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Thank you for reading and have a nice Sunday.
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Chapter 196 - Inspection Routine
When Lloyd brought him his horse, Dante adjusted the saddle, the sunlight shining on the leather, giving it a soft glow.
He extended his hand and patted the saddle, feeling the rough and unique texture of the leather in his palm, accompanied by a muffled sound.
The small holes in the center of the saddle were clearly visible—marks left from his various unusual dismounts in the past.
Every time he saw this, he always smiled knowingly. This is his relic, and one day he planned to give it to one of his children.
Bending down, Dante carefully inspected the horse's hooves on the ground, making sure no small stones were trapped in the cracks beneath the hooves.
This black horse was undoubtedly worthy of his careful attention. It had a calm temperament, steady steps, and was also flexible. It was a rare and capable companion on the ranch.
The horse named Night Fury lowered its head and softly snorted, and a warm breath brushed against Dante's hand.
Then the horse raised its head and shook its black mane, which waved in the breeze like ocean waves.
Dante gave it a pat on the neck and smiled with relief: "Today it's your turn, friend. Let's go check section nine of the ranch."
After saying this, Dante tightened the reins, adjusted his gloves to ensure his palms had close contact with the leather, then placed his foot in the stirrup and mounted the horse in one smooth motion.
The saddle swayed slightly, but the horse remained still on the ground, its four hooves firmly planted on the soft grass.
He gently squeezed the horse's belly and began walking over the grass, followed by Lloyd and two other cowboys. The wet grass left a series of shallow muddy footprints beneath the horse's hooves.
Today, he chose to travel by horse to section nine of the ranch instead of riding a motorcycle.
Although it could be more comfortable and faster, Dante enjoyed riding horseback and thinking about some of the situations that might cause him trouble.
Most of the problems requiring his decisions were always solved on horseback rides.
Dante didn't want to take any risks, especially with his organization slowly expanding.
The sun shone through the thin clouds over the open plain, dyeing the ground with a mottled golden green.
Bushes were sparse, and in the distance, a herd of cattle grazed peacefully.
Dante loosened the reins, giving Night Fury more freedom.
This horse was so gentle and intelligent that it didn't need extra guidance.
If someone wasn't familiar with horses, he definitely wouldn't recommend doing this, as it's not uncommon for people to fall off horses and get trampled to death.
After trotting for a few minutes, Dante saw a pickup truck slowly passing through the herd of cattle not far away, with the back filled with hay bales.
The cowboy behind the vehicle held a sharp knife and skillfully cut the ropes of the hay rolls. The scattered hay slowly spread as the vehicle moved forward. The cows and calves immediately gathered and lowered their heads to eat.
Dante gently pulled the reins and guided Night Fury through the busy area to avoid disturbing the cattle that were feasting.
The horse trotted lightly across the open plain and gradually approached the dense forest.
But Night Fury suddenly stopped, its ears swiveling forward and backward alertly, its nose sniffing forward, and its hooves lightly scratching the ground as if it sensed something.
Following its gaze, Dante spotted several white-tailed deer hidden at the forest's edge, nibbling on the tender branches of bushes.
Their figures almost blended with the background, and if Night Fury hadn't been alert, he might not have noticed them at all.
"Calm down, buddy, it's not a wolf." Dante gently stroked Night Fury's neck and the horse's muscles gradually relaxed. Its front hooves softly tapped the ground, then it took steady steps.
"As you said, none of the animals have been hunted." Lloyd knew there was a section of the ranch that was a protected reserve where nothing and no one could kill anything.
"Nature is beautiful, isn't it? Just by buying these lands, we'll make sure no multi-billion dollar company comes here to do anything."
"That's true."
This was his territory. Occasionally, brown bears appeared deep in the forest. Further ahead were rolling mountains that formed a natural barrier.
Dante lightly pulled the reins, guiding Night Fury onto the winding path.
This path was like a ribbon moving between two peaks.
On one side was a gravel-covered slope, and on the other was an impenetrable forest.
From time to time, the sound of birdsong could be heard among the leafy treetops, clear and pleasant.
The river was not far away. The sun shone on the river's surface, and the water's ripples sparkled as if covered by a layer of broken gold.
As the view widened, section nine finally appeared before Dante's group, where a cabin stood.
Dante lowered his head and ruffled Night Fury's mane, softly saying, "We're here, friend."
Night Fury shook its head and let out a satisfied snort, as if responding to his whisper.
He gently squeezed the horse's belly, and the horse's hooves stepped on the soft grass, producing a slight crunch.
From afar, Dante saw the bison calves outside the barn playing enthusiastically like bumper cars, butting each other with their small heads.
As he approached, several calves stopped, perked their ears, and looked curiously with their black eyes at the newcomer in the snow.
Dante looked at the cattle and checked their status on the panel.
The uniform statuses of "happy" and "full" made him feel at ease.
The automatic feeders and petting machines seemed to be working well, and the calves were enjoying the additional growth period.
Dante let the calves out to graze in the newly isolated and larger pastures.
There was no time to watch the grazing, so they had to rely on the cowboys and the adult calves.
Today was Sunday, and he still remembered his task: to carry out a routine check on the water source.
He rode to the watering trough, stopped deliberately near where there were still traces of snow, bent down, and smelled the small puddle of water on the ground.
Dante dismounted, his boots sounding on the grass.
He took his toolbox from the saddle, opened his notebook, and began recording the watering trough's condition, carefully checking the water pressure and flow at the trough.
Night Fury stayed to one side, slowly swishing its tail and occasionally kicking the ground with its front hooves, as if killing time.
The water in the tank was clear and abundant, and the flow was steady, which was a positive sign.
Dante bent down, reached out, and opened the faucet beneath the space between the wooden planks, and clear water flowed out.
After confirming the water pressure was normal, he looked up to check the wiring of the solar panel above his head.
This solar panel was the key to the entire water supply system. It powered the water pump to draw water from the river through an underground pipe up to the water tank high on the hillside, then depended on gravity to transport the water to every corner of the surroundings.
Therefore, even if there was water in the trough, it didn't mean there was water nearby, and the water pipes below could also have problems.
Night Fury put its head in the trough and drank some water, and Dante looked around to make sure there were no signs of leaks.
"Everything seems normal." Dante murmured as he looked at Lloyd, then closed the faucet to its original position and returned to Night Fury.
He then rode his horse up a slightly steep trail to the water tank situated atop the hillside.
There was a ladder beside the metal water tank. He climbed up, holding the handrail, and looked inside the tank.
The water was almost overflowing, and sunlight danced on it. Dante smiled with satisfaction.
"Perfect."
If there was a problem here, he would have to fix the water pipe himself, rather than being able to find a plumber to fix it anytime.
This was the daily routine of a rancher.
When he got down the ladder, he grabbed a handful of water and tossed it over Night Fury's head with a mischievous smile.
The horse violently shook its head and snorted, as if complaining about its owner's trick.
Dante smiled, mounted his horse, and patted Night Fury's neck. "Alright, friend, it's time to head back."