My Manor

Today was a real struggle for me—I was literally "vomiting blood." I went downstairs to take a shower at 4 o'clock, and when I returned an hour later, it was just the right time to post a novel. But then I realized I'd forgotten that today was the last day of the short holiday. The place was packed, but I endured it. I took off my clothes and went in, took a shower, and stood in line to scrub my body. I waited for two hours, and finally, it was my turn. After the scrub, I went to shower, only to discover there was no cold water. If it had just been no hot water, I could've endured it, but the only water available was hot—too hot! It scalded me, and I couldn't wash properly. I waited for cold water, but by the time it came, it was already after 8 o'clock, and I hadn't even had a meal yet. It was so frustrating!

Anyway, I'm posting this to everyone first. These are just updates, and the main text follows below.

"Huahua..." The sound of waves surged as a metallic yacht cut through the water, riding the wind and breaking the waves as it sped towards Boston.

At this moment, there were three people on the boat: Jiang Hai, Edward Anderson, and Andrew Christian.

Jiang Hai, sitting in the middle of the boat, looked towards Boston. At first, the city was just a blur, but it gradually came into view, and his heart lightened. The three of them weren't here for anything else—they were here to catch some dolphins.

The person who had a lead on where to find them was none other than the old man who had bought blue marlins from Jiang Hai the first time he sold them.

When Edward Anderson mentioned the old man, Jiang Hai suddenly remembered that this was the same man who had said he could get live fish to sell, either to restaurants or other buyers. Jiang Hai didn't remember the details, but it was clear that the old man had connections. If he had a way to sell fish, he surely had a way to buy them.

Since it was hard for Jiang Hai to catch wild dolphins, he didn't mind buying them. Dolphins weren't as rare in these waters as blue marlins. In fact, compared to blue marlins or even sharks, dolphins were relatively common, even though they were protected by international conventions.

Except for a few extreme nations or individuals, no one would specifically hunt dolphins. If they were caught accidentally, most fishermen would release them. If they didn't want to, they'd sell them to zoos or aquariums. Dolphins have a high reproductive capacity and, besides humans, have no natural predators in the ocean. Sharks might prey on them, but dolphins have never been targeted for consumption.

Therefore, dolphins weren't very expensive. According to Edward Anderson, the price for a dolphin would be between 20,000 and 30,000 US dollars, and the price would decrease if Jiang Hai bought them in bulk.

Since it was only a purchasing inquiry, Jiang Hai and his friends weren't using a fishing boat, but instead, they were cruising on Jiang Hai's yacht.

Boats, like cars, aren't afraid of occasional use, but if left unused for too long, they tend to break down. So, despite Jiang Hai not being a skilled yacht driver, he could manage well enough for this trip. He and his friends headed to Boston's fish market, where they hoped to find dolphins. As soon as they neared the market, the fishermen in line to sell their catch couldn't help but murmur. Jiang Hai wasn't a regular at the market, but his popularity had certainly grown.

Unlike the first time he came to sell blue marlins, when he was a bit nervous, now Jiang Hai was completely at ease. He even greeted familiar faces, which left people stunned. The most confused of all was the guy who had sold him the sea map—he thought Jiang Hai was here to settle accounts with him.

But it had been months since that incident. Even if Jiang Hai was upset, he wouldn't still be holding a grudge.

"Hey, lucky billionaire, what are you doing here?" asked a manager from outside the fish market as he saw the yacht approach. He was sure Jiang Hai wasn't here to sell fish.

While Jiang Hai's yacht was impressive, it wasn't exactly built for fishing, so the manager was curious. Was Jiang Hai here to recruit people?

"We're here to meet your boss. We've got business to discuss," Jiang Hai replied loudly, leaving out the part about being called a billionaire. He didn't mind people hearing that.

Curious, the manager passed on the message. No one in the U.S. would ever neglect a billionaire. As soon as the message was relayed, Jiang Hai was invited inside and told to skip the line.

Edward, not one to hesitate, steered the yacht expertly through the boats, parking it at the dock. The three of them hopped off.

"Hey, my dear friend, I heard you need something from me? Are you here to sell fish from your fish farm?" The old man who had bought the blue marlin from Jiang Hai greeted him with a smile.

The fishermen around him chuckled. Everyone knew Jiang Hai had stocked his fish farm only a few months ago, so selling the fish so soon was an unlikely idea.

"Of course not! I was hoping to make a good profit off those guys," Jiang Hai responded with a smile. Back when he first arrived in the U.S., he might have been offended by such humor. He might have thought they were mocking him, or worse, making racial jokes. But now he understood—it was just American humor, which was quite different from Eastern humor.

"Well, in that case, you'll have to work harder. Let's go in!" The old man led Jiang Hai into a room behind him with a friendly chuckle.

The room had two sections: the front area, where the money was kept, and the back, where tired workers could rest. The front was busy with fishermen selling their catch. Many of them didn't want checks or bank transfers because anything involving a bank meant taxes. Fishermen typically don't make much from fishing, so they prefer cash to avoid taxes.

As a result, cash changed hands frequently in this room, and security was tight. Over 20 people worked here, including armed guards, all with legal licenses to carry weapons.

In the back room, a large man offered coffee to Jiang Hai and his friends before stepping out, knowing the conversation wasn't for him to hear.

"Alright, my Eastern friend, tell me what you need," the old man said, sitting down and taking a sip of his coffee.

"I'm looking for a batch of dolphins," Jiang Hai stated.

"Dolphins? What do you need them for? Planning to open a zoo?" The old man was surprised. He had expected Jiang Hai to ask for something else.

"Don't worry about it. I have my own plans," Jiang Hai replied with a shrug, not wanting to explain that he intended to tame them as underwater guards.

The old man's smile faded, and he became more serious. "I can't just sell you dolphins. If you plan to eat them or use them for some cruel purpose, that could come back on me."

His words made it clear that he was aware of some negative stereotypes about Chinese people and their eating habits. But Jiang Hai calmly reassured him.

"Don't worry, I'm here to tame and release them, not to harm them," Jiang Hai said.

"Well, if that's the case, then we're good. Edward here is an old friend of mine, so there's no need for formalities. Dolphins are plentiful in the sea. For white dolphins over 2.5 meters, the price is $36,000. If they're over 2 meters, they cost $21,000; over 1.5 meters, $13,000; and for dolphins under 1 meter, $10,000. Black dolphins are a little more expensive—$12,000 for those under 1 meter, $15,000 for those over 1.5 meters, $27,000 for those over 2 meters, and $40,000 for those over 2.5 meters."

"White dolphins? Black dolphins? What about the other types, like spotted dolphins or those with thin snouts?" Jiang Hai was a bit confused. He had done a lot of research on dolphins and marine mammals, but this didn't seem to match what he had learned.

The old man waved it off. "What you're talking about are just subtypes. Fishermen here don't care about all that scientific stuff—just black, white, and spotted. The rest don't matter. The spotted ones are counted as white dolphins anyway."

Jiang Hai couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. After all that research, he realized the fishermen didn't even care about the details. Well, he thought, at least he could find some dolphins!