Give them space to think and conduct a long period of self-reflection. At the same time, they should be mentally prepared to face the "test".
The implementation of the southward migration plan will never be easy.
The migration of tens of thousands of people is bound to encounter many difficulties and obstacles.
At that time, the help Zhou Li'an could provide was very limited, nothing more than the support of food and clothing, but they needed to walk hundreds of kilometers across mountains and rivers by themselves.
The purpose of setting up a "test" in advance is to avoid the tribe's dependence mentality.
Our Lord will not give them much help during this migration. Instead, they need to prove themselves in this test.
Prove their piety, prove that they are willing to go through hardships and risk death to follow in the footsteps of our Lord.
The "cryonics" of Yuki Onna was also a test.
After arriving at the destination in a few months, we can verify whether the proposition of ‘theoretical immortality’ is true.
at the same time.
Zhou Li'an is extremely busy in this world.
Contact vegetable and food suppliers and stack a large amount of food for the system space; this also includes cooked corn tortillas, sausages, etc. to avoid being unable to light a fire for cooking when there is rainfall on the way.
Then there is the purchase of warm clothing, waterproof tents, and ropes.
After running around here and there, it took four or five days to solve the material problem.
Subsequently, the previously ordered carriages arrived in batches.
The frame is made of iron, the body of the car is made of wood, and it also has a frame-type folding and retractable awning design. The wooden hubs are thickened and enlarged, all based on practicality.
It is impossible for the carriage workshop to assemble the carriages one by one, so the body, frame, and wheel hub are separated into parts.
Two technicians demonstrated the disassembly and assembly effects to Zhou Li'an on the spot. It only took them thirty minutes to assemble the carriage, without much technical content.
Then Zhou Li'an started learning again and finished it in fifty minutes. If he masters the skills of assembling, the time can be shortened.
The divided carriage is just convenient for Zhou Li'an to throw into the system space. Otherwise, after the carriage is assembled, it will exceed the free use standard of 150 kilograms.
The transportation fee is 100,000 US dollars per ton, why bother.
When the time comes to put it into the tribe, there are also craftsmen in the tribe who are responsible for making traps and other tools. As long as the methods are taught, assembling the carriage does not require much technical content.
All 100 carriages are in place.
September 10th.
Wang Defa, who had not been in contact for a long time, called and invited Zhou Li'an to a dinner.
Because today is the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Compared with the lackluster festive atmosphere in China today, where young people are busy with work and abandon the sense of ritual, this group of Chinese living overseas attach great importance to the arrival of traditional festivals.
Regardless of their stance, even if they are yellow-skinned and white-hearted, the yellow-skinned Asian faces cannot be erased. At least they still remember where their ancestors’ hometown came from.
However, Zhou Li'an declined the invitation: "I'm very busy recently and I have to go on a business trip tomorrow."
While Lao Wang expressed regret, he vaguely suggested that he wanted to discuss opening a leather factory with him.
I have been spending money recently, and if I put 500 horses into the tribe, my deposit will be cut in half.
Not to mention the huge investment required next.
If you don’t have money, you can’t play the system.
Zhou Li'an thought for a moment and said, "So, you agreed to cooperate?"
"I trust Zhou Sheng's character and channels. If Zhou Sheng gives me the opportunity to make a fortune, of course I must know how to seize it."
The two parties finalized their intentions and would contact him after he came back.
The next day, Zhou Li'an arrived at the airport and headed to Montana.
He did not contact the Stone family before setting off.
After landing at Billings Airport, I called a real estate agent whom I had made an appointment to meet with two days ago.
Taking a real estate agent's car, we headed to the small town of Belfry, nearly 100 kilometers northwest of Billings, and came to an idle horse farm for rent.
He had already read the information about the racecourse.
It has been idle for two years, and there was no response when it was put up for sale. The owners of the racecourse are an old couple who moved to the East Coast to live with their children.
The property is entrusted to an intermediary.
The racecourse facilities are very simple, but they meet Zhou Li'an's needs as a 'transit station'.
The person responsible for looking after the racecourse is a sixty-year-old lonely old man.
"That's old Kenting. He was a bard when he was young. He traveled to many places. When he had no money, he would work on farms and ranches to earn some living expenses."
"Later, when I got older and got along well with the racecourse couple, I stayed here. Now I am the caretaker of the racecourse."
The two of them stood far away. After listening to the real estate agent's introduction, Zhou Li'an frowned slightly: "This is something that was not mentioned in the information, so can I fire him?"
"Oh, I'm sorry." The real estate agent said with an exaggerated look, "This is an oversight on my part, but firing may not be an option."
"The racecourse owner's only request is to give old Kenting a job. It doesn't require a high salary. He can be guaranteed three meals a day. It only costs $700 a month."
"But it's best to settle the payment in weekly salary, otherwise he will use all the money to buy wine and live in a state of intoxication every day."
Zhou Li'an was very unhappy: "Since it is the only request of the racecourse owner, you tell me that this is your negligence?"
"Do you mind? Zhou, I'm really sorry."
"Yes, I mind."
The real estate agent was embarrassed. He did play a trick because he heard on the phone that Zhou Li'an was in urgent need of renting a racecourse.
"Then how about I help you find a horse farm again? But it will take some time. In fact, there are more idle farms and pastures in Harding Town..."
Harding, isn't that on Stone's property?
Zhou Li'an specifically chose this place to avoid them.
He said helplessly: "Can't I fire him? I can negotiate with the racecourse owner and jointly pay him a severance package."
The real estate agent refused quickly: "Old Kent's situation is special, he is disabled, um... he is mute."
"Mute? Didn't you say he was a bard?"
"That was when he was young. Later, some ruthless people cut out his tongue because he caused trouble in a bar. He could no longer sing, so he settled down and drank to relieve his sorrows all day long."
"This is a poor man, but I swear, he does his job well. Even though he is sixty years old, he can ride to town every week to buy wine. He is in good health and the horse farm is well taken care of by him; otherwise, the pair
The old couple will not insist on keeping him."
Dumb, drunkard.
For Zhou Li'an, these two items are considered bonus points for the old man.
Zhou Li'an hesitated for a long time and said, "Can I talk to him? Maybe I can convince him to leave on his own?"
"Of course we can talk, but I don't think you can convince him. This is the only place for old Kenting to stay."
The property manager put on a sympathetic gesture.
Zhou Li'an laughed angrily and said rudely: "Are you kidnapping me morally? Let me pity this old man? You are so kind, why don't you take him to your home for retirement?"
"you……"
"Shut up! You deceived me. I could have turned around and left, but I didn't. This is my kindness, and all you have to do is shut your mouth."
"Or..." Zhou Li'an looked at him coldly, "The deal is cancelled? I don't care. You are not the only real estate agent in southern Montana."
The real estate agent was so angry that he was shaking. He wanted to turn around and get in the car several times, but in the end he stood there, breathing heavily.
Zhou Li'an was too lazy to pay attention to him, and then walked towards the old man not far away.
"Old Kenting? I'm Zhou, and I plan to rent this racecourse."
Old Kenting did not speak because he was mute.
Zhou Li'an probed knowingly: "You can't speak?"
He nodded, then took out a note from his leather jacket and handed it over.
After Zhou Li'an read it, he knew that he had already prepared it. The note was a bit old. He probably wrote it for a long time but never put it to use.
"I'm Rob Kenting; a pretty good cowboy. Although I'm not young, I can still get a lot of work done."
"The Dylans left here, and they gave me my last home. Of course, I know I can't delay their sale of this farm, but if the new owner can keep me, I will work hard."
It also states the salary he requested, which, as the real estate agent said, is US$700 a month.
When Zhou Li'an looked up, he was looking at him with pleading eyes.
Zhou Li'an stared at him, wanting to test and expose his disguise, but he always remained humble and did not dodge.
At this point, Zhou Li'an spoke: "I can let you stay, but can you promise to listen to me in everything?"
Old Kenting nodded quickly, patted his chest in assurance, took out a small flask, unscrewed it and released the pungent smell of low-quality whiskey, and invited him to drink.
Zhou Li'an shook his head and refused, and continued: "I won't stay at the racecourse for a long time. This is just a transit point for me to transfer horses."
"Every time I come, I will arrange work for you...for example, can you drive?"
Old Kenting raised his eyebrows, as if to say, who in America can't drive? It's just that he doesn't have a car.
"Finally, if you're not offended, I'd like to see your tongue."
Old Kenting was stunned for a moment and frowned, but finally he opened his mouth.
Confirmed, no doubt that he is really dumb.
Zhou Li'an nodded slightly: "You are hired! But you are not allowed to drink these days. I need you to drive and transport horses for me. After I leave, you can do whatever you want. Is it a deal?"
He looked down at the wine bottle, finally tightened the cap and handed it to Zhou Li'an.
Only then did Zhou Li'an turn around and go back.
The real estate agent had already adjusted his mood and forced out an ugly smile: "So, Zhou, how was the negotiation?"
"I apologize to you again for my dereliction of duty. If you are not satisfied, I can help you look for it again..."
Zhou Li'an said: "This is it! Sign it! Then send me back to the city."
The real estate agent didn't know what the two talked about, which changed his attitude, but when he heard that the deal was done, he immediately took out the prepared contract, fearing that he would regret it.
Sign and pay. Except for the rigid terms of hiring old Kenting, there are no other restrictions in the agreement.
I have to say that the old couple are kind people.
Zhou Li'an didn't keep old Kenting because of his kindness. He hated being kidnapped by morality.
But he had no choice but to accept it.
Putting it into the system every time 20 horses are transported will appear abrupt.
It is impossible for Zhou Li'an to pick up the horses an hour ago and return an hour later to say that they have been delivered. If the cycle is three to four days, it would take three months for a trip to Montana to pick up all 500 horses.
Of course, you can also rent more than 20 trucks and take away 500 horses at once. But even if you don’t mention the truck transportation fee, you have to travel more than 1,000 kilometers to Oregon, and you need to stop every 3 or 4 hours to give the horses a ride.
Rest time.
A horse needs to drink more than 20 liters of water every day, and five hundred horses drink a huge amount of water.
This is not something that a truck driver can do, and a large number of cowboys and veterinarians need to be hired to take care of it.
Feeding, shoveling manure, resting, even if they arrive at the place without any accidents, 500 horses have probably lost half their lives after traveling 1,000 kilometers by car. They need time to recuperate and prevent the occurrence of diseases.
Finally, the quarantine procedures when passing through are troublesome.
Spending money is secondary. Zhou Li'an doesn't want to make simple things complicated.
Therefore, it is reasonable to rent a transfer station as an excuse to store horses, and then directly release the horses to the tribe at once.
The appearance of Old Kenting was an accident. However, he was just a mute and a mute addicted to alcohol. Zhou Li'an felt that it would not be difficult to deal with him.
after an hour.
He took the real estate agent's car back to the city and went their separate ways.
He rented a pickup truck from the car rental company and drove to the parking lot where he last parked the horse transport box before driving back to the racecourse.
"Old Kenting, let's go. The sooner we finish our work, the sooner I leave, and the sooner you can drink, right?"
"If your work ability satisfies me, I may give you a surprise before leaving."
Old Kenting smiled and nodded, and set off in Zhou Li'an's pickup truck.
Only then did he contact the Stone family and said that he would bring someone over to transport the horses.
The car drove into Stone Ranch.
The Stone family came out to greet him.
Martina was not here. After the summer vacation, she left home and returned to school. She also left a message for Zhou Li'an on social software. The two only chatted a few words every now and then, mainly because Zhou Li'an didn't have time to talk about love with the little girl.
This time, Zhou Li'an was also anxious. After paying 750,000 US dollars, he told them that he had rented a racecourse in Belfry as a transportation transfer station. In a few days, he would organize a fleet and manpower to transport the horses back to Oregon at once.
.
Ben Stone immediately expressed doubts: "Why don't you just come to me and take it away? Renting a racecourse will increase your expenses, won't it?"
Zhou Li'an had already prepared an excuse: "You know it is very hard to transport 1,000 kilometers. Last time I went back, some horses fell ill due to fatigue."
"This time I plan to vaccinate them against transport fever pneumonia. If these 500 horses are left here with you, I am worried that some horses will have side effects after being vaccinated, thereby infecting other horses on the racecourse."
The side effects of vaccination are very small, but with a huge base of 500 horses, what if one or two horses are unlucky enough to be infected? By the time the disease spreads, no one will be able to bear the consequences.
The Stone family looked at each other in confusion, but finally believed this statement and kept thanking Zhou Li'an for his thoughtfulness.
Subsequently, the Stones each drove a car and asked a neighbor to borrow a cargo box for transporting horses to help transport them together.
It takes 2 hours to get from Harding to Belfry. There is no need to stop and rest along the way. Three vehicles can take 60 horses at a time.
It was still early today, so we could pull away 180 horses in three trips before dark.
We'll have an early morning drive tomorrow, and the remaining 320 horses can be pulled in one go.
7pm.
Returning to the racecourse for the third time, today’s mission was successfully completed.
Because there was nothing to eat at the racecourse and everyone was already tired, Zhou Li'an did not entertain Stone and his son.
He just said that after he finished his work tomorrow, he would get together the day after tomorrow to thank them for their help.
The Stones, who had received a huge sum of 750,000 yuan, certainly did not care about one or two meals. For them, this deal was like pie in the sky and greatly relieved their financial pressure.
After seeing the two of them off, Zhou Li'an stayed at the racecourse villa.
Old Kenting would come in to clean it every week, while he himself lived in the small house next to the vegetable patch.
Got a job again...
Before Zhou Li'an took a rest, he saw him at the window rushing to the stables many times to deliver hay and water. After the horses' adaptation period tonight, they can be released to the pasture of the racecourse and run freely to eat.
The pasture that had not been gnawed in several years was extremely rich.
Five o'clock the next morning.
Zhou Li'an knocked on the door and woke up old Kenting.
He seemed to have been awake all night.
"you've been drinking?"
Old Kenting hurriedly waved his hands, rummaged through boxes and cabinets to find paper and pen, and wrote a crooked line: "It's hard for me to fall asleep without drinking. I've been sweating all night and it's very uncomfortable! But I promised you that I will exercise restraint during work.
."
Zhou Li'an sniffed and found that there was only the smell of sweat on the old man's body, and indeed there was no alcohol. Then he was satisfied and said: "Old Kenting, don't worry. When this work is completed, I will only come here two or three times a year. The rest of the time I can do whatever I want."
Why don't you drink, and I will pay your salary on time, and then this racecourse will still be your own paradise."