For the next few days, Jiang Hai's life returned to its usual rhythm, almost exactly like before.
He'd get up in the morning, take a walk, have breakfast, rest a bit, eat lunch, rest again, dinner… and then, well, some nightly activities. Something unusual might have slipped into the routine, but Jiang Hai didn't mind—he actually enjoyed this kind of life.
His lifestyle was simple. Most people lived day by day, constantly pressured to find new ways to move forward. Jiang Hai, however, lived by the month. His schedule was arranged in monthly blocks, planned out well into the following year. Even though it was only early September, he was already mapping out next year's work.
In January, he would plant seaweed. Since his estate included vast sea areas, he needed to boost the spiritual energy there, and seaweed was essential. He could start in December or January, but this year, he was leaning toward December.
In February, he would stock fish and plant vegetables. The fish food mainly consisted of small mullet and octopus, while the vegetables were grown for the year's meals. After all, vegetables in the U.S. were far more expensive than meat.
In March, it was time to stock fish fry and plant fruit trees. Jiang Hai already had quite a variety of fruit growing on the farm. As for fish, this year he had discussed options with Edward Anderson and decided to bring in some quality fry instead of American redfish. Atlantic salmon was a must because of its high price, and grouper too. Jiang Hai even reached out to Porter Anneva, who managed to secure rat grouper fry.
Though called grouper, rat grouper were actually a type of humpback bass found only in the western Pacific. Thanks to Porter's connections with a Hong Kong aquaculture company, he could now source fry from there. The cost was higher than in China, but Jiang Hai didn't mind. Over the past two years, he had spent a fortune through Porter, and the man had proven ambitious and resourceful, capable of acquiring almost any rare aquatic product. In truth, most of what he sourced was prepared exclusively for Jiang Hai, which pleased him greatly.
On his last visit to the Boston docks, Porter even showed Jiang Hai the range of fry he could now obtain. Practically everything Jiang Hai wanted was available.
After discussions with Edward Anderson, they settled on the lineup for next year: Atlantic salmon, grouper, giant grouper, tiger prawns, king crab, geoduck, and deep-sea spiny lobster imported from Australia. Adding these to the fish already in his waters, Jiang Hai was assured of a bountiful seafood harvest next year.
In April, there would be the annual beef cattle show. Jiang Hai still hadn't decided whether to attend. Later in April and early May were wine shows in Europe, though he was considering letting Dulles Gerard lead the team in his place this time.
May through July were usually quiet months. Early August was tuna season, but this year, despite plenty swimming in his waters, Jiang Hai hadn't bothered to fish them.
In late August and early September, it was grape harvest and winemaking season. Though important, Jiang Hai left most of the work to others.
By mid-September, it was time to purchase cattle, a matter he had already discussed with Robbins Garcia. Since his ranch mainly raised Angus, Jiang Hai didn't plan to buy larger beef cattle. His herd was capped at around 30,000 head, which was enough. He also made good money selling grass.
From October through January, he was essentially free of obligations.
While others lived in a constant rush—planning day by day, always busy—Jiang Hai could enjoy long stretches of leisure. Half the year, he had almost nothing pressing to do. Most people would have gone stir-crazy with boredom, throwing themselves into investments, stocks, side businesses, or entertainment. Some would chase excitement—racing, nightclubs, travel, women.
But Jiang Hai was different. He never felt bored, and that was enough for him.
After all, in this world, there were plenty of people even more bored than him. The most popular livestream in China at the moment was literally someone filming themselves sleeping—and tens of thousands of people watched.
Still, it was Taraga's school that ended up finding something for Jiang Hai to do.
On the morning of September 7th, Jiang Hai accompanied Taraga to school. It was supposed to be a day off, but nearly all the students showed up for a highly anticipated basketball game. Naturally, Jiang Hai brought Taraga along, and almost all the women from his estate came as well—even Valentina and Aler, though Belyakov stayed behind, busy with work in Boston.
Fortunately, Jiang Hai had enough cars to bring everyone comfortably.
After arriving, Taraga led the women on a tour of the school, while Jiang Hai was promptly dragged into the basketball gym by the effeminate vice principal. Don't get the wrong idea—Jiang Hai was as straight as steel. He was simply pulled along to talk about the upcoming game.
While Jiang Hai was fairly relaxed, the high school team players looked nervous. Whether they were secretly dreaming about being scouted by NBA stars and recommended to a team, he didn't know. Back when he was in high school, he'd had his share of immature fantasies too.
Just as the discussion continued, the NBA star team's bus pulled up outside the school.
"Hey, Paul, looks like you're pretty famous here too..." a tall, broad-shouldered man with a big afro joked from the middle of the bus as students gathered at the gates, screaming at the sight of the arriving stars.
The man he addressed sat near the front—a middle-aged player in casual clothes, looking a little sloppy. This was none other than the NBA All-Star, Boston's former icon, "The Truth" Paul Pierce. Smiling, he waved to the cheering crowd outside. His reputation in Boston was unmatched.
Though he no longer played for the Celtics, his influence in the city hadn't faded.
In the U.S., fans typically loved the team first, then the players. In China, it was often the other way around—fans followed stars before teams. When a player changed teams, Chinese fans usually didn't mind, but in America, a transfer could spark outrage, even leading to jersey burnings.
But Paul Pierce was different. His departure saddened fans, but few criticized him. After all, he had devoted nearly his entire career to Boston, brought them a championship, and only left late in his career in pursuit of another ring. The general manager received far more criticism than Pierce himself. To Boston fans, he remained a legend.
This year, as in years past, he returned to organize a tournament, and the response was overwhelming.
"Paul is a symbol here, just like I was in Atlanta..." chuckled another black player nearby. His words drew laughter from those around him.
"You'd get beaten up in Atlanta, Josh!" the afro-haired man retorted with a grin.
"As if you wouldn't get beaten up in Dallas," Josh shot back without missing a beat. The afro-haired player curled his lips in mock annoyance, but the bus filled with laughter.
"Alright, guys, we're here. Don't embarrass yourselves later, got it?" Paul Pierce stood, clapping his hands as the bus slowed to a stop. His raspy voice instantly drew cheers from his teammates.
"Okay, let's move out!"
He was the first to step off the bus. As the others followed, the school's security quickly formed a protective barrier to keep the crowd under control. The students screamed louder, thrilled to see the stars they'd only watched on TV in person.
Each player's appearance drew waves of cheers. For the fans, just knowing these players would put on a show for them was enough to send their excitement soaring.
(To be continued.)