HLM -Chapter 1167 King Crab Shack

Dale had also heard what that person said. She couldn’t help wanting to laugh, but when she saw Wang Bo’s darkened expression, she quickly said, “You’re not allowed to say that about him. He’s very handsome—and the mother of his child is even more beautiful than Élise!”

The onlookers burst into laughter. Dale wanted to argue some more, but Wang Bo patted her head and said, “Alright, I’ll let you off this time. I’ll lend you ten dollars—remember to pay me back.”

“That’s not enough. I want a hundred,” the little girl said.

“Why so much?” Wang Bo asked.

“If I only donate ten dollars, it won’t show my love,” she replied seriously. “And didn’t you say that when I donate, God will see it? I hope if I give more, He’ll have a better impression of me.”

“Why? Did you offend God or something?” Wang Bo asked.

Dale drooped her head and said dejectedly, “Probably. At school I always bully other kids, and when they pray, they all tattle on me to God.”

Wang Bo took out two hundred dollars and handed it to her. “Then one hundred won’t be enough.”

“Is two hundred enough?” the little girl asked excitedly. “Then give me another two hundred—so I can bully them again!”

Wang Bo rolled his eyes. “Dream on. This two hundred is just to test the waters—to see whether God is willing to settle this with money. If He’s not, then you’d better behave yourself at school from now on and reform properly.”

The children from Anchorage finally took the stage, and the crowd burst into applause. Watching the child on stage shivering uncontrollably, Wang Bo and the little girl both felt it was a bit cruel.

He asked the person beside him, “This kid clearly doesn’t want to play this game. Doesn’t this count as child abuse?”

The man replied firmly, “Of course not. He just hasn’t discovered the fun yet.”

Just then, another child came on stage—a boy of about ten. His appearance made the shivering child breathe a sigh of relief and scamper off in a flash.

The little boy was a small local celebrity in Anchorage, and his appearance was greeted with waves of cheers. Buckets of icy water were poured down, and the boy didn’t mind at all—he took two buckets in a row before strutting off proudly.

Wang Bo egged on the little girl. “Why don’t you give it a try? It’s not that cold. Look—he took two buckets at once. You only need one. I’ll record it and show it to your sister when we get back.”

Dale wasn’t so easily fooled. She said fiercely, “Aren’t you afraid my sister will beat you to death?”

After watching the kids do the ice-and-snow challenge, there were adults who played too. They made their donations, then hurried back while it was still light out.

Anchorage at night was extremely cold, especially after heavy snowfall. As the saying goes, it’s not cold when it snows—it’s cold when the snow melts. The nighttime temperature was estimated to drop to minus twenty degrees Celsius.

Yet there was still a program scheduled for the night. Tony told him, “Go to bed early tonight. Get up at two in the morning—I’ll take you to see some ice-and-snow stunts.”

“What kind of ice-and-snow stunts?” Wang Bo asked.

Tony chuckled. “You’ll know when you see it. Really, buddy, you won’t be disappointed. By then, you’ll even have works of your own.”

For dinner, they went to a restaurant called King Crab Shack. Despite the word “shack” in its name, it was actually quite spacious and very well-known locally.

Since they were in Alaska, they had to try the locally sourced deep-sea fish and king crab. This restaurant’s king crab was said to be especially delicious, and Tony insisted they try it no matter what.

The restaurant was located by the city river, built of wooden planks with a rustic style. Inside were several fireplaces, all burning vigorously. The place was bustling and lively.

“This restaurant has been around for many years,” Tony said. “It’s said to have been founded during the height of the Gold Rush. Look—huge mugs of draft beer, dancer performances. If you add fur trading, everyone carrying guns and tobacco, this would be Alaska eighty years ago.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone brought over tobacco.

The restaurant had good ventilation, so many people were puffing away without affecting others much.

Wang Bo declined the free tobacco—there was a child with them, after all.

Alaskan men were rough around the edges, but they had one admirable trait: a strong instinct to protect children. Once the little girl sat down, the burly men at the surrounding tables all stubbed out their cigarettes.

Seeing this, Wang Bo felt genuinely touched. He raised his glass to them and said, “Thank you for your understanding. To make up for it, I’ll treat everyone to beer—tonight, all your beer is on me.”

“Woo!” One big man immediately got excited and pounded the table with his fist.

A waiter came over to confirm, “Sir, will you be covering the beer for these nearby tables?”

“No need to question it, Jaco,” Tony said. “This is my honored guest—he keeps his word.”

Wang Bo understood: the waiter had come to ask for a deposit.

He generously pulled out a thousand dollars. There wasn’t much else to spend money on during this trip, so he didn’t feel the least bit stingy.

The burly men watching him immediately broke into smiles. Some came over with their beer mugs to clink glasses with him. “Cheers, friend—to friendship!”

Money was the best tool for building rapport, and just like that, Wang Bo won their friendship.

The restaurant was filled with the rugged boldness—one might even say the wildness—of the Gold Rush era.

In ordinary restaurants, menus were placed on the tables. Here, each table had a sign that read:
If you are dissatisfied with our service, please lower your standards.

Tony ordered several dishes. Since he often ate with Wang Bo and the others in Sunset Town, he knew everyone’s tastes well.

While waiting for the food, Tony introduced the place further. “The seasonings they use here aren’t store-bought. They make them themselves—for example, blending beach seaweed and chickweed to create a gentle herbal aroma. You know, even the pickiest gourmets can’t resist this kind of seasoning.”

“That really does sound nice,” Wang Bo said.

Tony shrugged. “Of course, it’s still a bit inferior to the White Tower Hotel in Sunset Town. I know—the ingredients there all come from your own sources.”

This wasn’t bragging. One major feature of the White Tower Hotel was that its vegetables came from its own fields, its meat from its own ranches, and its aquatic produce from Lake Hawia.

Not long after they sat down, a burly-looking middle-aged man walked out.

As soon as he appeared, customers around the room greeted him. Listening in, Wang Bo learned that this was the owner—Donald Quiltorque.

The owner nodded to the patrons, then walked straight over to Wang Bo and said, “Welcome to our King Crab Shack, Mayor Wang. I hope you enjoy yourself.”