HLM -Chapter 1257 A House Full of Guests

The first weekend after the locust disaster was the time Wang Bo and Christian had set for a gathering of farm owners.

He guessed that many of the farm owners wouldn’t come. After all, the recent locust disaster had been terrifying. Not every farm kept so many chickens, ducks, and geese, and with the government’s slow response, many farms had suffered severe damage.

However, with the government organizing agricultural planes for large-scale pesticide spraying to eliminate the locusts, the disaster had effectively passed.

Wang Bo called Christian to ask if they were still coming. Christian said they definitely would; everyone had already agreed to come to Sunset Town and wanted to thank Wang Bo.

Hearing this, Wang Bo was confused. Why would they thank him?

The answer was revealed on Saturday morning. A convoy of dozens of pickup trucks drove into Sunset Town and headed straight for the government office building.

The security guards at the government building were startled upon seeing the convoy, thinking they were there to cause trouble.

Wang Bo saw them from the window and went downstairs, deliberately waiting for the guests there.

The castle was under renovation and couldn’t host everyone. The number of farm owners attending the gathering wasn’t large enough to require using the town square for a party, so Wang Bo chose the government building as the venue, which had both a conference room and a reception hall.

Christian’s Ford F150 led the way. When they parked, a security guard approached sternly: “What are you trying to do?”

Wang Bo walked out, waved, and said, “Nadean, it’s fine. These are my friends—let them in.”

The guard wiped his brow and muttered, “I thought they were here to cause trouble.”

The farm owners had brought their families, totaling sixty to seventy people. Wang Bo and Christian embraced and then shook hands with everyone, directing them to the conference room, where snacks and drinks had already been prepared.

Christian said, “We’re not in a hurry to start the party, Wang. First, we want to thank you. You did something great for the farms in Otago and Canterbury this time.”

Wang Bo asked curiously, “Yes, you said that before, but what exactly did I do?”

“Drawing the fire, mate. Sunset Town successfully drew the brunt of the locust disaster, acting as our shield,” said a farm owner named Bartlu with a laugh.

Wang Bo suddenly understood—it was like that. He knew the story.

Locusts migrate in swarms. During their southward journey, most of them flew toward Sunset Town, while only a smaller portion spread to surrounding areas. That explained why the disaster looked so severe when he had witnessed it.

As a result, the smaller swarm in the South Island didn’t cause much damage, at least not like the farms near Christchurch, which suffered significant losses.

News had reported this at the time, and some experts speculated that Sunset Town’s abundant water and vegetation attracted the locust swarms, and the large number of birds in the town created a super food web that wiped out the locusts.

Some people even began to wonder if there was something special about the water and soil in Sunset Town. The town produced excellent beef and lamb, crops grew well, and now, locusts seemed particularly attracted to the area.

Some agricultural experts speculated that there might be some mysterious element in Sunset Town’s water and soil with a strong attraction for animals and insects.

Wang Bo didn’t pay much attention to these reports. Sunset Town had successfully weathered the disaster, and by a stroke of luck, this batch of chickens, ducks, and geese would likely grow quickly and have excellent meat quality.

Even now, a few straggler locust swarms were still heading to Sunset Town—but of course, they were food for the birds. The purple swamphens were happily feeding and had recently gathered at the outskirts, ready to confront any incoming locust swarms.

Wang Bo smiled wryly. “So that’s how it is. It’s nothing. I didn’t really intend to help anyone, so there’s no need to thank me.”

“Don’t say that, Wang. Your ranch and farm really helped us a lot. If the locusts had gone to my land, I’d be doomed!”

“After this lesson, I’ll raise some chickens and ducks too, so if there’s another locust disaster, we won’t have to worry.”

“Damn it. Relying on the government before was useless—they’re unreliable. It’s better to rely on each other.”

The farm owners chatted animatedly, and the conference room became lively.

The room was simply decorated, with tables and chairs arranged in circles, both large and small, allowing for group chats or smaller conversations.

Coffee, juice, and black tea were fully stocked. Wang Bo had ordered plenty of pastries and snacks from the bakery so everyone could eat and drink while chatting.

Through the conversations, Wang Bo learned some news he hadn’t noticed before.

The North Island had suffered more severely than the South Island. The locust disaster wasn’t as terrifying as people thought—it was mainly because New Zealand had no emergency response mechanism, and locals had little experience with locusts, leading to initial chaos.

The government’s slow response was criticized, and many regions protested the Ministry of Agriculture’s inaction, demanding an apology from the Prime Minister and the dismissal of the ministry.

Wang Bo knew some of the insider details. The Ministry of Agriculture was still controlled by the National Party, and in fact, they reacted quite quickly. It was just that the Labour-Greens coalition was ineffective, not providing enough resources for disaster relief.

Qingyang had told him that the Labour-Greens coalition was trying to wrest some parliamentary seats from the National Party and also wanted to push them out of certain key departments, making this locust disaster a political battlefield.

Politics was always dirty and disgusting. Whether National or Labour-Greens, they only cared about their own interests. Voters were like chamber pots—used when needed, ignored when not.

In the South Island, Christchurch and surrounding areas suffered the worst. Twenty-five farms affiliated with the Quinoa Association went bankrupt.

Even more farms in the North Island went bankrupt, probably over a hundred. In the South Island, outside of Christchurch, few farms went bankrupt. Losses occurred, but they were manageable.

Then, farm owners from Oak City arrived—invited by Wang Bo through Motak—all belonging to the Quinoa Association. Since they were organizing a gathering, they decided to make it bigger.

Farmers brought beer. Any farm that grew barley or wheat would have some homebrew.

A larger crowd made the gathering lively, but also noisier.

Wang Bo was undoubtedly the most popular person at the event. As the host, the wealthiest and most influential person there, everyone knew that befriending him brought benefits.

He continuously entertained different groups, joking to himself, “I’m like a groom at a wedding, constantly toasting everyone.”

Bulls laughed, saying, “Mayor Wang, when are you getting married? Remember to invite us when the time comes.”