but he wasn't so extreme. Diluting his blood and letting the cows eat grass that absorbed it seemed more reasonable, though he'd have to bleed again, which wasn't ideal. Thankfully, his blood replenished quickly—one drop could regenerate in just a day.
"Do you want to buy a dog? What breed are you thinking about?" Jiang Hai asked, snapping out of his thoughts.
"Oh, that's important!" Robbins replied enthusiastically.
Cattle dogs, akin to sheepdogs but adapted for the strength and aggression of cattle, were needed. The main breeds for cattle dogs were the Australian cattle dog, Belgian cattle dog, Appenzeller cattle dog, and the German cattle dog, an improved version of the German shepherd. When selecting a dog, the focus was on intelligence and strength.
Robbins then explained the other necessities: flatbed trucks for hauling cattle, and a machine to clean the cowshed. With 20,000 cattle, the volume of waste could be overwhelming, so it was crucial to have machines to handle it. This would require daily cleaning, as cattle needed to be let out during the day, and the sheds needed to be cleaned before they returned at night.
Jiang Hai couldn't help but feel a headache coming on, realizing how much effort this would all take. He was hoping things would be easier but soon realized the truth. Still, the money had been spent, and he wasn't planning on selling the place, so he'd have to accept the situation.
Suddenly, Jiang Hai remembered something. "By the way, Robbins, when you came here, you mentioned taxes? What taxes? I haven't made any money yet," he said, looking at Robbins, surprised.
Robbins, a bit stunned by the question, explained the tax situation in the United States. Despite the allure of the U.S. being a land of opportunity, there were taxes at every level. For example, Massachusetts had a low state tax rate, but the federal tax rate was steep—39.6% at the highest income bracket. Additionally, there were social security taxes (6.2%) and medical insurance (1.45%).
But what caught Jiang Hai off guard was that even though he hadn't made any money, there were still taxes to pay. For instance, he was required to pay property tax on the land he bought, and since his land was large, it was subject to the highest tax rate of 3.6%. Moreover, there was a 1.2% land use tax to pay every year.
Jiang Hai was stunned, realizing just how much more expensive things were in the U.S. compared to what he'd imagined. "Oh my god!" he muttered, rubbing his temples. "Why are there so many things?"
He sighed, reflecting that maybe he should have bought a forest instead of land for a ranch. He said this in Chinese, and Robbins didn't understand, but he could tell Jiang Hai was in a bad mood, so he wisely stayed quiet.
Jiang Hai didn't go to bed immediately. Instead, he took a shower and opened the laptop he had brought from China. The laptop was cheaper and had better performance abroad, but the operating system wasn't in Chinese. Since he had bought it on his trip to China, he could at least understand it better. He sat down to calculate the remaining money.
Robbins didn't know exactly how much money Jiang Hai had left. Only Jiang Hai knew the full extent of his finances.
The stones he had sold brought in 332 million USD, and the manor had cost him 280 million USD. This left him with 52 million USD, though after spending 2 million on various expenses—decorations, things for the house, and his return to China—his remaining balance was 50 million USD.