"Hey, boss, danger!" Bell-Lester looked at the Dog in front of him with a vigilant expression, and at the same time, his hand reached for his waist. In the United States, ordinary citizens can have gun licenses, and Bell, having just retired from Delta State, was no exception. Not to mention him, in Jiang Hai's manor, everyone except Harriman has a gun, because the U.S. government does not issue gun licenses to civilians.
However, the older generation tends to favor shotguns, particularly double-barreled ones, which pack an immense amount of power.
Bell, on the other hand, owns a complete set of firearms: pistols, submachine guns, rifles, shotguns, and everything in between.
But outside of him, it's difficult for others to buy rifles or submachine guns.
Moreover, ordinary people are not allowed to carry firearms on their person. For example, if Jiang Hai applies for a gun license, he can only store the firearm at home or in his car trunk. If he's caught carrying it on his body, it could lead to serious legal trouble.
If he's caught near a school, it's a whole different issue.
Seeing Xiao Huang in front of him, Bell instinctively reached for his gun. However, before he could draw it, Xiao Huang had already dashed forward with a whoosh. The speed was so extraordinary that Bell, in his surprise, had barely taken out half of his gun before Xiao Huang was at his feet. In an instant, the creature stood up and, with its bloody mouth open, lunged at Bell. The sight of Xiao Huang's mouth made Bell's eyes widen in horror. He felt that if he were bitten, it would certainly be fatal.
"Come back!" At that moment, Jiang Hai suddenly issued a command. Xiao Huang, hearing the order, immediately stopped, turned around, and returned to Jiang Hai's side. While still silent, the ferocity from earlier was now gone. Bell, meanwhile, found a layer of sweat already forming on his forehead.
"Don't worry, it won't bite anyone unless you point a gun at me or it in the future," Jiang Hai said with a chuckle, while patting Xiao Huang's head. Bell hesitated but eventually decided not to draw his gun, fearing it might provoke Xiao Huang again. After all, he had only brought a self-defense weapon—a Glock 17—and who knew whether the bullet would have any effect on Xiao Huang, who was roughly the size of a small bear? Deciding it wasn't worth the risk, Bell finally put the gun back. He chose to trust Jiang Hai, the boss who had tamed this beast in just two days.
"Alright, boss, if it can stay this obedient, it will undoubtedly become our best security guard," Bell said after a deep breath. Hearing this, Xiao Huang glanced at him, then stood up, cried softly, and walked off with the now slightly frightened Caucasian man.
As the two of them left, Jiang Hai stood up again and turned to Bell.
"So early, what are you up to?" Jiang Hai clapped his hands and asked.
"Early? Boss, we've been up for almost three hours. I just went back to get the rope," Bell chuckled, looking at his watch. "We've been up since five."
"Ah? Three hours?" Jiang Hai was taken aback, glancing at his phone. It was just past eight in the morning, meaning they'd been awake since five.
"Being a cowboy isn't easy," Bell laughed at Jiang Hai's surprised expression.
He then explained the schedule they followed.
As a cowboy, "sleeping in" was simply impossible when there was work to be done.
Every morning, they had to wake up early to let the cattle graze. If they didn't, the cattle wouldn't be satisfied. At the same time, they needed to clean the cowshed and deal with cow dung. No one expects these tasks to be quick.
Most farms start work around six o'clock, but that's just for a few dozen or even just a dozen cows. For Jiang Hai's 5,000 cows, getting up at five in the morning was considered early. If all 15,000 cows were here, they'd have to wake up an hour earlier.
"These cows are surprisingly adaptable. After just one night, they've completely calmed down. Uncle Robbins said we can let them out and observe them. I'm going back for the lasso so we can bring any strays back. But without horses, it's a bit troublesome." Bell added, noting Jiang Hai's curiosity. Jiang Hai nodded in approval of Bell's initiative.
With nothing else to do, Jiang Hai followed Bell to the cowshed. When they arrived, they saw a large patch of grass not far from the cowshed, where the cows were grazing peacefully. Robbins and a few others were on all-terrain vehicles, encircling the herd. However, the vehicles were too short to effectively patrol the herd. They couldn't see what was happening inside the group, which annoyed the older cowboys.
Edward, who was nearby, had also come to help but was of little assistance.
"Hey, boss, you're here," Robbins said as he rode over on his all-terrain vehicle, smiling. "Look at our cows—they're really great. After just one night, they've already settled into this grassland. Seems like our grass is top-notch!"
"It's not the grass that's great; it's the blood that's been poured into it," Jiang Hai muttered inwardly. The nearby grasslands had been watered with his blood, and combined with the grass delivered last night, the cows were calmer than expected. Otherwise, they would have caused trouble. Generally, new cows would need at least a week to adapt, as they tend to run around when released. Letting them out the next day was unheard of.
"You've picked well. Is there any issue with the cows? Is there anything I can do to help? As the boss, do I need to lend a hand?" Jiang Hai asked Robbins.
"For now, there are no problems with the cows. We need to keep an eye on them. But if you want to help, you can clean out the cowshed. Harriman is there." Robbins answered, considering the request. Foreigners rarely speak so politely, but since Jiang Hai had offered to help, Robbins thought it over and gave him a task.
Watching the cows wasn't an option for Jiang Hai, as the cowboys needed to use ropes to bring back any strays, and Jiang Hai didn't know how to handle ropes. So, he decided to help with cleaning the cowshed.
"Alright!" Jiang Hai agreed, heading toward the cowshed. But as soon as he stepped inside, he quickly turned around and came back out, gasping for air. The smell was unbearable.
"Are you kidding me? Did I walk into a manure pit?" Jiang Hai groaned, lying on the grass in the distance, still reeling from the overwhelming stench. Since coming to the U.S., he had never encountered such a foul odor.
"Boss, what's wrong?" Harriman, who was working in the cowshed, emerged with a gas mask covering his face. Clearly, the cowboys were prepared for such conditions.
"Well, let me see if I can help," Jiang Hai said after a few deep breaths. He calmed himself down and turned back to Harriman. However, his feet were already moving away from the cowshed.
"Oh, it's almost done. When I worked on a ranch before, I knew about cleaning machines, but my former bosses didn't want to spend money on them, so I had to do it manually. It was uncomfortable. But now I have a machine; I just push it around, and it's much faster. I'm almost done now. If the cows come in the future, and you want to help, I might not need it anymore..." Harriman explained.
Jiang Hai understood Harriman's background. He wasn't born this way. He had lived on a family farm in Winthrop until a robbery led to the death of his parents. The traumatic experience affected him, slowing down his mental development. But thanks to the help of old friends, Harriman survived and eventually learned cowboy work to avoid starvation.
After years of hard work, though still a bit slow in speech, Harriman had mastered the skills and was deeply grateful to Jiang Hai for providing him a better life.
"Well, I won't make a fuss. Do a good job!" Jiang Hai patted Harriman on the shoulder and left, eager to avoid that hellish smell again.