My Manor

Jiang Hai used beef that cost 400 dollars per pound to fish. There was no way to explain this other than calling him a fool.

But who could stop him if that's what made him happy? No one could. Plus, Bell and Fuyuan, who knew Jiang Hai well, wouldn't intervene. He might not have many other resources, but he sure had plenty of beef.

As before, Jiang Hai scouted the area and found a quiet spot. He tossed minced beef into the water just like last time. The second time he fished, he pulled hard and reeled in another large fish. Well, to be precise, it was more of a small fish. Although it was about half a meter long, it had just reached maturity.

This fish was a striped wolf bass, a type of perch, though it was considered one of the more aggressive species in that family. It can grow up to two meters long and weigh between 4.5 to 9 kilograms.

Jiang Hai's striped wolf bass, however, was just over two kilograms and half a meter long, which made it a small one by comparison.

He kept fishing—North American white bass, big-eye zander, brown trout. In less than half an hour, Jiang Hai had caught six or seven fish, all of them big. He wasn't interested in the smaller, ordinary fish that usually fed on insects or plants. Instead, he went after the larger ones.

When he returned to camp with his haul, everyone was stunned. No one had expected Jiang Hai to be such an excellent fisherman. His fishing skills were impressive.

There was a momentary sense of distance between Jiang Hai and the others, but it quickly faded. Many came over to pat his arm or high-five him, acknowledging his impressive catch.

In contrast, the trio of other fishermen had only managed to catch four fish. While that was still a decent result, it paled in comparison to Jiang Hai's catch. But with those fish, plus the food everyone had brought, they were well set for the day.

They cleaned the fish and made a pot of fish soup, grilling the remaining ones with a bit of salt. It's funny, though—Americans typically avoid eating wild animals due to concerns about parasites, yet over 95% of the fish they consume is wild, and they aren't concerned about infection.

Jiang Hai's fish were no exception, and everyone was happy to eat them, bones and all.

The meal ended in a lively atmosphere. After a short rest, everyone packed up and set out again at 1 PM. After extinguishing the fire and gathering their belongings, they headed back into the forest.

The mountain range had many springs. Less than half an hour after leaving the stream, they encountered another spring, this one much larger than the previous. The widest point was about five meters across, making it more like a small river.

Water, the source of life, is crucial no matter where you are. People can survive without food for seven days, but without water, they'd perish in just three. The same holds true for animals. There had already been animals drinking from the previous stream, and now, near this "big stream," there were even more.

Paul didn't need to remind anyone to stay quiet. As they neared the water, Jiang Hai and Fuyuan lowered their voices, and even Fuyuan put down his phone, which he had been using to take photos since they entered the mountain.

When they approached the riverbank, Jiang Hai pulled aside a bush and took a look. All around, there were animals drinking from both sides of the river. In addition to the white-tailed deer they had seen earlier, there were various other deer species, and even the four-legged creatures he'd seen in the park—elk. Alongside these deer were raccoons, which, unlike the cute image on packaging, were far from innocent. Raccoons, known for stealing and causing trouble in human settlements, were often mistaken for red pandas due to their habit of washing food before eating.

There were also many foxes in the distance. With large carnivores in North America mostly extinct, foxes had become one of the dominant predators, though their status in the forest was still awkward.

The largest carnivores in the forest now were bears, but they were omnivores and not skilled at ambushing prey. Though they could run fast, most animals, aside from humans, could outrun them. Thus, bears mostly relied on easier food sources, like fruits, fish, and honey, instead of hunting.

With the disappearance of mountain lions, North American lions, and gray wolves, the most powerful predators now were foxes and coyotes, though coyotes were small, not much bigger than a Chinese pastoral dog. They weren't much of a threat to larger animals like deer, wild boars, or even foxes, who could either outrun them or easily turn the tables.

At the river, the deer were drinking in the prime spots, while the foxes and other carnivores hid on the other side of the river. The situation was quite unbalanced.

"Not bad this time, Jiang. Any of these you like?" Paul asked as he licked his lips, eyeing the deer ahead. There wasn't just one group of deer, but many. Aside from the white-tailed deer, there were groups of reindeer, moose, and elk. Paul asked Jiang Hai first, probably because he had helped solve the food problem earlier by catching the fish.

Jiang Hai, after a moment of observation, pointed to a moose. It wasn't because of its antlers, but because the moose looked especially fat. He wasn't interested in antlers for decoration; he wanted to try venison. He'd never tasted it before.

"I want that one!" he said, pointing at the moose.

Paul was a bit surprised. He had expected Jiang Hai to go for one of the larger, more majestic white-tailed deer or elk, but Jiang Hai had chosen a moose.

"Well, okay…" Paul said. In North America, people generally didn't hunt moose much because they were considered unattractive and the antlers were particularly ugly. The moose's appearance was more horse-like than deer-like.

But since Jiang Hai wanted it, Paul didn't object. He told Jiang Hai to aim first and wait for the signal before shooting. The animals on the other side needed to be coordinated in order not to scare them off.

Paul then checked with the others, who were experienced hunters, and everyone knew the rules: when hunting deer, aim for the larger males, not the females or smaller ones. A large buck could have many mates, and killing one wouldn't harm the herd much. But taking down a female deer could have a more devastating impact.

Soon, everyone had picked their targets. They readied their weapons, and with a nod from Paul, they aimed at the herd of deer across the river.

"Wan, Tu, Si Rui, Fi Er!" Paul whispered. With the signal to fire, the sound of gunshots rang out, though they weren't perfectly synchronized. The shots struck quickly, and within moments, thirteen mighty male deer fell to the ground, blood pooling around them.

The remaining deer scattered, fleeing into the forest, while other animals also bolted into the trees.

Some shots had been more precise, killing the deer outright, but others had left the animals wounded, unable to escape. The sound of their calls echoed through the forest.

Jiang Hai, witnessing this, felt a pang of reluctance. He had heard that children often get what they want when they cry, but seeing these deer, once alive, now lying in pools of blood, made him feel a little guilty.

However, that feeling was fleeting. Jiang Hai quickly suppressed it. The natural world isn't fair, and humans had long disrupted its balance. What felt like fairness in human society was often nothing more than an illusion, and Jiang Hai wasn't a saint. His discomfort soon vanished.

He adjusted his gun, joined Paul and the others in the knee-deep water, and prepared to divide the spoils.

(To be continued...)