But if you think that only vegetables are expensive here, you are being naive. Jiang Hai felt a little too naïve himself. As he walked toward the fruit section, he realized that, in addition to vegetables, the fruit prices here were equally outrageous.
Watermelons cost 99 cents per pound, kiwis were 1 US dollar for three, and oranges were about two pounds for 4.99 US dollars.
Apples were 1.99 dollars per pound. To be honest, seeing these prices made Jiang Hai miss China a little. These were fruits that could be picked at random from the ground in China. The premium ones would be even more expensive.
However, this also gave Jiang Hai a business idea. If he used his ranch to raise cattle, he could support 100,000 head. But right now, he only raised 20,000 head. He rotated the pasture throughout the year, so he didn't need such a large area.
Some of the vacant land could be used to grow fruits and vegetables. He believed that what he grew would be more expensive.
But for now, it was just an idea. After a quick look around, everyone started to shop.
It was agreed that Jiang Hai would treat everyone tonight, so naturally, he didn't hesitate to buy top-grade beef—prime beef shoulder for eight dollars per pound. He bought 200 pounds. This beef wouldn't just be for tonight; it would be for everyday meals as well.
As a manor owner, he naturally had to provide for his subordinates, and this was inevitable.
Jiang Hai bought 200 pounds of beef, ten bags of chicken legs, and ten bags of chicken wings. When he tried to buy fish, Robbins and Edward stopped him. There were plenty of fish on the beach. Edward grabbed a fishing rod, and in half an hour, he caught enough to feed everyone for the night.
So, there was no need to buy fish. In addition, there were other items, like onions. While Americans don't particularly enjoy the taste of onions, ginger, and garlic, they love onions. Onions also help mask the smell of beef, which was an added bonus.
Jiang Hai also bought organic lettuces, carrots, celery, eggplants, and more.
Jiang Hai wasn't a stingy person. Although he didn't have much money now, he didn't hesitate to spend it on food.
In the past, older people in China saved money by spending less, but now Jiang Hai couldn't afford to be that frugal. Instead, he just spent the money. After buying the vegetables and meat, he also bought a lot of fruit—apples, oranges, and some Canadian blueberries. Two small boxes of blueberries, weighing about six taels, cost three US dollars. It was indeed expensive. After tallying up everything, Jiang Hai spent over 2,100 US dollars. But he didn't mind these small amounts. He left the supermarket's phone number, so he could have large orders delivered in the future.
Afterward, he, Edward, and Robbins moved everything to the car.
At first, Edward and Robbins had hesitated, thinking Jiang Hai shouldn't be the one doing all the lifting. They were worried he might struggle, which would embarrass them. But unexpectedly, Jiang Hai lifted almost as much as the two of them combined, which surprised them. It seemed Jiang Hai was tougher than he appeared.
"After buying food, let's grab some wine!" After moving everything to the back of Robbins' truck, Jiang Hai slapped the car door and said to Robbins and Edward.
"Buy wine? Okay, let's go to Old Tony's, the wine there is top-notch," Robbins replied. Every sailor and cowboy loves a good drink, and hearing Jiang Hai mention wine, they started salivating.
"Old Tony's wine is great, let's go!" Edward chimed in, and the two old, rusty pickup trucks roared to life, heading toward the Cowboy Song Bar, where Jiang Hai had been the night before.
At that time, the bar wasn't open yet. Only two waiters were cleaning. When they saw the three of them, they were momentarily stunned but soon recognized Robbins and Edward. After explaining their purpose, Jiang Hai placed an order for the alcohol they needed for the next few days and bought whatever could be packed.
In total, he bought three barrels of homemade beer and more than twenty bottles of foreign liquor, including base liquor, brandy, vodka, tequila, rum, and whiskey. These were relatively cheap, strong liquors.
These liquors cost Jiang Hai just over 300 dollars. He had expected to pay more than 1,000 dollars, as he remembered drinking some of these liquors before. One bottle of liquor that cost more than 300 dollars in China would only sell for about 50 dollars here.
But when he calculated the bill, the total came to just 12 dollars for the liquors. Jiang Hai couldn't help but feel he'd been tricked again.
But there was nothing he could do. In China, he didn't have access to this kind of alcohol.
After packing the alcohol, Jiang Hai took his two companions and headed home.
The next task was preparing the food.
Americans are different from the Chinese. In China, especially in the Northeast, if you want to show hospitality, you need to cook a lot of dishes. During the New Year or when guests come over, it's common to prepare a large feast. For a small group, you cook six dishes, for a medium-sized group, you prepare eight, and for a larger gathering, you cook ten, twelve, or even sixteen dishes. It's not about having too many, but making sure there's enough to show your hospitality.
But in the United States, things are simpler. For a gathering like this, especially for cowboys and fishermen, beef and fish are essential.
Beef is cut into steaks and grilled, and fish is usually fried. Of course, you could also build a fire in the yard and roast them. In addition, you can roast sausages and chicken wings. The key is to prepare the ingredients first, and then use the skewers they bought to string them up. That's about it.
Apart from that, vegetables and fruits are usually made into salads—light, fresh, and very tasty.
Cooking in the United States, especially for gatherings like this, is very simple. It took Jiang Hai, Ross, and Edward about an hour to prepare everything. Robbins went to the warehouse and grabbed some dead branches he had cut down from trees during his inspections. These branches would be used for the barbecue. Cooking with wood gives a much better flavor than using an oven.
After everything was ready, Jiang Hai and his two companions climbed into an all-terrain vehicle and headed toward the beach.
They had prepared beef, chicken wings, chicken legs, vegetable salad, and fruit salad. As for the main dish, Jiang Hai had ordered pizza. Back in China, Jiang Hai loved pizza, but it wasn't cheap. Before his divorce, he couldn't afford it often.
After the divorce, he had more disposable income but didn't indulge in it much. Upon arriving in the United States, he found that pizza was much better here. Of course, the best pizza is in New York, but Boston's pizza is also great.
He ordered ten 16-inch pizzas, more than enough for everyone. Now, they just had to figure out the fish.
"Hey, boss, have you ever fished before?" Edward asked. As a professional fisherman, he had many types of fishing rods. Some were for rivers, ponds, and reservoirs, while others were for the sea. There were various types of sea rods, designed for boats, reefs, or the beach. The rods had different requirements for length, thickness, material, etc.
Edward noticed Jiang Hai's curious expression and couldn't help but smile.
"I've fished before, but only in rivers, reservoirs, and fish ponds," Jiang Hai said awkwardly, scratching his head. He had seen others use sea rods but had never used one himself.
"Ah, boss, freshwater fish are different from saltwater fish," Robbins chimed in with a smile.
"Yes, freshwater fishing is always done with floating rods. But sea fishing is different. The sea is deep, so we use bottom fishing, boat fishing, or pier fishing. Right now, we don't have the resources for boat fishing, and floating fishing only catches fish about a meter deep, which are small. So, we usually use bottom fishing or pier fishing," Robbins explained.
"Fishing requires some skill. Beginners use bottom fishing from the shore, so you should try that first," Edward said, handing Jiang Hai a fishing rod.
This sea rod was thick compared to the thin hand rods used for freshwater fishing. It had a strong line attached to a reel, with a heavy lead weight and fish hooks at the top. There was no float. Jiang Hai's eyes brightened as he took the rod from Edward. With his current strength, wielding the rod was easy.
He then took some small shrimp from Robbins, which were often used as bait. Jiang Hai felt a bit guilty as he looked at the shrimp, but he was eager to try his hand at fishing.