HLM – Chapter 1031 Generous Friends

Time had entered late June, and the weather in New Zealand was growing increasingly cold. The sky had recently turned gloomy, yet no rain or snow had fallen. The persistent overcast days, neither good nor bad, made it hard for anyone’s mood to lift.

The New Zealand general election would see results in mid to late September. By late June, the National Party and the Labour-Green coalition had already entered the most intense phase of the campaign.

Although Sunset Town had gained considerable media attention in recent years, its population was still small, so it wasn’t a primary battleground for the prime ministerial candidates. However, nearby Oak City had become one of the main venues for the June showdown, where the two prime ministerial candidates engaged in heated debates at the Oak City Council Hall.

Wang Bo had been invited as a guest to help canvass votes. He enjoyed high popularity in Oak City, making him a key asset in mobilizing voters.

In recent years, New Zealand politics had been dominated by the National Party, which was why the Labour Party and the Green Party chose to form a coalition. Labour had always wanted an ally, but no suitable party had been willing to join them—until the Green Party rose.

The Green Party had benefited from good timing. Entering the 21st century, environmental issues and green development became global themes. New Zealand, committed to its primary and tertiary industries—agriculture, animal husbandry, and tourism—had strict environmental requirements. Thus, a party that prioritized the environment and sought economic growth through environmental protection, like the Greens, gained many votes.

In the previous election, the National Party had won with 48% of the vote, securing 61 out of 121 seats—more than half. Prime Minister Lawrence successfully won a second term and was now seeking a third. The opposition had been soundly defeated. Back then, the Labour Party had formed an electoral alliance with two other parties, but the combined vote share only reached 43.6%, with 56 seats—not enough for a majority.

This year, the opposition’s situation had improved—not necessarily because the Green Party was particularly strong, but because New Zealand’s economy had stagnated over the past six years, causing voters to grow dissatisfied with the National Party.

Globally, an economic recession was underway. Many countries faced crises, and it was already impressive that New Zealand’s market had not collapsed. Nevertheless, New Zealand’s situation wasn’t too bad, thanks to long-term, large-scale investments in places like Sunset Town, which injected vitality into the national economy. The reconstruction of Vagabond Town had also helped alleviate some economic difficulties.

Another key factor was the thriving international dairy and dairy products industry, largely due to China’s massive market, which had saved New Zealand and Australia’s agriculture and animal husbandry sectors.

As a result, the National Party could not fully capitalize on this, as policies supporting the dairy industry were largely driven by the Green Party, which leveraged this support to gain votes during the election.

Upon returning from Oak City, Wang Bo noticed some election advertisements in Sunset Town and people distributing flyers. Upon closer inspection, they were from the National Party.

Unsurprisingly, this was McGee’s doing. While Wang Bo was away, he had mobilized people to campaign for his party.

Wang Bo smiled coldly and, with the authority of the town’s “boss,” issued a decisive order: destroy all election ads and throw the flyers into the trash.

McGee could only watch helplessly. Sunset Town was unique; Wang Bo’s word was law. If he said no ads or banners, no one dared to put them up.

Frustrated, he finished work and headed to a bar to have a few drinks.

A few Māori men noticed him and followed him inside, greeting him warmly: “Hi, Ben, want to have a drink?”

Receiving such a greeting from the Māori, McGee’s spirits lifted. In the past, he had tried to make herself visible in Sunset Town, but the Māori hadn’t responded, which had been discouraging. Now, with their respectful attention, he felt rewarded for his efforts over the years.

“The gin and brandy here are good, and the singing from Reddy and Ryan is especially moving. I heard they’re even planning to release an album,” one Māori man said friendly.

“Thanks for the tip, mate. I definitely have to try them—I like brandy,” McGee said with a bright smile.

The bartender brought out six glasses of brandy at once. McGee frowned, but seeing his five Māori friends, he smiled again. Guided by them, they drank together merrily.

Māori people could drink like water, getting happier the more they drank, and the happier they got, the more they could drink. They even called over friends, and soon over a dozen people were surrounding McGee, enthusiastically socializing.

McGee winced at the bill but, seeing the generous Māori friends, endured the pain. They drank from the end of work until midnight, and though he vomited several times, he felt sober afterward—his tolerance was quite good.

It was late, and he needed to work the next day, so he settled the bill to leave. The bartender handed him the receipt with a smile. Seeing the number—5,108—McGee was dumbfounded.

“Five thousand dollars?” he exclaimed.

“Strictly speaking, five thousand one hundred and eight,” the bartender said cheerfully.

“Did we really drink that much? Let me see the detailed bill!”

The detailed bill confirmed it was correct. The drinks weren’t expensive, but they had drunk over two hundred glasses in total. 5,000+ was already a reasonable price.

A drunken Māori man walked up, slapped the table, and said: “Give me the bill—I’ll pay. Māori people are generous friends, and Māori people like generous friends!”

McGee swallowed nervously and smiled: “How can I let my Māori friends pay? Then…”

“Then you pay. We’ll go,” the man said heartily.

Watching them leave, McGee felt something was off, but being tipsy, his mind processed it slowly. The consequence of drinking too much was, of course, a hangover.

The next day, McGee woke up close to ten o’clock.

“Damn this weather! I thought it was still dark. Damn it—it’s overcast again,” he complained helplessly, then hurried to the office.