Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 300 - 248: Buying Horses (2)

"But after bringing him back to Horned Ranch and raising him for a while, we discovered Cigar has a serious personality defect. He’s too high-strung and easily agitated by his surroundings, which causes him to lose control."

At this, Manager Tushen sighed again in resignation. "Just like today—a single mouse made him lose control. From a racing standpoint, he’s undoubtedly a failure. The Kentucky Racecourse has already sent someone to inspect him and decided to replace him with another horse."

"Then what will happen to this one?" After listening to Manager Tushen’s explanation, Feng Mountain gestured toward the gray horse still tearing across the snow.

’Such a fine horse. It would be a real shame for it to be labeled a failure just like that.’

"He’ll probably be sent to the slaughterhouse," Manager Tushen sighed. "With Cigar’s temperament, there’s very little chance of him even becoming a workhorse. He’s too easy to spook, so no one can trust him. That’s most likely how it will end."

Just then, perhaps tired from chasing the gray horse for so long, Loki flapped his wings and flew slowly toward the fence, finally landing steadily on Feng Mountain’s shoulder.

"Well, look who decided to come back," Feng Mountain chided gently, though inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly reached out and brushed the snowflakes from Loki’s wings, his eyes filled with affection.

Then, he gave Loki a light tap on the head with his finger—a small punishment for his earlier recklessness.

NEIGH! NEIGH!

The gray horse, Cigar, seemingly not having had his fill of playing with Loki, actually followed him to the edge of the fence.

He pawed at the snow on the ground with his hooves, again and again, kicking up flurries of white powder. He would snort from time to time, his large nostrils puffing, and kept shaking his head as if calling for Loki to come play some more.

"Hey, pal. You’re a good boy," Loki said to the gray horse, mimicking Feng Mountain’s tone.

Seeing this, Manager Tushen and the other staff members found it quite novel. The tension on everyone’s faces gradually began to fade.

Feng Mountain was amused as well and reached his hand out to the gray horse.

"Mr. Feng, don’t! Cigar bites strangers," Manager Tushen called out urgently, his expression tightening as he saw what was happening.

But in the next moment, the unexpected happened.

Cigar actually lowered his head and nudged it under Feng Mountain’s palm, allowing Feng’s hand to rest gently on his forehead. He even nuzzled affectionately against his palm.

He acted just like he was meeting a long-lost friend, completely docile. He was like a totally different horse compared to his frantic, out-of-control state moments ago.

Feng Mountain was stunned for a moment, then a smile spread across his face. He gently stroked Cigar’s head, feeling the warmth of his body and his smooth mane.

"Hey, little guy, you’re actually pretty friendly, huh? You gave everyone quite a scare earlier."

Perched on Feng Mountain’s shoulder, Loki watched the scene and began to chatter excitedly.

The ranch hands’ eyes went wide, their faces full of disbelief. Manager Tushen, in particular, muttered, "This... this is so strange. Cigar is never like this. What’s gotten into him today?"

The other staff members looked at each other, stunned by Cigar’s friendly behavior. No one could have guessed that the horse that had been so agitated moments ago would now be interacting so gently.

"Papa, good horse. Good pal," Loki said, rubbing his head gently against Feng Mountain’s cheek.

"You clever little rascal. As if I don’t know what you’re up to!" Feng Mountain smiled knowingly. He understood that Loki really liked this horse and didn’t want to be parted from him.

He turned to Manager Tushen. "How about this: don’t send Cigar back to the Kentucky Racecourse. I’ll buy him. Loki is very fond of him."

What?!

’Because his pet parrot liked the horse, he was going to buy one with an obvious personality defect? It was just unbelievable.’

Manager Tushen and his staff were dumbfounded.

"Sir, Cigar has a personality defect. He’s very dangerous when he loses control," Manager Tushen quickly reminded him again.

Feng Mountain waved his hand dismissively.

"It’s fine. My property is huge; there’s plenty of room for him to run wild. Besides, Loki likes him. Do you really want to see him sent to a slaughterhouse to be turned into horse meat and served for dinner?"

Hearing this, Manager Tushen opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but he couldn’t find the right words. He was torn.

On one hand, he really didn’t want to see Cigar sent to the slaughterhouse. After all, they’d had such high hopes when they first bought him. On the other hand, he was worried that Mr. Feng would get hurt if he bought Cigar, which would be a huge problem.

’Since I’ve decided to buy Cigar, I should do it as a proper transaction. No need to take advantage of them. Accepting too many favors just means owing people.’

’And those are the hardest debts to repay.’

’Besides, I have the Beast Taming Technique. It should help with his personality defect.’

Seeing Manager Tushen’s conflicted expression, Feng Mountain smiled and continued.

"As for the price, you don’t need to give me a discount. I’ll pay whatever the cost is. I’ve taken a liking to this horse myself."

At this, Feng Mountain seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, if I wanted to buy a group of horses, do you have any connections?"

’To develop the ranching operation on my property, cattle and sheep aren’t enough. If I could bring in a group of horses, it would be much more convenient, whether for hauling goods or for riding on daily patrols of the land.’

’I could also add a new horseback riding activity for the tourist camp.’

Manager Tushen was stunned for a moment before snapping back to reality. "Of course!" he replied hurriedly. "Horned Ranch has a group of Quarter Horses right here. Upper management decided to cancel the horse breeding program to focus on cattle and sheep, and I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do with them."

’Talk about perfect timing. This was it.’

As soon as Feng Mountain heard this, he beamed, his face lighting up with pleasant surprise.

"What a coincidence! If it’s not too much trouble, could you show them to me? I have great faith in Horned Ranch’s eye for quality. I’m sure they’re excellent horses."

"Of course. I hand-picked every one of them myself," Manager Tushen said, puffing out his chest with pride.

The nearby staff members watched the two converse enthusiastically and broke into relaxed smiles. They all felt that if this deal went through, it would be a good thing for everyone.

Horned Ranch had always focused on raising cattle and sheep. Upper management had insisted on starting a horse breeding program, investing a ton of capital, only for it to cause all sorts of headaches.

Manager Tushen led the group to the horse paddock.

A dozen or so tall, powerful horses of the same type were kept inside the enclosure. Manager Tushen began his introduction.

"Mr. Feng, we have fifteen Quarter Horses in total here, all from the Keeneland Racecourse. Every one of them has an excellent pedigree that can be traced back to the first generation."

"What’s the price?" Feng Mountain asked, nodding as his gaze swept over the horses in the enclosure. ’Every single coat is glossy and their muscle definition is clean. It’s not just a sign of good care; their basic stock is excellent.’

Manager Tushen smiled. "These are pedigreed Quarter Horses, so they’re priced at 30,000 US Dollars each. After all, they are purebreds, and we’ve invested a great deal in their care and training."

"However, since you’re interested in buying them and were so quick to purchase Cigar, I can give you a discount. How does 28,000 US Dollars per horse sound?"

After hearing the offer, Feng Mountain did a quick calculation in his head. ’The price is quite reasonable, even a little cheaper than I expected.’ He agreed on the spot.

Next came the final tally.

head of beef cattle, including 50 Angus, 30 Simmental, and 20 Hereford, for a total of 96,525 US Dollars.

Suffolk Sheep, for a total of 30,000 US Dollars.

Sixteen pedigreed Quarter Horses, including Cigar, for a total of 448,000 US Dollars.

Feng Mountain’s trip to Horned Ranch ended with a total expenditure of 574,525 US Dollars.

The moment he took the check, Manager Tushen looked at Cigar trailing after Feng Mountain, and a great weight was finally lifted from his shoulders.

"Mr. Feng, how do you plan on transporting all these cattle and sheep? I know a trucking company that provides excellent service."

’Trucks!’

Feng Mountain and Jeff exchanged a knowing smile, leaving Manager Tushen completely baffled.

’Did I say something wrong?’

...