My Manor

When Jiang Hai and Cindy Clive arrived at the restaurant, they imagined red wine, candles, whips... Well, it seemed something strange had slipped into their thoughts, but it could be temporarily ignored because none of those things were present. Everything was the same as before, except a new white tablecloth had been laid on the table. The more Jiang Hai looked at it, the more he felt that the tablecloth looked very similar to a curtain from the villa. But before he could confirm it, Philemon and Mrs. Philemon had already brought out the dinner.

Eating at Jiang Hai's home was never destined to be elegant, and neither were the people there. Whether cowboys or fishermen, they all came and went in a rough manner, so the food they made was also quite rough.

There were four large plates and a pot on the table. The pot contained cheddar soup, the most famous soup in the Boston area.

Among the four plates, one held a huge lobster. It seemed to be today's harvest from Robbins. Jiang Hai took a glance at the lobster and estimated it weighed about 16 or 17 pounds. Although it wasn't the king of lobsters, it was definitely one of the largest he'd seen.

In addition to the lobster, there was a plate of grilled steak.

Other Western restaurants served steak by the piece, but Jiang Hai served it by the plate. The remaining two plates held a fresh salad made of vegetables and fruits and a batch of freshly baked bread.

Although the presentation wasn't particularly fancy, it gave off a feeling of sincerity and authenticity.

Perhaps, for some people, this setup might feel disrespectful. But Jiang Hai didn't care.

He didn't need to impress those kinds of people. To put it bluntly, he was still a nouveau riche, and he didn't care what others thought of him. He only cared about his own comfort.

"Uncle Turner, Aunt Turner, please join us," Cindy Clive said politely, addressing the Philemons as they set down the five large dishes.

"No, don't you see what time it is? We finished eating a long time ago. You two eat slowly!" Mrs. Philemon laughed in response.

As locals from a small town, they were familiar with Cindy Clive's family background.

Generally speaking, the Clive family had a good reputation. Her father had been a chef with excellent cooking skills and a gentle temperament. Her mother was a regular housewife. After graduating from college, Cindy returned to teach at the town's elementary school. In fact, she could have found a better job elsewhere, but she chose to return to her hometown, Winthrop.

Because of her decision to return, the townspeople had a lot of respect for her and her family.

Now that their boss had brought this girl back for dinner, the Philemons couldn't help but think that something might be developing between the two.

If Jiang Hai knew what they were thinking, he'd probably be stunned. After all, it seemed, probably, possibly, he had no intention of pursuing Cindy Clive — at least, not when he was awake and conscious.

"Well, take care on your way back," Cindy said with a smile, seeing that the Philemons didn't plan to stay.

After sending them off, she returned to the table, and Jiang Hai, who had been ready to start eating, felt a bit embarrassed. He put down his knife and fork and followed Cindy to see the couple out before returning to the dining room.

"Let's dig in!" Jiang Hai said, rubbing his hands together and licking his lips unconsciously. His serious expression made Cindy Clive chuckle softly.

She found Jiang Hai more and more interesting.

Taking the initiative, Cindy sat across from Jiang Hai, picked up a fork, and placed a piece of steak on his plate.

Jiang Hai, who had planned to start eating immediately, was momentarily surprised. Then, he picked the largest piece of steak and placed it on Cindy's plate.

Seeing his gesture, Cindy Clive couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.

"What are you staring at? Eat!" Jiang Hai said, noticing that she wasn't eating but just looking at him.

Hearing his words, Cindy couldn't help but laugh.

She picked up her knife and fork and began cutting into the steak, which was slightly cold by now.

As a woman — and a beautiful one at that — she couldn't eat large portions.

Honestly, when it came to food, the three most important factors were appearance, aroma, and taste.

First of all, the appearance of the steak wasn't exactly appetizing. Mrs. Philemon had cooked it well-done, per Jiang Hai's preference, which made the steak look almost burnt, resembling a piece of charred meat with no visual appeal.

Secondly, the aroma was lacking. Since the steak had cooled down a bit, the smell wasn't as enticing as it should have been.

And finally, the taste...

Cindy hadn't tasted it yet, but she suspected that if the appearance and aroma weren't great, the taste might not be, either.

Although Jiang Hai was wealthy and owned 20,000 cows, she knew that raising cattle to produce premium A-grade beef wasn't an easy task.

Raising a cow carefully was a challenging and time-consuming endeavor. Cindy had previously worked in a Western restaurant and had learned a bit about ranching. To produce premium A-grade beef, ranchers had to put in significant effort, often raising just three cattle per cowboy to ensure the perfect marbling in the meat.

Such high-quality beef could sell for hundreds of dollars per pound, far more than ordinary beef.

However, Cindy doubted that Jiang Hai's cattle were raised to such standards.

Even so, she was willing to give the steak a try.

When her knife cut into Jiang Hai's steak, she noticed something unusual. The texture was completely different from what she had expected.

The meat was tender but firm, with no trace of tendons. As she sliced through it, the knife glided effortlessly, but there was a satisfying resistance from the muscle fibers.

It felt like cutting into the steaks her father used to prepare in the French restaurant where he worked.

Curious, she picked up a piece with her fork and took a bite.

The moment the steak entered her mouth, the rich beef juices burst forth, filling her senses.

The meat was springy yet tender, with the marbled fat melting perfectly to create a luxurious taste.

Her jaw moved instinctively, savoring each bite.

"Superior... Absolutely premium A-grade beef!" Cindy thought to herself as her taste buds confirmed what her mind had already processed.

This wasn't just ordinary beef. It was the real deal.

Now, she understood why Jiang Hai had been so confident in his bet with the Carlett Company.

In front of true premium A-grade beef, only the finest Japanese Wagyu could compare. Any other beef would pale in comparison.

By the time she came to her senses, she had already finished her entire steak.

When she looked at the plate of seemingly burnt beef again, she no longer saw charred meat. Instead, she saw dollar signs.

Without thinking, she picked up her fork, grabbed another piece, and began eating again.

"You'll get tired of eating steak all the time. Try some lobster. If you like it, take some home with you," Jiang Hai said, handing her a large lobster claw.

Cindy looked up and saw Jiang Hai holding a claw himself, eating it with gusto.

In theory, lobster should be eaten with special tools. But Jiang Hai didn't bother with that. He used his strength to crack the shells and eat the meat directly.

Cindy smiled, took the claw from him, and began eating as well.

"No need to take it home. Your steak is really delicious. No wonder you were so confident about betting with Carlett. As long as even one percent of your cattle produce this quality of meat, you'll have no problem selling them," Cindy said seriously.

"One percent? Haha, you can eat as much as you want. If you can't finish it, take some home. I've got plenty of fresh beef of this quality. No one here eats the cooked leftovers — I usually just feed them to the dogs. Though, to be honest, they seem to prefer it raw," Jiang Hai shrugged, speaking plainly.

Although his words might sound hurtful to some, he was simply telling the truth.