There's a saying among Aricans about Texas: "Everything is bigger in Texas." And indeed, everything here is "bigger," from the size of the steaks and the quantity of fries, to pickup trucks and wide-brimd cowboy hats, the scale of tax refunds, and even the figures of the won.
When everyone present witnessed Jack complete this incredibly difficult and enormous fish dish, they couldn't help but gasp in amazent. The two Walker kids excitedly took out their phones and kept snapping photos of the dish.
Bonham, who was grilling an enormous tomahawk steak nearby, rested his chin on his hand, stared at the fish thoughtfully for a mont, and announced, "I think this dish should be called 'Texas Bass.' The Texas chicken that Jack ntioned, while tasty, was just too small."
Hearing this, Jack was both amused and exasperated, unsure if this was an unintentional coincidence.
As night fell, the Walker brothers lit a bonfire in the open space. Augie, a musically gifted young man, played and sang a Southern country folk song that Jack hadn't heard before, but he had to admit that Hannah's expensive guitar was definitely a worthwhile gift.
After two large glasses of beer, Walker pulled his wife Emily onto the stage for a country waltz, their moves quite alluring. Next, old man Bonham pulled Aunt Molly into a traditional country waltz.
Then Stella was dragged onto the stage by her uncle Liam, followed by Hannah and Jack.
Jack really couldn't dance, but thanks to the powerful attribute bonuses from the system, he went from chanically following Hannah's rhythm at first to gradually loosening up and starting to improvise, even managing to imitate Walker's style by leaning back with one hand on Hannah's waist.
After several songs, everyone still felt it wasn't enough. At Walker's suggestion, they danced a square dance in pairs, with Augie playing the instrunts and conducting, weaving dance commands into the lyrics. Jack had only seen this country-style square dance in old Westerns; it incorporated many elents of British court dance and he found it particularly interesting.
"I already regret not having the girls wear tutus," Aunt Molly remarked.
They played together until late at night, until the two children started to get sleepy, at which point the Walker family said goodbye and left.
In the morning, Jack, following Aunt Molly's example, made burritos from the leftover steak and fried so eggs.
The doorbell rang crisply, and Hannah, still wet from her morning run and carrying a bouquet of freshly picked wildflowers, entered.
"Coffee or milk? Liam brought us so fresh milk on his way back to town," Jack asked without turning around.
Hannah didn't answer, but simply walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.
"What's wrong, darling?" Jack asked, puzzled. She was perfectly fine when they left.
"Nothing, I just think it would be nice to live here forever. I can try to buy back the ranch's operating rights," Hannah murmured softly, resting her head against his back.
Jack put down the spatula, turned around, picked her up, and placed her on the small table. "And then have a whole bunch of kids, drop them off at the Walker's every day, and go out and play by ourselves?"
Hannah's beautiful eyes widened, her dazed expression endearingly silly. "You've thought about that too?"
Jack lightly kissed her pink lips. "I have to admit, the Walker family made completely fall in love with life on the Texas ranch in just one day."
"But I want to redeem your ranch with my own money, then we'll own it together."
Feeling a warm hand roaming over her, Hannah blushed crimson, her voice growing softer.
"But that'll take a long ti. With your ager salary at the FBI, I might as well wait for the 50-year lease to expire, though by then we'll both be too old to have children," Jack retorted. "Can't you have a little faith in ? I've just made a fortune; even robbing a bank wouldn't make any faster, would it?"
Hannah's occasional bursts of madness were evident; her eyes lit up at his words.
"Why don't we be like Bonnie and Clyde, a pair of master thieves? We'll definitely steal a ton of money."
"And then get shot to death by Walker, huh?" Jack rolled his eyes.
Bonnie and Clyde, arguably Texas's most famous and, arguably, most legendary fugitive couple in Arican history, were riddled with bullets by Texas Rangers on a Louisiana highway.
Their story was made into a Hollywood film in 1967, becoming a classic cultural icon.
....
The Stephens family cetery is located in a small grove on the farm. Old but not dilapidated, the elderly Thiago and his wife have maintained everything on the farm, including the cetery, ticulously. As per the Stephens family's promise, they too will be buried here after their deaths.
Hannah placed her bouquet before a tombstone, clasped her hands to her chest, and silently prayed.
Jack silently stayed by her side, a feeling growing stronger within him, a feeling he didn't seem to resist.
After paying respects to Hannah's parents, the two returned to the farm. Hannah helped the elderly Thiago and his wife with so farm work, while Jack repaired so farm machinery. Finally, he simply took out his phone and ordered a unique three-wheeled motorcycle online.
This kind of thing is perfect for driving around a small farm; it's simple in structure, sturdy and durable, and easy to maintain — he believed the elderly Thiago would like it.
After lunch, the two drove to the Walker family's ranch, where they saw the two children excitedly preparing for their camping trip that evening.
Jack felt there was nothing he needed to help with, so he found a walnut root in a corner of their woodpile, asked Grandpa Bonham for a hamr and chisel, and started carving on the porch.
Originally, he just wanted to make a wooden base for the natural gold nugget, but felt it was too simple and boring, so he decided to play around and carved a statue of the goddess of victory with her sleeves rolled up.
They wedged the natural gold nugget into what should have been a torch, and there appeared before them a figure of the goddess of victory, sleeves rolled up, struggling to hold the nugget aloft with one hand.
The crucial point was that the goddess's face was a spitting image of a cartoon version of Hannah, with a defiant and arrogant expression, making old Mr. Bonham shake his head in disbelief.
"This natural gold nugget is quite valuable. If it were auctioned, the price should be around 1.5 to 2 tis its weight in pure gold."
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