HLM – Chapter 171 The Donation Party

Led by Zhuang Ding, Wang Bo introduced himself to the new residents of the small town. This was, in fact, his true motive for organizing the donation drive. But he wasn’t going to let the townspeople donate for nothing—he planned to host a party in the evening to bring everyone together for some fun.

The new residents had come to the town with hopes of building a life along Highway 8. The modular homes were situated near the road, making them ideal for setting up businesses like fast food joints, small bars, or motels.

After going door to door to collect donations, Wang Bo finally opened the donation box and counted the money. From the twenty-two households, he received a total of 1,200 dollars—an average of less than sixty per household, which wasn’t much.

This reflected the typical New Zealand attitude toward disasters: “I feel sympathy and I’m willing to help, but solving the problem shouldn’t rely solely on me. After all, I’m a taxpayer—I’ve already given money to the government. It’s now up to them to take action.”

Wang Bo couldn’t force the local residents to change their views, but his own subordinates—government employees—had to show some backbone. He imposed a minimum donation of 100 dollars.

Bowen grumbled, “Boss, donations are supposed to be voluntary. Why set a minimum?”

Wang Bo chuckled and said, “Come on now, I always like persuading people with logic, so let me explain. First, your salaries are high. When it’s time to contribute, at least show a little spirit of giving, right? Second, this is Sunset Town’s unique charm—donations start at 100 dollars!”

Bowen, Honey, and the others were dumbfounded. “So much for persuading with logic, huh?”

After collecting donations from a few of his subordinates, Wang Bo chipped in the remainder himself. Altogether, they raised 2,000 dollars, which would be sent to the New Zealand Charity Federation for earthquake reconstruction.

With the money in hand, Wang Bo turned to organizing the evening’s party. In the afternoon, the cowboys got busy, selecting two plump Boer goats and one calf from the ranch to butcher for the evening feast.

New Zealanders usually center their parties around barbecues, but Wang Bo wanted to add a special touch. He went out and caught five native chickens from his hometown to make Beggar’s Chicken.

He had learned this dish from watching people make it back home. The five plump, medium-sized chickens were slaughtered, bled, gutted, and plucked. Then they were marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar.

After marinating, the white chicken skin turned dark and unappealing due to the soy sauce. Charlie peeked over curiously and asked hesitantly, “Is that… really edible?”

Juan was always Wang Bo’s loyal sidekick. He patted his chest and said, “You still doubt the boss’s cooking skills? In Sunset Town, if he’s not number one, who dares claim to be?”

Kobe gave him a skeptical look. “When did you go blind? Or have you never tasted my cooking?”

Lately, Kobe had grown restless and was ready for a comeback in Sunset Town.

His restaurant Spray’s Kitchen had been closed for quite some time, and the family-run establishment’s collapse had been a big blow to his confidence and morale. But recently, the dishes he prepared for people like Bartier and his son, the ranch tycoon Sharp, and others at the castle had earned him widespread praise. This rekindled his fighting spirit.

However, Kobe was well aware that his own cooking skills weren’t particularly refined. It was only in the castle kitchen, using top-quality beef, lamb, and poultry, that his dishes could reach an exceptional standard. The praise from the rich guests was as much for the ingredients as for his cooking.

Encouraged by this feedback, he regained his ambition. Since his future restaurant would source its meat directly from the ranch, he believed there was no problem in resuming management of a Michelin two-star restaurant.

In fact, with his knowledge of premium meat, he even dared to dream of breaking past his culinary bottleneck and achieving something his family had never done—run a Michelin three-star restaurant!

That was his long-term goal. For now, he had to focus on the immediate task: preparing food for tonight’s dinner party. As the town’s official chef, it was his job.

Meanwhile, the pair of white-crowned cranes were strolling in the inner courtyard of the castle with their newly hatched chicks. The baby cranes resembled their parents in shape but had tiny, dull feathers that made them look more like ugly ducklings.

Seeing the two chicks, Wang Bo was struck by the thought that The Ugly Duckling wasn’t just a fairytale—at least in the case of young red-crowned cranes, they really were quite unsightly. He wondered if the same was true for swans.

The crane family wanted to return to their nest inside the castle, but the liger had taken over the prime nesting spot. Though the creature was timid and cowardly, its scent carried the aura of its parents—top predators of the natural world—which made the cranes keep a respectful distance.

In the afternoon, a barbecue grill was set up in the open space in front of the convenience store. Bowen and the Beebe brothers brought over smokeless charcoal and got the fire going.

Anderson pulled out heaps of beer, canned cocktails, and red wine from the store. The party hadn’t even started yet, but the group each grabbed a can of beer and began drinking, foam frothing at their mouths.

The retired British soldier and his son brought over their sound system and began setting it up. The equipment was quite professional. Bowen went over, gave it a look, and gave a thumbs up. “I’m a music guy too, you know.”

The soldier’s son, Gerard Jensen, was quiet and reserved. His brown eyes carried a faint, constant sorrow. He didn’t respond to Bowen’s bragging—he simply stepped back silently.

Back at the castle, Wang Bo returned to prepare for the evening meal. Mo Yuning and her group followed. Charlie eagerly turned to the stunning hostess and asked, “Monica, how do you feel about our castle? Interested in a little tour with me?”

Mo Yuning looked up at the castle, her beautiful face full of awe and envy. For anyone, living in a place like this was a dream come true.

But she declined Charlie’s offer. When she saw Wang Bo enter the kitchen, she smiled and said, “Thank you, Charlie, that’s very kind of you. I’m touched. But I’m more interested in seeing how Wang cooks.”

Charlie’s face fell instantly. Kobe leaned in and whispered, “Want me to teach you a few tricks? You know my cooking’s no joke.”

Charlie gave him a look. “You really think Monica’s interested in Wang for his cooking skills?”

Since the guest list was long and the weather was cold, Wang Bo decided to make some hearty dishes. He prepared a steaming pot of tomato and beef brisket soup—tangy, rich, and bright red-orange in color, its thick broth radiated warmth, perfect for the season.

For the rice dish, he made a spicy ham fried rice. In his hometown, this combo was so good it could make even a pile of poop taste decent when stir-fried with it. With Wang Bo’s skillful touch, a massive serving of fragrant fried rice was soon ready.

Kobe, on the other hand, focused on fried and grilled dishes for the party: fried chicken pieces, fried small fish, chicken wings, pan-fried beef and lamb—all easy to eat with your hands.