HLM – Chapter 1052 The Princess’s Clever Trick

For this hot pot feast, Wang Bo prepared a large variety of dishes. Just the meats alone included beef, lamb, rabbit, chicken, duck, pork, and more—but the most popular, by far, was venison.

When the ranch was first established, wild deer were drawn in by the Ranch Heart. Over time, they lingered and eventually became Wang Bo’s private property. Even now, deer continue to run out from the mountains and into the ranch.

Every day, the cowboys must keep track of the types and numbers of deer, because deer are the most precious livestock on the ranch, and venison is the most expensive type of meat Sunset Ranch produces.

While swishing slices of meat in the hot pot, Na Qingyang sighed, “Eating venison in winter—damn, this used to be the life of a feudal landlord. Damn capitalist countries, looks like I’ve become an evil landlord! Come on, Atulu, give me another piece of breast meat…”

The snow fell for two straight days. Wang Bo treated his subordinates to hot pot for both days. When the snow finally stopped, Atulu contentedly patted his big belly. “Boss, I feel like I’ve put on five or six pounds.”

Elizabeth and Eva wore looks of horror. Venison was a high-calorie food—very fattening indeed.

So once the snow stopped, Eva immediately insisted on going out to exercise and burn off the weight.

Wang Bo said, “Don’t listen to Atulu’s nonsense. How could you gain weight that fast? You’re not a balloon.”

Eva persisted. “Even if it happens in a few days, it’s still scary. No, I have to lose weight!”

Wang Bo said, “Look at your figure—perfect. A little chubbier is also perfect. In weather this cold, just staying in bed is the best.”

Eva huffed, “It’s perfect now. If I get chubbier, it won’t be perfect. I don’t care—I’m losing weight!”

Wang Bo said, “But can’t you see how deep the snow is? How are you going to work out?”

Eva said, “I’ll go to the gym. You’re coming with me. I’m losing weight.”

With her unyielding insistence, Wang Bo had no choice but to withdraw the wandering hands that were exploring her body. He put on his clothes and fastened his pants, his daytime mischief plans ruined.

Venison wasn’t only high-energy—it also had a miraculous invigorating effect. For the past two days, Wang Bo felt extraordinarily heroic.

He didn’t want to exercise—unless it was bedroom exercise. To dispel Eva’s gym idea, he quickly said, “If you want exercise, then let’s go clear snow.”

Eva hesitated. “Clear snow? Didn’t the castle paths already get shoveled?”

“We’ll clear the snow at the ranch.” Wang Bo lit up when he saw her expression shift. His hands wandered again. “The ranch hasn’t been cleared yet. Clearing snow burns tons of calories. Lots of movement, and it’s cold too.”

Eva nodded. “Fine. Move your hands away. Let’s go clear snow together.”

Half an hour later, the two arrived at the ranch with Little Wang, Zhuang Ding, the fat-cat brothers, and little Dale.

The ranch did need snow cleared, but now they had more than twenty cowboys. Cousins and the others were supervisors. They could handle the work. Wang Bo could happily play the role of an evil capitalist.

Snow-clearing had already begun once the blizzard weakened. The snowplows roared through the ranch, pushing piles of snow together. Then Ford pickups came by with trailers to haul it away.

Little Dale was bundled up like a dumpling, wearing a thick puffy coat with a bell-topped hat. As she tottered through the snow, she looked like a fat little penguin.

Wang Bo donned a Lei Feng-style fur hat to work. Little Dale walked over and said, “Teacher, your green hat looks great on you. It really suits you.”

Suit his ass. Wang Bo immediately ripped the hat off, stared at it, and decisively threw it on the ground.

The fat-cat brothers, bored atop Little Wang’s back, noticed the hat landing in the snow. Their eyes lit up and they leapt down to play with it.

But the snow was too deep. As soon as they landed, their short little legs disappeared. Their round bodies sank right into the snow, leaving only two little heads with dark black eyes peeking out—comically visible against the white.

Little Meng the falcon flew through the air, occasionally skimming so low that its sleek body carved trails along the snow like a gliding fighter jet.

Seeing its silhouette, the kea parrots flew out too. They had been starving for two days, huddled in their nests during the blizzard. With the falcon leading, the flock became unusually bold, darting everywhere in search of food.

But the snow was deep, hiding the possums beneath the surface. After searching a while, the parrots still found nothing.

Some kea grew desperate. Hunger turned into recklessness. Spotting a lamb, one launched itself downward, talons outstretched to grab its back.

Little Meng spotted it instantly. From high in the sky, it folded its wings and plummeted like a black meteor. In a flash, its huge talons seized the kea that was attacking the lamb!

Without slowing, Little Meng dove further, slamming the parrot straight into the snow and pinning it underneath.

Then the falcon glided upward again, while the kea crawled out of the snow, covered in ice and humiliation. It squawked twice and fled back into the air—too scared to go near the sheep again.

The other kea instinctively tucked their wings tighter. None dared approach the flock. They obediently continued searching for mice hidden under the snow.

The thick snow served as perfect protection for the possums—warm, concealing, and allowing them to nibble on roots freely.

The Princess (the snow fox) was energized by the snow. Her white figure darted everywhere like a sprite.

Suddenly she stopped, staring at the snow ahead with her bright black eyes. Then she leapt—straight up a full meter! Like a diver, she arced and plunged head-first into the snow.

Little Dale screamed, “Princess, what are you doing? Are you trying to head-dive yourself to death?!”

At the sound of her voice, the snow fox burst out of the snow, a plump grassland possum dangling from her jaws.

Eva laughed. “Don’t worry, Dale. This is Princess hunting. That was one of her best hunting moves.”

Little Dale clapped happily when she saw the possum. “Wow! Princess is amazing! Go Princess!”

Possums were a favorite food of wild snow foxes. But a pampered fox like Princess, raised in luxury, found them too gamey.

She tore off a piece of meat, chewed, frowned, and spat it onto the snow.

The kea circling above spotted it immediately. They swooped down, and finally, a strong male kea grabbed the discarded possum and triumphantly flew off with it.