"I didn't realize the young man was so wealthy." Looking at the figure of Zhan Dun, who had already left the airport and was leading the bus to Winthrop, a woman in her thirties from the tour group said excitedly.
"Hey, it's just a car. I've heard that these ABCs (Chinese born in the United States) are very much like Americans. They don't save money and this might be his or his father's." A man, around the same age as the woman, responded somewhat sourly.
It was clear that this woman was quite attractive. Although in her thirties, she was well-maintained, with striking beauty and a great figure. With everyone wearing the same uniform, she certainly exuded an office lady (OL) vibe that was hard to resist.
"That's not true. Jiang is one of the wealthy men in our area. I heard his parents passed away. He moved here a year ago and spent $280 million to buy the largest fishery and ranch in the area. I've heard he makes hundreds of millions a year." After hearing the exchange, Diliya asked the tour guide beside her. Upon learning that they were talking about Jiang Hai, she smiled and explained that it wasn't an exaggeration. Jiang Hai was the dream man of many women in Winthrop. He was charming, had a good figure, and most importantly, he was very rich.
If one could manage to have something with such a man, they would surely have struck gold. And if they were the main wife, well, it's said that men can become reckless when they have money. They had never considered becoming the only one in Jiang Hai's life, but being one of two or three wouldn't be bad either.
Hearing Diliya's words, the tour guides were stunned, especially the female guide, whose eyes sparkled.
Once she translated Diliya's words, the car atmosphere changed.
The women's eyes lit up. Of course, the married women's curiosity was mild—like the couple on vacation—but the men's gazes were more complex, with jealousy certainly being one of the emotions.
"Jiang Hai's manor is enormous. The villa he lives in is beautiful. The cattle business is incredibly profitable, and there's a fishing ground and a beach by the sea. He also owns a large yacht. And, he has two planes!" Diliya continued, unfazed by the jealousy around her, smiling as she talked about Jiang Hai as though he were her own.
As Diliya spoke, the women's eyes grew brighter, while the men felt somewhat deflated. There was no comparison.
At that moment, Jiang Hai was unaware that Diliya had almost revealed all his secrets. He was still in the car, discussing with the group leader, Wu Shan, what places they could visit and what paid activities were available.
Jiang Hai and his friends had already visited most of the spots. This time, he had arranged four villas by the sea for the group to stay in. Naturally, not all tourists would stay in the villas in the future since the price was high. But for this first visit, Jiang Hai was charging only $199 per night per villa.
Each villa had separate rooms with bathrooms, air conditioning, and TVs. This setup allowed for shared spaces, but private rooms offered personal space. There was a private bathing area behind the villa, though the larger public baths were free to use.
In the morning, guests could go out to sea on a fishing boat. Each person had to pay $10. Mayor Wallis had mentioned that the fishing boat activity was simply a trip around the sea, followed by some fishing. Guests could eat whatever was caught on the boat, and the food was free as long as they ate it there. If they wanted to take it off the boat, there was a small charge, but it wasn't much.
The main horse farm he booked was Old George's. The villa area provided free shuttle services to the farm—one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Horseback riding on either spotted or wild horses cost $10 per day, and guests could ride as long as they liked, with a time limit of 10 AM to 4 PM, as the farm closed at four.
A visit to a small private farm was also free. Guests could pick vegetables, feed cattle, and watch cowboys at work. Some activities charged a small fee of $5 to $10.
There was also a gun store in the villa area. Renting a gun was free, but there was a charge for shooting bullets. Before using the guns, guests needed to sign a contract agreeing not to misuse them or take them home. The guns were not for sale.
The tour guide didn't take the group to the souvenir street, but if anyone wanted to buy something, they were free to go on their own. The tour guide could help with translation. The Indian and American History Museums were also free to visit.
Fishing was mainly limited to the river and the sea. A fishing license was required, but it was very inexpensive. Fishing for a day cost $1, and for a week, it was just $3. If visitors didn't have fishing rods, they could rent them from the outdoor goods store, which included the rod, fish food, and other essentials for $1 per day. Buying the items was also affordable—around $10 for a quality river fishing carbon hand rod, complete with line and hooks.
Any fish caught belonged to the fisherman, and there were no extra charges for keeping them.
Finally, there was the party square. Winthrop hosted two parties within five days. Guests could organize their own or join a local event. The parties were free, and the food was also complimentary. However, if guests brought their own items, the locals would process them at no charge. At a general restaurant, there would be a small fee, usually just $1 or $2.
In summary, Jiang Hai and his friends had no significant extra costs for their visit.
Listening to Jiang Hai, Wu Shan calculated that if the tourists didn't buy anything, they would spend about $100 per person over five days in Winthrop. The tour group's fee was paid to Winthrop since it wasn't a shopping group, meaning Jiang Hai and his friends didn't offer rebates to the tour group or guide.
The group's fee was $6,000 per person, covering return flight tickets and accommodations. Even with connections, they had to pay half of the flight cost. After all expenses, Jiang Hai's team would still receive a remaining amount of around $100 per person.
Excluding shopping costs, it would cost about $200 for each person to stay for five days.
Wu Shan found the price surprisingly cheap. A trip to any first-tier city would easily cost more than $1,200 for five days, not even factoring in the most popular domestic destinations.
They say a poor family makes a rich journey, and normally, a five-day trip to places like these would cost around $1,200 per person. With activities like sailing, horseback riding, fishing, evening parties, private estates, and gun shops included, $200 was really a fair price.
Wu Shan had initially estimated the cost to be between $300 and $500 per person. He was pleasantly surprised by how affordable Jiang Hai's offerings were. This made him more inclined to consider bringing a second group in the future.
Upon arriving in Winthrop, Wu Shan realized that Jiang Hai had indeed been holding back. The town was even better than expected! After more than three hours of driving, both cars parked in the lot one after the other.
Wu Shan stepped out and gazed around. To him, Winthrop resembled a small town from a European fairy tale, with lush green grass and trees, and elegant yet rugged European-style buildings.
The bluestone paths, the sea breeze, and the subtle salty scent of the seaside…
It was simple but elegant, modern yet tranquil, reminiscent of a small town from a hundred years ago. As soon as they got out of the car, both the tour guides and tourists couldn't help but be enchanted by the town. They eagerly took out their phones, snapping pictures everywhere, as if the houses were all picture-perfect.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Diliya, who had been a bit anxious, relaxed. It seemed they really liked this place.
"Hi, handsome guy, are you Chinese?" Just as Diliya and the others were about to take a break, several women from the group walked up to Jiang Hai and smiled at him.
Clearly, these women had heard Diliya's introduction and were now interested in Jiang Hai.
"Oh, yes, I'm from Bingcheng," Jiang Hai replied with a calm smile, glancing at the women who had approached.
"Wow, Bingcheng! I've heard of it. The winters there are beautiful, right?" One of the women said with a smile. But seeing her slightly flirtatious expression, Jiang Hai stepped back slightly.
(To be continued.)