HLM -Chapter 1441 Spring Waters Blue as Indigo

Money is a good thing—and spending it feels even better.

The sensation caused by this mass wedding was hardly less than that of the boxing match. Yet Wang Bo didn’t feel tired at all. On the contrary, he felt great. There was nothing he needed to worry about; all he had to do was follow Adrian’s arrangements.

Although the wedding cost him a considerable sum, he received a mountain of gifts in return—especially the Sunset Town customized tourism cards from the four major banks. Those were truly priceless.

The set given to him by the four banks consisted of the very first serial-numbered cards, starting from No. 1. If Sunset Town continued to develop well, then years down the line, these bank cards would inevitably become rare collectibles.

Beyond the gifts, the even greater gains were the buzz and the boost to the town’s tourism industry.

October arrived. While autumn in the Northern Hemisphere was beginning to fade, spring in the Southern Hemisphere was in full bloom.

Compared with the early spring of September, October in Sunset Town was especially vibrant—birds singing, flowers blooming, reds and greens everywhere. It marked the most visually stunning season of the year, and also the beginning of an explosion in tourist numbers.

The collective wedding of Wang Bo and the others became yet another global advertisement for the town—one aimed squarely at young people. It showcased the most beautiful wedding scenes and attracted countless couples.

After the wedding, the number of couples coming to take wedding photos and hold ceremonies surged. “Sunset Weddings” suddenly became a hot buzzword in outbound travel and tourism.

The town’s church grew incredibly busy. Seven days a week, every day was fully booked with weddings. Most of them weren’t full-scale ceremonies with guests in tow, but rather couples coming specifically to receive a priest’s blessing.

Father Rooney was overwhelmed and hired two new priests to help. Usually, the two new priests handled the blessings for couples, while he focused mainly on managing the church and leading worship for the town’s Christians.

By late October, the lingering afterglow of the wedding season finally came to an end.

Wang Bo personally saw off his relatives and friends from back home one by one. In the end, only Zhong Dabao and Su Taotao—the newlyweds—remained. Su Taotao had taken a long leave, and the two planned to stay in Sunset Town for a while, until autumn, before returning to China.

“By then it’ll be autumn here and spring back home,” Zhong Dabao said smugly. “When we go back, it’ll be another beautiful season. Isn’t that perfect?”

Wang Bo replied, “That plan sounds great—but I hope after seeing spring here, you’ll still be interested in spring back home.”

Zhong Dabao waved it off. “No matter how bad spring is back home, it’s still better than winter here, right? Besides, what’s so special about spring here anyway?”

Wang Bo smiled. “I just got married and want to relax a bit. Fine—then I’ll take you to experience the town’s springtime scenery.”

This time, he didn’t call anyone else. It was just him, Eva, their daughter, and the couple Zhong Dabao and Su Taotao, heading into the mountains—of course with Zhuang Ding, Little Wang, and the rest of the furry kids along for the ride.

To appreciate the spring scenery of Sunset Town, the best choice was hiking.

Normally, they could head straight into the mountains from the castle, but this time Wang Bo chose a different route—traveling by water first, reaching the dock, and then hiking up from another path.

Lake Hāwea stretched wide and boundless. After boarding the boat, they looked ahead to towering mountain peaks rising majestically. The water was clear as a mirror, reflecting the mountains so perfectly that it felt as though another mountain existed beneath the surface.

Even clearer than the mountain reflections was the reflection of the sky. The deep blue hue mirrored itself on the lake, dyeing the water a pale blue.

Su Taotao sat at the bow, trailing her hand through the ripples, and laughed. “At sunrise the river flowers blaze red like fire; in spring the river turns green as indigo. When I first learned this poem, I never understood—how could river water turn blue in spring? Now I get it.”

Wang Bo said, “What the ancients saw was clearly different from what we see today. Have you ever seen ‘river flowers redder than fire at sunrise’? If you want to, just wake up early tomorrow morning.”

Su Taotao clapped excitedly. “Sure, sure! I’ll get up early tomorrow!”

Zhong Dabao chuckled. “With me around, how could you possibly wake up early?”

Su Taotao immediately shot him a glare.

They rowed across nearly half of Lake Hāwea before approaching the dock at the foot of the mountain.

Many tourists started their hikes from here, so plenty of boats were moored at the dock.

There were only so many berths—just like parking spaces. When Wang Bo and the others arrived, there was nowhere to dock, so they tied up along the shore and waited until someone departed before finally pulling their boat in.

Someone behind them recognized him and said, “Mayor, could we add more berths? We have to wait a long time every time.”

Wang Bo nodded. “No problem. I’ll take care of it next Monday.”

“Yes! That’s wonderful. And congratulations on your wedding!”

Zhong Dabao turned back after watching the exchange and said, “Your prestige and popularity in this town are really something.”

“You understood what we were saying?”

“Not really. But I can understand your tone—and that last line, ‘congratulations on your wedding,’ I definitely got that,” Zhong Dabao said honestly.

Wang Bo laughed. “Not bad—at least you’ve learned a few phrases in English.”

Zhong Dabao shook his head. “Nope. It’s just that I’ve heard that sentence way too many times lately. Everyone says it to you.”

By the shore, tender green grass spread out, and a stone-paved path led up into the mountains. Dense shrubs lined both sides, and every now and then, small birds darted out, chasing insects.

As they climbed higher and left the lakeside behind, there were fewer signs of human presence. A hush settled in, a sense of all-encompassing stillness.

No one spoke, as if they had entered a secluded realm cut off from the world. After walking some distance, there were more birds and insects in the trees, and even wild rabbits darted out of the undergrowth.

At the sight of the rabbits, Zhuang Ding and the others gave chase. Before long, Wang Bo’s backpack held two wild rabbits.

Zhong Dabao looked amazed. “There are so many rabbits here.”

Wang Bo gave a wry smile. “You can’t catch them all.”

From the halfway point up the mountain, looking down, the vast expanse of Lake Hāwea came into view. There was hardly any wind; the surface was calm and tranquil. The deep blue of the lake echoed the sky, like a massive piece of jade.

Broadleaf forest began to appear around them—dense trees, lush foliage. At that moment, a few people carrying hunting rifles came down the mountain, game like rabbits and pheasants hanging from their hands.

Seeing Wang Bo, they nodded in greeting. “Mayor, congratulations on your wedding. Want some game? Maybe you’d like it grilled?”

Another person laughed. “Look—the mayor’s brought his ferocious little beast squad. With them around, he’s never short of wild meat.”

“Good morning, everyone,” Wang Bo replied. “Looks like you’ve had a good haul. Thanks for the offer—hopefully I’ll have a harvest like yours later.”

They continued on. Zhong Dabao asked, “Where are we headed?”

Su Taotao kept snapping photos as she said, “Don’t talk. Just walk quietly. Such beautiful scenery—why do we even need to know the destination?”

Wang Bo spread his hands. “Hear that? That’s the correct way to experience Sunset Town.”