HLM -Chapter 1442 If There Is a Heaven

Wang Bo and the others were, of course, heading somewhere with a purpose. Their destination was a BACH.

On the western side of the mountain range lay a flat stretch of land. It had once been covered with kauri trees, but the town had arranged for them to be felled and hastily cleared, and a BACH holiday cabin had been placed there.

The mountain road wound and twisted. Through gaps in the trees, the waters of Lake Hāwea flickered into view again and again. Finally, after passing through a grove of kauri trees, the cabin appeared before them.

The cabin was built from cypress wood and had wheels beneath it. Once set in place and locked to the ground, it could be perfectly secured.

The house was very small—probably only around twenty-four or twenty-five square meters. When Zhong Dabao saw it, he laughed and said, “What is this? It looks pretty nice, but isn’t it way too small?”

Wang Bo replied lazily, “Small as a sparrow, but it has all the vital organs. Come on, let’s go in and have a look. This is a holiday cabin I kept for myself—ordinary people can’t even buy one.”

The cabin was lavishly decorated. From the outside, it had a simple, rustic, countryside look, but inside it was done in a modern minimalist style.

Though the floor area was small, the sense of space was surprisingly generous. Thanks to its excellent stability, the cabin had two levels, with a bedroom, kitchen, small living room, and a sunroom all included.

Su Taotao was a literary, artsy girl at heart. The moment she stepped inside, she fell in love with the place and said, “Having a space of your own in a place like this really feels wonderful.”

Every inch of the cabin had been fully utilized. Right by the entrance, in a corner, stood a bright yellow daisy in full bloom, like a welcoming flower.

To make better use of space, the beds in the bedroom were wooden bunk beds. But these weren’t ordinary bunks—there were hidden features everywhere: partitions, a built-in computer desk, and even adjustable bed curvature.

Zhong Dabao laughed when he saw it. “Whoa, what is this—like a Transformer or something?”

The lower bunk even had a safety rail that could be pulled up from below.

Eva pulled up the rail and put the baby inside. The little girl held onto it, stood up, opened her mouth wide, and shouted, “Mama, mama, papa, mama, kitty.”

Hearing her cries, several of the furry kids turned and ran off. Eva reached out and caught Princess, kissed her on the forehead, then handed her to the baby, saying, “Alright, you play together.”

Princess looked utterly miserable. She wanted to go to the kitchen to find something to eat and didn’t want to stay here babysitting.

The little one was already over a year old. Her little head was no longer a complete mush—she was beginning to understand things.

Seeing that her fluffy companion didn’t want to stay with her, she fished out a pacifier from her belly pouch and offered it over. “Eat, eat.”

Princess sighed, took the pacifier in her mouth, and resigned herself to it. Well, if there was nothing to eat, at least she could soothe herself a little.

Beside the small bed were curtains. Su Taotao pulled them open, revealing lush green grass and mountains covered in colorful wildflowers outside. She said, “Sleeping in a place like this, waking up and seeing scenery like this first thing—I think even my dreams would be sweet.”

In one corner of the living room was a small wine table, perfect for having a beer or a cup of coffee.

After sitting down, Wang Bo beckoned Little Wang over. Little Wang had many bundles strapped to his back. He took them down and pulled out four water bladders filled with home-brewed beer.

At the sight of the beer, Zhong Dabao’s eyes lit up. He scooted over and said, “Come on, pour me a cup—I’m dying of thirst.”

Su Taotao, who was studying the layout of the small balcony, turned back and said, “Drink less. Why do you have to cling to alcohol all the time? I’m telling you, I don’t want to marry a drunk.”

Zhong Dabao asked with a pitiful expression, “Then can I drink just a little? Half a cup?”

Seeing him like that, Su Taotao laughed. “You’re not a child anymore—why are you still so greedy? Fine, half a cup it is.”

Zhong Dabao grinned and grabbed a big mug. “Alright, alright—pour half a cup.”

Wang Bo had just started pouring when he heard voices outside—rapid, gurgling speech he couldn’t understand. But he knew it was a Fijian indigenous language; he’d heard the Bee King Tatak talk about it before.

He pushed open the window and looked out. Sure enough, Tatak and two young men from his tribe were walking over.

With the bee population expanding, Tatak had been too busy, so he’d brought a few younger members of the tribe along to help. These two were his nephews, though Wang Bo couldn’t remember their names—they were far too long.

Seeing Tatak, Wang Bo knocked on the window and called out, “Hey, Tata, here to hang out?”

Tatak stopped when he saw him and said, “Rest. Came up the mountain to stay for a while. We’ll leave soon.”

Wang Bo waved his hand. “No problem, Tata. Make yourselves at home—we won’t be staying overnight.”

Tatak had clearly come for the cabin. Wang Bo and the others were just taking a stroll in the mountains and would head back down in the afternoon, so they could leave the place to them afterward.

Hearing this, the Bee King immediately brightened and said, “We make lovo, boss—lovo. Eat lovo together later, and drink kava too. Good kava.”

Lovo is a traditional Fijian outdoor barbecue, somewhat similar to Chinese beggar’s chicken, and also a bit like the Māori hāngi.

The three of them carried packs and dug a pit in the woods to make an earth oven. They then lit a big fire to heat cleaned stones.

Once the stones were red-hot, they took out banana leaves, placed various meats and vegetables inside, wrapped them up, and covered everything with soil.

Wang Bo had some wild rabbit and pheasant, which he took out and handed over. Tatak was even happier and said with a grin, “Pheasant good.”

Wild rabbit, however, isn’t very good when cooked this way. It’s too lean, with very little fat, so high-heat roasting without fat for flavor makes the meat tough and dry.

The cabin had a kitchen. Wang Bo brought out chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, ginger, and garlic from the castle. He fired up the wok and made a spicy stir-fried rabbit, blasting it over high heat with chilies and lard. The finished dish was bright red, glossy with oil, fiery, and fragrant.

Kava is Fiji’s national drink, a spicy beverage made from pepper roots. Wang Bo wasn’t very used to it, but Fijians loved it. Local young people often sit in a circle and drink kava from half coconut shells—this is the traditional ceremonial way.

Zhong Dabao and Su Taotao were very curious about the drink. After a couple of sips, they found it a bit hard to get used to, but because it was novel, they drank it happily anyway.

By noon, the lovo was ready, and Wang Bo’s spicy stir-fried rabbit was done as well. They sat together at the entrance of the cabin to eat.

They ate fiery rabbit and fragrant Fijian barbecue, drank kava and home-brewed beer. Around them were green grass, wildflowers, and emerald forests—and when they looked into the distance, they saw the vast, rippling waters of Lake Hāwea.

After sitting down, Zhong Dabao sighed and said, “Spring in Sunset Town really is something else. Wang Bo, no wonder you came and never wanted to go back. This place is basically heaven.”

Wang Bo raised his glass and smiled. “If there is a heaven on earth, then it must be Sunset Town. Cheers, brother!”