Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 341 - 268: Investment

Nearby, Nash and his tribesmen also slaughtered and cleaned the two sheep.

Slaughtering the sheep was a simpler affair; they just needed to be skinned and butchered.

They brought the fresh beef and mutton back to the party, where the speakers were already blasting high-energy music. Employees held up beer bottles, bobbing their heads to the rhythm.

On the row of barbecue grills, the charcoal was already glowing. A few of the more impatient employees had scrounged up some meat from somewhere and were searing it on a griddle.

"Move aside, everyone! Let me show you what real barbecue is," Feng Shan announced, holding a basin of fresh beef. He shooed the employees away from the grill to make room for Old Zhang. "Master Zhang, the stage is yours."

"You little rascal. So you dragged me here to do the grilling, did you!" Old Zhang couldn’t help but chuckle and shake his head.

’If I wasn’t itching for some action, would I really be here butchering a cow for you? Do you have any idea what my appearance fee is?’

Just then, Loki swooped down and landed on Feng Shan’s shoulder. He twisted his little head back and forth, his small eyes filled with curiosity. It seemed that the more crowded and lively the scene, the more interesting he found it and the more he wanted to join the fun.

"Listen, you can play around, but no swearing," Feng Shan warned, remembering Loki’s bad habit of cursing whenever he was in a crowd.

MEOW!

Coca-Cola weaved through the crowd and ran up to Feng Shan, staring intently at Loki on his shoulder.

The moment Loki saw Coca-Cola, he immediately lost his nerve. He flapped his wings in fright, squawking, "I was wrong! I was wrong!" as he scrambled into the air and flew away.

Feng Shan quickly scooped up Coca-Cola, took a small piece of beef from the basin to feed her, and cooed, "You’re the top cat around here. Just teaching Loki a little lesson is enough!"

After eating the beef, Coca-Cola’s mood seemed to improve considerably. She stretched her head out and bumped it against Feng Shan’s forehead, as if in response to his comforting words.

Then, with a light leap, she jumped onto the grass and began to stalk off with elegant steps, searching for any sign of Loki.

Standing by the grill, Old Zhang watched Feng Shan fooling around with his bird and then his cat, not doing a lick of work. He was fuming.

"Feng the kid, get over here and help! Are you just going to work an old man like me to the bone?"

"Coming, coming!"

Feng Shan hurried over, calling out for others to come and help as he went.

After all, with so much beef and mutton to prepare, a few people weren’t going to be enough. Many hands make light work.

Gathering by the grills, everyone took on a role and got busy.

The fresh beef was cut into small cubes, then seasoned and marinated with salt and pepper according to Old Zhang’s instructions.

The larger cuts of beef were sliced and placed directly on the grates, ready to be grilled into large steaks, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

"We can make jerky from the beef round, as well as beef skewers. The beef blood can go into a cellophane noodle soup, the mutton can be stewed, and the fatty and lean lamb can be used for a cumin dish."

Old Zhang listed off the dishes they could make as he expertly handled the ingredients.

Jenny brought the restaurant staff over to help.

With their help, the preparations became even more orderly. The labor was clearly divided: some continued to slice meat, some helped thread the skewers, and others prepared side dishes nearby, everyone bustling about happily.

Seeing so many people pitching in, Feng Shan felt he couldn’t get a hand in anywhere, so he grabbed a beer from a table and tried to sneak away.

But as soon as he turned, he ran right into the four poachers who were delivering vegetables.

"Mr. Feng." Gordon, holding a crate of tomatoes, looked a little emotional when he saw Feng Shan.

"Oh, it’s the four of you. I hear you’ve been doing a great job lately. In a little while, you’ll be able to return to the city," Feng Shan said with a smile, taking a sip of his beer.

’Return to the city?’

’No, we don’t want to go back.’

When Gordon heard this, he froze, his face a mask of disbelief.

’The food here is good, the living conditions are good, and everyone treats us as equals. We don’t have to suffer the scorn we faced in the city.’

’Why would we go back?’

"No, Mr. Feng! I don’t think our reformation has been good enough, not thorough enough. There’s still a lot of land at the vegetable farm that hasn’t been cleared."

"Besides, Miss Maria and Miss Tammy are women, after all. They aren’t strong enough for a lot of the heavy labor, which still requires our help."

"So please, give us more time. We promise we’ll do better. We definitely won’t disappoint you."

Gordon and the other three looked at Feng Shan with utmost sincerity. Their words were full of earnest pleading, and their eyes shone with anticipation.

"???"

Feng Shan stared at them, completely bewildered. He suddenly recalled Tammy mentioning in the cabin a few days ago that the four men wanted to stay in the Crown Territory.

"How much land have you cleared so far?"

"Four acres of strawberry fields and two acres for other vegetables." The bearded man, Abbot, stepped forward and answered respectfully upon hearing the question.

Six acres of land.

’Clearing that much land in such a short time showed they weren’t slacking off; they were genuinely working hard.’

Feng Shan was quite satisfied with the results of their labor.

But then he had another thought. ’If I agree to let them stay in the Crown Territory right now, won’t that make it seem too easy to get in?’

"Hmm, I can consider your request. But it will depend on your performance from now on."

Upon hearing this, a light instantly flashed in the four men’s eyes. They nodded excitedly, their faces overcome with joy.

"Yes, sir! We’ll be sure to do our best."

"We’ll go right back to work as soon as we’ve delivered these vegetables."

The four of them looked as if they wanted to drop the vegetables right there and then and rush back to the farm to keep working, just so Feng Shan could see their eager attitude.