My Manor

"Boss, you're back!" With the roar of the car, Jiang Hai's F650 also stopped in the parking lot in front of his villa. When Jiang Hai got out of the car, Tommy Charles and the others, who had already seen him from a distance, walked over with smiles on their faces. Seeing these people take the initiative to greet him, Jiang Hai smiled in return.

"Well, I'm back. How are you guys? Have you settled in?" Jiang Hai smiled as he looked at the small villas in the distance, which were originally dark but now lit up. He continued speaking to them.

"Yes, everything's been settled. Boss, I have to admit that the facilities here are amazing." Hearing Jiang Hai's words, Tommy Charles couldn't help but speak first. To be honest, after coming here, he realized how wise his original decision had been. While the money Jiang Hai provided wasn't particularly much, and there was no clear ratio for bonuses, everything depended on Jiang Hai's mood, but the facilities here were truly top-notch.

Originally, these people thought Jiang Hai's "free food and accommodation" meant they would be living in workers' housing and eating some affordable beef alongside the fish they caught. They assumed they'd only be eating beef that cost about three dollars per pound. They had planned for that, as they came here to make money, not to take a vacation. As long as Jiang Hai paid them on time, they wouldn't complain.

But when they followed Edward to Jiang Hai's manor, they were stunned. They were living in the legendary single-family villas, not some ordinary workers' housing. Each person had their own house, and the villas were well-equipped with all kinds of amenities. Though the villas weren't huge, they were large enough for a family to live comfortably. Their initial confusion turned to satisfaction. If such a small villa were rented outside, it would cost several thousand dollars per year. But here, Jiang Hai provided free accommodation, which was like giving them an extra hundred dollars a week for housing. What else could they complain about?

After settling in, they followed Edward to the warehouse to get their food. Once there, they realized how considerate Jiang Hai had been. The small amount of usable beef they had imagined didn't exist at all. Jiang Hai had only premium, select cuts of beef, all kept by Robbins. Naturally, this beef was for Jiang Hai himself. Aside from that, all the other beef was for Robbins and his friends. In other words, the meat they ate was all high-quality and standard. Not only was it good enough for human consumption, but even commercial-grade beef was used to feed Jiang Hai's dogs, including his two big dogs and the little bald eagle he had adopted.

While the dogs ate the commercial-grade food, Jiang Hai and the little eagle got premium and select cuts. Xiao Huang and Xiao Bai also ate mainly standard food, though sometimes they got good beef as a reward. This beef, which some Americans might not even eat, was fed to the dogs at Jiang Hai's manor. Jiang Hai was definitely a bit of a spendthrift at times, but when the fishermen received their food, they were even more shocked. At Jiang Hai's manor, the food wasn't rationed. They could take whatever they wanted—fish, beef, or anything else, as long as it wasn't wasted and not taken out to sell. Moreover, Jiang Hai didn't impose any restrictions on them, so when they returned home with more than ten pounds of select beef, their wives were at a loss. They could only enjoy such high-quality beef during special occasions like New Year's, but now their husbands were bringing it back every day. It seemed like living in the manor was the right decision!

Because of all this, the fishermen were a bit confused. As the saying goes, "If you take someone's hand, you'll be short; if you eat someone's food, you'll be soft." After everything was settled, a few new fishermen gathered together to show their attitude. They promised to work hard for Jiang Hai, or else they'd be kicked out and lose the opportunity to enjoy these benefits.

"As long as you're satisfied, follow me and work hard. I won't treat you unfairly. Rest up today, and tomorrow, discuss with Edward about duty schedules. You may have heard that I was targeted by someone when I went to sell fish a few days ago. If there are boats coming to steal fish from my territory, you'll need to step up," Jiang Hai said with a smile, looking at the fishermen.

"Don't worry, if those guys dare come, we'll make them feel the power of my old buddy!" Tommy Charles responded quickly. Jiang Hai understood that "old buddy" referred to a gun. These fishermen had a habit of carrying guns when going out to sea, as things could get dangerous in the open water.

"Then I'll leave it to you. Go get some rest!" Jiang Hai nodded in satisfaction after hearing their confident responses. Recruiting people wasn't about the details; what mattered was that they were eager to work hard. At least for now, Jiang Hai was very pleased with their attitude.

"Got it!" Everyone nodded happily and headed back to their rooms. Jiang Hai returned to his villa, but instead of going directly to his house, he went to the warehouse first. He remembered that he had invited Cindy Clive over for dinner tomorrow and didn't want to run out of beef.

"Thankfully, there's still beef," Jiang Hai muttered as he entered the freezer. He saw several large pieces of beef hanging in the air, left for him after Robbins and his team had slaughtered the cows. As it stood, it was still fresh and of good quality.

"Besides beef, what else?" Jiang Hai looked around. This was the first time he'd invited a girl over for dinner. Though he was a bit slow to realize the significance, he didn't want to serve just beef. Being a little self-conscious, he felt it was important to make sure the meal was good, especially since he was inviting a beautiful woman.

However, after checking the beef, he frowned as he saw that aside from the premium beef, there were only shrimps and crabs left. The lobsters from yesterday were already consumed by him and the others in the manor. Americans generally don't eat crabs, and the fishermen didn't like shrimp or crabs either, so these were mainly Jiang Hai's favorites.

"I'm the owner of a fishery, but I'm inviting a girl over for dinner and there aren't even any lobsters. This is a bit embarrassing," he muttered to himself. He thought about catching some lobsters himself, but the cold water and dark night made it seem a bit crazy. The best solution was to ask Edward and the crew to bring some back while on patrol tomorrow. But Jiang Hai, being the typical Chinese otaku, didn't like to ask others for help. If he could do it himself, he felt uncomfortable relying on others. Still, after thinking about it, he decided to call Edward for help.

He made an internal call to Edward, explaining the situation, and to his relief, Edward immediately assured him that there was no problem. Even if lobsters were scarce along the coast, Jiang Hai's underwater resources were rich, and it would be easy to catch some lobsters.

Jiang Hai breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he was still getting used to his new role as a boss. Sometimes, the mentality of a common person was the biggest obstacle to becoming a true capitalist.

With thoughts of going to Boston and spending time with Cindy tomorrow, Jiang Hai quickly fell asleep in his large bed. Perhaps due to his excitement, he woke up around six o'clock the next morning. After washing up, he decided to do some exercise since it was still early. When he came back, he received a text message from Cindy Clive asking if he was up. Jiang Hai quickly replied, his first text message to a girl in a long time.