Farming Life Starting in Africa

Rosen shrugged and answered truthfully, "It will cost me four million dollars to build this house."

When Barney heard the price, Rosen actually saw a range of expressions on his stiff face.

After working so hard for so many years, he only had three million dollars left in savings after buying this land. That was the starting capital for the farm. If he spent even a little more on building houses, the farm's operation would be hindered next year.

He originally thought that the commission he was about to receive would be enough to cover the construction of the new house, but the scale of the house under construction in front of him completely overwhelmed his budget. He couldn't afford such an expensive house; the taxes he would have to pay every year would be a nightmare.

Barney suddenly realized he hadn't asked the church for enough. As the captain of the suicide squad, he thought he had asked for an exorbitant amount, but he was only entitled to 30% of the commission, which was 1.5 million.

But he never imagined that even with all his savings, he would barely be able to afford a house like Rosen's.

However, Barney has also asked several construction companies for quotes in the past two days. Building a concrete house of about 200 square meters here would cost about $500,000, while if it were a wooden house, there would be $300,000 left over.

Just as the two were talking, the sound of an engine came from afar, interrupting their conversation.

A sixteen-wheeled extra-long truck was slowly driving along the road, followed by a crane.

After leaving the highway, the car drove towards Rosen's house, its body swaying slightly on the relatively soft soil.

The truck bed was covered with a dark canvas, obscuring what was underneath, but judging from its length and shape, it appeared to be a section of building unit that had been completely wrapped up.

Liu Pei quickly went to meet them, standing between the truck and the crane, and used hand gestures to direct them to stop in the designated area.

This area is relatively far from the lake, and he doesn't plan to approach it casually until the threat of crocodiles in the lake is resolved.

Shortly after the truck and crane came to a stop, the crane's boom slowly rose, emitting a deep and even mechanical sound that carried far in the evening air.

A corner of the canvas was lifted, revealing the silver-white metal casing underneath, which reflected a pale light in the setting sun.

Just as the workers were uncovering the canvas of the mobile space capsule, a huge roar came from the sky.

The sound came from afar, pressing down from below the clouds, as if something was flying low close to the sky.

Everyone looked up and saw a huge Albatross twin-engine amphibious aircraft circling in the airspace. It circled once, then adjusted its attitude and slowly descended towards the lake.

Rosen knew at a glance that it was the Expendables' plane; Barney was indeed about to depart. "Is this here to pick you up?"

Barney was amazed by Rosen's observational skills. How did he know the plane was there to pick him up? He had just nodded and wasn't even ready to ask when Rosen continued, "Where did you learn to fly?"

"Are you interested in this?" Barney turned his head and glanced at him.

"Yes, I've driven one before, back in Africa," Rosen said. Barney seemed a little surprised: "You know how to drive one, don't you?"

Rosen explained that it was the first time he had ever touched a plane because the pilot had drunk too much and wanted to sleep, so he had to take over the position himself.

Barney paused for a moment, as if processing the plausibility of the explanation; he felt that Rosen was teasing him.

What pilot would be so careless as to get completely drunk on the plane and then hand over control to a newcomer?

Aren't you afraid that when you sober up, you'll turn into a newborn baby?

But I still explained to him how to get a private pilot's license: "You just need to find an FAA-certified flight instructor (CFI) at a private airport and learn for a few days. I think you can get your private pilot's license if you can stay in the air for 40 hours."

Actually, Barney's statement is simple: 40 hours is the minimum requirement, and most people need to spend more than 60 hours to get the certificate.

他的这40个小时包括20小时教练带飞、10小时独自单飞，其中必须包含3小时跨州远距离飞行、3小时夜间起降、3小时仪表模拟飞行。

However, if you have the money, all the complicated procedures can be streamlined.

"By the way, if we're going to run a farm, we should probably buy our own airplane."

Barney pointed to the albatross that had already landed on the lake, "This plane is now registered under my farm's name, and all the costs of the plane can be used as farm operating expenses to offset farm income."

As Barney spoke, he walked to the shore of the lake. The albatross was already gliding along at idle speed due to inertia, its fuselage slightly touching the reeds near the lake.

He glanced at the water and estimated it to be about 34 centimeters deep, then decided to wade through the water to get closer to the boarding stairs that had been lowered from the side door of the plane.

Rosen pulled him back, and because of the loud noise of the plane engine, Rosen shouted, "Hey, there are alligators in here! A few days ago, an old man passed by and almost fed one to a crocodile."

Barney laughed and shouted back, "I know there are alligators here, but the noise from this plane is enough to scare them away."

After saying that, Barney ran over in a few steps. The water gradually rose above his knees, and he eventually grabbed the boarding ladder and climbed up.

The propeller blades were adjusted to a negative angle of attack, the tangential direction of the propeller surface was changed, and the airflow that was originally pulling forward began to push backward.

The albatross paused slightly on the water's surface, then began to slowly retreat, adjusting its angle as it floated on the water.

Barney shook the water off his feet by the hatch, leaving a small, dark wet patch on the metal floor.

Christmas poked his head out of the cockpit, looked at Barney, and asked casually, "What's your rich neighbor up to? How come his house is already so fast after only a few days?"

When I last came here for Christmas, Lawson hadn't even arrived in the US yet.

Barney sat down in the passenger seat and casually pulled on his seatbelt to fasten it. His gaze fell through the front window onto the bustling construction site on the ground, where the tarpaulin on the truck had been completely pulled back.

The silver-white metal casing is visible underneath, reflecting the sunlight, and there are several large floor-to-ceiling windows. Although the interior cannot be seen, it proves that the room is well-lit.

"His temporary housing has arrived; it looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. It's so good to be rich!"

Christmas placed his hand on the control stick, and as the propeller increased its speed, the albatross began to accelerate. The nose of the aircraft rose slightly, and the oncoming airflow lifted the fuselage a little. The water surface below the wings was cut into two parallel white streaks, which slowly spread out behind the aircraft.

The engine roared, the fuselage lifted slightly, and then it completely left the water. The lake water below the fuselage shrank, becoming a dark mirror being folded.