This year, during his vacation, Gilbert didn't travel abroad to have fun anywhere. Instead, he took his whole family to a farm in Topeka, Kansas, for a holiday.
The farm had been purchased last year by Gilbert's investment manager, David, as a leisure retreat.
Kansas is one of the seven major agricultural states in central America, home to the boundless Kansas prairie, where countless cattle, sheep, and horses roam leisurely across the grasslands.
It is also one of the United States' key wheat-producing regions, exporting to countries all around the world.
The state enjoys unique geographical advantages, with most rivers flowing from west to east.
The northern region belongs to the Kansas River basin, with important tributaries such as the Blue River, Republican River, Solomon River, Saline River, and Smoky Hill River.
The southern region lies within the Arkansas River basin, with major tributaries including the Cimarron, Verdigris, Neosho, and Marais des Cygnes Rivers. The northeastern corner of Kansas borders the Mississippi River.
Because the terrain slopes southeastward, Kansas is ideal for building irrigation canals, and hundreds of small artificial lakes have already been constructed.
Topographically, though there are valleys, streams, canyons, and hills, most of the state consists of high plains.
To the east are the Flint Hills, to the west the Smoky Hills and Red Hills. Near the Colorado border stands Mount Sunflower, with an elevation of 1,231 meters—the highest point in the state.
The Flint Hills were named as Flint Hills because Native Americans once searched the region for flint to make arrowheads.
The Verdigris River Valley, near the Oklahoma border in the south, lies at an elevation of 213 meters—the state's lowest point.
Whether in the past or present, the central states have always been crucial to the United States.
It is these endless Great Plains that allowed America to develop the world's largest agricultural industry with the smallest farming population.
The agriculture of the Great Plains follows a large-scale mechanized farm model, with each farm spanning anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred square kilometers.
The largest farm to the south, Texas's Waggoner Ranch, covers an astonishing 2,070 square kilometers—spanning six counties—making it the largest ranch in the world, owned by the Waggoner family.
The founder, Dan Waggoner, moved to Texas in the 1840s, aggressively expanding land and continuously investing. By 1870, he had begun purchasing land in western Wise County, and in 1873 drove a herd of cattle to market in Kansas, earning $55,000—considered the seed capital for his ranching empire.
Waggoner Ranch not only focuses on agriculture and livestock but also engages in oil extraction, recreation, and wildlife conservation.
In agriculture and ranching, the farm raises 14,000 cattle and about 500 horses, while owning more than 30,000 acres of farmland.
With continuous improvements in breeding techniques, the ranch is expected to expand further, potentially supporting tens of thousands of cattle in the future.
In terms of oil, Waggoner Ranch owns over 1,200 producing wells. Although the wells are relatively shallow, their potential output remains significant, making them an important energy resource.
For recreation, the ranch's lakes allow for fishing and boating, and there are plans to build vacation lodges and other tourism facilities to attract more visitors.
As for wildlife, the farm boasts abundant species such as deer, turkeys, quail, pigeons, waterfowl, and wild boar—nominally under conservation, but in truth serving as a massive hunting ground. To visit without a rifle would almost be a pity.
The Waggoner family doesn't limit their holdings to Texas—they also own a 150-square-kilometer ranch in Kansas.
Today, however, the Waggoner family is mired in internal inheritance disputes. The youngest son decided to sell his portion of the ranch and head to Wall Street.
But in modern America, agriculture is viewed as a sunset industry.
Wall Street is obsessed with finance, and Silicon Valley collaborates with it to hype up high-concept tech stocks. Agriculture and manufacturing, by contrast, are fading sectors gradually abandoned by capitalists.
However, unlike manufacturing, which can be relocated, agriculture cannot—because the land remains fixed.
Fortunately, thanks to a high degree of mechanization, even with fewer cowboys working in the fields, America still maintains its position as the world's leading agricultural power.
Unlike manufacturing, agriculture receives continuous attention from Washington policymakers, who long ago recognized that future global competition would revolve around food and water resources.
Thus, the Department of Agriculture continues to provide subsidies, aiming to ensure that this sunset industry never truly sets.
Gilbert, however, didn't buy his farm for subsidies or to participate in any future food or water wars.
He's wealthy—he bought it purely for enjoyment.
This was his first visit to the property since buying it.
His private jet landed directly in Topeka, where the farm manager, Arthur, met him and led the family from the city to Lenora Town, where Gilbert's farm was located.
"We're here," Gilbert said as he got out, taking a deep breath. "Ah, a real farm—the scent of soil and grass… mixed with cow, sheep, and horse manure."
Holding little Illian in her arms, Naomi Watts laughed and said, "That's what farms are supposed to smell like. It'd be strange if they didn't."
"True enough," Gilbert nodded, then turned to Lily and instructed, "Lily, go with them and arrange the rooms on the farm."
"Okay," Lily replied, following one of the local farm staff to handle accommodations.
The women and children got out one by one, while the bodyguards unloaded the luggage. The head of security, Anderson, directed a few men to inspect the surveillance and safety systems.
When David purchased the farm last year, he had the entire property renovated, including restoring the old central mansion and upgrading its infrastructure.
Modern security systems, electric fences, and surveillance equipment were all installed, giving the century-old estate a thoroughly modern transformation.
As one of the world's top billionaires, Gilbert took his personal safety very seriously.
Although he naturally belonged to the upper class—after all, he was a "squid-man"—his unorthodox behavior often offended powerful people. Who knew when some ideological rival might try to blow up his convertible?
Fortunately, Gilbert had established his own private security company, dedicated to protecting himself, his partners, his children, and his extended family.
The team was composed mainly of elite veterans from U.S. special forces and former Secret Service agents, as well as top-level security experts.
Thanks to his good relationship with the Pentagon, it wasn't hard to hire such personnel.
After all, working for him was an ideal post-retirement job—high pay, light duties, and no need to risk their lives as mercenaries.
Naturally, to keep such a lucrative job, the guards worked hard to protect Gilbert and his family.
Affection and trust may not buy loyalty—but money can.
"You all go settle in and rest for a while. I'll talk to Arthur," Gilbert told the women.
"Let's go, ladies," Naomi Watts called out. Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Connelly, Anne Hathaway.
Together with three children and several nannies, the group made their way into the central mansion of the farm.
Charlize Theron was still busy with Project False's international promotions and would arrive later. Scarlett, meanwhile, stuck close to Gilbert—insisting on touring the farm with him.
Gilbert didn't push Scarlett to rest. That girl was always like this—overflowing with endless energy and incredibly lively.
"Arthur, give me a brief introduction of the farm's situation. I just arrived, and I'm not very familiar with it," Gilbert said.
"Yes, boss. Please come with me. We'll walk and talk, and I'll introduce you to some of the staff along the way," Arthur replied, leading Gilbert from the main villa toward the staff quarters about a kilometer behind it.
Since the distance wasn't far, the three of them decided not to drive. They strolled along the path, enjoying the pastoral scenery and chatting as they went.
From the farm's central villa, they followed a winding road lined with red oak trees. Because it was summer, the trees were lush and full of vitality.
Beyond the walls of trees stretched endless farmland. On the left were rows of corn, each cob large and plump; on the right was a vast golden wheat field, where combine harvesters were working in the distance.
Arthur explained, "This batch of wheat was planted in the winter. It's harvest time now."
Curious, Scarlett asked, "What happens after the wheat is harvested? Do you make it directly into bread?"
Arthur chuckled. "Not exactly, Miss Johansson. Merchants from Topeka usually come to the farm to purchase it.
We do have our own bakery, but we mainly bake for ourselves, not for sale."
After saying this, Arthur sneaked a glance at Gilbert's expression. Seeing that he wasn't upset, Arthur let out a breath of relief.
He knew very well that everything on the farm belonged to the boss. Before, when management was lax, people could use wheat to make bread or even brew liquor without issue.
But after the new ownership, Arthur tightened up management. Every month, he sent the farm's financial reports—including income and expenses—to investment manager David.
Arthur understood that without the farm, the workers had no real skills. Mining or factory work wasn't realistic. Working on the farm was tough, but with a wealthy owner, at least life was secure.
Gilbert had no interest in pursuing old issues; there was no point. Replacing staff wasn't necessary either—keeping the experienced team was better.
As long as they worked hard under him, Gilbert wouldn't treat his people poorly.
After all, he hadn't bought the farm to become some agricultural tycoon; he just wanted a comfortable vacation retreat.
Gilbert waved his hand for Arthur to continue. "Go on. I'd like to know the farm's scale."
"Of course," Arthur said, encouraged. "The farm covers about 150 square kilometers in total. Excluding 40 square kilometers of farmland, there are 52 square kilometers of pasture and 58 square kilometers of forest and lakes."
Scarlett's eyes widened in disbelief. "It's that big? How long would it take to explore all that?"
"That's why we'll need to ride horses or use motorcycles," Arthur replied with a grin.
Scarlett's face lit up. "Perfect! I want to ride a horse!"
Gilbert smiled too. He didn't really care about the farmland or pasture specifics—the vastness of the property itself was what made it the ideal vacation spot.
Arthur went on, "The entire farm's terrain is slightly elevated on both sides and lower in the middle. Where we are now is part of the central plains area. To the east is the pasture, and to the west is the forest.
Three streams naturally divide the land into these sections, and with the addition of man-made irrigation canals, watering the fields is quite convenient."
Arthur gave Gilbert a detailed overview of the farm so he could understand its layout.
In short, this farm was no different from most large-scale American farms—rich in resources and highly self-sufficient.
Except for a few daily necessities that needed to be bought from outside, all food, meat, and vegetables could be supplied internally.
The lakes and streams provided abundant fishing opportunities—not for large-scale operations, but perfect for leisure angling.
There were also wild boars, deer, rabbits, and wild sheep roaming the grounds, making it a great place for hunting.
No wonder when Gilbert had dinner with Bill Gates, the latter boasted about how wonderful the farm-owner lifestyle was—it had piqued Gilbert's curiosity.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to the farm this summer for a vacation, to experience the life of a true landowner himself.
While such a lifestyle might become monotonous for Gilbert if prolonged, as an occasional retreat, it was genuinely delightful.
....
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