HLM – Chapter 183 Self-Reliance Brings Abundance

Wang Bo was speechless. He walked over, scooped up Dale, and carried her on his back. The moment he did, she lit up with excitement, wrapping her arms around his neck and cheering, “I’m riding a horse, riding a horse! Giddy up! When we get back, I’ll feed you grass!”

After walking along the mountain path for a bit, Wang Bo asked, “Is it comfy riding on my back?”

“Mm-hmm! Very comfy!”

“Happy?”

“Yup! Super happy!”

“Do you want to thank your big brother?”

“If you stop forcing me to call you brother-in-law, then I’ll thank you.”

Wang Bo choked on her response, unsure how to continue. This little brat was sharp. So, he decided to scare her instead, saying, “You have to call me that. Are you going to or not? If not, I’m throwing you off the mountain right here.”

Dale clutched her Barbie doll tightly and glared at him, “That’s illegal, you know.”

Wang Bo laughed arrogantly, “Haha, this is a remote mountain wilderness. So what if I break the law? Who’s gonna know?”

Dale opened up the back of her Barbie and suddenly pulled out a tiny phone, holding it up for him to see. “The police will know. I’m calling them right now!”

“You’re carrying a phone on you?!” Wang Bo panicked, no longer cocky. “I was just joking! Geez, can’t you take a joke, kid? Come on, put the phone away.”

This little girl was no joke. The first time she visited Eva’s house, she’d called the cops just because of a small disagreement. If it weren’t for Juan vouching for him, he might’ve ended up in serious trouble.

“Then you have to gallop like a real horse. Giddy-up! Giddy-up!” Dale ordered, still gripping her phone.

“Okay, okay! I’ll do whatever you want as long as you don’t call the cops!” Wang Bo had truly surrendered. One hand supported her tiny butt, the other lugged a water bucket as he jogged uphill.

On a nearby tree branch, the commander was perched, watching and cawing loudly, “Ah! Ah! Jackass! Jackass!”

The mocking tone was unmistakable.

Wang Bo dashed all the way back to the castle like a madman. Even with his beast-like physique, he was panting hard after he put Dale down. Zhuang Ding following behind was also gasping, tongue out like a dog.

Dale hopped off his back, her little face flushed red with excitement. Hugging her Barbie, she said, “Big brother, squat down!”

“What for?” Wang Bo asked weakly, but still squatted down.

“Close your eyes. I want to thank you!”

Wang Bo quickly shook his head. “You’re not going to kiss me, are you? No, no, no, my little princess. If your sister sees that, she’ll shoot me dead! If you really want to thank me, just give me your sister’s phone number!”

“You talk too much! Come on, close your eyes!” Dale pouted.

Wang Bo reluctantly closed his eyes but peeked a second later. “I’m warning you, if you prank me, I’ll let Zhuang Ding bite you! He’s got rabies!”

“Eyes shut now!” Dale huffed and gave him a soft punch.

A few seconds later, something soft touched his face. Wang Bo thought it might be her lips, but it didn’t feel quite right. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Dale was holding her Barbie doll up and using its mouth to “kiss” him.

Seeing him open his eyes, Dale giggled mischievously and dashed off, hugging her doll. As she ran, she called out, “I won’t tell my sister you threatened me!”

“You’ve got a tiny bit of conscience after all,” Wang Bo chuckled.

He took the fish to the kitchen, where Charlie came over and had a look. “Nice haul. I’ll take care of the trout—we’ll grill them. The sea bass can be steamed. What do you plan to do with the marble goby?”

“Marble goby? You mean this big one?” Wang Bo asked.

Charlie nodded and gave him a little background: the marble goby is a bottom-dwelling freshwater-to-brackish fish that likes to live in rivers, reservoirs, and ponds, and sometimes coastal streams. It’s carnivorous and extremely hard to catch in the wild. On New Zealand’s North Island, it’s rare; a bit more common on the South Island.

Wang Bo looked up recipes online. Turns out the marble goby is not only rare and delicious, but in the wild, it can sell for several hundred NZD per kilo!

Later, Bowen returned with several plump wild rabbits and two dusty-looking pheasants.

Wang Bo deftly skinned and gutted the rabbits, then cleaned them up. He made a marinade using oil, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, and barbecue seasoning, rubbing it all over the rabbits inside and out.

As for the pheasants, those were meant for soup—slow cooking would bring out the best flavor. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find any shiitake mushrooms, which bummed him out a bit, so he settled for scallions, ginger, and chunky potatoes instead.

Honestly, Kiwi parties are pretty straightforward. Nothing fancy—just heaps of fruit and salad, paired with grilled meats and maybe a big pot of soup. As long as there’s enough beer, it’s a party.

But Wang Bo liked things more refined. Since he wasn’t great with Western cuisine, he stuck with Chinese dishes. Western food? That’s what Kobe was for—he didn’t need to interfere.

There was lamb in the fridge, so he made stir-fried lamb with scallions. For the tenderloin, he made two dishes: sweet and sour pork (Bowen’s favorite) and Chinese-style crispy fried pork strips.

Crispy fried tenderloin was his specialty. Most people’s versions turned out hard and dry, but he’d learned from his mother to use just egg whites in the batter—no yolk—and lightly coat the pork slices. That way, the result was tender and springy.

Wang Bo still longed to cook with Eva in the kitchen, so he invited her to make a dish together.

Eva’s pretty face flushed with embarrassment, while Dale behind her shook her head frantically, eyes wide with terror.

That told Wang Bo everything he needed to know—Eva couldn’t cook. He was overjoyed. “Haha! Then I’ll handle it myself.”

Bowen mocked him, “You’re such a masochist. She can’t cook and you’re this happy?”

Wang Bo sneered, “Idiot! This is a golden opportunity. I can be her teacher, train her in the kitchen arts. Doesn’t that sound awesome?”

Before going fishing, he had simmered some lamb. When he returned, he cooled it down in cold water, then sliced it. The aroma alone made Zhuang Ding and the “princes” drool uncontrollably.

The Queen, as always, remained regal and composed—didn’t even look at the meat. But her flaring nostrils and deep sniffing betrayed her.

You can’t just eat meat—you need veggies too. Wang Bo boiled a batch of potatoes, dividing them in two. One half he mashed and stir-fried with hot oil and shredded meat for mashed potato stir-fry; the other half he deep-fried into chunks to dip in meat sauce.

He also smashed a cucumber, stir-fried celery with chicken breast, and added dry-fried green beans. That lineup was already enough.

And he still had one showstopper: fish.

The steamed sea bass was easy—steam it, top it with shredded scallion, ginger, and garlic, then drizzle hot oil and sauce over it. Done.

The tough part was the marble goby—he’d never cooked it before.

He wanted Kobe, the experienced one, to handle it, but Kobe shook his head. “Not good with fish.”

So he turned to Charlie, who replied, “Gentlemen stay out of the kitchen.”

Wang Bo was so mad, he wanted to splash hot oil on that smug, self-righteous face.