"I truly appreciate your contribution to nature. This mountain lion is pregnant. It must have sensed the shortage of resources in the mountains, combined with the overwhelming pressures of life, which led it to venture into human society." The girl standing next to Jiang Hai, her face filled with affection, spoke gently to him as they observed the mountain lion in the cage.
Last night, Jiang Hai had watched the mountain lion until after midnight, but eventually gave in to his curiosity and retired to his room for sleep.
By this morning, the mountain lion had almost fully recovered. Wild animals have a much stronger healing ability than domestic ones, and this mountain lion was no exception. After a night of rest, plus the benefit of food, water, and warmth, the wound on its face—caused by Xiao Huang—had started to heal, and the bite on its hind leg from Xiao Bai had also improved. Although Jiang Hai hadn't injected any spiritual energy into it, the beef at Jiang Hai Manor was nourished by spiritual energy.
After eating, the mountain lion's condition had already improved significantly.
This morning, he and Robbins had driven the mountain lion to the stray pet center in Winthrop.
The mountain lion would stay there for a while before being transferred to someone from Boston, or potentially released back into the Appalachian Mountains. With the current protections in place for the Appalachian Mountains, the likelihood of releasing it there was higher than taking it back to the city.
Moreover, since the mountain lion was pregnant, today was the perfect opportunity to restore the ecological balance.
"It's nothing," Jiang Hai said, smiling and waving his hand in response to the girl's words.
In truth, he had always been fond of wild animals. He hadn't had the opportunity to raise them before, and now… well, it wasn't easy to care for them.
"It might not seem like much to you, but it helps maintain the ecological balance." The girl smiled at Jiang Hai's casual response. This wasn't their first meeting. She had been the one to help him when he came to adopt a dog. In fact, they had become somewhat familiar with each other over time, though Jiang Hai didn't yet know her name.
Upon hearing her words, Jiang Hai couldn't help but glance at the girl. She was the epitome of an American girl: about 1.7 meters tall, youthful, with long golden hair and a few cute freckles on her face. Looking into her eyes, Jiang Hai chuckled and said, "If you really want to thank me... then let me adopt a brown bear."
When she heard the first part of Jiang Hai's sentence, the girl thought he was asking her out. But by the time she heard the second part, she was left stunned.
"Get out!" Jiang Hai said bluntly.
Robbins, who had been quietly following Jiang Hai and the girl, couldn't help but shrug. His boss had no clue how to flirt.
Although they weren't kicked out, they were politely asked to leave.
After leaving the stray pet center, Jiang Hai touched his nose, thinking that, between mountain lions and bears, he was more interested in raising the latter.
Of course, it was because there were no tigers around. If there were, he'd want to raise them too.
Thinking back to the Arab tycoons he had seen with lions, tigers, leopards, and other exotic animals, Jiang Hai had once been envious.
Now that he had the means to raise such creatures, plus a unique ability to make them obedient, his wild side took over. Just then, the sound of knocking came from the front.
"What's going on? Is someone organizing a parade in town?" Jiang Hai asked, surprised by the music from ahead.
"Oh, today's the Sea God Festival," Robbins explained after taking a quick look. He recognized the situation immediately.
"Sea God Festival?" Jiang Hai asked, stunned. He had never heard of it before.
Seeing his curiosity, Robbins explained. Since Winthrop was by the sea, and because the land there wasn't very fertile, the residents had historically relied on fishing for a living.
Fishing required prayers to ensure good catches and protection from sea storms. Although the rise of the United States had diminished feudal superstitions, some traditions persisted. For instance, Catholicism still had a significant following, even though the proportion of believers wasn't as high as in Europe due to the smaller population there.
Regardless, the Sea God Festival remained popular in the area.
Originally, the festival was just a simple ritual to pray for favorable weather and bountiful harvests in the coming year, especially during the summer when storms were most likely to occur. People would offer meat and other offerings, tossing them into the sea.
Over the past few decades, however, the festival had become a full-fledged event in Winthrop Town. It featured a parade organized by a local band, which began in the town and ended at the beach. Along the way, townsfolk would join in, creating a lively atmosphere.
Once at the beach, after offering gifts to the sea god, a small market would form, where people could exchange old appliances, buy goods with money, or trade items in a flea market-like fashion.
Hearing Robbins' explanation, Jiang Hai decided to stay and experience the event. He called Pra Walton, Selena Gomez, and Qi Li to see if they were interested, but when he learned they weren't, he set off alone. It was understandable—if he had asked them if they wanted to visit luxury stores in Boston, they would've been keen. But a flea market? Not so much.
"Let's go, Robbins. Let's check it out." As the parade slowly approached, Jiang Hai motioned for Robbins to join him. He thought it'd be more fun if they mingled with the crowd.
"I'll skip it. I'm driving straight to the parking lot by the beach. I won't feel comfortable leaving the F750 here," Robbins replied with a shake of his head.
Jiang Hai understood, so he shrugged and joined the parade on his own. The parade was just a casual stroll with the crowd.
Though many in the town knew Jiang Hai, he was quite low-key in his everyday life. He rarely interacted with residents, and while a lot of people recognized him, only a few could actually strike up a conversation with him. These included the owners and employees of the local Italian restaurant and a few supermarkets.
As Jiang Hai walked through the crowd, people didn't engage with him directly. The locals, although friendly to tourists or those taking pictures, tended to keep a distance from familiar strangers like Jiang Hai. He didn't mind, though.
Soon enough, he found himself toward the middle of the parade. That's when he ran into an acquaintance—Mayor Wallis of Winthrop Town, who had met Jiang Hai a few times before.
"Hey, Jiang! You're in the parade too?" Mayor Wallis said with a smile, holding a water tank.
"Hi, Mr. Mayor. I caught a mountain lion last night and brought it to the town. I saw the parade and thought I'd join the fun," Jiang Hai explained.
"I heard about that. You're quite something—catching a mountain lion alive! That's the top predator here, you know," Mayor Wallis said, nodding. He had already heard the news.
"Mr. Mayor, what are you holding? Need any help with that?" Jiang Hai asked, noticing the large fish tank in the mayor's arms.
"Oh, no, no. This tank can only be carried by me, the mayor," Wallis replied with a grin. "It's a gift for the sea god."
"A gift for Poseidon?" Jiang Hai asked, curious, looking at the tank.
The Sea God Festival gifts were typically meat, so the sight of a fish tank puzzled him.
With interest, Jiang Hai leaned in closer to look, and Mayor Wallis stepped forward to give him a better view. (To be continued.)