HLM – Chapter 123 Construction of the Waterway Begins

The two sheep weighed about the same, each around 150 pounds. Wang Bo simply totaled their weight and gave Buck a discount based on that.

Buck stuffed the two sheep into an iron cage, took out his wallet, and counted out 2,400 New Zealand dollars to hand over to Wang Bo. He said with anticipation, “I really can’t wait to taste this mutton.”

Wang Bo laughed, “You’re quite the foodie, huh.”

Hearing this description, Buck laughed too and said, “Yes, a foodie. I’m a foodie.”

The Commander, perched on Wang Bo’s shoulder, preened his feathers with his beak and then squawked, “Ah, glutton! Ah, ah, glutton!”

Buck didn’t understand Chinese, or else he might’ve taken a swing at the bird. After chatting with Wang Bo a bit more, he drove off from the ranch.

To Wang Bo, 2,400 NZD wasn’t much—once the Christie’s auction sold his antique, he could become a billionaire.

But this income still gave him great encouragement. Antiques were one-time deals, but the ranch was not. As long as the “Heart of the Ranch” could keep improving the meat quality of his livestock, he could make money continuously.

He had bought calves and lambs at low prices, and the ranch grass was essentially free—this was a business with high profit margins.

He could make over a thousand dollars from a single sheep, and he had close to three thousand sheep on the ranch—that was a profit of over three million!

The power of example was strong. After Buck went back, several of his friends came the next day to buy sheep. They had tasted the ranch’s lamb and were hooked.

Another dozen or so sheep were sold, and Wang Bo pocketed over ten thousand NZD in cash.

When Charlie learned about it, he shook his head and said, “Looks like I priced them too low at first. Wang, we can give discounts to local residents buying small quantities, but for outsiders or bulk buyers—no more discounts.”

Juan looked puzzled. “Isn’t it usually big orders that get discounts?”

Charlie replied, “True, but our cattle and sheep should be marketed as premium products, like wagyu beef. There are more rich people in New Zealand than you’d think. What we’ve got on the ranch can be entirely absorbed by them.”

Wang Bo agreed. The area influenced by the Heart of the Ranch was still small, and he could only raise so many animals. To make good money, he had to sell at high prices.

The business had effectively taken off. Over the following days, more people came to buy sheep, so Wang Bo left the ranch operations to Juan and Bowen while he focused on other tasks.

Wang Bo’s next job was very important: he needed to design a master plan for the town, then build the electrical and waterway systems. Without these two systems, life in the future town would be extremely inconvenient.

Currently, the town’s construction was centered along Highway 8. On both sides of the road, thirty to forty small buildings had already been built. A little farther out, there was a gas station to the west and a natural gas station to the east.

For the town to develop well, it was clear they needed to rely on Highway 8. Also, Wang Bo didn’t want the residential area to extend too far into his territory—he still wanted to develop agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries.

The tertiary roads were almost complete. The rural architecture company was working quickly. Wang Bo’s travel had become much easier—he could now drive directly to Highway 8.

The terrain along Highway 8 was flat, a small plain, which made it easy to plan the town. He only needed to design a few residential zones.

New Zealand’s towns were not like large Chinese towns. Due to the sparse population, they were more like larger villages by Chinese standards.

But what distinguished New Zealand towns from Chinese villages was that, despite their small size, they had all the essential amenities—cinemas, supermarkets, bars, cafés, and other leisure spots were all available. After all, New Zealanders were more adept at consumption and entertainment.

Wang Bo discussed the plans with Charlie and Hani. Hani’s connections truly proved valuable—he found an expert from the Auckland Municipal Construction Department to provide advice, and they quickly finalized the residential zone’s location.

Things had to be done step by step. The initial plan for Sunset Town was to establish one residential area, located two kilometers north of Highway 8, also centered along a tertiary road. The location and terrain were suitable.

With the residential area confirmed, it was time to begin building the electrical and water systems.

Wang Bo went straight to find Potter. The latter didn’t act like the Commander manager of a construction company at all. During work hours, he was still lounging around his villa playing with dogs.

This time, Wang Bo brought the “muscle”—Zhuang Ding. As soon as he got out of the car, a bunch of dogs rushed over barking furiously to scare him. But he whistled, and Zhuang Ding leapt forward like a tiger descending a mountain!

Zhuang Ding jumped down, eyes wide and fierce, his short golden fur bristling. He opened his mouth and let out a roar: “Woof woof woof!”

Immediately, the surrounding dogs tucked their tails and scattered. One poor corgi with stubby legs couldn’t run fast enough and, realizing it had fallen behind, got so scared it peed while running…

Potter came out in slippers, laughing heartily, “Wang, you bad guy, you scared the hell out of my kids.”

Wang Bo asked, “Why aren’t you at the office?”

Potter shrugged lazily, “Xiangni is there. I don’t need to work that hard.”

Wang Bo was full of envy. A wife like Xiangni—those long black silk legs and the ability to earn money and support the household—was a dream come true.

The reason Wang Bo had come was to build the water and electricity systems. Potter poured him a glass of iced black tea but shook his head and said, “You know, Wang, I’d love to take the job, but I’m not capable of doing it. However, I do know a few professional engineering firms—let them handle it.”

New Zealand black tea was different from Chinese black tea. The Chinese version was usually consumed straight, while the Western style involved mixing in juices like lemon or apple.

Wang Bo enjoyed this kind of iced black tea—it was like drinking fruit juice. While he happily sipped his tea, Potter made some calls. By the time the contacts were arranged, Wang Bo was done with his drink.

Zhuang Ding was usually very attached to Wang Bo, but now he roamed freely. He paced slowly on the lawn in front of the villa, and the other dogs were terrified of him.

Once the dogs got a little more used to him, Zhuang Ding would suddenly bark loudly, scaring them all into a frenzy. It was obvious he enjoyed the feeling of dominating the weak.

Potter helped Wang Bo organize a bidding event for the water and electricity project. Even though it was just a small town’s infrastructure, everything in Sunset Town was being built from scratch, so it would cost quite a bit.

Wang Bo was well-prepared. Hani estimated it would take five to six million. Wang Bo could afford it—after finishing the tertiary road construction, he still had over five million in cash. But he needed to start thinking about taxes—he hadn’t paid taxes yet on the auction proceeds.

The bidding event was scheduled for Monday. Wang Bo would preside over it, with Hani and Charlie as his deputies. Potter would serve as a technical consultant.

The town only had some basic modular buildings—either fast food layouts or residential styles. There was nothing suitable for a town hall or administrative office, so Wang Bo casually picked one to serve as the temporary town hall.