HLM -Chapter 1160 Deep Green Pasture

Doing this, of course, wasn’t the start of the actual roasting—it was just the preliminary marinating stage.

There were only six hours left until dinner. If he used conventional methods to marinate a turkey, it would be hard for the flavors to penetrate properly, so it needed to be put into the oven. A slight increase in temperature would help the marination process.

After turning in the oven for two hours, the vegetable broth inside had been almost completely absorbed by the turkey, with mostly vegetable scraps left behind. Wang Bo took it out and poured those away, then washed the turkey with cooking wine, soy sauce, and vinegar to rinse off the vegetable residue clinging to it.

Seeing this, Father Bo shook his head. “That’s such a waste.”

Mother Bo said, “Living in such a big house, what’s wrong with wasting a little seasoning?”

Wang Bo laughed. After washing the turkey clean, he continued marinating it, rubbing a layer of olive oil and honey all over. The turkey immediately became glossy and slick with oil.

Of course, Christmas wasn’t about just this one dish. Mother Bo and Father Bo were busy making other dishes, so Wang Bo was no longer needed and could go rest.

Festivals like this were always more fun with more people. Uncle Bing’s wife had now come to Sunset Town, so they weren’t coming over to eat, but others—like Atulu’s family, Hani and his son, Na Qingyang, Li Xing, and so on—all came to the castle for dinner.

When people got older, they liked liveliness. Seeing so many people coming together to eat made Father Bo and Mother Bo extremely happy, and they insisted on personally cooking an authentic Chinese meal.

Na Qingyang, with his sweet tongue, grinned and said, “That’s really wonderful. When you’re away from home, you’re a stranger in a strange land—every festival makes you miss home even more. With Uncle and Auntie’s meal, at least my homesickness can be eased a lot.”

“Exactly. And since coming to New Zealand, I haven’t eaten real hometown food in ages. Today I’m really lucky,” Li Xing added.

Wang Bo gave the two of them a thumbs-up, then scrolled down and said, “You guys really have no shame. First, is this even our festival? You don’t celebrate Christmas at home—what homesickness are you talking about?”

“Second, Master Xing, what do you mean you haven’t eaten hometown food in a long time? You eat with us every day—what I cook doesn’t count as hometown food?”

Li Xing laughed awkwardly, while Na Qingyang said, “What you make is delicious, sure, but it doesn’t have the flavor of time, you know? The flavor of time. Simply put—mom’s taste.”

Father Bo poked his head out and said, “That actually makes a lot of sense.”

Li Xing gave a thumbs-up. “Brother A really nailed it—that’s exactly what I wanted to say.”

Everything on the table was produced locally in Sunset Town. The fish used for the boiled fish dish came from Lake Hāwea, and the fried fish fillets were naturally from Lake Hāwea as well. In addition, there were steamed giant crabs, spicy stir-fried giant crabs, braised prawns in oil, and plain blanched shrimp—just the seafood alone filled an entire table.

There were even more vegetables: chili-fried cured pork, baby bok choy in superior broth, cabbage braised with fresh shrimp, Kung Pao chicken, twice-cooked pork, sweet-and-sour pork tenderloin, soy-braised beef, and braised lion’s head meatballs—more than twenty dishes in total.

Atulu chuckled and said, “This is exactly why I like coming to the boss’s place to eat. Look at these dishes—so abundant. Way better than gnawing on roast chicken at home, right?”

The massive turkey slowly rotated in the oven. Thanks to the honey, its roasted color shimmered enticingly, making anyone who saw it feel hungry.

All these ingredients were grown by Father Bo and Mother Bo themselves. With nothing much to do in town, they spent their days tending the vegetable garden or going to the lake to fish and catch shrimp—everything they did revolved around food.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone chatted for a bit and then dispersed.

Wang Bo noticed that the draw panel, which had been inactive for quite some time, was usable again. This time, the panel had turned a deep green—the greenest he had ever seen—so he curiously tapped it.

Based on his experience, the panel could draw three levels of hearts: light green was Level One, aqua green was Level Two, emerald green was Level Three. This was the first time he had ever seen it turn deep green.

He remembered that just two days ago, the panel had only been emerald green. He hadn’t expected the color to deepen so dramatically in just two days.

Thinking about the sudden surge of tourists in the town over the past couple of days, he understood. It must be the increase in visitors bringing more spiritual energy, which led to the appearance of a heart of this level.

The panel condensed a heart. The deep-green pointer spun rapidly. Wang Bo silently called for it to stop, and the pointer abruptly came to a halt—Territory Heart.

“Another Territory Heart,” he shook his head, but then quickly became happy again. High-level hearts required support from lower-level ones to be used. If a very high-level mysterious heart had appeared, he wouldn’t even be able to use it yet.

As soon as this heart appeared, it immediately transformed into a patch of deep-green pasture grass, and then its name appeared—Pasture Heart!

Among all the hearts he had drawn, Wang Bo had obtained the most Soul Hearts, followed by Pasture Hearts. However, Pasture Hearts brought him the greatest profits.

The Pasture Heart he drew this time was the highest level he had ever obtained so far, so it was definitely something to celebrate.

Recently, he had also drawn a Level One Pasture Heart and a Level Three Pasture Heart, bringing his total to five pastures: two Level Three pastures, two Level Two pastures, and one Level One pasture.

He placed this Level Four Pasture Heart into the very first pasture he had established. Instantly, the pasture turned deep green, lush and vibrant, as if moisture could drip straight from the grass.

“So beautiful,” Wang Bo couldn’t help but sigh.

Eva, who had just changed into her pajamas, happened to walk out and said with a charming smile, “Is it? I think it looks the same as before.”

She had misunderstood what Wang Bo meant, but since he was speaking in her direction, the misunderstanding was perfectly normal.

Wang Bo naturally didn’t explain—doing so would have made him look foolish. He followed her words and smiled. “It was beautiful before, so of course it’s still very beautiful now.”

Eva pinched his nose and laughed softly. “Alright, I’ll take that as you knowing how to talk.”

Wang Bo put an arm around her and asked, “So what Christmas present did you prepare for me this time?”

Eva said, “Won’t you know tomorrow morning? Keep an eye on the red stocking by the bed—Santa Claus will bring gifts tonight.”

Wang Bo immediately jumped out of bed. Eva asked in surprise, “What are you doing?”

Wang Bo said, “I’m going to call Zhuang Ding and Queen and the others into the room to sleep. They’re wandering around outside—what if they run into Santa Claus and bite him? That wouldn’t be good. Then wouldn’t I end up with no Christmas present?”

Eva burst out laughing and asked, “Then what did you prepare for me?”

Wang Bo blinked. “It wouldn’t be fun if I told you. You’ll find out tomorrow.”

According to tradition, gifts are only opened after Christmas Eve—just like how Chinese people give red envelopes on the first day of the Lunar New Year. But nowadays, many families open gifts on Christmas Day itself, just to enjoy the holiday with extra cheer.

Wang Bo quite liked Christmas. Every time it came around, he would receive a pile of Christmas presents—of course, he also had to give out a pile in return…