HLM -Chapter 1429 Drifting Ice on the Lake

The ice covering the lake didn’t last long. After just two days, it gradually broke apart and melted away. As a result, chunks of ice appeared on the surface of Lake Hāwea. With the wind ruffling the water and waves rippling across the lake, the ice blocks were pushed along by wind and swell, drifting lazily across the surface.

After the heavy snowfall, the weather in New Zealand cleared up. The meteorological service forecast that there would be no rain or snow for the next half month, and all of Oceania was about to enjoy a stretch of fine weather.

Pink Floral Verse began decorating the castle. This was different from renovation work—there was no need for complicated construction. They simply followed the design plans to arrange the wedding venue.

Adrian had ordered millions of fresh flowers from Italy. When the time came, the entire castle would be transformed into a sea of blossoms.

Wang Bo felt it was unnecessary. He already had the Path of Birth Flowers, where flowers grew by the hundreds of millions—harvesting them directly would be more than enough.
However, considering that his own wedding had been in spring, when many flowers hadn’t yet bloomed, and that harvesting too many flowers from the Path of Birth Flowers would affect its overall appearance, he didn’t insist on his idea.

The castle decoration had nothing to do with him anyway. With the roads still partially closed and few tourists around, he found himself unprecedentedly idle.

Watching the ice drift across the lake, he went to find the old guide. The two of them rowed out onto the lake again, taking advantage of the remaining ice to enjoy a little ice-breaking lake tour.

The old guide brought along a large bag and a grill. Once on the boat, he laughed and said, “God bless us—I hope we won’t get rammed and capsized by some boat again this time.”

There were still quite a few jet boats on Lake Hāwea. The lake was wide and the water crystal clear, perfect for opening up the throttle. But at this time of year, no one was riding jet boats. It was simply too cold—those things were fast, offered no protection from wind or cold, and riding one in this season was practically courting death.

Wang Bo rowed leisurely away from the dock and said, “I already arranged for a helicopter to patrol the lake beforehand. There were no jet boats in sight, so we can relax out here.”

The old guide grinned. “That’s great news.”

He lit the grill, placed an iron can on top, and poured in a bottle of white liquor. Soon, the aroma of alcohol spread through the air.

Wang Bo smiled. “This smells pretty good. What kind of liquor is it?”

The old guide shrugged. “I made it myself. No brand.”

Wang Bo was surprised. “You can brew liquor too?”

“Brewing baijiu isn’t hard,” the old guide said casually. “I once worked at a distillery. Prepare the grain, ferment it, distill it, and you get the raw spirit. After that, you just blend it according to your own taste.”

Wang Bo nodded thoughtfully. “It really doesn’t sound that hard. I’ve never brewed alcohol myself, but a lot of people have suggested I do.”

“I’d suggest it too, Mayor,” the old guide said. “Our town has so many excellent springs. The water that flows from them is perfect for brewing.”

As he spoke, the liquor heated up. He poured a cup and handed it to Wang Bo, motioning for him to try it.

Wang Bo took the cup and said, “I know. But our spring water hasn’t gone to waste either—we use it to brew coffee and make beverages, and those sell pretty well too, don’t they?”

He took a sip. The alcohol content was high—sharp as a blade when it hit his mouth—but after swallowing, the intensity softened considerably, leaving a rich, lingering aroma.

“Whew—good stuff!” he praised after swallowing.

The old guide poured him another cup. “I brought a full flask. We can get drunk right here on the lake today—just don’t pass out. Falling into the lake would be troublesome.”

Wang Bo laughed. “Don’t worry. Look—aren’t those rescue boats?”

A speedboat drifted across the lake with lifeguards aboard. If anyone fell into the water, they would rush over immediately to provide assistance.

The fishing rod at the bow began to bob. The old guide reeled in the line, pulling up a bamboo-shell fish.

This fish was relatively rare. Wang Bo was delighted when he saw it. “We’re really lucky—our drinking snacks are here.”

The old guide reached into the fish’s belly, then said in disappointment, “No good, my friend. Its belly is completely full. If it doesn’t have a belly full of stones, then it’s about to spawn. Judging by its vitality, it’s definitely not stones.”

As he spoke, he showed Wang Bo—the fish’s belly was indeed bulging. All they could do was release it back into the lake.

Fortunately, there were crabs in the crab trap. Wang Bo rowed over, and after hauling it up, the old guide picked out several large crabs and placed them on the boat.

In the cold weather, the crabs lacked energy. The old guide grabbed them directly with his hands. They weakly waved their claws in a show of bluffing bravado, then quickly lost the will to resist.

Once they were placed on the grill, however, as the temperature rose, the crabs gradually regained some strength and struggled again. Unfortunately for them, they were flipped belly-up on the grill. As the heat increased, their shells began to change color.

Wild crabs were incredibly resilient—even after turning reddish-brown, some were still twitching their big claws. By then, they were already half-cooked.

When they were fully done and Wang Bo was about to crack one open, the old guide stopped him. He picked up a chunk of ice, took out a rasp and a small hammer, crushed the ice into fine pieces, and placed them on a plate.

Then he took out some lettuce leaves from his bag, scattered the ice chips over them, placed the crabs on top, and handed the plate to Wang Bo. “Here, Mayor—eat it like this.”

Wang Bo accepted the plate with a smile. “Old friend, you really are a gourmet.”

The old guide shook his head and laughed. “I know your cooking, Mayor. Your Chinese dishes are famous throughout the town. If anyone deserves to be called a gourmet, it’s you more than me.”

“My cooking is just edible—not truly delicious,” Wang Bo said. “But I do care about quality of life. If we can use simple materials that are all around us to make meals better, then why wouldn’t we?”

“You’re right,” he continued. “I used to think that way too. But lately I’ve been so busy—and now I have a daughter, which makes things even busier. My quality of life has dropped quite a bit.”

When he cracked open the crab, there wasn’t much roe inside. The crabs had already spawned before winter arrived. Still, the crabs from Lake Hāwea were plump. Even without roe, there was plenty of meat.

The snow-white crab meat was incredibly fresh and sweet. Grilled directly over the fire, juices seeped out as it cooked.

After finishing the crabs, the old guide pulled out two sweet potatoes and two large potatoes from his bag and put them on the grill.

Wang Bo stared in surprise. “Your bag is incredible. Does it have everything in it?”

“You have to understand,” the old guide said with a smile, “for a drifter, this bag is his entire worldly possession.”

As he spoke, he took out a small bottle of honey from the bag. “Something I mixed myself. When you dip roasted sweet potatoes and potatoes in it, you’ll find the flavor is fantastic.”