Yunding Ranch

Chapter 14 Warm Welcome
"Woof, woof, woof," a ferocious bark blew along the wind, and the hairs all over Lu Li's body stood on end. When he was eight years old, he was chased all over the yard by a wolfhound the height of a person, and in the end his thigh was savagely beaten. After taking a big bite, if there were no adults nearby, he might have confessed that he was there. Therefore, he has a natural sense of fear of canine animals.

However, before Lu Li could react, a large black shadow pounced on him, causing Lu Li to stagger backwards and take two steps back. In the end, he still couldn't stand still and fell hard on the ground.Bad childhood memories flooded in like a tide, Lu Li could only instinctively raise his hand, trying to build a protective net between himself and the animal, goosebumps followed by waves of chills, The sudden suffocation grabbed his throat, and his hands unexpectedly burst out with unprecedented energy.

"Wow, woof, woof." The bark of the dog exploded above the eardrums, and it sounded like thunder to Lu Li's ears. However, unlike the shock in his heart, the biting, pain, and torture in fear did not hit, but replaced him. Instead, there was a wet feeling - the animal actually started licking his face vigorously, the wet saliva was really uncomfortable, and it didn't help the smooth breathing.

"Stop! Stop!" Lu Li was completely helpless with animals and didn't know how to communicate. He could only dodge left and right, hoping to end all these disasters as soon as possible.But the animal in front of him seemed to be encouraged. Not only did it not stop, but it became more and more excited. It lowered its head and kept acting coquettishly on Lu Li's shoulder. From time to time, it raised its head again to lick Lu Li's cheek, making a "woo woo" sound from its mouth. The sound really made Lu Li overwhelmed.

"Teddy, Teddy!" A rough male voice came from behind, and Lu Li hurriedly shouted, "Please let it go! Please let it go!" Then Lu Li heard There was a burst of hearty laughter, "Haha, it can be seen that Teddy likes you very much. Teddy, hey, don't be too enthusiastic about the guests, he seems to be a bit overwhelmed. You can try to touch its head, and then scratch it. Scratch its jaw, it will love it."

"Uh... what?" Lu Li's only weakness was dogs, so he never had a cold for pets. In "critical" situations, he even lost his hearing.

Then a tall and strong man appeared in sight, with a beard on his face so that his face could not be seen clearly. He knelt down on one knee beside him, patted the big dog's head boldly, and hugged the big dog with his right hand. He grabbed the big dog's head, put his hands on the big dog's chin and scratched it vigorously.A miracle happened right in front of Lu Li's eyes.

The big dog crawled into the man's arms with a contented face, shook his head constantly, and stuck out his tongue to lick the man's chin from time to time, his slightly narrowed eyes showed that he enjoyed such moments very much.

"You can try." The man showed a smile like the sun at three o'clock in the afternoon, and raised his chin towards Lu Li.

At this moment, Lu Li finally escaped from the sky, his face was so wet that he was in a mess, he didn't even have time to pay attention to the grass clippings and dust all over his body, he let out a long breath, feeling the moisture of the fresh air in his scorching lungs, The beating heart finally calmed down a little.

The man in front of him looked about 30 years old, his face was full of scum, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were full of vicissitudes. He wore a denim shirt, and his blue eyes shone with warmth, silently cheering for Lu Li.

Lu Li had already developed a habit of keeping dogs at arm's length, but the golden retriever in front of him made him laugh and cry. Maybe it was because of the beech pasture, maybe it was because of the sudden attack just now, maybe it was because of the cowboy in front of him. After hesitating for a moment, Lu Li stretched out his hand and scratched Jin Mao's chin. Then he saw Jin Mao standing up and taking a step in Lu Li's direction, which made him subconsciously take another half step back.

"Don't be afraid, it's just friendly." The man explained aloud.

Lu Li's footsteps stopped, and his unretracted fingers felt a burst of moisture. The golden retriever actually started to lick his fingers. The faint itchiness made the corner of his mouth lightly outline a smile. Before he could think, Lu Li lifted his He stroked the golden retriever's head with his hand, and then saw the golden retriever showed a comfortable expression again, rolled over and lay down at Lu Li's feet, fully opening his belly.

Lu Li looked at the cowboy in confusion. The cowboy didn't explain. Instead, he reached out and patted the golden retriever's stomach. The golden retriever made a pleasant and trivial sound.Lu Li also imitated his hand and stroked the golden retriever's stomach. The soft hair slid over his fingertips. The scorching heat made Lu Li retract his right hand reflexively. He raised his head and looked at the cowboy. He couldn't help laughing. Laughing, "I'm not a pet type person." Lu Li explained.

"Really?" The cowboy showed a puzzled expression, "But Teddy likes you very much." The cowboy touched the golden retriever's belly again, "You know what? People say that dogs can smell people Everyone's kindness and malice. I think Teddy smells kindness in you, so he gives you a warm welcome."

The thoughts just now rippled in his mind again, and Lu Li couldn't help but look at the golden retriever who was begging for favors. Maybe the cowboy was right, this golden retriever felt his emotions, and that's why he was so enthusiastic. "It's called Teddy?"

"Yes, it's Teddy." The cowboy withdrew his right hand and stood up again. The golden retriever didn't feel the stroking/touching, so he stood up immediately, circled around twice, and then came to Lu Li's feet, constantly Rubbing Lu Li's calf, this small movement made Lu Li's muscles tense up again, but the cowboy couldn't help laughing, "Dude, it really likes you."

Although Lu Li had never had a good impression of dogs, but at this moment, seeing the golden retriever hovering around his feet, the softness in his heart was gently touched.Could it really feel human emotions?It knows the purpose of coming here, it knows Liz's entrustment to him, it knows that the zelkova forest has awakened the memory of Liz in his mind... Lu Li knows that this kind of thinking is too absurd, let alone him and Liz Even if he and Liz are really close friends, how could it be possible for him to feel it at the first meeting?but……

Involuntarily, Lu Li bent down and touched the golden retriever's head.After making this movement, Lu Li was taken aback by himself, but immediately the corners of his mouth curved into a slight arc, as if for the first time since he was eight years old, he felt the tacit understanding between him and the big dog.

"Cole Grande." The cowboy extended his right hand and introduced himself, "Welcome to Beech Ranch."

"Li-Lu." Lu Li took the other's right hand and teased himself, "It seems that I didn't look for the wrong place this time."

"Hey, you are the Chinese!" Cole showed a big smile, and he could vaguely see the neat white teeth between the bushy beard, "Liz's friend. The lawyer before called and said, you Will come, I'm still wondering when you'll be here. Welcome, welcome!"

Cole stepped forward and gave Lu Li a warm hug, "Sorry, your name is..."

Lu Li has long been used to this, his surname is not easy to pronounce, and often after correcting them many times, the pronunciation is still wrong, so he simply said, "Fourteen, you can call me Fourteen. Cole showed a puzzled expression, and Lu Li spread his hands, "This is a very long story."

Cole laughed happily, "Don't worry, we have enough time, this is not New York." Cole took the lead and led Lu Li towards the house, "I have worked for Liz for seven years , in fact, my home is not far from the town, and I grew up near here when I was a child. In the past few months, Liz's health has been getting worse and worse, and I have been managing the work of the ranch. The most recent period I'm still here for a while, and when you're fully in charge, you can rehire your own cowboys."

Lu Li opened his mouth, wanting to say that if Cole is willing, he can buy the ranch, but he swallowed the words, don't worry, just take your time.

Cole didn't notice Lu Li's change, and still led the way, "There are still some cattle and sheep in the pasture, but the horses have been sold before; there are also hundreds of apple saplings, Liz originally planned to plant a fruit tree Yes, but she didn't wait until this time..." Cole's voice could not help but pause.

Looking back, Cole saw the silence in Lu Li's eyes, not grief, but a touch of sadness.Cole didn't understand why Liz left the beech wood ranch to a guy who was almost a stranger—and he was also a Chinese. If it was just to appreciate the previous help, there could be other ways.But at this moment, looking at the emotionally settled Lu Li in front of him, Cole decided not to ask any questions. He hid his inner doubts and said involuntarily, "She walked peacefully and died in her sleep. To be honest, since Jack passed away, After that, she was waiting for this day." Jack, Liz's husband, died five years ago.

Lu Li twitched his lips and nodded towards Cole. He could feel that Cole's words just now were comforting him.

"In addition, there is a lavender field." Cole went on to explain, and then he caught Lance's surprise, which made him laugh, "Liz is pouring her heart into this lavender field." A lot of work has gone into it, and this is one of the most outstanding lavender fields around."

"There is also a beech forest." Lu Li added.

Cole nodded, "Yes, and the most beautiful beech forest."

(End of this chapter)