"Does it look good?" After a few awkward moments, Bernice's voice broke the silence. Although she appeared to be laughing, Jiang Hai could sense her words trembling. He wasn't sure whether it was from shyness or anger.
Looking at Bernice's beautiful face, Jiang Hai realized that answering "it looks good" would be wrong, but so would saying "it doesn't look good."
The situation was simply too ridiculous. This was the first time Jiang Hai had found himself in such an absurd situation, and it almost seemed like he had done it intentionally.
Indeed, no matter how you looked at it, he had taken advantage of the situation, but this was a question that was far from easy to answer.
Luckily, Jiang Hai's quick thinking came to his rescue. After a brief pause, he said, "Well, I didn't see anything... A ruthless fire burned down my home and took away my light... You are my eyes, guiding me to appreciate the changes of the four seasons. Thank you!"
Jiang Hai then looked at his bare backside, slowly felt his way up the stone, and walked toward the men's bathroom, humming to himself.
Bernice, who had been a bit confused at first, suddenly smiled. This Jiang Hai was truly shameless.
It wasn't until Jiang Hai disappeared that Bernice remembered her injured leg. She slowly climbed out of the hot spring, rubbing her leg again before grabbing a towel and heading to the locker room. After changing clothes, she emerged to find that Jiang Hai had already left.
This brought her a sense of relief, but also some disappointment. This Jiang Hai was so clueless. He had just seen her naked, yet he didn't even wait for her. Didn't he realize she had hurt her leg?
Though she thought this in her mind, she couldn't bring herself to ask anyone else for help. She limped back to her room.
Lying on her bed, Bernice gazed at her bruised leg, speechless. At the same time, the image of what had just happened flashed in her mind. Although it was dark, there had been a light in the hot spring, and the moon was still bright.
She was certain of one thing: when she and Jiang Hai had locked eyes, she had seen him naked, and he had seen her naked.
Jiang Hai's strong body, his toned waist, and that… straight thing made Bernice blush as she recalled it. When she was younger, she had secretly watched some Japanese and European/American romantic dramas.
In those films, she was sure the Asian men didn't seem as well-built as their European or American counterparts.
But today, seeing Jiang Hai's physique, she couldn't help but sigh. She hadn't expected him to be so... impressive, much bigger than the men in the movies. At first glance, it looked very powerful.
"Pah, pah, what am I thinking? That thing is none of my business... Go to sleep." Suddenly, Bernice froze. What was she thinking? She slapped the blanket and cursed inwardly before turning her head, forcing herself to sleep.
Whether she actually fell asleep was unclear. Meanwhile, Jiang Hai, back in his room, found himself recalling Bernice's figure.
To be honest, Bernice's body wasn't particularly remarkable, especially compared to those nourished by Jiang Hai's spiritual energy.
At least not when compared to Darlene, Marianne, Aphra, Ai Xiaoxi, or Feng Yunchen.
But her soft, fair skin… Hey, Jiang Hai thought as an experienced "driver," and couldn't resist opening his computer. He pushed Xiaobai and Xiaohuang out of his room and slowly clicked on a hidden folder...
The next morning, after Jiang Hai woke up, he washed up, went for a run, and came back to have breakfast.
However, that morning, Bernice wasn't out on the lawn boxing. She limped into the kitchen while Jiang Hai was eating, and Darlene and Marianne, just waking up, looked a bit confused.
Azarina watched them with a sly smile. It seemed something must have happened between them the previous night. Feeling Azarina's gaze, Jiang Hai, thick-skinned as ever, remained unfazed. After all, he had done nothing wrong. But Bernice was a different story. Her face flushed red under Azarina's gaze, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything. Instead, she glared at Jiang Hai and continued eating breakfast.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward, but after breakfast, Jiang Hai went to Xiaoya's room again. While treating her illness, he also spent some time playing with her. In the afternoon, he checked on the cows, brushed Xiaoxia's fur, took him out for a walk, fed him some carrots, and then walked to the dock. By the time he returned, it was already time for dinner.
Xiaoya had prepared the meal, and they enjoyed a good dinner. Afterward, everyone went to the hot spring for a relaxing soak.
They bathed together—of course, separately—and then returned to the villa. Some played, some watched TV, some played on their computers, and some went to sleep. That was Jiang Hai's day.
It might have been boring, but Jiang Hai was genuinely happy. He ate well, drank well, played well, and lived comfortably. What was there to be unhappy about? Xiaoya was also very happy. She was growing happier by the day.
Sometimes, when life is peaceful and steady, it passes very quickly, especially when there's nothing you're trying to avoid. Happy times seem to fly by—just like working from Monday to Friday. The week feels slow, but come the weekend, it's gone before you know it. The same happens in school: why is a 40-minute class so grueling, but a whole month of vacation seems to pass in the blink of an eye? Time passes frighteningly fast.
Children grow up in a flash, middle-aged people retire in a flash, and the elderly... Well, the elderly can no longer stop the relentless passage of time.
Jiang Hai was living a happy life now. With a peaceful attitude and no ambitions, he was truly content on this vast grassland. He felt that time passed quickly here.
After nearly ten days, the river channel was finally completed. Jiang Hai was pleased with the work, especially trusting Hutt Charles to handle the project.
The channel measured four meters wide on average, the widest part about four and a half meters, and the narrowest part three and a half meters. The water depth was 1.6 meters, though there were still 10 centimeters of sand to be added. This sand was sourced from Jiang Hai's own seaside—some from the sea, and some from the beach.
The sand resources were abundant, partly thanks to Jiang Hai's parrotfish, which helped produce sand for the riverbed. It wasn't being sold, just used for the river channel, so there were no concerns.
The banks were reinforced with concrete, about 30 centimeters higher than the river's edge. Every 300 meters, there was a small bridge, wooden on the outside but reinforced with concrete inside. According to Hutt Charles, these bridges would withstand even a real flood.
Along both sides of the river, a man-made rubberized path, similar to a 400-meter track at a university, was built. It felt good to walk or run on, though it was a bit tricky to maintain. But since Jiang Hai didn't litter, it wasn't a problem. The path was about two meters wide, with street lamps every ten meters and trash cans placed every few lamps. Benches lined the path. Jiang Hai couldn't help but laugh at the park-like design. It seemed Hutt-Charles had really gone all out, but since Jiang Hai didn't have to pay for it, it didn't matter.
On the other side of the path were rows of trees, mostly red maples—the most common tree in North America. While the wood wasn't particularly valuable, it brought a refreshing new look to Jiang Hai's grassland.
Once everything was in place, Hutt-Charles also managed to dig up the long-awaited spring.
Five springs erupted simultaneously, forming a torrent. Jiang Hai wondered if the water would overflow the riverbank, but Hutt Charles's expertise showed as the water flowed smoothly toward the sea, following the river's shape.
After half an hour, the river calmed, and the surface shimmered with beautiful ripples under the sunlight.
Next, the river water had to be warmed up. It was still freezing cold, but once the temperature reached about 20°C, Jiang Hai planned to plant water plants. These plants were nourished by his spiritual energy, and once planted, they would thrive and serve as food for the fish he intended to introduce.
Though it was his first time planting in a river, Jiang Hai was no stranger to it, having done so in the sea before. After five days of sunlight, the river warmed, and he planted the water plants. They took root quickly, stabilizing the riverbed and bringing vitality to the whole area.
This spiritually charged environment, along with the water plants, attracted many marine creatures, including small shrimp, crabs, and the migratory salmon he had raised. They'd eventually have a spawning ground here.
Another half-month passed, and everything was ready. Jiang Hai received a call: the ship from China had arrived, along with Wang Yang's jade. His stones didn't need to go through the same process as the species; they were flown directly from Los Angeles to Boston.
With everything in motion, Jiang Hai got busy, asking Edward Anderson and others to prepare for the ship's arrival, while Robbins and his team helped receive the animals. Jiang Hai also called in the decoration specialists. Everything was in place!
(End of Chapter)