"Fix the route. Is there something high on the left? Move the items farther away." Driving the car and hearing the shouts in his ears, Jiang Hai slowly stuck his head out of the window and looked at the busy people in the distance.
Ever since Jiang Hai transferred the money to Winthrop, large-scale construction had begun.
First, they identified a commercial street right in the center of Winthrop, just behind the town's church. Then, they started working on this street—actually, it all boiled down to one thing: money.
Things were different in the United States compared to China. In China, all land is owned by the state. If a developer wants to develop it, complications often arise. But if the state occupies the road, it's simply done. However, in the U.S., land belongs to individuals. If the town government wants to use this land, it must negotiate with the landowners.
Fortunately, the people of Winthrop understood that tourism development would benefit them, not the town government. So, selling their land and houses went smoothly. When the town introduced the option to exchange properties for hotel rooms, people were even happier, and the process sped up.
Once everyone had moved out, construction began according to the plans drawn up by the designer hired by Mayor Wallis. The first project to begin was expanding the shooting range, as it was the easiest and required a large area.
When Jiang Hai went to China, the main structure of the shooting range had been expanded, and it was now being decorated with fireproof materials and sound insulation. The second project involved building the town's commercial street and seaside villas, both of which started at the same time.
Other projects, such as horse farms, fishing boats, private estates, teaching facilities, and party squares, were easier to handle. These could be done on smaller plots of land or by individuals. The most difficult projects were the commercial street and the seaside villas.
According to Moses Adams, it would take about two months to complete everything. Now, nearly a month had passed, and the main structures were nearly done.
Three construction teams were working on the project: one from Winthrop and two from Boston. Since they were being paid for their work, the quality of their construction was good.
However, the construction had caused congestion on the main road of Winthrop, which was rarely blocked. Today, not only was it dusty, but traffic was moving slowly.
The drive from Jiang Hai's manor to Winthrop usually took about half an hour, even when driving slowly. But today, it had already been an hour, and he had only just entered the town.
While frustrating, the slow drive had its benefits. At least it gave Jiang Hai the chance to see just how popular he was in Winthrop.
Jiang Hai was a relatively reclusive and special person. He didn't enjoy talking to others or seeking out social interactions. He preferred living in his own world. In fact, he had been in Winthrop for almost a year but only knew a handful of people outside his manor.
The townspeople were also largely unfamiliar with Jiang Hai. The Boston area was known for its xenophobia, with Texas being one of the most xenophobic regions, particularly toward Black and Asian people—except for in Houston.
Jiang Hai had never asked for help from anyone. He had money, which made it easier to live here without relying on the locals. After all, it's rare for Americans to take the initiative to care about you.
However, Jiang Hai had done a lot of good for the town over the past year, and the people had come to know him. He funded the reconstruction of classrooms at the local elementary school and was now investing in tourism development in Winthrop.
This was great for the town, as it provided more job opportunities and increased earning potential for the residents. As a result, 90% of the townspeople were grateful to Jiang Hai, with the remaining 10% being conservative but neutral toward him. So, as Jiang Hai slowly drove through the town, many people nodded in his direction.
Jiang Hai wanted to invest more money, but he knew he couldn't afford it. He was running low on cash.
He had nearly $1 billion in cash initially, but after investing $250 million in the town and buying $600 million in oil futures, only $150 million remained. He also needed to spend around $70 million on Hetian jade and had made other purchases in China amounting to nearly $100 million. This left him with less than $40 million in liquid funds.
Fortunately, taxes would be due next year, so Jiang Hai didn't have to worry about that for now. But he really didn't have any extra money at the moment.
Therefore, he planned to head out to sea again once he received the fish fry and other goods from China.
There were sunken ships in the Caribbean that had been sitting idle. Instead of letting them remain there, Jiang Hai thought it would be better to salvage the items on them and sell them for profit. After this experience, his ambitions were growing.
According to the sea charts he had bought, there were at least six sunken ships he could explore. He didn't expect all of them to be as rich in treasure as the first one, with the Spanish emperor's golden helmet, but any jewels he could find would be valuable.
If one ship brought in $300 million, then the six ships could bring in $1.8 billion. With the $1 billion needed to buy more oil futures, he'd still have $800 million in funds, which would give him the flexibility to pursue other ventures.
As the saying goes, "If you have money in your pocket, you won't be in a panic."
Right now, Jiang Hai had spent almost all his money, and he was indeed feeling a little anxious. However, digging a freshwater river didn't require much money. He had discussed this plan with Robbins and Edward the previous night.
While they didn't understand why Jiang Hai wanted to dig a river—since they didn't eat freshwater fish—they agreed to help him find a solution.
In fact, digging the river was quite easy. A machine could be brought in to do the work, and the soil here was stable, so the river wouldn't need to be too deep—about one and a half meters would suffice. It also didn't need to be too wide, around four meters, to accommodate both people and cattle. The riverbed would be sand, brought from the seaside, and the banks would be reinforced. The entire river could be constructed for a cost of only a few hundred thousand dollars.
The main issue was finding a water source. Using water from Winthrop was simple and inexpensive, but it could lead to disputes, as the river wasn't part of Jiang Hai's property. So, Jiang Hai decided to dig a spring, which would cost only $30,000—an amount he could afford.
Labor costs in the United States were high, but this project still wasn't too expensive. If it had been in China, it would have cost more than 1.8 million RMB.
The Boston area was rich in both freshwater and seawater resources, so Jiang Hai didn't have to worry about that.
After discussing everything with Robbins and Edward, Jiang Hai set out early the next morning and drove into Winthrop after breakfast.
He wanted to find Mayor Wallis and ask the designer he knew to help design a river that would connect to the sea. He also needed to meet with the construction team to discuss the project.
As he drove through Winthrop, he kept an eye out for Mayor Wallis. According to Moses Adams, although Mayor Wallis wasn't in charge of the town government, he was often found at the construction site. So, if Jiang Hai wanted to find him, this was the place.
Sure enough, before reaching the town center, Jiang Hai spotted Mayor Wallis at the intersection of the commercial street under construction, wearing a safety helmet. A large man stood beside him, holding a piece of paper and speaking to him.
"Mayor Wallis!" Jiang Hai called out.
The two looked up at the sound of his voice. Upon seeing Jiang Hai, Mayor Wallis smiled and waved.
After parking the car in a nearby vacant lot, Jiang Hai got out and walked over to Mayor Wallis.
"Hey, Jiang! I heard you went to China. When did you get back?" Mayor Wallis asked, clearly excited. Seeing his town change every day made him happy.
"I just got back yesterday," Jiang Hai replied with a smile.
"Just yesterday? Why didn't you rest at home today? Why come to town to buy things?" Mayor Wallis asked, concerned. Long-distance flights were exhausting.
"No, I came to see you. I want to dig a river on my estate, so I need to find a construction team and a designer." Jiang Hai explained his purpose.
Mayor Wallis was stunned, much like Robbins and Edward. He didn't understand why Jiang Hai wanted to dig a river. Perhaps it was something wealthy people liked to do.
"You don't need a designer for that. It's a small project. Let me introduce you to someone. This is Hurt Charles, from our town. He's in charge of the commercial street construction. You can talk to him about this."