HLM -Chapter 1421 Trash and Art

The castle renovations were complete, and all the furniture and appliances had been brought in. Among the appliances, air purifiers were the most numerous, and the powerful central air conditioning system worked tirelessly day and night to circulate the air.

Although the materials used were claimed to be all-natural and free of chemical residues, Wang Bo didn’t believe it. Too many disasters had happened because of renovations lately, and he had a daughter who was not even a year old—he wasn’t willing to take any risks.

So, even though the castle was finished, they couldn’t move in and still had to return to the villa area.

However, after seeing the castle in operation, Wang Bo became interested in wind power.

Relying on the national grid alone would make the castle’s electricity consumption enormous. If there could be a wind power station to supply electricity, it would save a lot of money.

After returning to his office, he compiled the materials the professors had given him and sent them to the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of the Environment, applying to build a wind power station on the mountain.

The New Zealand public system handled such matters very slowly. By July, Wang Bo had received no response, so he decided to let it go—“if it happens, good; if not, then so be it,” he thought.

On the other hand, the abandoned wind turbine rotors were delivered quickly. Another batch arrived later, and Wang Bo repurposed them along the sides of the road. After decorating them, they became beautiful rows of seating.

Perhaps inspired by the mayor’s example of recycling discarded materials, some townspeople also began repurposing waste—but complaints followed.

The issue began with an American immigrant family decorating their front yard with discarded tires. They collected many old tires, painted them in bright colors, filled them with soil, planted a few plants, and turned them into tire planters.

These planters were attractive, environmentally friendly, and a good example of turning waste into treasure—they should have been praised. Instead, neighbors complained about the Americans.

The complaints disappointed the family. When the police arrived, the family showed them their backyard.

The police saw that the old tires, once painted, looked beautiful. Although it was winter and some of the plants weren’t blooming, it was clear that once the flowers bloomed, the yard would be stunning. The police decided no action was necessary; they found nothing wrong with what the Americans had done.

However, complaints kept increasing. Some residents even carried banners to the government office, staging protests.

The American family remained calm. Since the police said their actions were legal, they refused to back down and continued their tire art.

Eventually, the situation escalated, and as mayor, Wang Bo had to handle it personally.

After consulting with the involved officers, he said, “Alright, let me go see what’s going on.”

The Americans lived in the newly developed South Scotland Power neighborhood, designed by Wendy. The neighborhood was nestled against the hills, facing a lake, with a very nice environment.

But because it was a new development, the landscaping was not yet fully done. Perhaps because of the winter, much of the land was bare, without lawns, flowers, or trees.

When Wang Bo arrived at the Americans’ house, he was impressed.

The house was beige, and their backyard, like the neighborhood, was colorful. Tires painted in vibrant colors were carefully arranged throughout the yard, decorating it beautifully.

Some tires were used as planters, while others were hung as swings, chairs, or baskets—a veritable tire paradise.

The family consisted of six members: a couple and four children. The husband, Barry Ted, was a bartender; the wife, Kara Ted, was a nurse.

Wang Bo shook hands with them. Barry said with a smile, “Welcome, Mayor. Your visit both surprises and honors us.”

Wang Bo smiled and said, “No need to be surprised, and no honor is involved. I was curious—I heard there was a tire artist in town, so I wanted to see for myself.”

“So you were disappointed?” Barry asked.

Wang Bo shook his head. “Impossible. You’ve done an excellent job. This backyard is beautiful. Walking around, this might be the most beautiful one I’ve seen.”

“So, we don’t have to remove these tires, right?” Kara asked happily.

Wang Bo replied, “Why would you remove them? No one can take away a family’s right to beauty. In fact, I have to say—you’ve done a great job.”

Kara relaxed and said, “That’s wonderful. We’ve put a lot of effort into this yard. Honestly, when we first bought this house, the yard was bare. To see it like this now makes us proud.”

Wang Bo patted a white tire seat and said, “I truly admire it.”

“Thank you for understanding, Mayor. You know, we don’t have freehold ownership, so we were worried you might compromise for community stability. We appreciate that you didn’t,” Barry said.

Wang Bo laughed and shook his head. “No, I would never compromise. Even without freehold ownership, I can assure you, this house fully belongs to you.”

According to New Zealand law, freehold ownership means full ownership of both the house and land, with the right to long-term residence. Wang Bo only sold the house, not the land; the land, including for the daycare center and Liancheng Group resort area, remained under his ownership, and these entities had only usage rights.

After understanding the situation, Wang Bo left. But once outside, he was blocked by a group of residents waiting for the outcome.

Wang Bo spread his hands. “Hey, everyone. A few tires in a backyard—what’s the problem? Why can’t people do this?”

“Because those tires are trash. They must be removed from the garden. Our neighborhood is cohesive; tires shouldn’t appear here!” said an angry African immigrant.

Wang Bo patiently explained, “That’s not true, folks. We all know the government encourages recycling used tires and other resources—it protects the environment. You say these tires are trash, but unless the law or the environmental department says so, you’re wrong.”

Kara, standing at the door, said, “The mayor is right. What we’re doing is legal. If you continue to interfere with my family, I will call the police.”

“Then why don’t you call the police? Go ahead, jerk!” someone shouted.

“Believe me, Americans, this isn’t North America. This is the Southern Hemisphere—you can’t do whatever you want here!”

“Our neighborhood will never allow anyone to put trash in their backyard! We are a high-class community!”