I am a local in North America

Chapter 56 Bass Fishing Competition?

Su Jierui had just paid the deposit and signed the contract, but the Beaver Ranch had not yet been officially transferred to his name, so it was inconvenient for him to stay any longer.

After saying goodbye to the real estate agent, he opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat of the slightly old but well-maintained Ford Mustang, where the faint aroma of morning coffee still lingered.

On the drive back, outside the window were western fir forests rushing by and snow-capped peaks in the distance.

Su Jerry couldn't wait any longer and started planning for the future.

"Arou, what do you think?"

He held the steering wheel with one hand, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"After I finish processing the loan in a while, the first thing I need to do is reinforce the lakeside holiday cabin so that I can at least make two rooms that I can live in."

"Then we need to repair the fence, and after the snow melts in the spring, the pasture will need to be reseeded. Perhaps we can introduce a small herd of Angus cattle to test the waters first..."

Su Jierui's eyes lit up as he spoke eloquently, as if he could already see herds of cattle and sheep.

Arou sighed softly, raised her delicate white hand to interrupt him, and said helplessly:

"It's beautiful, but running a large ranch isn't that simple."

“Other people’s mature pastures can be planted directly, but you have no irrigation equipment here, and the plains and woodlands are overgrown with weeds. You need to hire a lot of manpower to help, and the costs of plowing, trimming, and buying equipment are very high.”

"With such a large ranch, I suggest you don't think about changing vehicles yet. It's best to save up more money and learn to drive equipment like lawnmowers, plows, and tractors yourself. Hiring people from outside is too expensive."

"I'm completely clueless right now. I'll work out a development plan for you when I get home. But I think the most important thing right now is to figure out the future positioning of Beaver Ranch..."

The older generation in the family has strong clan ties, so Arou isn't worried that her grandparents would be so heartless as to not vouch for Su Jierui.

After all, Su Jierui had won a large sum of money and had indeed saved up initial start-up capital. Moreover, she had already paid a deposit of $5. She didn't think her grandparents or parents would be willing to let this deposit go to waste.

While the tactic of acting first and informing later may displease the elders in the family, it is indeed quite effective.

Back then, when Arou applied to the architecture program at MIT, she didn't listen to her mother's advice to choose medicine, law, psychology, or finance and business. She secretly arranged it herself, leaving her parents with no choice but to accept it.

Su Jierui's focus has always been on the gold mine. His work on developing the beaver ranch is still limited to the traditional large-scale ranch model of "raising cattle, sheep, and horses," with the addition of some vegetables and grains to make up for the expenses.

He asked curiously, "Location? What's the intricacies of that?"

He took a moment to glance at his sister while waiting at the red light.

After listening, Arou raised an eyebrow and looked at her older brother, a hint of helplessness flashing through her mind: "Well... it seems he's not as reliable as I remembered him when we were kids."

The deposit had already been paid, and it was too late to persuade her brother to calm down now. She then offered advice, saying:

"Of course there are nuances, and they determine the future income of your ranch. Some remote ranches are still using traditional operating models, where breeding costs are getting higher and higher, and there is also the occasional risk of livestock getting sick, so the income is just so-so."

“The ‘tourist ranch’ model is becoming increasingly popular around big cities.”

As she spoke, she pulled up several pictures on her phone:

“I have a senior who designed a ‘pumpkin farm’ where giant pumpkins were grown instead of corn, soybeans, and wheat.”

"Each time, an entrance fee is charged, which tourists can buy to bring their children on vacation. They can pick pumpkins, grapes, and blueberries, ride horses, feed chickens and ducks, have picnics, fish, and so on."

“They live in big cities and don’t usually have the opportunity to experience farm life, so this kind of experience is very novel for them…”

Ah-Rou has been studying at MIT for so long, she has learned a lot.

For example, modern architects not only need to design beautiful buildings, but also need to consider the actual needs and user experience of developers and customers. The "Project Feasibility Analysis" course I took last semester has unexpectedly come in handy.

At this moment, she was considering the issue from Su Jierui's perspective, and after thinking for a moment, she added a few more sentences:

"The number of tourist farms and ranches seems to be increasing in recent years, which means there should be opportunities to make more profits. However, due to the impact of trade policies in recent years, many family-run small farms and ranches have gone bankrupt."

"Brother, the beaver ranch you bought is neither too far nor too close to Seattle. There are several other cities nearby with a large population."

“If we were to use speedboats to pick up tourists from docks in Seattle or elsewhere and compress the trip to about an hour and a half, I think the tourist ranch model might be more suitable for you.”

"Since you have no experience in large-scale livestock farming, you can try combining the models of traditional ranches and tourist ranches..."

Upon hearing this, Su Jierui tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel a few times, fully agreeing with his sister's idea:

“That’s right. I was thinking of hiring more experienced cowboys and managers to help me manage this large ranch, but that would definitely increase the cost. The expenses for building cattle pens, sheep pens, manure treatment systems, and so on are also very high. There are also the costs of buying calves and lambs. All of these will cost money.”

Arou couldn't hold back any longer and rolled her eyes at him, her tone filled with disappointment:

"You suddenly decided to buy that ranch without even thinking it through? I thought you were just here to take a look. The speed at which you made the offer was so fast I couldn't stop you." Su Jierui touched his nose, smiling a little embarrassedly.
"Haha... If it feels right, then go for it. You heard from the real estate agent that once the price reduction is announced, it might be quickly bought by someone else. That doesn't sound like something you'd say just to sell..."

Upon hearing this, Arou didn't reply, but instead lowered her head to carefully examine the newly signed contract, and then said:

"Anyway, $350 million, that price is acceptable."

"Although there is no mature ranching infrastructure, the abundant timber resources are included in the deal, with an estimated value of approximately $75."

"Moreover, there are dilapidated military fortresses and seaside docks; the cost of renovation and restoration is much lower than that of complete reconstruction..."

Su Jierui was hoping his younger sister, Arou, could help persuade and appease their parents, so he promptly interjected:

“That’s right! Some of the western fir and Douglas hemlock on the hillsides are so old that I feel like one person couldn’t even wrap their arms around them.”

"Moreover, restoring castles and docks, as well as developing and operating ranches, can provide me with a lot of material for shooting YouTube videos."

“Some top influencers on websites can earn hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars a year. Stars like Kim Kardashian, who have hundreds of millions of followers, earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year. I don’t aspire to become rich through these video content; earning enough to pay off my loans would be quite good.”

"Around 7 a.m., YouTube gave me a promotion, and I checked it out before getting on the bus. I found that I had gained 70,000 to 80,000 followers in just four or five hours!"

"It seems that YouTube's algorithm has finally seen through us. This is definitely not a small promotion that only covers our Washington state. Perhaps YouTube users across the West Coast, or even the whole of the United States, have received that push notification."

"It's a pity... most people block YouTube notifications, otherwise I would have really struck it rich this time..."

Arou rested her elbows on the car window, propped her face up with her hands, and gazed at the bottomless canyon beside the road, as well as the continuous snow-capped mountains and forests, and said softly:

“Brother, you’ve already made a fortune. A family with an annual income of $100,000 has annual expenses of about $50,000 to $60,000. Income tax, property tax, medical insurance, retirement, education, and so on all cost money. You may only be able to save $10,000 to $20,000 a year.”

“If you participate in ‘Wilderness Solitary’, you can immediately receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in after-tax prize money, which is equivalent to what they have painstakingly saved for more than ten years.”

"It may seem that others can earn a million dollars in just 10 years, but that's not entirely the same as winning a prize. Even if you just put that money in the bank, as long as the bank doesn't go bankrupt, you'll still have a passive income of twenty to thirty thousand dollars a year after interest rate increases..."

On the way back, Su Jierui was in a much more relaxed mood, chatting and laughing with his sister.

He wasn't worried about not being able to persuade his grandparents to help; his only concern was how to continue earning enough start-up capital.

If we're talking about opportunities to make quick money... there actually is one!
When he first discovered that there was a gold mine buried underground at the beaver ranch, he searched online for several days.

Besides participating in "Man vs. Wild" and using his talent to find food and win prize money, his chosen goal is also... the Bass Bass Fishing Competition!
The competition is very simple, almost a household name in the United States, and has been made into a television program.

The participants in the bass fishing competition will use artificial lures to fish for bass, mainly largemouth bass, over a four-day competition.

Weighing will be conducted every evening during the competition. Only the weight of the 5 largest bass successfully caught in the designated waters during the competition period will be counted, and the ranking will be based on the total weight over the four days.

The highest prize money for professional players in the regional tournaments can reach $10 to $20, while the grand prize for the champion is a full $100 million!
However, Su Jierui did not have enough points to enter the finals. In addition, he would need to provide his own professional fishing boat, trailer, and truck, and bear all the costs of fuel, maintenance, and travel for the competition, which would be extremely high. Therefore, he chose "Living Alone in the Wilderness".

More important than catching fish is having good luck and encountering a big bass in order to win the Bass Bass Fishing Championship.

Judging from his experience during "Living Alone in the Wilderness," finding big fish happens to be Su Jerry's forte.

After traveling for some time, we arrived at the pier and paid the ferry fee again.

The car slowly drove onto the ferry, and after it came to a stop, the engine was turned off. The salty sea breeze seeped in through the cracks in the car windows.

Su Jierui casually opened Google Chrome and checked the schedule for this year's U.S. Bass Fishing Championship.

The information he found made him sigh deeply.

Indeed, life is like fishing; the best fish always appears when you don't have your rod with you.

Tomorrow, January 6th, 2020, happens to be the official registration deadline for the Florida Bass Bass Fishing Championship!
He hurriedly searched for other information about the event, only to find that the registration channel had already closed.

The other contestants had already paid their first deposit of $6000 on December 2nd of last year, and are currently paying their second official registration fee of $6800.

At the time, Sujere was busy chopping wood and making tea with spruce leaves on the shore of Great Slave Lake, and had obviously missed the bass fishing competition in Florida.

Discovering that the prize money for the Florida Bass Fishing Championship this year was a whopping $20, Su Jerry was still not giving up and found the phone number on the organizer's official website and called it.

The girl on the other end of the phone had a gentle voice and simply replied:
"I'm sorry, sir, the competition is full. But if anyone chooses to withdraw before the competition, we will call you again to let you know."

"But the chances are not very high, because there are still 4 candidates ahead of you in the queue. Unless a miracle happens and several professional anglers withdraw from the competition, you will not have a chance."

"I just checked, and you just registered as a member at the end of 2018, so you don't have any points yet, right? If you'd like to consider joining the amateur group and pay a certain fee, you can register in advance. We might send you an email invitation when we hold other matches in the future..."

(End of this chapter)