"It seems that I am anxious. Let's talk about it after the game." Hearing Jiang Hai's words, the old man nodded and sat back down. In fact, he had also found a way out for himself. He could tell that Jiang Hai seemed unwilling to let them visit his manor, but the more Jiang Hai resisted, the more interested the old man became in it.
After the old man sat down, it was time for the formal scoring. There were six judges present. Apart from the old man, Jiang Hai didn't know the others, but that didn't matter. These judges had a high opinion of Jiang Hai's cattle.
The first judge scored 9.7 points, the second 9.3, the third 9.5, the fourth 9.3, the fifth 9.6, and the sixth 9.6. Such scores were already impressive.
After adding the scores and averaging them, Jiang Hai's Robbins No. 1 finally received a score of 9.45.
This score was already outstanding—enough to guarantee a spot in the finals.
The reason the score wasn't higher mainly had to do with the Angus breed itself.
Angus cattle are quite common in the United States—no, they're widespread around the world. Originally from Britain, Angus cattle were introduced to the U.S. after the country's founding. Thanks to selective breeding, Angus cattle have become highly valued.
In the U.S., Angus cattle account for one-third of all beef cattle, and they are also raised in countries such as Canada and New Zealand. China has even introduced Angus cattle, though they're not the top-performing breed for meat production, which is why the U.S. doesn't sell the best ones. It's not an exaggeration to say that Angus cattle are the national cattle of the U.S.
But because of this prevalence, Angus cattle aren't considered rare.
A purebred Tibetan mastiff, if it mutates, can fetch a lot of money—even without mutation, it's still valuable.
But a Chinese pastoral dog, even if it evolves to kill wolves, is still just a pastoral dog.
Looking at it from this perspective, Jiang Hai's Robbins No. 1 is undoubtedly the highest-scoring Angus cattle in recent years.
When the score was announced, the audience couldn't help but applaud. Many of the older people in the crowd were surprised that Jiang Hai's beef cattle had scored so highly. However, it was clear that Jiang Hai's cattle were destined to be in the top eight. When the host announced the score, Jiang Hai led the cattle backstage, but the atmosphere in the back was a bit strange.
The people from the companies who had previously ignored Jiang Hai now made an effort to approach him. Though they didn't know the meat yield and quality of his cattle, they could tell that the impressive appearance of the cows might present opportunities for future cooperation. While their attitude toward Jiang Hai didn't completely turn around, it was far better than before.
Despite this, Jiang Hai didn't seek them out. He simply nodded in acknowledgment, but he didn't smile—not today, at least.
This shift in attitude was mainly from the companies that hadn't directly clashed with Jiang Hai. However, the people from Carlett Company had a different reaction. They compared their cows with Jiang Hai's and exchanged uneasy glances.
Especially Paul Kaye and Roslin Carlett, whose faces were nearly as dark as thunderclouds.
But at this point, there was nothing they could do but sit and wait.
Soon enough, Jiang Hai's second cow made its appearance. The crowd gasped again.
Jiang Hai's cows were truly stunning. As Robbins led the cow to the booth, the cheers grew even louder.
Backstage, the atmosphere grew even more tense, especially for the people at Carlett Company. Their expectations had been shattered. They had thought Jiang Hai's herd consisted of only fifteen ordinary cows, but now it was clear that there was more to these cows than they had imagined.
They didn't believe that all of Jiang Hai's cows were kings of cattle, but at least the two they had seen were definitely formidable.
As time passed, the morning exhibition concluded.
The highest score went to the 5A-level Wagyu from Suzuki Company, which scored an impressive 9.52 points.
Second place went to Jiang Hai's Robbins No. 2, with 9.47 points, followed by Robbins No. 1 in third place with 9.45 points.
The cows from other companies were ranked afterward, but the gaps between their scores were substantial.
Jiang Hai's cows and the first-place Wagyu were only 0.5 points apart, while the fourth-place cow trailed Jiang Hai's by 1.2 points, with a score of 9.33. The cow from Carlett Company, which was decent in appearance, ranked fifth with 9.27 points—1.8 points behind Robbins No. 1. This gap was evident to anyone paying attention.
If Jiang Hai's cows were Wagyu, Belgian Blue, Charolais, Limousin, or Simmental, his scores might have been a few tenths higher. In fact, they could even challenge the top Wagyu's status.
When the organizer announced the top eight rankings the following day, the cheer that erupted was deafening. Jiang Hai and his friends smiled.
For them, the appearance of these two cows was secondary. When the cows were slaughtered tomorrow, revealing their marble-patterned meat, it would demonstrate to everyone what a truly exceptional cow looked like.
Now that they had made it into the semi-finals, Jiang Hai and his friends saw no reason to linger.
They loaded the cows into the vehicle and returned to their own cattle shed. After Jiang Hai and his friends left, the backstage area became lively once more. To the onlookers, aside from Jiang Hai's two cows, the other six cows had been chosen as expected. They were satisfied with the way the selection had turned out.
In the final rankings, Jiang Hai's cattle took two of the top eight spots. Suzuki's two Wagyu cattle were selected, as well as two from the local Carlett Company—one Angus and one Belgian Blue. While Belgian Blue cattle looked impressive, their meat quality wasn't as good, so despite being in the top eight, this cow wasn't expected to rank highly in the final.
Carlett Company's main product was Angus cattle, but unfortunately, their cattle didn't perform well in the preliminaries. This left them in a precarious position in their bet with Jiang Hai.
The three companies—Suzuki, Carlett, and Jiang Hai—had secured six of the top eight spots. The remaining two were taken by Truman Company, with its Angus cattle in seventh, and Bavetta Company, which had a Charolais in sixth.
These were the top eight:
Suzuki's Wagyu No. 1
Jiang Hai's Robbins No. 1
Jiang Hai's Robbins No. 2
Carlett's Belgian Blue Bull
Suzuki's Wagyu No. 2
Bavetta's Charolais
Truman's Angus
Carlett's Angus
The two Angus bulls from Carlett should have ranked higher, as they were of good quality. However, Jiang Hai's two bulls were too perfect. In comparison, even Angus cattle of the same type seemed to fall short.
It was clear that the people at Carlett weren't pleased with this result. Not long after Jiang Hai left, they too departed.
Back at the hotel, Roslin Carlett, who had made the bet with Jiang Hai, threw his suit jacket on the sofa, visibly frustrated.
No one was more depressed than him at that moment. What a mess!
He had just signed a new bet with Jiang Hai, only to be slapped in the face by the outcome. Looking at Jiang Hai's two cows, he felt his face flush with embarrassment. He had hoped to use this opportunity to overshadow Jiang Hai, but instead, he had been knocked to the ground.
"What should we do now, manager?" Paul Kaye, who was also worried, asked cautiously. He had made the first bet with Jiang Hai. Though the bet was now on the company, he knew that if they were forced to pay the 10 million, it would reflect poorly on the company. He might even be fired or face worse consequences if any old issues resurfaced.
"I'm asking you what to do!" Roslin Carlett shouted, his frustration boiling over. "Why provoke anyone else? Why him? If we let a farmer beat us in a beef cattle exhibition, do you think we can still stand on the East Coast?"
"Boss, we didn't expect his cattle to be so good," Paul Kaye replied, gritting his teeth. "Since he has the ability to win the championship, should we think of a way to stop him from participating?"