"Adam, how valuable do you think Marvel superheroes are?" Scarlett handed a wine glass to Nan Yi and said.
"Twenty billion, maybe thirty billion or more." Nan Yi took the wine glass, shook it, and took a sip. "The rate of return should not be low."
"Hmm, then give me more cash and reduce the dividends. I plan to sign superheroes from Marvel and DC and launch a superhero movie in the near future."
"Which one?"
"Peter Parker, Adam, he is the same age as you. People who have watched him grow up already have spending power, and emotionally, they have also begun to miss the beauty of their childhood."
Nan Yi smiled and said, "Don't you miss it?"
"No, there was no Peter Parker in my childhood, only Natasha."
"Oh, Black Widow."
"Adam, which superhero do you like?"
“Sorry, there were no superheroes in my childhood.”
"And now?"
“I like whoever makes money for me.”
"Adam, I've already said that hobbies and making money should not be put together." Scarlett said, sitting on Nan Yi's thighs with her legs spread open, "Adler needs a sister."
Baji, the two mouths stuck together, the two people were turning in circles left and right, but they couldn't be separated at all.
…
Nan Yi stayed in the Kingdom of Xun throughout November. Although he did not need to personally participate in various acquisitions and shareholdings, he was needed to make the final decision at any time. He had to keep his communications open so that others could contact him at any time.
However, in late November, Nan Yi did not stay in New York, but went to Montana and stayed at the 7781 Ranch, doing his favorite jobs as a hoof trimmer and pus extractor.
The 7781 Ranch is a ranch that specializes in raising Angus cattle. There are a total of 37,000 Angus cattle on the ranch. There are more cows than cowboys, so it is impossible to achieve refined management, and it is unlikely that the cows will receive very meticulous service.
It is very common for cattle to get their hooves injured or develop abscesses on their bodies, so the ranch has special positions for hoof trimmers and veterinarians who also squeeze out abscesses.
When he first started squeezing the pus out of the first cow, Nan Yi felt really sick. The white pus looked like milkshake, but it tasted really sour.
When he came to Nan Yi, Montana, he didn't dare bring his two sons with him. Cows are very human-like. If the two children got along too well with the cows and said to him, "Dad, we don't sell the cows," that would be Barbie Q.
It would be better to let them wander around the vegetable garden first, and then bring them to the ranch when they are a little older.
After enjoying himself for a few days at the ranch, Nan Yi flew to Texas again.
Texas is the largest cattle-raising state in the country, with more than 13 million head of cattle.
The highest density of cattle farms in the region is in a narrow strip of land in northern Texas, bisected by Highway 60.
The Cargill feed warehouse is just south of Bovina, Texas, an area with a high concentration of livestock feed and slaughter facilities.
There are nearly 100 beef cattle feedlots in Bovina, raising 2.6 million head of cattle, which means that each feedlot has an average of more than 26,000 cattle.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, each beef cattle produces approximately 10.4 tons of manure per year.
According to the U.S. Food and Water Observatory, in 1986, the amount of manure from feedlots was about 31 million tons, which is roughly equivalent to the manure output of a city with a population of 50 million.
Cow dung contains substances that are harmful to human health and can cause respiratory diseases and cardiovascular problems.
One study found that children living near enclosed animal feeding areas were at greater risk for asthma, while local health care systems in Texas reported high rates of headaches and respiratory symptoms.
Cow dung has become the biggest problem in Texas. Since the areas where cattle are raised are uneven, either grasslands or feed mills, the excreted cow dung cannot be cleaned up at all.
In the winter, the cow dung problem in Texas is not too serious, but in the summer, the cow dung all over the mountains is exposed to the sun and trampled by the galloping cattle. The cow dung dust flies in the sky, and the scene is simply unimaginable.
In the Bounty Town near the Big Steak Farm in Texas, Nan Yi also saw an advertisement on the wall of a restaurant recruiting experienced pet owners with high salaries. The monthly salary ranged from US$1,500 to US$2,500, depending on skills.
This salary is very high. Last year, the median annual income in the United States was less than $12,000. An income of $30,000 a year is comparable to that of a white-collar worker. Even if one person works to support a family of four, the living standard can reach an upper-middle level.
Cow dung is harmful to Texas, but in Nan Yi's eyes it is a great treasure.
"Bernard, why is this place called Bounty Town?"
Bounty Town is just an ordinary small town with restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, police stations, bars, and a small post office. Apart from that, there are no motels or hotels, and I didn't see any place to play mini-games.
"Mr. Adam, there is a Wild Wolf Valley 10 miles north of this town. More than a hundred years ago, it was the base of a gang of bandits who often robbed the town and harassed the farms and ranches there. The townspeople suffered a lot.
Later, the mayor of the town organized everyone to raise money to recruit bounty hunters to deal with the gang of bandits. Unexpectedly, more than a hundred bounty hunters came. There were conflicts between several groups, and before they could wipe out the bandits, they started fighting each other.
This is the road..." Bernard pointed to the road that runs through the town and said, "Back then, after the gunfight, the surviving bounty hunters held a duel here."
“Oh, how many survived in the end?”
"Not a single one survived. They were surrounded and killed by the bandits from Wild Wolf Valley."
"Just because a lot of bounty hunters died, this place is renamed Bounty Town?" Nan Yi asked a little confused.
“Yes and no. The name Bounty Town is indeed related to bounty hunters, but the name was not given by the original townspeople, but by the leader of the bandits in Wild Wolf Valley.
Back then, after the bounty hunters were wiped out, the gang leader Logan negotiated with the mayor. The specific content of the negotiation is unknown, but after that, Logan became the mayor, and the gangsters in Wolf Valley suddenly became the town police.
The police in the small towns of the Kingdom of Xiong are not appointed by a higher level authority, but are recruited by each town on its own. Their salaries and equipment are also the responsibility of the towns themselves, and they are not funded by the Kingdom of Xiong's fiscal budget.
Nan Yi smiled and said, "Interesting, Logan is your last name?"
"Yes, the current mayor of the town is called Vince Logan, who is the descendant of the Logan from that time."
"It's a hereditary system." Nan Yi stroked his chin and said, "The Logan family...is it a family?"
"Almost. Vince Logan has three older brothers, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. The Logan family owns a large farm here, behind the woods south of the town.
It is surrounded by mountains on three sides. The only way to get through is along the road. Anyone who dares to go over the mountains will be shot by the Logan family. That area is the private territory of the Logan family."
"Oh." Nan Yi said thoughtfully: "Did you encounter any trouble?"
"No, Vince is a good person. I asked the town for help several times, and he always agreed readily. He never delayed any procedures."
"It seems that Bernard has a good impression of Vince Logan. He even calls him Vince." Nan Yi muttered to himself, "Is the descendant of the former gangster now raising cattle here? Or..."
Nan Yi looked towards the south and seemed to see clusters of bright flowers blooming in that direction.
Nan Yi called the school beauty to his side and whispered in her ear: "Send a team over, and bring reconnaissance equipment."
"yes."
The school beauty responded and walked to the side to make a phone call.
Nan Yi walked up to Bernard and talked to him about business, "How far is the Tomorrow Cow Dung Company from here?"
"East, eight miles away."
Nan Yi sniffed and didn't smell a strong stench in the air. "It smells okay. Has anyone complained about us?"
"Not yet, but that may change when the cow dung business expands tomorrow."
"Let's go and take a look at the factory first."
Everyone got on the bus, and the convoy drove eastward for less than half an hour before arriving at the edge of a forest.
"Mr. Adam, we have planted a lot of flowers and plants that can purify the air in and around the forest, including maidenhair fern, spider orchid, drug-absorbing grass, tiger skin plant, etc. Once we test which flowers and plants have the best deodorizing effect, we will plant them in large quantities."
"That's good. We are preparing for a rainy day. Now everyone has cow dung and no one can blame anyone else. But when the cow dung is concentrated here, the pressure will also be concentrated on us. At that time, the townspeople and environmental protection organizations will definitely come to trouble us."
Nan Yi picked up the telescope from the side and looked a few times between the trees and grass not far away. Then he adjusted the focus and looked a few more times in the farther direction.
The car drove into a circle of fences and entered the tomorrow's cow dung factory.
After getting off the bus, Bernard went to get a pack of masks. After everyone put on the masks, he took Nan Yi on a tour.
"Mr. Adam, Tomorrow Cow Dung has already conducted many explorations and experiments on the uses of cow dung. We are now going to the earthworm experimental breeding area. Earthworms themselves can be used as a high-protein feed additive, and earthworm manure is a good decomposed organic fertilizer.
Under the action of protease, lipase, cellulase and amylase in the earthworm digestive system, cow dung can be quickly decomposed and converted into nutrients that can be used by itself or other organisms easily, and then become earthworm castings after excretion.
Earthworm manure is essentially a product of nature. It can truly meet the various needs and nutrients of plant growth and has a magical fertilizer effect on plants.
Worm castings will not burn even very delicate seeds or bedding plants at any concentration, and our lab is currently conducting research on worm castings to develop an organic fertilizer with better fertilizer effects.”
“What fertilizer can vermicompost be classified as?”
"Its nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content is not low and is relatively evenly distributed. It also contains a large amount of organic matter, humus and beneficial bacteria, ranging from 20 million per gram to 200 million per gram. Its pH value is between 6.8 and 7.1. The various ingredients vary slightly in different seasons."
"It's an all-purpose fertilizer, and its pH value is neutral, neither acidic nor alkaline, which is very good."
Nan Yi nodded with satisfaction, walked to the side of the earthworm breeding pond, scooped a spoonful of cow dung-like material, looked at it in his hand for a while, dug it up, looked at the curled up earthworms inside, and then put it to his nose and sniffed it.
"Bernard, this earthworm is very beautiful, and the earthworm castings are not as smelly as the ones I smelled before."
"Mr. Adam, where were those earthworms you smelled before?"
"I dug them from farmland, and I also grew red earthworms myself using moss and mud, the kind I use for fishing."
"It will stink a bit. The environment in which earthworms grow is different, and their food is also different. The food of the earthworms here is cow dung..." Bernard said a long paragraph mixed with the names of molecular formulas. Nan Yi has seven of the nine orifices open, but he is the only one who is open.
"Bernard, don't go on. I don't understand most of what you're saying. Just tell me what the prospects are for raising earthworms."
"Uh..." Bernard paused and said, "Mr. Adam, both feed additives and organic fertilizers have great prospects."
"That's good, let's go see the next place."
Then they walked forward and came to a mushroom field.
"Mr. Adam, cow dung can be made into mushroom feed after being dehydrated, fermented, and mixed with cotton husks and corn cobs. From left to right, they are Agaricus bisporus, Trichoderma, Portobello mushroom, Chanterelle, Boletus, and Morchella. The ones on the far right are Matsutake, wild seeds collected from California."
"I haven't tried the Matsutake mushrooms from Japan yet. How does it taste?"
"I think it's good."
"How about the Yunnan Province in China?"
"I haven't tried the Chinese ones, so I can't compare them."
"It's not in season now. I'll have someone send some over from China next year. Since we're going to cultivate fungi, the nutritional value is secondary. The taste is very important. You should try all the good stuff."
"Thank you Mr. Adam."
"You're welcome. This is part of the job."
Then Nan Yi and his companions went to see the fermentation pool of the mixture of cow dung and bran. This mixture can be used as feed for chickens, loaches, fish and other animals.
I also visited the cow dung fuel laboratory. Cow dung can be fermented to produce biogas, and can also be made into cow dung sticks and cow dung honeycomb coal. Cow dung and coal are pressed in a ratio of 4 to 6 using a special method. Not only does it have a higher combustion value, but it is also almost smokeless, comparable to anthracite.
After the visit, Nan Yi took some cow dung fish bait from the laboratory and went to a small river next to the factory to test its effect.
You know what, the bait is pretty good and we caught Guadalupe bass one after another.
Seeing that they had caught a lot of fish, Nan Yi said to Bernard, "How are the resources in this river?"
"Mr. Adam, to be honest, few people go fishing here, and you can catch fish with any bait."
"You are really straightforward." Nan Yi smiled faintly, "Since it is a fish bait, we can't just make it behind closed doors. Give it to fishing enthusiasts outside to try, and sell it when we come up with a good formula.
The core of cow dung tomorrow is feed and fertilizer. Other branches and ends can be sold if they can be sold, and those that cannot be sold can be used to support downstream enterprises. Don’t spend too much energy on it, and don’t make too long-term plans. "
"Mr. Adam, this is what I planned from the beginning."
"Hmm." Nan Yi nodded, sniffed again, put his fingers into his mouth and licked them, then held them up to feel the wind direction. "The flowers and plants have some effect. Although this place is downwind, the smell is not too strong."
"The main reason is that the amount of cow dung is low now, and the flowers and plants can keep up with the purification speed."
Nan Yi nodded and asked, "If it's surrounded by mountains on four sides or three sides, wouldn't it be difficult for the smell to spread out?"
"That's for sure. If there are mountains blocking the wind, the smell won't spread easily."
"Oh, go to your office. I want to see the topographic map of the area."
"Okay, Mr. Adam, this way please."
Nan Yi followed Bernard to his office and leaned in front of a map hanging on the wall. While looking at it, Nan Yi asked the owners of each piece of land.
"Wild Wolf Valley still has no master?"
"Yes."
"Who owns the land, the federal government, the state or the city?"
"In the city."
"If Wild Wolf Valley is used to store manure, how many tons do you think can be stored?"
Bernard did a quick calculation and said, "16 million tons should be no problem. Mr. Adam, do you want to turn Wolf Valley into a manure dump?"
"What do you think?"
"It's feasible. The Wild Wolf Valley is narrow but deep. If we set up a deodorizing green belt at a high point, we can effectively prevent the odor from emanating."
"How's the scenery in Wolf Valley?"
"It's not very good. There are only rocks there because there is no river passing through, there is no water, and there are few trees."
Nan Yi asked again: "Why did Tomorrow Cow Den choose this place as the factory site?"
"The site of the Tomorrow Cow Dung factory was originally a farm. The previous owner was just about to sell it at a reasonable price, and it was also suitable for transformation into a factory, so the group bought it." Bernard replied.
Nan Yi pointed to the map on the wall and said, "If you don't consider the ownership of the land, and you are allowed to plan the cow dung factory area tomorrow on this map, how would you plan it?"
Bernard took a pen from the table, walked to the map, pointed to the Logan family's farm and said, "I will choose to build the factory here. The Logan farm is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the entrance is an open area less than one kilometer wide. As long as we build a deodorizing green belt along this open area, we can completely lock 80% of the stench in the factory.
Moreover, in this position..."
Bernard pointed at a location on the map with his pen and said, "There is a river passing by. The source of the river is on the mountain east of the farm. It is the outlet of an underground river. I heard from the people in the town that they have never seen the river dry up.
We can reclaim pastureland outside the farm and build a medium-sized ranch dedicated to raising high-end beef cattle. With the pasture and pasture area as a barrier, the stench of cow dung is less likely to spread.”
“How is the river water quality?”
"I have drunk the water from that river before. It tastes sweet and the water quality is very good."
"Have people take water samples from the source and the upper and middle reaches of the river for testing. If we want to raise high-end beef cattle, we need a gimmick. I hope this river can give us one of them." Looking at the map, Nan Yi said in a calm tone.
"Mr. Adam, that is someone else's private territory," Bernard reminded.
"I know, we are just assuming, just treat it as playing the landlord game." Nan Yi said lightly.
Bernard didn't believe Nan Yi's words at all. He thought it was just a game, but was there any need to take water samples? It was obvious that Mr. Adam in front of him had already set his sights on Logan Farm.
"Bernard, when do you estimate that the cow dung will be expanded tomorrow?"
"Mr. Adam, although our research progress is very fast, the results are not mature enough. I estimate that it will take another year for the cow dung to enter the large-scale production stage tomorrow." Bernard said after thinking for a while.
"Fastest or slowest?"
“The slowest.”
“Is it okay for me to put 14 months on my calendar?”
"No problem." Bernard said affirmatively.
"Then we will start planning a large production plant in half a year. After a while, bird and bat droppings samples will be sent to us. You can arrange for the laboratory to conduct tests to see if the production process can be used with cow dung."
"Mr. Adam, I can answer you without any testing. The production process of bird droppings is largely the same as that of cow droppings. However, bat droppings are not the same. Its production requires an independent set of processes."
"I understand. The samples will still be sent to you. If we can't produce them on the same production line, then we can put the bird droppings and bat droppings on hold for now."
If you don’t understand, you don’t understand. Nan Yi is not annoyed by Bernard’s too direct way of speaking.
It would be inconvenient to stay overnight in Cow Dung tomorrow, and there was no hotel nearby. After the discussion, Nan Yi and Bernard did not stay long. On the way back to Houston, Nan Yi met with the team that had rushed over, and asked them to scout Logan Farm carefully to see if there was anything special planted on the farm.
Nan Yi has his eyes on both Logan Farm and Wild Wolf Valley. If the Logan family has anything to do with drugs, it will be much easier to deal with them.
Nan Yi only stayed in Houston for one night. He left in a hurry without having time to take a good look at this current oil city and future space city.
…
November 30th, New York time.
While Nan Yi was sitting in the living room watching the evening news, Shencun was holding the first land use rights auction in the mainland.
Li Jing, the architect of Tota Architecture, Huang Xie, the architect of Chunshen Architecture, Xian Yaoguo, the architect of Wenchang Architecture, and Chen Ruiwu, the architect of Southern Chen Architecture, were all present to observe, but they were merely observing and had no intention of taking action.
A piece of land of 8,858 square meters close to the reservoir has a starting price of 2 million yuan, and each increase in price must not be less than 50,000 yuan.
"Li Jing."
"Yellow Pavilion."
Li Jing and Huang Xie shook hands.
"I've heard of your name for a long time, but this is the first time I've seen you in person." Li Jing said with a smile.
Huang Xie also smiled and said, "Same here, same here. Mr. Li, what do you think of this auction?"
"This auction will open a new chapter in history and will be a milestone for mainland real estate."
"Mr. Li is indeed a man who has taken root in the capital. His words are beyond the reach of ordinary people."
"Mr. Huang, you are too polite. Shenzhen has set a precedent, and Shanghai will soon follow suit. It won't be long before Mr. Huang can realize his grand plan."
"Nansheng doesn't seem to restrict our expansion area." Huang Xie said in a gloomy tone.
Speaking of which, although Huang Xie and Li Jing had never met before, they had already had a long-distance competition for the position of president of Zheng Guogaoma, so the two can be considered competitors.
"Nansheng didn't say it, but you're in the south and I'm in the north, does it matter whether it's said or not?"
"Mr. Li, the mainland is huge, Beijing is huge, and Shanghai is huge too. One city can accommodate many real estate companies. Maybe one day I will meet Mr. Li in the same city, for example, right now."
Li Jing thought for a moment and said, "If that day comes, will the spear point outward first?"
"Yes, first drive away the others who want to eat the cake, and then we can slowly discuss how to divide the cake."
"Deal." Li Jing responded, and then said, "Mr. Huang, do you want to raise your sign to show your presence?"
"Mr. Li, you are joking. This is the first auction of land use rights, and everyone needs the auction to go smoothly, and the land to go to the rightful owners. It is boring to just raise a sign to join in the fun. If I really dare to bid a high price to snatch the deal, then it will not be a question of whether I can continue to work with Mr. Li, but Nansheng will ask me to choose between feeding sharks or tigers."
Li Jing flattered without sincerity: "Boss Huang is really insightful. I originally wanted to take this land beyond my ability, but now after listening to your analysis, I can't take it."
"Fuck you, you mother." Huang Xie cursed in his heart, "Pull yourself off, I'd be surprised if you dare to take this piece of land."
The two of them quieted down temporarily, their eyes fixed on the maroon auction hammer in front of them. It was said that this hammer was specially ordered by the Hong Kong Surveyors Association in Yingguo and presented to the Shenzhen Housing Authority. It looked quite nice.
17 minutes, just 17 minutes, the first land use right in the mainland was auctioned off.
The competition during these 17 minutes was extremely fierce. The starting price was 2 million. As soon as the director of the Housing Authority, who was acting as the auctioneer himself, announced the start of the auction, number plates were raised one after another in the auction hall, first by 50,000, and then by 50,000. When the price approached 3 million, someone directly bid 4 million.
Then, another 50,000 was offered. After several rounds of bidding, a middle-aged man in a gray suit and a plaid sweater stood up holding the number 11 sign and shouted arrogantly, "5.25 million."
When the middle-aged man shouted out the price, the auction hall immediately fell silent. After a few seconds of silence, thunderous applause broke out.
The middle-aged man had a strong aura, which suppressed the courage of everyone in the auction hall. No one dared to compete with him for the land. The auctioneer was overjoyed at the auction table. He asked several times, "Is there anyone else to bid?" before he rang the gavel to finalize the deal.
…
In the morning, before Scarlett went out, she said to Nan Yi who was sitting in the garden, "Adam, go to Chelsea this afternoon. The Pioneer Gallery is having an opening exhibition."
"Whose business is it? Where's the invitation?" Nan Yi blurted out, then immediately realized that this should be his own business, "What time?"
Scarlett rolled her eyes at Nan Yi and said, "How long has it been since you looked at Dabifan's report?"
"I seldom look at its financial statements since you took over. I believe you can manage it well." Nan Yi flattered him.
"Ahaha, then you must not know that I have kicked that bitch in Paris out of the shareholder list."
"As long as you're happy."
Nan Yi knew that Scarlett was just joking. It was a strategic necessity for Sophie Marceau to own shares in Sophie & Henry. Nan Yi knew this, and Scarlett knew it too.
Scarlett walked over to Nan Yi and kissed him on the cheek, "I'm leaving. My schedule has changed. I can't come back today."
"Yeah, I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow, without the kid."
“Do you need to dress up?”
"Candlelight dinner."
"OK, bye."
Scarlett waved and walked towards the helicopter pad.
"Look where the two little ones are." After the helicopter took off, Nan Yi said to the school beauty next to him.
The school beauty picked up a wireless CCTV terminal and switched the screens for a while, "Opening a beehive in the woods."
"show me."
Nan Yi took the terminal and saw two fully armed children on the screen opening a beehive, taking out a piece of honey inside, and covering the beehive again. Then, the two men divided the honey into two parts and waved them in their hands to attract the attention of the bees.
When the bees were attracted by them, the two kids trotted towards the direction where Nan Yi was.
"It's leaking, it's leaking."
Looking at the actions of the two kids, Nan Yi knew what they were planning without even thinking about it, and thought to himself that these two little bastards were so damn thoughtful.
Nan Yi went back to the house and found a large water gun. He filled it with water and stood in the garden, holding the water gun, ready to wait for the arrival of the two-eared little rabbit.
Three or five minutes later, the two children appeared in Nan Yi's sight while jogging.
"Stand there and don't move. If you move forward, I'll shoot." Looking at the group of aggressive bees following the two children, Nan Yi shouted from a distance.
The two children stopped and looked at the water gun in Nan Yi's hand, then looked at each other, nodded to each other, and then split into two groups and rushed towards Nan Yi in a pincer attack.
"You are cruel."
Nan Yi shouted and waved his hand to let the others flee, and he quickly jumped into the glass house next to him.
When the two children saw that Nan Yi had already hidden in the turtle shell, they did not feel upset. Instead, they stood in front of the door of the glass house with the bees and made faces at Nan Yi inside.
"Lu Bu, your Grandpa Zhang is here, come out." After making a face, Nan Wuwei reached out and patted the glass wall, shouting at Nan Yi.
"I've given you face. If you continue to be naughty, I'll spank your butts until they are swollen."
"Tyrants, we are not afraid." Nan Youqiong showed a determined look, clenched his fist and raised his right hand, "Evil big capitalists, have you ever heard of "The Internationale"? "