HLM -Chapter 1261 A Fiery Opening

Perhaps due to the novelty, the newly opened farmers’ market was bustling with activity.

Once business officially began, Wang Bo walked through to observe and noticed that the stalls roughly fell into three categories.

The most common were fresh, self-produced farm products—various fresh vegetables and fruits, particularly organic produce, which was especially prevalent at the stalls. This was normal: nowadays, New Zealand consumers not only want to know the origin of farm products but also how they were grown, whether pesticides were used, the harvesting methods and dates, storage techniques, and so on. Organic vegetables and fruits sold at higher prices, offering greater profit per item and being more favored by customers.

Next were food products: homemade bread, farm-made cheeses and seasonings, freshly produced beef and lamb, sausages, as well as homemade jams, candied fruits, canned goods, honey, and more. There were quite a few of these as well. Handmade chocolates, boutique wines, and craft beers were also sold at many stalls. Wang Bo saw Atulu buying beer, dragging it behind in a pickup truck.

Less common were handmade crafts. Wang Bo noticed these mainly included handcrafted items, wooden furniture, knitted hats and sweaters, hand-dyed fabrics, and similar goods, while other types were rare.

At the far end of the market was a cluster of artists’ stalls, where painters and sculptors displayed various oil paintings, sketches, and watercolors for sale.

The Serbian giant, Dayan, also came to the market, bringing his young son, Milorad. On the steel bed in front of him were handmade wooden carvings and exquisite small furniture—clearly he was there to earn some extra income.

Wang Bo greeted him and said to the boy, “Hey, kid, how come your dad drafted you as a laborer? Tell him that employing child labor in New Zealand is illegal.”

Milorad shyly smiled and said, “I’m here to help, not as his worker. But he still has to pay me; I need to save money.”

“To save money for what? Getting married?”

Milorad shook his head. “No, I want to go to middle school in the U.S., so I need to save tuition fees.”

The NBA is the holy land of world basketball, and the U.S. offers the best basketball education globally. Choosing to study there was the right choice, though tuition and living expenses are very expensive, and Dayan likely couldn’t earn enough from woodworking alone.

Wang Bo looked at the boy, scrutinized him for a moment, and said, “It’s been a while since I last saw you. Have you grown taller?”

Milorad grinned. “Yeah, I grew four centimeters taller, but I’ve gotten much stronger. Mayor, have you noticed my muscles look better now?”

Wang Bo nodded. “Yes, you’ve definitely become stronger. Honestly, I even thought you were a fully grown man now.”

Milorad said, “Since coming to Sunset Town, I’ve gained fifteen kilograms, with a slight reduction in fat. Now I dominate on the basketball court.”

Compared to his previous life, he was now in paradise. In Sunset Town, he could freely enjoy quality beef and lamb, and Wang Bo had arranged for Kuncha to design a specialized fitness program for him in the gym.

So it was natural that the boy gained muscle—he indeed had athletic talent, and Wang Bo hoped he would pursue a professional basketball career.

Hearing that Milorad planned to attend middle school in the U.S., Wang Bo pulled Dayan aside and asked, “If he goes to the U.S., will the whole family accompany him? That would require a lot of money.”

Dayan shook his head. “His mother will go with him. Even so, the costs are hard for our family to bear. But with the farmers’ market, I hope it can improve our financial situation.”

Wang Bo instinctively wanted to pat his shoulder in encouragement, but Dayan was so tall that it felt awkward, so he withdrew his hand sheepishly.

He said, “Don’t worry, let him go. The town will provide financial support; you only need to save for living expenses. Leave the rest to the town.”

Dayan was stunned. “Oh my, really?”

Then he realized and quickly added, “How can that be? Mayor, that won’t do. He already gets free meat from the town. The town has helped us a lot already.”

Wang Bo gestured for him to squat, then finally patted Dayan on the shoulder, trying to speak earnestly: “Buddy, ensuring every child’s healthy development is part of my duty as mayor.”

Dayan was left unsure whether Wang Bo was joking or serious, laughing and crying at the same time.

Before leaving, Wang Bo reassured him: “I’ll have Oakley contact a top basketball school in the U.S. for him. We’ll figure out how to get Milorad there. Don’t worry; Sunset Town has got your back.”

He was serious in his promise. His motives were twofold: to increase the townspeople’s sense of belonging and as an investment. If Milorad became an NBA star, the returns for Sunset Town would be even greater.

With Oakley, Hill, and the Sunset Town band as precedents, Wang Bo was increasingly eager to see the town produce its own stars.

Like other farmers’ markets in New Zealand, all items here had clearly marked prices. Customers selected items, packed them in eco-friendly paper bags, and the stall owners weighed and charged them.

Shopping here had advantages: because everyone valued trust and promises, there was no worry about buying substandard products or being cheated by rigged scales. Compared to supermarkets, information was more transparent, and customers could inquire about detailed product information.

Moreover, the stall owners acted as advisers—a benefit supermarkets couldn’t match. Customers would explain how they planned to use the vegetables or fruits: for cooking, eating raw, making jam, or mixing in salads. The stall owners would then offer purchase suggestions.

Previously, a supermarket mistakenly sold daffodils as garlic sprouts to a customer—a mistake that would never happen at a farmers’ market.

Consequently, supermarket sales of fruits and vegetables would inevitably be affected, but Wang Bo didn’t mind. If the farmers’ market succeeded, the benefits to the town would be even greater.

Currently, the market had low foot traffic and small scale, so it couldn’t operate continuously. Wang Bo initially planned to open the market twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.

After organizing the farmers’ market, he began working on merging with Tahiti Town.

In late June, choosing a clear day, he drove with Uncle Bing, Hani, Charlie, and others to Tahiti Town.

Autumn in New Zealand had a certain open beauty. Farms along the roads had completed their harvests; the sky was an unblemished deep blue, and the air was pristine. Looking out the car window, the plains stretched endlessly in every direction.

Once they entered the section of Highway 8 leading to Tahiti Town, the road became dilapidated. Gravel and dust covered much of the surface, and some parts resembled dirt paths, with the car raising clouds of dust as it drove over them.