American Farmers: Facing a Cutoff at the Start

As soon as he finished speaking, Frank and Roy went into the house.

After washing their hands, the first thing old Frank did was turn on the TV, grab the remote, tune it to the KATV channel, and turn the volume up really loud.

That wasn't all. He rushed back to his room, pulled out his old handheld DV camera, and set it up on the coffee table.

The camera was pointed directly at the TV screen, where someone was bending over, carefully adjusting the angle.

"Come and eat!"

Rachel brought the last dish to the table and called out:

"Hurry up and finish eating and clean up so we can watch it properly!"

Everyone sat around the dining table, and although the food smelled delicious, their eyes kept glancing at the television.

In the center of the table, a pot of braised wild boar was bubbling away, the dark red broth so thick it clung to the spoon, and large chunks of pork with skin, potatoes, and carrots were swirling inside.

It was served alongside freshly baked bread and a large bowl of vinaigrette salad.

Fett practiced shooting all afternoon and only ate a sandwich for lunch, so he was starving.

He took the bread to catch the soup, picked up a piece of meat, and put it in his mouth.

The skin is thick, soft, chewy, and the lean meat is stewed until tender and flavorful.

Surprisingly, the strong fishy smell he expected was very faint, only a little bit. Instead, his mouth was filled with a rich aroma of spices and red wine.

"This boar meat isn't smelly at all?"

Fett swallowed with some surprise, tore off a piece of bread, scrambled the thick, sauce-like broth in the plate, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The rough bread holes are filled with meat juices, and the aroma of wheat mixed with the salty, savory, and slightly spicy sauce coats the tip of the tongue, making it incredibly satisfying to eat.

After taking another sip of ice-cold beer to cleanse his palate, Fett couldn't help but ask:

"Aunt Rachel, this is amazing! How did you do it?"

Aunt Rachel smiled smugly and ladled a spoonful of gravy for each person:

"Last night you cut such a deep wound on its neck. The beast was running and jumping before it died, so the blood was drained fairly cleanly, and the fishy smell was reduced by half."

She pointed to the dissolved ingredients in the bowl:

"And I used a lot of onions and garlic, and also added half a bottle of red wine and a lot of chili powder to stew it."

"With such a heavy dose of ingredients, even a rock would absorb the flavor."

During the meal, no one was in the mood to talk about anything else; the conversation inevitably revolved around tonight's news.

As Roy munched on his meat, he excitedly speculated how many people would come to visit the farm after the news aired.

Old Frank would glance at the time every now and then, then at the DV camera he was preparing to record, afraid it would run out of power.

The meal was eaten in a flash.

In no time, the plates on the table were empty.

Everyone quickly cleaned up the mess, and the two families squeezed onto the old leather sofa in the living room, sharing various snacks on the coffee table, staring intently at the TV screen as if waiting for a lottery draw.

"here we go!"

As the familiar opening theme song began, everyone held their breath.

The two hosts, dressed in formal attire, smiled and said "Good evening" before beginning their evening news broadcast.

"First, let's look at local news. Arkansas Governor-elect Asa Hutchinson visited hurricane-affected areas north of Little Rock today and pledged to expedite the disbursement of federal aid funds..."

"Across the United States, massive protests erupted in New York, with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets to protest the grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer involved in the strangulation of Eric Garner on Staten Island..."

"Turning our attention to the tech world, Apple's stock price hit a new high today, amid rumors that the company is developing a large-screen tablet device..."

One after another, they were all uninspiring bureaucratic documents.

Everyone stared intently at the television, not daring to look away for even a second, for fear of missing something.

About ten minutes later, the female anchor turned a page of her script, her tone becoming slightly more relaxed:

"The following is a brief news item."

"Last night, a wild boar attacked a person in Eudora, southeastern Arkansas."

"A man and a woman were attacked by wild animals near their farm. The young man suffered a leg injury but is currently in stable condition."

Several photos appeared on the screen.

Those were screenshots from Mike's footage, showing only the carcass of the huge wild boar lying in a pool of blood and the condition of Fett's wounds.

"With a cold wave approaching, residents in the surrounding area are advised to take precautions against wild animals and minimize going out at night."

"Next, some good news. According to the latest data from AAA, the average gasoline price across the United States has fallen below $2.8 per gallon, hitting a five-year low..."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the next news item about falling oil prices was switched to.

No one spoke, still clinging to a sliver of hope, their eyes glued to the television screen, anticipating more detailed reports to come.

however.

The next ten minutes were filled with gossip about the Sony Pictures hack and a preview of NASA's Orion spacecraft launch tomorrow.

At the very end, the two hosts smiled and waved to the camera.

That concludes tonight's news. Thank you for watching.

The end credits start rolling, and GG cuts in.

The living room became completely quiet.

Hope was dashed.

Everyone then realized that the short message, which lasted less than twenty seconds, was all the content they had been waiting for.

The beer can in old Frank's hand was crushed with a "crack".

"That's it?!"

The old man suddenly stood up, his face turning a deep purplish-red, and pointed at the television, cursing loudly:

"Why spend the whole morning doing interviews and staging photos for just a few seconds of nameless, faceless trash?"

"Is that bastard Mike playing us?"

"He even said he could definitely get Fett some exposure, I think he's a complete liar!"

Roy also had a look on his face as if he had swallowed a fly.

"This is too much..."

"Even without mentioning Lyra's shot!"

"What happened to the story of Fett's one-on-one fight with the wild boar? Was it all cut out?"

Leila didn't speak, but her brows furrowed.

She wasn't upset that she didn't get to show her face; she was upset that Fett didn't.

Fett deliberately endured the pain to cooperate with the interview, only to have it glossed over so casually.

Aunt Rachel sighed, wanting to offer some words of comfort, but not knowing where to begin.

Fett leaned back on the sofa. Although he had expected the news to have weight, the difference was still quite significant.

What tricks is Mike Finch playing?

Didn't we sign an agreement?

Didn't they confidently promise a huge fire?

KATV paid for his material just for two pictures?

Looking at the enraged old Frank, Fett calmly said:

"Dad, don't panic."

"I'll call him and ask him what's going on. He seemed so excited in the messages he sent this afternoon; it doesn't seem like he's lying to me."

As he spoke, he took out his phone, preparing to call back.

"Ring ring ring—!!!"

The phone screen suddenly lit up and started vibrating wildly.

Mike Finch.