"Jeff, did he agree?"
However, Jeff didn’t answer directly. Instead, he looked at Feng Mountain with a smile and gestured for him to speak. The aning was clear: he wanted Feng Mountain to personally deliver the good news to the Elder Chief.
Feng Mountain chuckled, finding Jeff’s gesture amusing. He leaned closer to the phone, cleared his throat, and spoke with a touch of delight.
"Chief Welta, in exchange for the road, I agree to your request. If it’s convenient, please send a symbol of your tribe to Crown Territory, and I will fulfill my promise."
After he finished speaking, silence fell on the line, so quiet they could hear each other breathing. It was as if ti itself had stopped.
Just as Feng Mountain was thinking the call had dropped, the Elder Chief’s voice ca through, strained and high-pitched with excitent.
"Yes! Yes, of course! No problem! Don’t you worry, I’ll take care of everything. Thank you!"
You could tell from his voice that the old man was incredibly excited, even a little incoherent. His usual calm and dignified deanor was nowhere to be seen.
Feng Mountain was worried he might get overly excited and just keel over.
The Elder Chief was getting on in years, after all. If an accident happened because he was too excited, this good news would turn into a tragedy.
"Easy there, my friend, calm down. I always keep my word. Right now, you just need to manage your emotions."
The Elder Chief took a mont to compose himself, trying to make his voice sound steady, but an irrepressible excitent still laced his words.
"Right, my apologies. I’ll calm down. I won’t disturb you any further. Have Jeff give a call later. Thank you!"
"I heard you, Chief."
Jeff quickly responded, his face beaming with a pleased smile. He was overjoyed to receive such high praise from the Elder Chief. ’All my hard work and planning was finally worth it.’
"Jeff, you did well. Very well. The Wild Bull Tribe will be proud of you," the Elder Chief praised Jeff again, his words filled with approval. Without Jeff’s diation and strategizing, the matter likely wouldn’t have been settled so easily.
The call ended.
Feng Mountain and Jeff looked at each other and smiled.
Their smiles were filled with delight at their successful collaboration and a mutual sense of appreciation.
"A drink?"
"Of course."
The two glasses touched with a light, crisp clink.
In the quiet corner of the tavern, the sound was especially pleasant.
.....
With their business concluded, the two started chatting about this and that.
Liu Lan ca skipping into the tavern and, with the easy familiarity of a regular, ran right up to Feng Mountain.
"Khilla, Cigar is being very obedient, especially well-behaved! Can I take him back to the camp and let my sister ride him for a while?"
’Clever little rascal!’
Feng Mountain glanced up at Erica, who was hiding nearby, and patted Liu Lan’s head with a grin. "I’m afraid not. Cigar only listens to . However, I’ve bought a lot of horses and put them out on the Tundra. Once they’re used to the environnt, how about I let your sister ride one?"
"Okay, I’ll go tell my sister Erica then!" Liu Lan clasped her little hands behind her back and ran over to where Erica was hiding. Flustered, Erica started tickling her, and a peal of laughter like tinkling bells rang out.
"You’ve got a nice place here, my friend," Jeff said, setting down his glass. He watched the cheerful, harmonious scene with an envious look on his face.
Feng Mountain raised an eyebrow, his gaze filled with admiration for Jeff. "You could move to Crown Territory. Pick out a small cabin for yourself. After the road is finished, I’m planning to build a residential complex. I’ll give you a place then."
Just then, the roar of propellers sounded in the sky again.
Without realizing it, the two had been chatting for several hours, and the second batch of livestock was about to arrive.
Jeff stretched languidly, the fatigue from sitting for so long seeming to dissipate with the movent.
He then stood up, raised his glass, and downed the strong liquor in one go. A look of satisfaction spread across his face as he felt the fiery liquid slide down his throat.
"I enjoy being on the move. When I get tired of it, I’ll co back to Crown Territory and settle down. I should get going; the Chief must have a lot to take care of."
With that, Jeff hugged Feng Mountain, who had also stood up. They patted each other on the back, as if bringing their eting to a perfect close.
’He’s a man of action.’
’So people are like perpetual motion machines; they can never stay idle.’
Feng Mountain watched Jeff’s carefree departure, but the arrival of the waiter made him realize he’d just been stuck with the bill.
"Sir, will you be putting this on your tab or paying now?" the waiter asked with a professional smile, presenting the bill in a folder.
"..."
Feng Mountain was speechless. He opened his mouth, but couldn’t find the words. In the end, he just resignedly took the bill.
When he saw the total, he couldn’t help but think,
’Holy cow, this price is outrageous!’ He felt like he’d just been scamd, and a wave of frustration washed over him.
’I was supposed to be the one taking Jeff for a ride, so how did I end up getting taken?’
Annoyed, Feng Mountain snatched the pen and signed his na on the bill.
He had the gift from Jeff temporarily stored at the tavern.
Amidst the waiter’s stifled chuckles, Feng Mountain felt a surge of irritation. He let out a huff and stord out of the tavern.
As he walked out the door, Cigar swished his tail and ca closer.
Feng Mountain vaulted onto his horse, patting its neck lightly. "To the herd."
Understanding its master’s command, Cigar let out a long neigh and galloped toward the Tundra, its hooves kicking up grass and leaving a trail of turf flying in its wake.
By the ti he reached the Tundra, the helicopter’s roar was fading away. It had obviously already delivered the two batches of cattle.
As far as the eye could see, the delivery was still mainly Angus cattle.
Herds of sturdy Angus cattle stood about, their coats glossy. So stood still, curiously surveying their surroundings, while others had already started to wander about, exploring their new ho.
The mbers of the Bear Tribe were thodically going about their work.
One group skillfully herded the cattle, using unique calls to direct their movent.
Another group was busy building a corral with wood. With swings of their tools and the sound of hamring, the basic structure began to take shape.
Under the soothing influence of the tribe’s Fire Seed, the newly arrived Angus cattle seed especially docile and gathered together peacefully.
They showed no signs of the usual panic or anxiety of arriving in a new place. Instead, they simply lowered their heads to munch on the moss, looking quite content, as if they had already adapted to their new ho.
A middle-aged man from the Bear Tribe ca to Feng Mountain’s side. His skin was dark and weather-beaten. He wasn’t burly, but he had an air of resilience about him.
’His na is Rock, I think,’ Feng Mountain mused. ’The Bear Tribe nas are pretty much all related to mountains, rivers, and things like that.’
Just then, Rock pointed to the moss on the ground, a worried look on his face.
"Khilla, these animals will graze this pasture bare in no ti. Should we purchase so fodder?"
Feng Mountain shook his head, his gaze falling on the surrounding moss, which was already half its previous height.
’To him, this wasn’t much of a problem. With the tribe’s Fire Seed, the moss they’d eaten would grow back in a few days.’
Still, Feng Mountain gave the Bear Tribe mber’s concern the respect it was due.
"Let’s try not to let them graze in one spot for too long. We’ll monitor the situation for a while. If it gets too bad, I’ll purchase fodder."
Rock nodded, then suddenly rembered sothing. "Khilla, if possible, please buy so pasture seeds. Moss has a high water content and isn’t very helpful for fattening up livestock."
As he spoke, he gestured with his hands, trying to make Feng Mountain understand him better.
"What kind of seeds do we need?" Feng Mountain asked seriously.
’When it ca to raising livestock, I’m a complete novice,’ he thought. ’I know you can’t just feed them one thing, but I have no idea what kinds of pasture grass I should use to diversify their diet. Still, I know to leave specialized work to the specialists. Compared to , the advice from an experienced Bear Tribe mber is definitely valuable.’
Rock thought for a mont, scratching his head. "Khilla, I’ve looked at the soil. We can start by planting so ryegrass, wheatgrass, red clover, and sorghum-sudangrass."
"These grasses are cold-resistant and should be able to adapt to Crown Territory’s climate. Their nutritional value is also high, rich in protein and vitamins, which is very good for fattening up the livestock and for their health."
"Alfalfa seeds would also be good. Alfalfa is a high-quality pasture grass. It has a deep root system that can improve the soil structure and make the land more fertile. Plus, it tastes good, and the livestock love to eat it."
Feng Mountain listened attentively, nodding from ti to ti, committing all this information to mory.
’Now that I know what seeds we need, I should buy them and get them planted as soon as possible. That’s the best way to solve our fodder problem.’
...
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