HLM -Chapter 1119 Like Crystal

The weather was brilliant. Peterson had contacted a group of shearers and began shearing the sheep on the ranch.

He had started out as a shearer himself. When Wang Bo first hired him to perform sheep-shearing demonstrations for visitors, he soon discovered that the old cowboy had plenty of experience and strong leadership skills. Gradually, Peterson became one of the ranch’s de facto managers.

The reason he was called one of the managers was because there was another manager as well—naturally, the tall and robust Cousins.

Cousins had the advantage of youth, strength, and vigor. Full of energy and responsibility, he managed the main livestock on the ranch along with five brothers.

Peterson, on the other hand, knew New Zealand better. Older, calm, and experienced, he maintained close relationships with the local farmers and ranchers and handled the smaller, more tedious tasks.

For instance, this sheep-shearing project had been organized by Peterson, who was in charge of prices, meals, and the work schedule. Wang Bo could now fully let go of ranch operations.

The ranch had become his largest money-making venture—this was beyond doubt. The reason Motak wanted to plant large amounts of green corn was for exactly this reason.

With Ye Qipeng’s Northern Agricultural Grain Group cooperating with the ranch to develop the Chinese market, the sales channels for the ranch’s livestock had expanded. Wang Bo didn’t need to lift a finger—the fame of Sunset Ranch had already spread across Europe, America, and Asia.

Northern Agricultural Grain was still conducting exploratory sales. Wang Bo had sent them some samples, and Ye Qipeng needed to assess market feedback before further negotiations. Therefore, he hadn’t returned to Sunset Town.

Wang Bo drove to the ranch just as the sheep-shearing work was winding down. Boxes of compressed wool were piled together, forming what looked like a small hill.

Natural wool is rich in oils, which help sheep resist cold and rain. Rainwater hitting the wool would roll off drop by drop without wetting the sheep’s body—the oil on the wool did the work.

Sheep fat, or lanolin, is actually extracted from the oil in the wool. The remaining wool isn’t waste; it can be reused and sold to produce wool products.

Lanolin has a special advantage when selling: it’s extracted without any slaughter involved. The sheep are only sheared, not harmed. Even vegetarians or animal-rights advocates can use lanolin without feeling they are violating any principles, which is another reason for its nationwide popularity.

Seeing Wang Bo arrive, Cousins, who was wearing a vest and tidying up hay seeds, asked curiously, “Boss, is extracting lanolin really that interesting? You came all the way here to see it yourself?”

Wang Bo replied, “After all, this is our own enterprise. It’s more satisfying to see it with my own eyes.”

Cousins said, “The slaughterhouse is also your business. Why do you never go see that?”

Wang Bo put on a solemn, pitiful expression and sighed, “You guys don’t know, but I’m actually an animal-rights advocate. The scenes at your slaughterhouses—cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, geese—it’s just too bloody. I can’t bear to watch!”

Cousins almost laughed out loud. “You, an animal-rights advocate? When it comes to eating steak, except for Atulu, no one enjoys it more than you.”

Wang Bo shook his head in frustration. “Sh*t… it’s all because steak tastes too good.”

Peterson and two new cowboys under him were operating a line of machines. Amid the roar, the machines started running—this meant they could begin extracting lanolin.

Although the production line had many machines, it didn’t use physical extraction—it used chemical extraction. Some of the machines were chemical reactors.

First came the wool-washing process. It had to be completely free of impurities, or the extracted lanolin would be of lower quality and less valuable.

Next, boxes of wool were placed into storage bins, and chemical solvents were added to start the extraction process.

It sounded simple, but dissolving and re-extracting was a long process, requiring multiple repeated cycles, each lasting at least two hours.

After watching, Wang Bo lost interest. The machines were too boring to watch. He patted Peterson on the shoulder and said, “Once the lanolin is extracted, give me a bottle. I want to give some to Eva and Dale as gifts.”

Lanolin is perfect as a gift. People unfamiliar with it might think that because it’s called sheep fat, it must be greasy.

In fact, this is the lanolin’s most appealing trait. Despite being very moisturizing, when applied to the hands or face, it absorbs quickly and feels silky smooth, with no oily residue.

Of course, this is high-quality lanolin. Many products add ingredients like sheep placenta extract or collagen, claiming to help women combat skin aging and sagging.

Wang Bo didn’t know about such effects. In New Zealand, real high-quality lanolin contains nothing else—no collagen, no placenta extract.

That evening, after work, Peterson delivered a bottle of lanolin to Wang Bo. It was in a disposable, cup-sized glass bottle, pale yellow and exceptionally clear, like a crystal.

“This is what comes from our wool?” Wang Bo admired the bottle.

Peterson nodded. “Yes, very fine pure lanolin. You can smell it.”

Wang Bo opened the cap and sniffed. Fortunately, there was no sheepy odor, only a peculiar scent of the oil itself.

“What is this smell? Can it be removed?” he asked.

Peterson shrugged. “Not really. In my experience, any lanolin that smells fragrant has artificial additives. Natural lanolin doesn’t smell like that.”

Wang Bo said, “I read online that natural lanolin has a faint fragrance.”

Peterson laughed heartily. “It doesn’t have a perfume bag. How could it possibly have a natural fragrance? That’s just misleading marketing. Don’t believe it.”

Wang Bo took the bottle and ordered a beautiful small purple crystal bottle online.

The seller refused to ship a single bottle, so he ordered two dozen to save on shipping. In New Zealand, labor is expensive, and sometimes shipping costs more than the product itself.

He tried it himself first, dabbing a bit on his hand and rubbing it over his face. Initially, it felt a bit greasy, but the sensation disappeared within seconds, replaced by a soft, cool feeling.

Lanolin has excellent moisturizing properties. It’s particularly effective against the dryness and itching caused by cold, dry autumn and winter weather.

Especially in spring, when the weather suddenly warms but humidity remains low, moisture from hands, feet, and face can be quickly carried away by the cold wind. Applying lanolin or products containing it can greatly reduce the loss of skin moisture caused by the external environment.