Chapter 214: Setting Sail Again

"Hey, it's a bit strange that it's so quiet all of a sudden. I'll go read." Rubbing his head, Jiang Hai yawned and walked downstairs.

Fu Yuan had left yesterday. Before departing, he had, of course, visited the duty-free and tax refund shops in New York.

Originally, he was just looking at mobile phones, computers, and other gadgets, but Jiang Hai had stopped him from buying them.

The reason was simple: he wouldn't be able to use them after buying them. While mobile phones are really cheap in the U.S., even when bought directly, the problem is that American phones don't work in China. First, they can't connect to the internet, and second, the voltage is different—China uses 220 volts, while the U.S. uses 110 volts.

Jiang Hai couldn't help but recall the old game consoles from when he was a child—those plug-in red and white machines. Back in China, they required a transformer to work, which was a hassle.

So, Jiang Hai told Fu Yuan that he could bring makeup and small toys, but phones and electronics were out. In the end, following Jiang Hai's advice, Fu Yuan bought a lot of American ginseng and maple syrup—true North American specialties.

After seeing Fu Yuan off, Jiang Hai returned to his usual routine, but now he found himself feeling a bit lonely.

Perhaps because they heard his voice, Xiao Huang and Xiao Bai ran out to play. They had also come back from the dog hole that Jiang Hai had specially left for them. They ran up to him, rubbing the corners of his pants with their huge heads. Jiang Hai casually patted their heads, then went to the kitchen to get them food from the refrigerator and started preparing breakfast for himself. What he had to prepare wasn't just for himself, but also for Darlene and Marianne.

To be honest, Jiang Hai didn't pay much attention to these two girls. After all, he had never been a father.

Besides, fatherly love, naturally, should be cultivated from a young age.

But these two girls, thirteen years younger than him, often clung to him coquettishly, making it hard for him to position himself. He couldn't think of himself as a father.

Still, he did what he needed to do for them—giving them some pocket money and preparing breakfast.

Having been in the U.S. for a while, Jiang Hai honestly didn't like the typical American breakfast. He wasn't fond of coffee, and oatmeal wasn't his choice either.

So, when it came to making breakfast, he often stuck to Chinese dishes. His favorites in China were tofu pudding, fire cakes, and egg burgers. Wontons and noodles were also great, and if he was in a rush, he'd make a pancake, ideally one made with whole grains.

But here, there wasn't as much variety.

He definitely couldn't make tofu pudding, and wontons were out of the question. If he made noodles, there'd be no way for Darlene and Marianne to eat them once they woke up.

So, he prepared everything in a way that it could be kept for a while. Even if it got cold, it could be reheated in the microwave.

Today, Jiang Hai made an egg burger. He lit the fire to heat the concave iron plate that Robbins had made for him, then spread some olive oil on it. While olive oil is the least fragrant compared to soybean oil, peanut oil, or even rice oil, it's recognized as the healthiest, so Jiang Hai had gotten used to it.

After greasing the grooves, he poured the batter he had prepared earlier into the plate—about halfway up. Once the batter was slightly firm, he added the beaten eggs and meat filling, poured in more batter, and placed the nearly cooked egg burger upside down in the groove to cook further.

He brushed some sauce on top of the egg burger and sprinkled sesame seeds, making it taste even better.

This breakfast, clearly Chinese in style, wasn't exactly a hit with the cowboys and fishermen on the manor. While they didn't mind it occasionally, if they had to eat it every day, they'd prefer oatmeal.

However, the eight girls Jiang Hai had found, along with Darlene and Marianne, loved it.

First, it was convenient and saved them trouble. Second, they hardly ever ate breakfast before, so anything was better than nothing. They weren't picky, which made Jiang Hai happy. He could cultivate their tastes according to his own preferences. However, compared to Jiang Hai's love for garlic and chili sauce from China, they preferred tomato sauce.

After baking eight egg burgers, Jiang Hai kept four for himself. He also took a box of milk from the fridge and drank it with the burgers without heating it up.

Not long after, he finished eating, cleaned up, and went for a run around the manor.

When he returned, Darlene and Marianne were already up and had finished washing up. The two of them were eating breakfast.

After a brief exchange with them, Jiang Hai went back to his room, grabbed his diving suit, and left.

Yes, he was going to continue his work. A few days ago, he checked his bank card balance.

After accounting for interest from the past few months, there was still $8.47 million left in his account.

However, after deducting taxes, there was less than half remaining. He needed to find a way to make more money.

Maybe it was due to his past fear of poverty, but Jiang Hai didn't have the patience to wait until April for the cattle to be sold.

He decided to sell the gold coins before releasing the fry in the next few days!

Riding his small car, Jiang Hai quickly arrived at the dock. It was already past eight in the morning.

Since the helicopter had arrived, the dock wasn't as tense as before. Prior to the helicopter's arrival, the fishermen had to inspect the area by boat, which would take an entire day.

But now, with the helicopter, they could circle the sea twice a day in two hours, leaving plenty of time to check the manor as well. It was much more convenient.

"Boss, you're going fishing again?" Edward Anderson couldn't help but laugh when he saw Jiang Hai.

He and Robbins were the only ones in the manor who knew what Jiang Hai was really doing at sea. Although they were curious about where Jiang Hai got the gold coins, they knew it was better not to get involved in this matter. So they kept quiet. If anyone asked, they just said he was fishing.

"Yeah, do you want anything to eat?" Jiang Hai asked in understanding.

"I don't eat that stuff. If you've got extra lobsters, you can bring us a few, but forget about the rest," Edward shrugged. When he remembered how Jiang Hai liked sea cucumbers and abalone, he and the sailor behind him weren't interested. They would prefer other things.

Jiang Hai smiled. "Wild boars can't eat fine bran," he said as he went out to sea.

Although he hadn't been here for a while, Jiang Hai had a good sense of direction. He quickly reached the area near the coral reef. After changing into his diving suit on the boat, Jiang Hai set up a dummy to lie in the hold. This way, if Edward and his friends flew over in the plane, they wouldn't notice his absence.

With a "splash," Jiang Hai dove into the water. Shortly after, his pet Dasha swam over quickly. After a week without seeing him, Dasha seemed to have grown a bit. Jiang Hai patted him and gave him a piece of beef he had brought, then dived to the sea floor with his tools.

The reefs in front of him, full of holes from past digging, didn't deter him. Jiang Hai continued digging.

While Jiang Hai worked hard to make money, people in the South District of Boston, not far from him, were also discussing him...

"Boss, the police have increased their patrols here recently, and many of our brothers have been arrested. Things are getting rough... Also, the person watching Jiang Hai said he doesn't leave the manor at night. What should we do?" A man with a mohawk spoke helplessly to the man lying on the bed.

The man's hands were recklessly touching the body of a woman beside him. Her red skin was covered in tears, but she didn't dare resist. Her trembling body and clenched teeth spoke volumes of her inner unwillingness, yet she didn't make a sound. The man seemed oblivious to her discomfort.

"It seems this Jiang from China is quite interesting. I didn't expect that not only the police in Winthrop but even Boston would be involved because of him. Seems I underestimated him at the start." The man muttered while stroking his chin. As he exerted pressure on the woman, she whimpered but quickly silenced herself.

He looked at his younger brother and said coldly, "Pass on my order. We need to keep a low profile for now. Let's stay away from Jiang Hai."

The younger brother sighed with relief, "Yes, boss. But... will you avenge your brother?"

"Revenge?" The man smirked. "I don't care if he dies. What interests me more is this—dollars. Someone paid to have his life taken. I just did the job, and now it seems the price needs to be higher!" (To be continued.)