Chapter 631: The Multi-Millionaire
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
With the bid of 15,000 dollars, of course no one would want to compete with the middle-aged man with the blonde beard.
However, he didn't seem to be all that concerned. Sayder pointed to him and said that it was a deal. Everyone applauded. The middle-aged man also started to applaud, smiling and nodding to show his thanks to the surrounding crowd.
According to the rules, as sellers, Li Du and Hans should go greet the middle-aged man. Other than thanking him, they would also need to answer any queries he may have had.
The two men walked over to introduce themselves. The middle-aged man shook hands with them. With a bitter smile he said, "Money spent in exchange for a lesson learned—to not rush into things next time."
Li Du was very understanding. He said, "It doesn't matter, Mister. We can refund you some money."
The cost of Men's Secret Hideout was less than 5,500 dollars. They would be thrilled to sell it for 10,000 dollars—15,000 dollars was indeed an unexpected price.
The middle-aged man waved his hand and said, "Forget it. Just a few more grand. Will just take it as a lesson. It's nothing. But if you feel bad, I suggest you go bid for a Kent sheep."
Hans asked excitedly, "There's a Kent sheep auction this time? We didn't know about it."
The middle-aged man pointed to the small auction stand next door and said, "Yes, I've seen today's auction list. There's definitely Kent sheep here today."
Hans immediately said, "That will set today's auction ablaze for sure."
The middle-man said, "Who's to say not? How about this, you guys bid for the sheep and then we'll go to my house and use this hideout for a barbecue while we watch the game? The NBA season just started!"
"That's set then," Hans agreed readily.
As they walked to the small auction stand next door, Li Du asked Hans along the way, "What's a Kent sheep like? How come I haven't heard of this sheep breed?"
Hans said, "It's not the name of the breed, but the name of a farm – Kent Farm. This farm used Suffolk sheep and Dorper sheep for breeding to produce some good quality sheep."
"The meat from these sheep is of good quality. They feed on the best and the cleanest pastures during their growth. They consume different food during the different stages, so their meat tastes especially good."
Li Du finally got it. "I've never heard of it."
Hans said, "If you've lived a few years in Flagstaff and paid more attention to agriculture and animal husbandry, you would have definitely heard this name. It's really very famous!"
A few people were standing before the small auction table. The middle-aged man had introduced himself on the way there. His name was Will Monroe. He was an investment expert who lived in LA but returned to Flagstaff once in a while.
"It's unbearable in LA during this season, right?" Hans asked with a smile.
Will sighed and said, "It kills me, my man. My sheets are f*cking wet everyday. And this is winter. I'd rather be broke and come back here. I don't want to be found one day in a moldy and hairy state."
Hans agreed, "I stayed in LA for a while. The winter there was tough."
Will said, "Every winter I come back to Flagstaff. It's a good place, but it's does not suit my work. Otherwise, I'd be happy to stay here all my life."
Li Du and Hans had never heard of Will. In fact, he was a savvy investor, with shares in Apple, Marvel Films and other high-profile companies of late and was probably worth more than 50 million dollars.
So, the addition of a few grand was peanuts for someone like him. What he said earlier was not an effort to salvage his reputation; he had really wanted it to be a lesson for himself.
For someone like Will, it was considered cheap to pay a few thousand dollars for a lesson learned.
Two bags of bread flour were being auctioned off at the small auction stand. Made of the best whole wheat flour, they were not cheap. The two bags weighing 100 kilograms had a starting bid of 500 dollars.
Thereafter, malting barley meant for brewing beer was put up for auction.
Hans was interested in this, and waved his hand to get hold of 200 kilograms of it. He was planning to use it to brew beer come springtime.
At the very end, someone pulled a clean-looking sheep onto the stand. This was the Kent sheep.
The auctioneer introduced the sheep, saying it was a superior livestock that could possibly rival Japanese wagyu in the future and be the pride of Arizona animal husbandry.
Hans said, "If this breed could be cultivated, there would be the possibility of reaching this level."
Will said, "Yes, but it's tough. This brand has to be promoted by the government, but the Arizonan politicians only care about getting money into their own pockets and how to get promoted. They don't do any actual work."
Kent sheep was really counterfeit wagyu. Their breeding process, breeding environment, food and drink were all developed using the cattle as a blueprint.
The starting bid for the sheep was 1,200 dollars, much lower than the price of wagyu. It was, however, considered very steep in terms of American mutton. An ordinary sheep would cost only 200 dollars in the United States.
Quite a few people were interested in the Kent sheep. In the end, Li Du paid 1,800 dollars to get it.
Twelve hundred dollars had been raised to 1,800 dollars. The difference was not that great but there were a few more of these sheep being offered. With the high repetition rate in this case, the increase of 50 percent in price was considered very high.
Hans went to pay while Li Du shouted for Godzilla and Big Quinn to move the sheep and the Men's Secret Hideout to the pickup truck. They then drove off, following Will's Mercedes to his house.
The pickup truck had travelled for a while and Li Du found that they were on a route familiar to him. "I was here two days ago, when I went to Sophie's parents' home."
Big Quinn, who was driving, said, "You got robbed here?"
Li Du nodded, "Yes."
Godzilla punched his fist and said, "Hope to bump into them today!"
A deadly gaze appeared in his eyes. This was a rare display of violence on his part.
When he had learned that Li Du was almost robbed, he felt very depressed. Although in name he was a mover, Li Du had treated him as though he were a bodyguard. He also prided himself on being one.
In the end, Li Du had met with two incidents. Godzilla had dropped the ball on both occasions, something which he felt extremely despondent about.
Will owned a beautiful villa in Flagstaff, which was located in the outskirts of the city. Surrounded by different styles of villas, it included a huge garden, lawn, play yard and swimming pool.
Big Quinn mentioned that this area was very famous for its villas. The housing prices were the highest in Flagstaff with each villa priced at five million dollars or more.
Costing such a high price, this beautiful villa would also need to be well managed.
They drove into the area where the villa was and two security officers came up to check. After receiving Will's verification, they were allowed to enter the villa's grounds.
Will lived on his own. He was recently divorced from his wife, and his two children were temporarily in LA with their mother. This time, he had come back not only because of the better climate in Flagstaff, but also to return to his hometown to unwind.
Upon arriving at the villa, they unloaded the items. Big Quinn and Godzilla immediately went to slaughter the sheep while Hans and Lu Guan assembled the Men's Secret Hideout, all set to get happy.