"Hey, Jiang, you really ought to take a good look around my ranch..."
Cotton Harris said warmly, draping an arm over Jiang Hai's shoulder.
Jiang Hai responded with a hearty smile. "Of course." The two men stepped into the estate.
After sitting down for a cup of coffee inside, they didn't linger long—fifteen minutes later, they were out touring the ranch.
As they walked, Jiang Hai carefully surveyed the land, taking mental notes. Cotton Harris's estate resembled other ranches Jiang Hai had visited, yet it also bore unique differences.
Before arriving, Jiang Hai had already thoroughly assessed the surrounding properties. Aside from his own, Cotton Harris's ranch was the largest in the region.
Winthrop, located in Massachusetts near Boston, differed greatly from cattle-farming states like Texas or Montana. The northeastern U.S. was densely populated, and the land more expensive, limiting large-scale operations.
This was no different from his experience in China: for cattle or sheep farming, people thought of Inner Mongolia, not cities like Beijing or Shanghai. Urban sprawl and land scarcity made such enterprises impractical in major metropolitan areas.
In Winthrop, total usable land outside the town was just over 40,000 acres. On the right side of the highway, about 10,000 acres were farmed, growing wheat, vegetables, and fruit. The land was split among 121 farms, most of them small, averaging under 100 acres. Still, the income was solid—especially in the Northeast, where fresh produce fetched high prices. Vegetables and fruits were as profitable as cattle, while wheat remained government-regulated: lower in profit, but stable.
On the left side, where Jiang Hai operated, there were less than 30,000 acres. His own estate covered 11,200 acres. With his latest acquisition of 8,640 acres, his holdings totaled about 19,800 acres. Roughly 2,000 acres of nearby coastal land were protected seabreak forests owned by the state and not for sale. That left about 6,700 acres unclaimed.
Of those, the Cotton Harris Ranch covered 4,500 acres, nearly two-thirds of the remaining land.
Before Jiang Hai entered the picture, Cotton Harris had been the largest landowner in the area. He'd played it low-key, selling all his cattle to Carlette Corporation, bringing in hundreds of thousands annually. But due to year-round overgrazing and poor land management, his pastures had deteriorated badly—some patches were bare, with no grass or even soil left.
Compared to Jiang Hai's lush, fertile estate, the difference was stark.
Even with only 4,500 acres, Cotton Harris raised 37,000 head of cattle—more than Jiang Hai. He had twelve cowboys working the ranch but no cattle dogs; the entire operation relied on manpower.
This approach was common in traditional American ranches. They didn't operate at full capacity but raised as many cattle as possible to maximize returns. While Jiang Hai's cattle were premium, bred for quality, Cotton's were raised for volume—a profit of even $80–100 per head was considered good.
Because of overgrazing, they had to supplement feed even during peak seasons. Cattle dogs, though useful, couldn't replace human labor in that environment, so Cotton didn't keep them.
After touring the ranch, Jiang Hai and Cotton returned to the house for business talks.
"I think you understand that I offer everyone the same price—no special treatment, even for locals," Jiang Hai said as he sipped fresh coffee, handed to him by Cotton's wife. "$2,400 per acre. The house is separate. If you're good with that, we can sign the contract today."
"I've heard that's the going rate, and I'm fine with it," Cotton replied earnestly.
He knew the price was more than fair. On the open market, the land would fetch maybe $1,700 per acre. Jiang Hai's offer was nearly 40% higher. There was no reason to be unhappy.
If he declined, he'd only hurt himself. At $2,400 per acre for 4,500 acres, that was $10.8 million—more than enough to buy 8,000 acres in Texas or Montana, or over 10,000 acres in Mexico. Land prices here were high, and Jiang Hai was offering a premium.
"I'm offering $10.9 million total for your land and house. What do you think?"
Seeing Cotton's barely concealed excitement, Jiang Hai stayed calm. He knew Cotton might try to bargain. If that happened, he'd walk away. He wanted the land, but he wouldn't be extorted.
Cotton nodded. "I'm happy with the land and house price. I really am. But the reason I needed to meet with you—it's about the cattle."
Jiang Hai frowned slightly. He had made it clear from the beginning that he wouldn't be buying the cattle.
It wasn't about the money—the cattle just didn't fit his operations. If he tried to rehabilitate them, he'd miss the selling window. If not, they were just liabilities. His ranch wasn't geared toward the low-end beef market.
If Cotton insisted on offloading the cattle with the land, Jiang Hai would reconsider the entire deal.
"I used to sell my cattle to Colorite, but with the land changing hands, they won't buy from me anymore," Cotton explained. "I can't just let the herd rot in the pens. I'm hoping you can help me find a buyer, or take the cattle at a discount—say, knock the land price down to $10 million. If that's not possible, maybe give me a few days to sell them off first."
In truth, Cotton was angling for Jiang Hai's connections. He'd heard that Jiang Hai had ties to Walmart. Compared to Colorite, Walmart was a titan.
If he could establish a connection now, it would be a huge win.
After thinking it over, Jiang Hai didn't object. He knew Pra Walton was a pure businesswoman. She wouldn't bend just because of him—but he didn't need her to.
So Jiang Hai picked up the phone and called her. After hearing the situation, Pra didn't say much. Instead, she had one of Walmart's regular meat buyers contact Jiang Hai directly.
Jiang Hai passed the number to Cotton.
After explaining the circumstances, the Walmart rep agreed to inspect the herd. If the meat passed quality standards, they'd consider buying—as Walmart sourced from many places anyway.
"Thank you so much!" Cotton Harris said with genuine excitement. Cutting out Carlette meant more profit for him.
"Don't thank me yet. If your beef doesn't meet the standard, there's nothing I can do," Jiang Hai said flatly. "I won't risk my reputation on subpar product. I think you understand that."
"Of course, of course. I've been doing this for years—never had a problem with my beef. I really appreciate what you've done." Cotton laughed, genuinely grateful.
"Now that that's settled, let's finalize our deal."
"No problem," Cotton beamed. "$10 million for the land and house, just like you said. I'll even help you with the other landowners—I know them all."
True to his word, Cotton took Jiang Hai to visit several neighboring ranches whose owners had yet to make a decision. They weren't familiar with Jiang Hai and were hesitant—but once they heard the offer, they were tempted.
By that afternoon, Jiang Hai and nearly a dozen others went to Moses Adams's law office in Boston. They were greeted by Penelope Dahler, and contracts were signed.
Everyone was given one month to move out and sell their belongings. After that, Jiang Hai would officially take possession of their homes.
Everything was laid out in black and white. With the signatures inked, everyone left without fanfare. There was no big dinner or drinks. Just business.
Jiang Hai was the last to leave. He waited until the others were gone, then lightly tugged Penelope's sleeve.
"Has Moses Adams already started?"
Penelope glanced around, ensuring they were alone, and nodded.
"Mr. Adams told me to prepare funds, but to keep costs under control. One or two hundred million dollars will be enough. He said he can not only solve your problems—but make you a fortune in the process."
Jiang Hai raised an eyebrow.
Moses Adams's specialty was business mergers. Clearly, he was planning something.
"Tell him not to worry. I still have $400 million in liquid cash sitting in the bank. Let him know—it's time to make something big happen."
Indeed, Jiang Hai didn't just own assets—he had the liquidity to move mountains.
Most people feared inflation, worried that idle money would lose value.
But Jiang Hai? He just liked seeing his account full. A habit left over from his days in China.
(To be continued)