HLM -Chapter 1430 A Family

When the sweet potato was finally roasted through, Wang Bo peeled back the skin to reveal flesh that was golden and reddish at the seams. Steam billowed out. He sniffed—it was full of a rich, sweet aroma.

“This sweet potato is roasted really well,” Wang Bo praised.

The old guide cut open a potato and set it in front of him. “You should really try my potatoes. They taste even better. All drifters are good at roasting potatoes and sweet potatoes.”

Wang Bo didn’t eat the potato. Gazing at the stringy sweet potato, he said absently, “I like roasted sweet potatoes. When I was little, in winter, we’d light a stove at home, and my dad would roast these for me.”

The old guide nodded. “That’s something every father does for his child. Go on, try it. Maybe it’s not as good as your dad’s, but it might have a different flavor.”

Wang Bo said, “No—that’s not what I mean. A few days before I came to New Zealand—on the night my fate changed—I also ate a roasted sweet potato.”

He was thinking of that night back when he was still in the capital. He’d bought a roasted sweet potato from a small street stall at the entrance to his residential complex and eaten it, fragrant and sweet. Then he fell asleep—and when he woke up, this legendary journey had begun.

The old guide didn’t quite understand. “Changed your fate?”

Wang Bo smiled. “You know this land is an inheritance I received, right? When I got that inheritance, I was eating a roasted sweet potato.”

The old guide said, “Of course I know. I have to thank that noble lord from the past for giving the inheritance to you. Whatever his motive, it was a good deed.”

Wang Bo sighed. “To be honest, I don’t even know why that opportunity chose me.”

He truly didn’t know. The Heart of the Lord had come from a phone—but he had no idea who had placed that phone where he’d found it.

The old guide made the sign of the cross over his chest. “I’d say it was God’s choice.”

“But I don’t even believe in Christ or God.”

The old guide laughed. “And what does that matter? We townsfolk believe. He handed this land to you and had you welcome so many devoted believers.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “Besides, God has His own will. How could we mortals ever fathom it?”

Wang Bo laughed as well. He took a bite of the roasted sweet potato and said, “It tastes great—soft and sweet.”

After spending half the day on the lake with the old guide, he finally went home.

He loved chatting with the old guide; in fact, almost everyone did.

The old guide had wandered New Zealand for thirty years in search of his son, weathering wind and rain, witnessing countless sunrises and sunsets. He had his own understanding of life. He had also met many people and dealt with all kinds of characters, so he had a precise grasp of human nature. Talking with him always made people relax.

When Wang Bo got home, Eva was playing games with their daughter.

New Zealand was a paradise for children’s lives and games—there were kids everywhere.
New Zealanders believed that getting along well with children was very important, a reflection of one’s emotional and intellectual intelligence.

Wang Bo often saw people playing a game with children called peek-a-boo. It was basically a simple version of hide-and-seek, meant specifically to amuse infants. Babies have very limited mobility, so it’s obviously not the kind of “hide-and-seek” where a bunch of kids scatter and hide while someone searches for them.

Instead, it’s a repetitive game of covering the eyes. Eva would cover her face—or just her eyes—with both hands, lean toward the baby, then suddenly open her hands to reveal her eyes or make a funny face, making the baby laugh.

As Eva did this, the baby sat on the sofa, reaching out to grab her, but never quite managing to catch her. She wasn’t frustrated at all—just giggling nonstop.

Watching the mother and daughter play, Wang Bo leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed, an unconscious smile spreading across his face, just like his daughter’s.

The roasted sweet potato earlier had given him some insight. Time really flew—seven or eight years had passed in the blink of an eye, and his daughter was almost one year old.

Before coming to New Zealand, he’d been full of fear. Back then, he was alone. Now he had a virtuous wife and an adorable daughter.

That was life. No one could predict what would happen next. And of course, that unpredictability was precisely life’s charm.

Eva happened to turn her head and saw him. She smiled and said, “Why do you walk like Da Pang and Er Pang now—so quietly?”

Wang Bo said, “No, it’s because you were completely focused on playing with our daughter and didn’t hear my footsteps.”

“Since you’re back, you take over,” Eva said, stepping aside. “I still have something in the oven—I need to go check on it.”

The little girl was having a great time. The moment Eva stepped away, she grew unhappy, pouting her lips and letting out babyish cries: “Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy!”

Eva gave Wang Bo a push and teased, “Your daughter’s calling you. Go play with her. Honestly, she must be your biological child, right? She likes you so much.”

Wang Bo sat down in front of the sofa and made a goofy face, chuckling. “Where did this little girl come from? She looks so tender—steamed, she’d probably be delicious!”

The baby stared blankly at his face. Her little mouth puckered, and with a loud “wah,” she burst into tears—yet even while crying, she kept calling out, “Daddy.”

Eva laughed at the side. Wang Bo shot her a glare. “You’re still laughing?”

Eva picked up Princess, who had been sleeping on the sofa, and stuffed her into the baby’s arms. “I’m laughing at your expression just now. You scared her. She’s still a baby—not a tough tomboy like Dale.”

It was the weekend, and Dale was home. Hearing Eva’s words, she protested unhappily, “Who’s a tomboy? I’m cute!”

“Women are made of water, men are made of mud, and Dale is made of cement—so calling her a tomboy is totally accurate,” Wang Bo joked.

Dale pouted, hugged her book, and ran upstairs, refusing to play with them anymore.

With Princess in her arms as a companion, the baby finally became a bit happier.

Eva covered her eyes with her hands and slowly moved forward. Seeing this, the baby tossed Princess aside and happily reached out to grab her mother’s hands.

At that moment, Eva made a “peek-a-boo” sound, then opened her hands and laughed as she stepped back. The baby giggled too, shuffling forward to try to catch her.

Wang Bo said, “Alright, I get how this is played.”

He moved forward. The baby immediately covered her own eyes—refusing to play with him…

“Didn’t you just say she’s definitely my biological child?” Wang Bo said gloomily.

Eva placed their daughter into his arms. “Spend more time with her and she’ll like you. Don’t always be so busy with work.”

Wang Bo sighed. “I really have been busy lately. After the wedding is done, I think I won’t keep being this busy anymore.”