"Hello, miss. To enter Shinjuku Ward, please submit to an inspection." The window rolled down. The policeman outside wasn't as harsh as one might imagine; instead, he spoke politely to Pula Walton with a face full of smiles.
"Talk to my people!" Hearing his words, Pula Walton didn't pay him much mind and rolled the window back up. At that moment, a man in a black suit stepped forward. After negotiating with the policeman for a bit, Jiang Hai and the others were allowed through. The man then walked up to Pula Walton's car and offered a polite explanation.
"Because tourists have frequently complained about the public security here in Shinjuku lately, and combined with the current sensitive political climate, these police officers have set up checkpoints to inspect all vehicles entering the ward to ensure safety." Looking at Jiang Hai and the others, the man spoke calmly. Pula Walton nodded, and he headed to the car behind them. Jiang Hai and the others then drove directly into the area; no one dared to search them.
After Jiang Hai and the others drove inside, they saw many Izakayas.
An Izakaya isn't some sort of den of vice; if anything, it's a bit like the street food stalls back home, serving delicious food and providing a place for men and women who have worked all day to come and shoot the breeze.
It wasn't actually very chaotic inside. Everyone had their own booth, so people rarely caused trouble, and they were basically open all night. Of course, if someone drank too much, that might change. Though Jiang Hai and the others said they were coming to an Izakaya, this wasn't their real destination. Their goal was actually Kabukicho. There is a specific location for Kabukicho in Shinjuku, a street called Kabukicho Ichibangai. Jiang Hai parked the car here, but before going in, Pula Walton specifically waited for her Bodyguards to arrive. Only then did she lead Jiang Hai inside. Red-light districts in any country are all the same—a bit chaotic.
Walking into Kabukicho, Jiang Hai discovered that this place was indeed quite blatant. Upon entering, what caught the eye was a sea of hormone-pumping billboards, advertising things like forty minutes for eight thousand yen, twenty-four-hour services, and all sorts of mess. However, at that moment, the man who had helped them bypass the police inspection earlier walked over.
"For the road ahead, let me be your guide!" This man was a Caucasian man, appearing to be about thirty years old. He spoke with a serious expression as he looked at Pula Walton and Jiang Hai. Hearing his words, Jiang Hai glanced at Pula Walton. Seeing her nod, Jiang Hai also nodded. It seemed this man was a local expert.
"First of all, don't look at these shops. To be honest, they're all fake; it's just young girls chatting with you. That 'LOVE+' over there is probably the most 'intimate' kind of shop, where a girl comes to give you a bath. It's the kind of shop that only handles the 'takeoff' but not the 'landing.' If you want to 'land,' you have to negotiate with them privately, and that price isn't something an average person can afford." Seeing Jiang Hai agree, the man began to introduce the surrounding area.
Hearing his words, Jiang Hai was a bit dazed. There were even terms like that? It seemed the Japanese were indeed crafty.
"If an average tourist wants to find the people and shops for 'that' business, they have to look for the 'Muryo Annai-jo' up ahead. 'Muryo' means free, and they are basically the pimps here. But of course, don't expect it to be completely free, because they might very well find some older ladies for the tourists. If you want to have fun here, you need to look for shops with very simple signs that have absolutely nothing to do with that kind of business, like'Strawberry Jam Shop' or'Shinjuku Ice Cream Shop.' Also, you have to look at what's written outside. If it's pure Japanese, they don't serve foreigners, only locals. A mix of Japanese and English means it's a shop that welcomes foreigners." Seeing that Jiang Hai understood, the group continued talking as they walked. Meanwhile, Pula Walton's Bodyguards pushed aside those who tried to solicit them.
"You're quite familiar with this place!" Hearing his words, Jiang Hai gave him a meaningful look.
"I'm a Walmart employee stationed in Japan, so... haha, I've been here a few times to accompany clients. Oh, don't go any further forward; past here is the territory of the host clubs." Hearing what Jiang Hai said, the man laughed somewhat awkwardly, then immediately changed the subject when he saw a cinema behind a giant dinosaur in the distance.
Hearing his words, Pula Walton and Jiang Hai also looked over. Neither of them had any interest in men, so they naturally wouldn't go there. However, Jiang Hai took a look from afar. Basically, the signs hanging over there featured 'non-mainstream' or'Shamate' styles, with hair in more colors than one could count. There was no helping it; this was the fashion in Japan and South Korea... It was really hard to imagine that some young girls back home actually fell for this. To Jiang Hai, it felt quite disgusting.
"I wonder, Mr. Jiang, are you looking for services here?" After a brief tour, the man asked Jiang Hai and Pula Walton. He had heard of some of Miss Walton's hobbies, but usually, Pula Walton was very reliable and wouldn't display her hobbies in front of her subordinates. It was precisely because Jiang Hai was here this time that she had found a'slick operator' to come out with them. But accompanying her own man to a place like this was... quite thrilling.
"What are the options?" Looking at the man, although Jiang Hai wasn't very interested in these services, he still asked.
"There's cheap and expensive here. For 'half-service,' it's basically just using hands, no actual sex allowed. The Pink Salons over there are the cheapest, short duration, around 6,000 yen. The Visual Clubs over there are also half-service, but they include uniform fetishes, priced between 10,000 and 12,000 yen. The 'Gekiyasu' dispatch Visual Clubs are about the same level but slightly more expensive, 15,000 to 20,000 yen. Hotel dispatches require going to a hotel, and the cost for a full night is between 20,000 and 40,000 yen. The quality of girls in Soaplands is good, but they are categorized into low, medium, and high grades, with prices ranging from 30,000 to 100,000 yen. High-end dispatch quality is very high, but it's half-service, priced at 40,000 to 70,000 yen. High-end dating girls are basically models and college students where you can have sex, with prices between 80,000 and 150,000 yen. The most premium is the Hot Spring Date, where they send a car to take you to a nearby hot spring for a day, usually costing around 400,000 yen. There are also agency outposts here specifically for booking AV Idols and some female stars, with prices between 300,000 and 800,000 yen. If Mr. Jiang has a need, I can contact them at any time. Oh, right, anything inside the shop is strictly 'no-sex'; that's illegal. Japan has clear regulations against it, so if you want to do it, you have to go to a hotel. Also, Kabukicho currently basically only serves regulars or guests recommended by regulars; a typical stranger will hit a wall everywhere.‐ Looking at Jiang Hai, this man spoke incessantly. It seemed he was indeed an experienced veteran.
"No actual sex allowed, how boring. Let's go back. Since we can make reservations, it's the same if we play back at home." Hearing the man's introduction, before Jiang Hai could speak, Pula Walton spoke up. She saw it clearly; even men couldn't do it here, let alone women. So rather than this, it was better to go back and play.
"Uh, alright then, let's go back!" Hearing Pula Walton's words, although Jiang Hai still wanted to see more of the sights, he didn't say much. He didn't come here for 'that' anyway, so he took the lead and walked out.
"Hey, didn't you say just now that you could book AV Idols and female stars? Do you have any photos or something for me to see?" Jiang Hai had walked off, but Pula Walton pulled the man over and spoke with an interested face. Hearing Pula Walton say this, the man was actually a bit dazed because he didn't know what Pula Walton's 'condition' was. He thought he had accidentally offended her. For a moment he was quite embarrassed, blaming his own loose tongue—how could he have said those things so easily?
"Stop wasting time, bring them out for me to see." Seeing the man's expression was off, Pula Walton didn't mind. Sometimes scaring these subordinates was quite fun. Moreover, she was actually quite interested in these AV Idols now.
"Uh, okay. I'm only relatively familiar with this 'ideapocket' company..." Hearing Pula Walton's urging, besides lamenting his own big mouth, the man had no other choice. He could only bow, take out his phone, and after quickly entering a URL, several photos of girls appeared on the screen.
"Are they good? Is looking at photos reliable?" Looking at the phone in her hand, even Pula Walton knew that the makeup skills of Japanese girls were magical, so she was a bit unsure.
"These are all quite reliable..." After thinking for a moment, the man said in a low voice.
"Mhm, then this one, called Yuzuki Tina, this one called Amami Tsubasa, this one called Haneda Ai. Is this Jessica Nishizaki a mixed-blood? Count her in too. And this Mayu Nozomi. Let's start with these five. Tell them to wait for us in the room." Hearing her subordinate's words, Pula Walton casually pointed and picked a few that looked pleasing to her eye... (To be continued.)
Chapter 1001: A Clear Stance
By the time Jiang Hai and Pratt Walton returned to the hotel, the people there had already called the company.
The company spared no effort when it came to pleasing anyone associated with the Walmart Group, especially someone from the headquarters.
Consequently, in less than half an hour, the five women Pratt Walton had requested arrived from various places. They had bathed, put on makeup, changed clothes, and were already in Pratt Walton's room, while Jiang Hai and his party were still stuck in traffic.
It wasn't that Pratt Walton didn't want to drive faster; he simply couldn't. He had to admit that Tokyo's traffic was genuinely worse than the capital city's. Even though it was late at night, the cars on the road were still moving very slowly, stopping and starting constantly.
Jiang Hai and the others finally returned home around 10:30 PM. Just as they entered the door, Azrael and Wallis Shelley exchanged a look, asked Jiang Hai and Pratt Walton to wait, and then proceeded inside. With one hand resting on their guns, they instantly flung open Pratt Walton's room door. As the door opened, they saw five girls in bathrobes chatting inside. Seeing the door suddenly open, the five immediately knelt down and greeted the people outside.
"Alright, don't scare them. I called them over. We're going to study together, right?" Looking at the five 'instructors,' Pratt Walton, who had initially been a little nervous, laughed and said to Azrael and the others.
"Since there are outsiders, we'll sleep here too." If it were just Jiang Hai and Pratt Walton, or even Pratt Walton's own women, Azrael and the others wouldn't have cared. But with these external people present, they couldn't afford to be careless.
Seeing that Azrael and Wallis Shelley intended to stay, Pratt Walton smiled and pushed Jiang Hai into the room.
"Your mission today is to serve this gentleman well. Of course, you also have to teach us your special skills," Pratt Walton said cheerfully to the five instructors. Hearing Pratt Walton's words, the five instructors nodded shyly, then actively stood up and walked toward Jiang Hai.
Jiang Hai was completely stunned at this point, because he was very familiar with three of the instructors and the other two looked somewhat familiar. Yuzuki Tina, stage name RIO—Jiang Hai knew quite a few of her instructional videos, such as *Newlywed* and *Campus Beauty Pageant*. Although the license plate numbers couldn't be publicized here, he truly knew many of her instructional films.
Then there was Tsubasa Amami. Some people said her... *cough*, her private parts were fake, and her acting was a bit exaggerated, but she was beautiful, wasn't she? Jiang Hai still treasured the video of her doing that in the school setting on his computer.
As for Jessica Kizaki, Jiang Hai knew she had many films, such as *Race Queen* and *Newcomer Beauty*.
Of course, Jiang Hai himself had never watched any of them. Whether others believed it or not, he believed himself.
Although Jiang Hai didn't know the names of the other two instructors, they looked familiar. Now that he saw them in person, even though he had just claimed he wasn't very interested, the Dragon Pearl inside his body was stirring restlessly.
"We will teach you some techniques in this area, as well as men's reactions, so that your future lives can be more comfortable and harmonious." The five instructors gracefully approached Jiang Hai. As they helped him undress, Jessica Kizaki, who was one-quarter Italian, humbly spoke to the three women beside her.
Hearing her words, Azrael looked slightly embarrassed, Wallis Shelley prepared to take notes, and Pratt Walton watched the scene without blinking. Soon, Jiang Hai was completely stripped bare. The women also removed their bathrobes, revealing some provocative lingerie underneath—though the necessary areas were not covered. The instructors then knelt before Jiang Hai and began the intimate preparatory activities.
"Oral techniques also require skill. You must constantly pay attention to his trembling and rhythm, identifying his most sensitive spots. When teasing, you shouldn't constantly attack that one spot, as it can cause pain. You must use your teeth without biting, but you can scrape. Your tongue shouldn't stay still; it needs to curl like a whirlpool..." As Pratt Walton, Azrael, and Wallis Shelley watched, Jessica Kizaki, who had the best English, had others demonstrate while she occasionally took over to perform a few moves herself, all while explaining the process. Originally, Jiang Hai had always been strong in terms of stamina, given his physical condition, but this time, he couldn't last more than fifteen minutes. As Jiang Hai sat on the floor, panting heavily, the instructors took turns attending to his private parts. They then began introducing subsequent moves, such as how to approach the rear, how to approach from above... When the 'battle' officially began, they explained how to utilize the waist and legs. Legs shouldn't just clamp around Jiang Hai's waist; they could also be draped over his shoulders, and toes could be used to stroke his hair. They covered coordinated movements, how supporting personnel should engage, how to maximize the intensity of the encounter, which angles were most comfortable, which were most pleasurable, and which were incorrect, mastering the timing and intensity of tightening, and the degree of force to use when entering from the rear, and so on. Watching the five instructors demonstrate everything, Azrael was initially too embarrassed to look, but eventually, she started watching too. As for Pratt Walton, she had long since stripped off her clothes, touching herself while watching the action unfold before her.
Normally, Jiang Hai could take on five opponents—if not defeating them outright, at least holding his own in a fierce struggle. But in front of these professional instructors, Jiang Hai was a bit embarrassed; his stamina rapidly decreased, and he was generally spent after about twenty minutes.
However, to the instructors, this was already quite amazing. The average man often couldn't last even ten minutes. Male actors often had to take medication and were already... well, they were still able to remain firm for filming, and most importantly, they frequently had to switch partners. Unlike them, Jiang Hai had no trouble lasting for a single continuous session.
Yuzuki Tina even laughed and asked Jiang Hai if he wanted to become a male actor, saying he would surely be a formidable presence... Just as Jiang Hai and his women were engaged in this'study session,' at the Akita residence on the other side of town, Nakamura Masashi, whom Jiang Hai had met earlier today, was being led into the large house. Upon reaching the main hall, he saw the elderly man seated at the head of the table.
"Nakamura Masashi pays his respects to Chairman Akita." Seeing the old man, Nakamura Masashi took a few steps forward, bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly, and then simply stood there, watching the old man sipping tea, with no intention of sitting down to reminisce.
"Masashi-kun, there's no need for such formality. We are old acquaintances, after all. How is your father's health?" Looking at Nakamura Masashi, the elderly man named Akita set down his tea and smiled as he spoke.
"Thanks to your concern, he is doing reasonably well. However, it is very late, so my father has gone home to rest. You can tell me anything you need to." Nakamura Masashi merely smiled at Chairman Akita before speaking seriously.
"Good. You certainly possess the shadow of your father. You must know what I want to discuss with you, right? So, are you prepared to lend me a hand?" Chairman Akita smiled at Nakamura Masashi, his eyes glinting with ambition.
"I apologize, but I don't know what you are talking about." Unfortunately, Nakamura Masashi ignored his implied request.
"You don't understand? Fine, I'll be direct. I want you to help me deal with Jiang Hai." Seeing Nakamura Masashi being uncooperative, Chairman Akita frowned and spoke seriously. However, upon hearing his words, Nakamura Masashi immediately turned to leave.
"What? You're rejecting me before we even discuss terms? Are you and your father so willing to be the Americans' dogs?" Watching Nakamura Masashi's uncooperative demeanor, Chairman Akita narrowed his eyes, and killing intent flared.
"We are businessmen. We do not engage in activities without profit. Furthermore, even if my father and I were dogs, we would choose a good master. Honestly, compared to the Americans, you fall far short in terms of strength, ambition, and willingness to delegate authority," Nakamura Masashi said with disdain upon hearing Chairman Akita's words.
That's how the people of this island nation are: when your strength is inferior to theirs, if you try to reason with them, they will tell you that might makes right. But when your fist is larger and you have struck them, they still won't talk about law; they will continue to believe that the biggest fist is the only truth. The difference between the Akita family and the Walton family was like the difference between an ant and an elephant.
Nakamura Masashi was ambitious, but he wasn't stupid. If he truly sided with them against Jiang Hai, whether they succeeded or not was secondary; the Walton family's inevitable retaliation afterwards would mean the ruin of his entire family. Given that politics were not involved, he naturally made his choice.
If nothing happened to Jiang Hai, they would remain the representatives of the Walton family in the island nation. If something happened to Jiang Hai, they would certainly be doomed. How should he choose? Did it even need saying? He had made his decision the moment old man Akita opened his mouth.
"These bastards, these fools, these pieces of trash with no national integrity..." Watching Nakamura Masashi walk out, Chairman Akita dared not kill him at that moment. Therefore, besides raging curses, he had no other recourse. But he was absolutely unwilling to let Jiang Hai off the hook just like that! (To be continued.)
Tsukiji
"Hiss, phew, my legs!" Early the next morning, when Jiang Hai walked out of his room, his legs were wobbly.
It was truly because the experience of last night was not something to be told to outsiders. Those five professional teachers truly lived up to their professionalism. After teaching the students, they personally guided the three students and the teaching equipment, which was Jiang Hai, for several intimate sessions. Instantly, Jiang Hai felt their combat power surge, leaving him speechless.
As a result, when he woke up this morning, his whole body was wobbly. After he came out, the other girls and teachers also emerged. The teachers' status was not high after all, so after greeting Jiang Hai and the others, they left. Of course, as they left, each of them received a check for 100,000 US dollars from Jiang Hai. One US dollar is equal to 115 Japanese Yen, so 100,000 US dollars is 11,500,000 Japanese Yen. According to what that person said yesterday, the appearance fee for a typical actress is between 300,000 and 800,000 Japanese Yen, and for top ones, it's around 1 million Japanese Yen, which is about 60,000 RMB.
Now Jiang Hai had directly given them tens of millions of Japanese Yen, so these teachers couldn't help but be grateful. At the same time, they were thinking that Jiang Hai seemed to be very satisfied with their teaching last night, and they were also very touched.
Jessica Kizaki also asked Jiang Hai if they needed to come over to teach tonight, saying they wouldn't charge tonight, as tens of millions of Japanese Yen was indeed a considerable sum in Japan.
However, Jiang Hai waved his hand, indicating that they didn't need to come. It wasn't that last night wasn't comfortable; it was too comfortable. But if he continued to be so comfortable, Jiang Hai's body might not be able to handle it. After all, one drop of that something for ten drops of blood, he couldn't take it anymore.
After the teachers left, Jiang Hai and the others went to have breakfast. Breakfast in Japan is actually quite simple.
In the past, the Western world had opened Japan's trade doors with cannons, so Japan was highly receptive to some Western foods. For example, in China, although some people drink coffee and eat sandwiches in the morning, more families still eat 'daguozi' (fried dough sticks), drink tofu pudding, eat ramen, or wontons. This is the Chinese eating habit.
The eating habits here in Japan are more similar to those in the West, also because they don't have time to eat breakfast in a Chinese or Japanese style. The pace of life here is simply too fast. To get a little more sleep, to avoid crowded trains, the typical office worker's breakfast is Western-style: a sandwich and coffee.
If living with parents, there might be some rice balls or something, and that's about it.
When Jiang Hai and the others arrived at the hotel's buffet restaurant, they mostly saw Western-style food, of course, along with rice balls and sushi. Among these things, Jiang Hai's favorite was something called a potato pancake.
This dish is made from potatoes, sliced ham sausage, peas, and eggs, formed into a pancake shape with the eggs encasing these ingredients. It's served with ketchup on the side, which can be added freely. Foreigners, especially those from Europe and America, really love ketchup, but Japan follows Chinese tastes, so their acceptance of it is only moderate.
After breakfast, Jiang Hai and the others went out for some casual sightseeing. Since they had come to Tokyo, it was impossible not to visit at all!
So they went to Tokyo Tower, Skytree, and other landmark buildings. At noon, they ate at a famous ramen shop called Itto Ramen. This ramen shop offered three types of ramen: tsukemen, ramen, and soba.
The broth was also divided into two kinds: rich fish-based and aromatic clear. According to what was said online, their broth did not use pork bones at all, so the taste was somewhat different from regular ramen.
Therefore, the 'emperor' of ramen, tonkotsu ramen, was not found here, but the other ramen flavors were still quite good.
Jiang Hai ate their signature dish, the char siu rich fish-based tsukemen, and he had to admit, the taste was truly excellent.
In Japan, ramen is actually considered a dish, not just noodles. Many people eat ramen with rice, but Jiang Hai couldn't handle that, so he ate two bowls of ramen without ordering any rice to accompany it.
After eating ramen, Jiang Hai and the others spent the afternoon sightseeing again. In the evening, the Nakamura father and son returned.
They hadn't seen them all day because they were arranging publicity at Tsukiji Market. From the current situation, the effect was quite good. Dinner that night was naturally arranged by them, but they didn't have any more Nyotaimori.
Because they had indirectly learned that Jiang Hai does not eat raw food, and that experience was enough for one time. So tonight, they specifically called in a teppanyaki chef to prepare teppanyaki for Jiang Hai and his group.
Speaking of teppanyaki, many people might think it originated in Japan, but that's not true. This style of cooking was actually first invented by the Spanish as a poor man's meal, later spreading to America and Mexico. This means that Americans actually mastered this cooking style earlier than the Japanese, but it was Japan that popularized it.
As a result, when teppanyaki is mentioned now, people only know about Japan, but not about Spain or America.
But it must be admitted that the chefs here in Japan who make this are also quite skilled.
Almost anything can be made on a teppanyaki grill: fish, shrimp, scallops, vegetables, beef, and so on. Anything you want can be made, even fried rice or fried noodles are no problem.
Jiang Hai also quite liked this way of eating, but usually at home, Qi Ya didn't have the culinary skills to cater for nearly twenty people, so Jiang Hai couldn't eat this at home, but here it was no problem.
Jiang Hai was quite satisfied with dinner this time, and then he went back to rest. For the next two days, Jiang Hai and Pula Walton spent their days sightseeing and their evenings in the hotel trying out new moves and such.
Before they knew it, the day for the fish auction had arrived!
The place where Jiang Hai and his group were auctioning fish was Tsukiji Market. Perhaps many people who have read foreign farming-style novels are not unfamiliar with Tsukiji Market. It is Japan's largest fish market and second largest agricultural market, established in 1935.
Jiang Hai won't go into detail here, as it can be easily found online. Information like that about Kabukicho Ichibangai, however, is not easy to find online, which is why Jiang Hai went to explain it, *cough*.
Tsukiji Market was originally the largest fish market, but now it is the largest fish market and also the largest tourist market. The shops within the market have been clearly separated; some are for wholesale, and some are for retail. Just like some shops in Ichibangai do not do business with foreigners, most shops here also do not do business with foreigners.
If one were to talk about nations with a perverted sense of national pride in this world, Japan and South Korea would definitely be on the list.
Such tiny places, yet they insist on adding 'Great' before their ethnicity and country to show their uniqueness.
However, compared to South Korea, which internally calls itself the Great Republic of Korea but outwardly greatly admires foreign lifestyles, Japan is more united. After all, in South Korea, imported cars and foreign tourists are important resources.
But in Japan, honestly, very few people drive imported cars. Except for some status symbols, local Japanese cars account for a huge proportion. The same goes for tourist spots here; they often don't do business with foreigners, and their attitude towards foreign tourists is 'come if you want, don't if you don't.' This is also related to the economic environment. Although one might find a million things wrong with Japan, it was the world's second-largest economy before China's rise, and now with China's rise, it is still the third.
On the afternoon of the fish auction, Jiang Hai and Pula Walton, along with their entourage, arrived at Tsukiji Market in a motorcade.
This was Jiang Hai's first time at Tsukiji Market. Upon arriving, he found the market to be quite arrogant. Outside the market, there was a sign listing the market's rest times: closed every Sunday, the entire market closed every morning, two irregular rest days each month, a three-day holiday at year-end and for Obon, outside vehicles must register or are not allowed entry, taxis are not allowed entry, and so on. According to Pula Walton, she had been here several times, and there wasn't even a parking lot nearby. If they hadn't built a Walmart nearby, their cars would have nowhere to park.
Jiang Hai could only chuckle in response, unable to say anything else. It seemed that the Japanese people were indeed very exclusive.
The cars drove into the nearby Walmart supermarket. Jiang Hai and the others first went to the venue. As soon as they entered, Jiang Hai saw his huge bluefin tuna already displayed on the exhibition stand in the venue, surrounded by ice to maintain its freshness.
After looking around, Jiang Hai didn't find anything else interesting to see, so he decided to go explore Tsukiji Market. Pula Walton sent four bodyguards to secretly follow them, and Jiang Hai also brought Azalina and Wallis Shelley. The group of seven came down to Tsukiji Market. As soon as they walked in, Jiang Hai smelled a fishy odor, a strong, fishy stench. Fortunately, Jiang Hai had long been accustomed to this smell and could tolerate it. Walking into the market, Jiang Hai couldn't help but nod.
Tsukiji Market truly lived up to its reputation as a large market. It can be said that there is no ban on fishing for certain types of fish in Japan, so in Japanese markets, you can see all kinds of marine animals, including whales, sharks, and dolphins. Of course, these are all dead. (To be continued.)
Caviar
After a quick look around, honestly, the Tsukiji Market surprised and satisfied Jiang Hai, because here you could find almost every type of fish from the entire Pacific Ocean, and even the Arctic Ocean. Yes, as long as you were patient enough, you would eventually find it.
They had virtually every kind of fish imaginable, ranging from large creatures like sharks and whales to small ones like snapper and sea eels. Even migratory fish, such as chum salmon, were available here. Speaking of chum salmon, Jiang Hai was very familiar with them.
This fish is abundant in Bingcheng, near the border between China and Russia—the Heilong River (Dragon River), which is divided, half belonging to China and half to Russia.
Chum salmon is one of the migratory fish in this river. However, anyone who has lived in Heilongjiang Province knows that even though the river is split between China and Russia, generally only the Chinese side actively fishes in it. The Russian Far East is vast and sparsely populated, and the people there generally don't like eating seafood. In places like Vladivostok (Haishenwai), things like spider crabs and king crabs, which cost hundreds of yuan per catty domestically, cost only one hundred yuan per piece there, with each piece weighing at least ten catties. That's the difference. Things like Arctic sea cucumber, Arctic shrimp, sea urchins, and abalone—you could dive down with goggles and just grab them to eat for free.
This reflects the Russian perspective on the environment. Of course, in recent years, they have also learned to harvest these resources and sell them to China for money.
In fact, the average income in Russia is quite low, especially in the Far East. Chinese liquor, grain, and light industrial goods are highly valued there. The Russian Far East covers 6.2 million square kilometers but has a population of less than 7 million. Outside of a few cities, it is truly a desolate, uninhabited wilderness spanning thousands of miles. Each person averages one square kilometer of land—who can argue with that?
Precisely because the Russians do not fish, while there are few people on the Chinese side of the Heilong River, the fish population on the Russian side is quite large.
Therefore, in previous years, Chinese fishermen would often sneak over at night to cast a net and bring back a haul. However, this constituted trespassing onto foreign territory, and the opposing soldiers would shoot, leading to the deaths of many fishermen along the border.
What these fishermen risked their lives for was the chum salmon. Once these fish arrived in China, how much profit you made depended on how you sold them... If you sold them as salmon, you would make a fortune, as these chum salmon are purely wild and easily fool the average customer. However, if you sold them strictly as chum salmon, they weren't worth much.
There was one exception: the roe of the chum salmon. Caviar made from chum salmon roe is quite popular in China. However, outside of a few Asian countries, Western countries generally do not eat chum salmon roe. This brings us to another Russian specialty: black caviar.
When it comes to caviar, people might think they know something about it, but honestly, most people don't know much at all.
Jiang Hai was no exception; he wasn't clear about it before, and he still wasn't very clear now, as he didn't raise these specific species on his ranch.
However, he was surprised earlier at the auction house when he saw ten kilograms of black caviar priced at 50,000 US dollars.
Nakamura Masashi, knowing Jiang Hai was a VIP, took the opportunity to introduce him to the details of black caviar.
Most people mistakenly call any fish roe "caviar." In fact, true caviar can only be made from the roe of three types of fish: the Beluga sturgeon, the Oscietra sturgeon, and the Sevruga sturgeon. Only the roe from these three sturgeon species is correctly called caviar. Other roes, including that of the Chinese sturgeon, are not called caviar. This is unrelated to preciousness, value, or size; only these three types of roe are designated as caviar, with Beluga being the best.
Beluga caviar sells for 860 US dollars per kilogram in Russia, while the best, most plump, and largest-grained Beluga roe sells for 5,000 US dollars per kilogram in London. Because of this high value, Beluga sturgeon is farmed in many parts of Europe.
However, the troublesome part about farming Beluga sturgeon is that once the roe is harvested, the fish dies. Moreover, Beluga sturgeon grows very slowly; you genuinely cannot expect a harvest for four or five years. For this reason, farming Beluga sturgeon is not very popular in China.
First, the price is low. To the average Chinese person, any fish roe can be made into "caviar," which is simply a difference in perception. Because the domestic market isn't passionate about eating this particular item—much like foie gras, which is a delicacy in Europe but isn't widely consumed in China—there is no market, and naturally, the price stays low. Second, the growth cycle is too long. Not many people have the patience to risk five or six years, potentially losing everything, just to raise Beluga sturgeon. It simply isn't worth it.
Third, harvesting the roe from sturgeon is genuinely complicated, and there are no specialized institutions in China for this process.
To harvest sturgeon roe, the sturgeon must first be stunned, but not killed, because if the mother dies, the eggs will be ruined.
The roe must then be quickly extracted, screened, washed, and drained before being handed over to an appraiser to determine the grade based on the size, color, plumpness, density, and aroma of the eggs. Finally, salt is added to cure the roe into caviar—this step requires the most skill. The salt cannot be too much or too little; the saltiness must not overpower the original flavor but should subtly enhance the texture, forming a delicate combination. After salting, the roe must be shaken on a sieve until all the washing water is gone from the surface of the eggs, ensuring every single grain is separated and dry. Then it is canned and shipped around the world.
The total time for all these steps combined is only fifteen minutes. This means everything must be completed within fifteen minutes, or the roe will be ruined. It is precisely because of this rigorous process that the product is so expensive!
In fact, the main issue is one of values. Regarding Jiang Hai's beef, some people criticized him, saying he had poor intentions: "Why do you sell all the good stuff abroad and not to your own countrymen? Selling good beef and good fish overseas—Jiang Hai's motives are wrong; he's pandering to foreigners, and that's unacceptable."
Jiang Hai usually couldn't even be bothered to respond to people who spoke like this. The simplest question is: If Jiang Hai sold high-quality beef domestically, who would buy it? For example, imagine a housewife going to a supermarket—in any city, whether in the Northeast, the Imperial Capital (Beijing), or the Magic City (Shanghai)—and seeing Jiang Hai's beef at a Sam's Club inside a Walmart.
At 2,400 RMB per catty, would you buy it? Other people's salmon sells for thirty-something yuan per catty, and Jiang Hai's sells for 300 yuan per catty—would you buy it? And that's not even including shipping and customs duties. Anyone with an ounce of sense would ask, "Why should I?"
The best domestic beef sirloin next to it sells for forty yuan, while Jiang Hai's sells for two thousand four hundred. Would an average white-collar worker spend an entire month's salary to buy two catties of meat? It's completely unrealistic. Domestic consumption habits haven't caught up. If you tell them how delicious the beef is, they won't listen, because to them, all beef looks the same; the only differences are the fat content, the origin, and consequently, the price.
That's the truth of the matter. What is the difference between top-grade Wagyu beef and regular beef? The nutrition is essentially the same, and once you eat it, it's gone. But people still sell it for a high price. The same goes for Jiang Hai's beef and fish—they are not meant for the average person. Furthermore, too few wealthy people in China recognize the value of these products, so he can only sell them abroad.
Consider the massive size of the Imperial Capital (Beijing); the four stores owned by Jiang Hai and Qi Li have already monopolized the entire consumer base for his products. How many people live in Beijing? If Jiang Hai wanted to sell his beef domestically, he genuinely couldn't find enough people to buy it.
"Hey, what are you thinking about? Zoning out here?" Just as Jiang Hai was filled with endless emotion internally, Azalea gently patted his shoulder and whispered. Hearing her voice, Jiang Hai snapped back to reality.
"Oh, nothing, I was just spacing out for a moment." Jiang Hai smiled. He couldn't exactly tell her he had accidentally thought about so many things, so he just smiled and replied to Azalea. Some things were better kept to himself.
"If it's nothing, I think we should head back. I feel like someone is watching us!" Hearing Azalea's words, Jiang Hai glanced around. Sure enough, as his eyes swept over the crowd, many people immediately shifted their gaze away, pretending to be shopping. Looking at these individuals, Jiang Hai smiled. He didn't know who they belonged to, but he was certain they weren't up to any good. He slowly started walking toward the Walmart supermarket. The four security guards provided by Paula Walton, who had been scattered around, also moved closer to Jiang Hai under Azalea's direction.
Using the surrounding crowd as cover, Jiang Hai and his group quickly entered the Walmart supermarket. Once inside, they breathed a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, the people outside scattered, pretending to wander aimlessly, yet their eyes occasionally flickered toward Jiang Hai's location. Seeing their stares, Jiang Hai just smiled; it would be strange if he wasn't being watched.
"You're done looking around? Good, almost everyone has arrived; it's about to start soon." Seeing Jiang Hai return, Paula Walton, who seemed to have finished her own tasks, smiled and said to him.
Hearing what she said, Jiang Hai looked around. When he left, there had been hardly anyone besides the staff, but now there were about twenty or thirty strangers in the room, mostly Japanese, gathered in small groups chatting. Looking at them, Jiang Hai couldn't help but smile; these guys were all his customers!
"Almost everyone is here, and I don't expect any more arrivals. Shall we start?" At that moment, Nakamura Masashi walked up to Jiang Hai and Paula Walton and asked Paula Walton.
"Start according to the original schedule." Hearing Nakamura Masashi's suggestion, Paula Walton nodded. The show was about to begin! (To be continued.)
The Auction
"Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, time is almost up, please take your seats!" Seeing that the time was approaching, Nakamura Sho also walked to the front of the stage, bowing and nodding to the crowd while inviting them to sit in their respective places.
These people had all come for the big fish, so naturally, they wouldn't cause trouble, and they cooperated by taking their seats.
Jiang Hai and Pula Walton sat far away, observing the situation. They certainly weren't there to drive up prices, but watching was still necessary. Soon, the auction began, hosted by Nakamura Sho.
This wasn't Jiang Hai's first time attending an event like this, so he wasn't particularly concerned; he just sat and watched.
The items auctioned this time were mostly seafood, such as the ten kilograms of black caviar mentioned earlier. Besides that, there were various other tunas, both yellowfin and bluefin, all sourced by Pula Walton herself.
There were also some giant crabs and lobsters. Of course, each one had to weigh over forty kilograms; otherwise, there would be no need for an auction, considering that lobsters of similar size in Jiang Hai's manor weighed over thirty kilograms.
The auction proceeded quickly. In less than an hour, most of the items had been sold. Ninety percent of the lots found their owners; only one horse mackerel went unsold. Although the fish was large, the asking price was clearly too high, as it wasn't a particularly rare species. Everything else had been sold.
"Next, we will proceed with the final item for auction: this Bluefin Tuna. Here are the details of the fish: Length... Weight... The meat quality is rated S-grade. Although this is not the New Year's auction, we all know why this item is here. The bidding for this tuna will now begin, starting at 600,000 US dollars, with each subsequent bid not less than 50,000 US dollars. Start!" As Nakamura Sho's voice fell, an old man raised his hand.
"One million!" After raising his hand, the old man slowly called out a number. Of course, this record-breaking tuna was worth much more than that price. The old man's action was meant to signal to the smaller businesses that this fish was beyond their reach.
"This is Ono Yoshikazu, the son of Jiro Ono, the world's oldest three-star Michelin chef. He is currently the President of the three-star Michelin restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro." Seeing the man raise his hand, Pula Walton began introducing him to Jiang Hai.
Jiang Hai had heard of this person—the legendary God of Sushi. However, Jiang Hai himself didn't eat raw food, and most sushi is raw. Since Jiang Hai also didn't like eating vegetarian food, he wasn't interested in that restaurant.
"1.2 million US dollars." At that moment, a middle-aged man wearing glasses raised his hand.
"That is the person in charge of Kanda Restaurant," Pula Walton told Jiang Hai, looking at the middle-aged man.
"Kanda?" Hearing her words, Jiang Hai glanced at her. What was the deal with this Kanda?
"Kanda is also a three-star Michelin restaurant. There are a total of thirteen Michelin three-star restaurants in all of Tokyo, which is why Michelin rated Tokyo as the culinary capital," Pula Walton explained with a smile when she heard Jiang Hai's question.
Hearing her words, Jiang Hai shrugged. The ratings used by domestic people were still different from those used by foreigners.
"1.5 million!" At this point, a foreigner raised his hand and spoke with a smile to the person beside him.
"This is the Executive Chef of Quintessence, which is also a three-star Michelin restaurant, but it serves French cuisine." Seeing this person, Pula Walton immediately offered an introduction. However, Jiang Hai was puzzled. Why would a French chef bid on tuna? Was he just there to drive up the price? In fact, that was exactly the case; he only bid once and then stopped.
Next, Saito Sushi bid 1.7 million, and Mizutani Sushi bid 1.85 million. After that, the rate of increase gradually slowed down.
After all, while this fish was certainly worth more than two million US dollars, who wouldn't want to buy it for less money?
Although the increases weren't as dramatic, the bidding speed didn't stop, and the price slowly climbed past two million.
"Why are all the bidders for this fish sushi restaurants?" Looking at the people in front of him, Jiang Hai asked Pula Walton with some confusion. Pula Walton then proceeded to explain the situation of Japanese cuisine to Jiang Hai.
In China, if you talk about profitable restaurants, it's definitely seafood restaurants, but the situation is different in Japan.
The most profitable restaurants in Japan are sushi shops, simply because the Japanese people truly love eating sushi.
Sushi primarily relies on craftsmanship, and only secondarily on ingredients. Their greatest requirement is the freshness of the ingredients.
How much can rice cost, no matter how expensive? How much can seaweed cost, no matter how expensive? The most expensive component is the small strip of fish placed on top.
With just this combination, plus some seasoning, if you go to one of the aforementioned sushi restaurants, spending twenty or thirty thousand Japanese Yen per person is easy—it's gone in a flash. And that's without ordering anything particularly expensive, just eating until you are full.
Under these circumstances, you might not even get a reservation at these restaurants even if you book half a month in advance.
Furthermore, when people come to these shops for sushi, hardly anyone is stingy. A consumption of 50,000 Yen per person is not considered high. If a shop serves 200 people a day, that's 10 million Yen, nearly 100,000 US dollars, resulting in a three-million-dollar monthly turnover.
And this calculation assumes they haven't consumed anything overly precious, such as this tuna.
For this tuna, setting aside the cheek meat, just a single serving of otoro (fatty belly) or chutoro (medium fatty belly) would likely sell for tens of thousands of Yen.
Even if they bought this single fish for three million US dollars, they would definitely make their money back.
Just as the sushi restaurants were raising the price by ten or twenty thousand dollars, a voice suddenly rang out.
"2.75 million." As the voice sounded, everyone looked toward the speaker. Immediately, many sushi shops with less substantial financial backing sighed, knowing they couldn't compete this time.
The person they were looking at was a man in his early sixties with a large, square face. He was smiling as he gazed at the fish on the stage, as if it were already his possession.
"This man is Kiyoshi Kimura, and he is the most likely person to buy our fish this time," Pula Walton introduced to Jiang Hai while looking at the man. Jiang Hai was also observing him, but he felt that the man didn't look like a chef.
"He is indeed not a chef; he is a Chairman. He founded the Kiyomura Corporation when he was young. Kiyomura is just a company, and it primarily operates two brands: Kiyo Sushi and Zanmai Sushi. Although neither of these sushi brands has earned a Michelin star, they are the two most widespread sushi chains in Japan. Zanmai Sushi operates 24 hours a day, and their income in Japan is quite substantial. Because of this, these smaller sushi shops cannot compete with this true entrepreneur." Hearing Pula Walton mention Kiyomura, Jiang Hai nodded. He knew about Kiyomura; he had seen introductions of the company when researching Bluefin Tuna in China. Generally, the "Tuna King" was ultimately purchased by this company, confirming its strong financial power.
Seeing this man join the competition, ninety percent of the sushi shops gave up. Finally, Saito, another chain, added another twenty thousand, bringing the bid to 2.77 million US dollars, but this was immediately surpassed by Kiyoshi Kimura's bid of 2.85 million US dollars.
When this price appeared, it signaled the end of the auction.
The original expected price for this fish was around 2.7 million US dollars, so selling it for an extra 150,000 US dollars was excellent news.
The moment Nakamura Sho brought the hammer down, this record-breaking fish belonged to Kiyoshi Kimura of Kiyomura Corporation.
He stood up and accepted congratulations from the surrounding sushi shop owners. His Zanmai Sushi primarily deals in tuna, so he was determined to win this item. As the auction concluded, everyone left in turn.
At this time, Nakamura Sho approached Jiang Hai and Pula Walton, smiling as he reported the results of the auction.
The main purpose of the auction wasn't just to sell these goods; it was to promote Walmart and inform the sushi shop owners that Walmart would be stocking high-end seafood in the future. In Japan, having regular customers is extremely important.
Japan is a very traditional country. Unlike in China or the United States, where quality is the absolute standard, here, quality is one factor, but more importantly, people are very loyal to familiarity. For example, if someone always buys things at a convenience store near their home, even if the items are slightly more expensive than elsewhere, as long as the quality is comparable, they will continue to shop there.
The same applies to these sushi restaurants. They all have established suppliers. To encourage them to buy fish here, this auction was necessary to let them know about the quality of the fish supplied by Walmart—or more accurately, by Jiang Hai.
Sushi restaurant owners have extremely strict requirements for quality. Leaving them with a positive impression would greatly facilitate Jiang Hai's seafood entering the Japanese market, effectively opening up a new market.
"Oh, and Mr. Kimura, the President of Kiyomura, hopes to invite Ms. Pula and Mr. Jiang to dinner..." After finishing the main report, Nakamura Sho said to Jiang Hai and Pula Walton. Hearing this, Jiang Hai shook his head.
"We probably won't be able to make that dinner. I need to leave quickly, because those people have already set their sights on me!" Thinking back to the feeling of being watched at the Tsukiji Market earlier, Jiang Hai said seriously. Pula Walton also grew serious upon hearing his words. (To be continued.)
The Beginning of Spring
Hearing Jiang Hai's words, Pula-Walton's face instantly changed color. She had already told Jiang Hai before coming that she would be responsible for safety. If anything unexpected happened now, she would be the sinner.
Not to mention others, she wouldn't forgive herself, so when Jiang Hai said he was being targeted, she immediately made a call, dispatching more bodyguards and a plane, ready to take off at any moment.
"I still have some finishing touches to handle here in Japan. After I see you off, I'll have to stay a few more days. Will you be alright going back by yourself?" Pula-Walton asked Jiang Hai seriously.
"Of course, no problem." Hearing her words, Jiang Hai smiled. His return was his own business; he couldn't let Pula-Walton delay her work to send him back. Nakamura, who was nearby, respectfully retreated after hearing their conversation. He naturally knew who was targeting Jiang Hai—the Akita family—but he didn't say anything.
He knew his place as a dog: he shouldn't harm his master, but if his master didn't ask, he wouldn't speak much.
So he just respectfully withdrew and then informed Kimura Kiyoshi that Jiang Hai had an urgent matter and needed to return to the United States immediately, so this meal would have to wait until next time. However, his contract to purchase high-grade fish was unaffected.
Soon, Pula-Walton's bodyguards arrived, and Jiang Hai, along with Pula-Walton, Azalina, and Wallis-Shelley, left for the airport. Seeing such a motorcade, the people watching outside quickly retreated.
Are you kidding? They knew these people were not to be trifled with, and they wouldn't court such bad luck.
While the bounty was good, one needed to be alive to spend it, right? At least in their eyes, it was very unsuitable.
Perhaps because the sheer number of people had a deterrent effect, Jiang Hai and his group encountered no incidents on their way to Haneda Airport, though their speed was quite slow. Once at Haneda Airport, Jiang Hai and his companions boarded the plane Pula-Walton had arranged—the same one they had arrived on. After dropping off Jiang Hai, they would return to pick up Pula-Walton.
As soon as they boarded the plane, the flight attendants' gazes at Jiang Hai were electrifying. They remembered that this was the only man they could have close contact with during their contract period, so they were naturally quite attentive to Jiang Hai.
As the plane took off, Jiang Hai finally breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, he really didn't have much affection for Japan.
The people here seemed humble, but they were actually extremely arrogant and xenophobic; at least Jiang Hai disliked them greatly.
However, in the future, it would probably be like South Korea; he wouldn't be coming here often... Putting aside his displeasure, Jiang Hai's gaze fell upon the ten flight attendants who reappeared after the plane leveled out. Needless to say, another big battle was in store; these ten-plus hours of flight time would not be wasted.
Meanwhile, at the Akita family mansion, how furious Akita was upon learning that Jiang Hai had already boarded the plane was irrelevant to Jiang Hai. And Pula-Walton was not someone a small Akita family could provoke, so Jiang Hai didn't need to worry about Pula-Walton. After about ten hours of flight, Pula-Walton's plane landed at Boston Airport. Jiang Hai, who had already contacted his family via satellite phone, saw Al-Sala waiting for him outside the airport in his War Shield as he disembarked.
Bidding farewell to the ten reluctant flight attendants, Jiang Hai got into the car and sped towards his home.
Returning to the manor and sinking into the living room sofa, Jiang Hai couldn't help but let out a long breath. Finally, he could relax.
Qijie and the others, knowing Jiang Hai was back, also rushed home from outside. Don't misunderstand, they weren't out playing.
It was because it was already March, and it was time to start farming. Not only did the vegetables and fruits in the greenhouses need to be planted, but the grapes also needed to be planted, and even Jiang Hai's tea trees were almost ready for harvesting. Spring, with its revival of all things, was naturally the busiest season, and everyone in Jiang Hai's manor was very busy.
When they returned, their clothes and hair were covered in weeds and dirt, but Jiang Hai still hugged each of them, telling them he was back. As for Tagala, she was still in school.
After two days of rest at home, Jiang Hai also joined the spring plowing. However, this time, the greenhouses had Qijie, Qiya, Ai Xiaoxi, Feng Yunchen, Azalina, Wallis-Shelley, Al-Sala, and the wives of Jiang Hai's subordinates in the manor—those aunties—so Jiang Hai didn't need to help. They had already planned the vegetables to be planted this year.
Cabbage, radishes, carrots, celery, scallions, ginger, eggplants, chili peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, winter melons, bitter gourds, peas, broad beans, green beans, soybeans, chives, onions, daylilies, garlic, and so on—a total of twenty to thirty varieties.
Fortunately, the vegetable plots in Jiang Hai's original greenhouses were large enough; otherwise, they really wouldn't have been able to plant everything. The most important among them was tomatoes. This year, Qiya planned to make her own tomato sauce, and nearly an acre was planted with just this. Calculated at a yield of 7,000 kilograms per acre, that's seven tons of tomatoes, enough for everyone in Jiang Hai's manor.
In addition to these vegetables, there were many fruits, which Jiang Hai had also introduced, so there's no need to elaborate here.
Besides vegetables and fruits, Jiang Hai also planted many tea trees. The tea trees had already sprouted new buds, but Jiang Hai hadn't harvested them yet. He planned to harvest them at the end of March.
At the grape estate, because of the good start last year, as soon as March arrived this year, Dulles-Gerald pulled Afra and the others over to start planting grapes, so Afra and the others were also very busy now.
As for the cowboys and fishermen, it goes without saying. With everything reviving, animals are also reviving. Edward-Anderson and his team now have to oversee the breeding of the cattle in the manor. After all, there are too many cattle in the manor, and there's more than one breeding bull. Those that have already bred naturally cannot breed again, nor can they be allowed to fight. Each cow must be properly assigned, which is the cow's biggest role.
The fishermen were also very busy because new fish fry had arrived. When the fry first entered the water, they had to scatter a lot of bait every day to keep these fry in their manor. Jiang Hai didn't even have a seine net, so he naturally had to use this method.
So, with everyone busy, there were only two idle people left in the manor: Jiang Hai and Connorsen-Peters. Jiang Hai considered it and realized everyone was busy, and it wasn't good for him to be idle. So he made a plan: he would first plant the grass seeds in the burnt grassland, and then open up two acres of paddy fields. He still had a lot of rice flower fragrant rice seeds; although he hadn't planted them before, he had to research them, right?
However, before that, he still had to plant the pasture grass. The pasture grass seeds were easy to get; Jiang Hai had ordered them a long time ago. With one phone call, all the pasture seeds for that barren land arrived. Then Jiang Hai first soaked these seeds in water, and then released a burst of spiritual energy into about a million grass seeds. Don't think this proportion is very high.
You should know that Jiang Hai's new manor has a total land area of 15,000 acres, and one acre is equal to six mu, which is 90,000 mu of land. One mu requires planting about 2,000-3,000 plants, so a total of 270 million plants need to be planted.
It would consume a total of 270 streams of spiritual energy from Jiang Hai. One stream of spiritual energy for a million grass seeds is already quite a lot.
After consuming the spiritual energy, Jiang Hai and Connorsen-Peters wouldn't wait for the grass seeds to sprout before planting them. Instead, after soaking them, they would take them to the grassland the next day, directly throw them, and then water the land with water containing spiritual energy.
Don't think that the grass will grow poorly if Jiang Hai does this; in fact, with spiritual energy, it grows better when cultivated roughly.
In just one night, these grass seeds would take root underground, sprout, and slowly grow.
Calculated at ten streams of spiritual energy per day, Jiang Hai had been quite exhausted these past few days. Basically, all the spiritual energy he recovered daily was used on these things. They say Jiang Hai has been slow to upgrade, but it's really because his expenses outweigh his income.
Throughout March, Jiang Hai's manor was very busy. Of course, others were also busy, such as Pula-Walton. She had also returned to the United States a few days ago and specifically stayed at Jiang Hai's place for three days. It was both to catch up with Jiang Hai and to inform him about the situation in Japan. Three days after the tuna auction ended, she shipped two plane loads of seafood to Japan to test the market. The fish were barely displayed before they were immediately snapped up by the sushi restaurants.
Jiang Hai's fish, no matter what kind, were all rated S or even S+ in terms of meat quality, according to industry insiders, though none were officially S+. However, Jiang Hai's fish were indeed better than typical S-rated fish.
The taste was more delicious and sweet, and the meat was firmer, making them incredibly tasty, especially when used for sushi, which subtly boosted these restaurants' business by twenty percent.
This time, Jiang Hai's seafood had officially entered the Japanese market, and of course, it also caused quite a stir among many original Japanese vendors.
However, Jiang Hai could only say that it was their bad luck. He was quite confident in his fish, after all.
The rest of March ended in this flurry of activity, and Jiang Hai's pasture was finally ready.
Next, he would have to explore his new idea: planting rice. But before that, his tea was due for harvest. (To be continued.)
Tea and Rice
"Remember, you can't pluck, tear, or pull; none of that will work. You need to use your thumbnail to pinch it at the base of the stem. That's the only way to harvest it properly." Looking at Daliana, Marian, Talaga, and Talaga's two classmates, Pel-Selcy and Bessie Oliver, who were standing behind him, Jiang Hai spoke seriously.
"Like this?" Hearing his words, Pel-Selcy gave it a try, pinching off a tender sprout and handing it to Jiang Hai to see. Jiang Hai took it and glanced at it; although there were a few slight flaws, it was already quite good.
"Yes, that's exactly how you pinch it. Come on, girls, let's get to work. Do a good job, and I'll pay you fifty dollars an hour. For lunch and dinner, you can have the best beef and the best fish at my place." Clapping his hands, Jiang Hai spoke to the five young girls behind him, though he was mainly addressing Talaga's two classmates.
"Wow, that's great! Now I can buy the latest clothes!" "I want to get a new pair of shoes too!" Upon hearing Jiang Hai's words, the two young girls shouted with excitement. Seeing their enthusiasm, Jiang Hai gestured for them to start working.
Under Jiang Hai's gaze, the five young girls quickly dispersed among the nearby tea trees, carefully selecting those tender sprouts.
Jiang Hai didn't used to like drinking tea. Indeed, not many young people enjoy tea; most prefer things like Coke, Sprite, Fanta, and the like. Those who don't drink carbonated beverages often prefer soy milk or fruit juice.
Jiang Hai was the same in the past; he liked drinking Coke, but only Coca-Cola, not Pepsi, because he felt Pepsi's taste wasn't right.
Of course, to most people, the taste is actually about the same.
But ever since he got tea from Old Man Zhang Dehai and discovered that tea could increase his own spiritual energy, he basically never let a tea cup leave his hand. Gradually, he found that drinking tea was actually very good; it cultivated the mind and character, making one feel very comfortable. Especially the tea he grew with spiritual energy—the taste and the feeling were hard to describe, but it made one feel as if every pore in their body was discharging waste gas, leaving them feeling very refreshed. Consequently, he paid even more attention when harvesting tea this year.
As for store-bought tea, to be honest, Jiang Hai didn't particularly like it himself.
Jiang Hai would also like to share some knowledge here: if anyone likes drinking tea, brew a cup right now and see if there's a layer of oil on top once the tea leaves have opened up. Some might say this is oil added during the roasting process, but that's nonsense. There is a type of oil called tea oil, and tea leaves naturally contain oil, so there's no need to add oil when roasting. This oil is actually pesticide.
Because the amount is small, drinking it won't cause any major issues for a person, but there certainly won't be any benefits either.
Jiang Hai wouldn't drink this kind of tea because pesticides were used, and these pesticide residues are extremely damaging to spiritual energy.
Truly good tea is divided into Mingqian Tea and Yuqian Tea. If it's not one of these two, then it's of relatively poor quality.
Mingqian refers to tea leaves harvested before the Qingming Festival, and Yuqian refers to tea leaves harvested after Qingming but before Guyu. To those in the know, tea harvested after Guyu is considered very poor, no matter how good it looks, because pesticides must be applied after Guyu.
Why apply pesticides? Because if you don't, bugs will start growing!
And how do you tell if the tea is Mingqian or Yuqian? Just look at whether that layer of oil appears when it's brewed.
If there is, it's fake; if not, it's real. Of course, one cannot rule out the possibility that some people apply pesticides before Qingming. Er, Jiang Hai didn't know much about that kind of tea; he could only say if they were willing to do that, there was nothing he could do about it.
Take dragon well tea sold on the market as an example, which is also Jiang Hai's favorite type of tea. The best is naturally from West Lake—places like Shifeng and Meijiawu are in a category of their own. Even the most ordinary West Lake Dragon Well is basically impossible to buy. Besides that, Dragon Well from Zhejiang or Hangzhou is actually not bad either.
But regardless of which of these three types of Dragon Well it is, even if it's from Zhuantang, the cheapest Mingqian Tea will cost at least six hundred per catty. If there's a promotion, something over five hundred a catty might still be real. But for something like one hundred or two or three hundred a catty, just take it home and brew it; it will definitely produce oil, and it won't have that rich, nutty bean aroma.
Watching the five girls working diligently in front of him, Jiang Hai watched for a while before leaving to find Connerson Peters, who had already prepared. When Jiang Hai found him, he was currently doing push-ups in front of his house.
Seeing Jiang Hai arrive, Connerson Peters signaled with his eyes for Jiang Hai to wait a moment, then increased the speed of his exercise.
Connerson Peters had been living quite well lately. He used to be a man of misfortune; because of his large build and great strength, he was tricked by some so-called friends into fighting in illegal underground matches, and then he was hit by a car. Fortunately, it wasn't his time to die. Jiang Hai first treated him to a burger and then paid his medical bills, saving his life.
Although this man was a bit simple-minded, he understood very well what it meant to repay a debt of gratitude. Thus, after his injuries healed, he went to Boston to find Jiang Hai. However, he accidentally fell in with a gang. Fortunately, upon realizing at the last moment that his enemy was actually his benefactor, he immediately defected, which was a huge help to Jiang Hai. Subsequently, he stayed at the manor.
However, while staying at the manor, he always felt like he had no sense of presence. He wanted to be Jiang Hai's Bodyguard and protect his safety, but the problem was that within the manor, his combat prowess really wasn't that high.
Bell was stronger than him, and women like Azalina were also stronger than him, so he felt a bit hurt. He always believed his lack of presence was due to being too weak, so he trained desperately. Fortunately, this was Jiang Hai's manor; by eating Jiang Hai's beef and fish every day, the spiritual energy forcibly helped him recover from a training regimen that would have otherwise left him crippled.
Instead, it made his strength greater and greater. Without taking any protein powder, his physique and strength were already no weaker than those of professional strongmen, and perhaps even stronger.
And recently, he felt he finally had a use. Although Jiang Hai didn't ask him to provide protection, he was working alongside Jiang Hai. After a month of scattering grass seeds together, he and Jiang Hai had clearly grown much closer.
"Boss, what are we doing today?" Having finished his three thousand push-ups for the day, Connerson Peters stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and asked Jiang Hai with a grin. To him, being able to work with Jiang Hai every day was his happiest time. Of course, he wasn't gay; he just felt useful. When Bell invited him out to 'donate' to certain women in specialized professions, he was also very willing. Of course, Harriman Fells was very willing too.
"Today we're going to level a piece of land and prepare to set up a paddy field." Jiang Hai had said long ago that he wanted to build a rice paddy, so he was going to do it. He would just give it a try. Although he hadn't done it before, he could look up information, couldn't he?
Jiang Hai didn't know much about rice cultivation, but according to what was written on a certain domestic encyclopedia, it was nothing more than the following steps.
First is land preparation, which is leveling a piece of land to make it soft and then plowing it. Then comes raising seedlings, which involves soaking the rice seeds in water to sprout. With Jiang Hai's spiritual energy to help, these were minor matters. Then comes transplanting, which is the most exhausting part. However, Jiang Hai wouldn't have to go through all that trouble; he had borrowed a rice transplanter. Who was Jiang Hai? Although he was only planting two acres, plenty of people were eager to lend him machinery to get on his good side, so Jiang Hai didn't need to worry about these small things.
Then there's pest and weed control. Since Jiang Hai only planned to manage two acres, and then there's fertilization—with spiritual energy available, Jiang Hai didn't need to deal with that either. The thought of handling manure was still a hurdle Jiang Hai couldn't get over mentally.
Finally, there's irrigation and drainage, which can also be done mechanically, so Jiang Hai didn't need to worry. With all the steps clear in his mind, Jiang Hai and Connerson Peters went to the riverbank—the bank of his artificial river. This made irrigation and pumping easy, and the artificial river didn't have flooding issues since it led directly to the sea. They picked a flat area of about two acres. Jiang Hai had plenty of flat land. Jiang Hai and Connerson Peters began to strip the sod. Jiang Hai wanted to dig these two acres into a pit, not too deep, about half a meter. Since the grass roots weren't that deep, it saved them the trouble of weeding. Then they would put up a fence around it, and that would be it. The soil on Jiang Hai's land had very few stones, which made things easy, especially with the strength the two of them possessed.
A few shovel strikes were enough to reach half a meter deep. They kept digging, and by noon, Jiang Hai and Connerson Peters had finished about a quarter of the project. At noon, Qi Ya and the others had already prepared lunch. Jiang Hai sat down with Daliana and the others, who had been busy all morning, and had a wonderful meal. Talaga's two classmates, Pel-Selcy and Bessie Oliver, who were eating the manor's beef and fish for the first time, ate until their eyes nearly popped out. This was the first time they had ever eaten anything so delicious, and most importantly, it was all-you-can-eat. After a two-hour break at noon, everyone split up again to work. By the end of the afternoon, Jiang Hai and Connerson Peters had nearly finished one acre. Just as the sky was turning dark and they were preparing to head back, they saw Robbins Garcia running over quickly, carrying a mesh bag of things.
Seeing the serious expression on his face, Jiang Hai couldn't help but stop in his tracks. Had something happened? (To be continued.)