HLM – Chapter 198 Snowfall Over the Vast Sea

Bowen knew a thing or two about this car. He said, “If this is an original cut steel bar, then that’s incredible. It means the car really is one of the good ones produced after the Vietnam War.”

“This steel bar was the soldiers’ umbrella of protection when patrolling enemy-occupied areas. Vietnam has lots of forests and underbrush. Guerrilla fighters or infiltration teams would often tie steel cables between trees on both sides of the road—right at neck height for someone riding in the vehicle.”

“That way, during dusk or at night when visibility’s poor, if the driver is going fast, he won’t be able to see the thin steel wire clearly. If he misses it, all the heads in the car could be sliced off cleanly.”

As he spoke, Bowen made a throat-slashing gesture.

Harris nodded. “Yeah, this steel bar was meant to break those wires.”

Wang Bo found it a bit far-fetched, but before he could ask, Juan noticed his confusion and said, “That’s not quite right. Don’t jeeps have windshields? And the glass is even bulletproof. Can a steel wire really slice through that?”

Wang Bo nodded—he had the same thought.

Bowen chuckled and said, “You have to understand, this model was mainly used during the Vietnam War. Vietnam’s climate is hot and humid, with lots of muddy roads. These off-road vehicles were driven fast and aggressively, often splashing mud all over the windshield and blocking visibility—so most of the time, they’d just leave the windshield down.”

Harris nodded in agreement. “Yep, my dad said the same thing.”

He was the straight-laced white guy type. Once Wang Bo and the others finished inspecting the car, he explained everything in detail. “I just had it serviced. The paint’s freshly redone in Humvee green. The engine’s in good shape, but the transmission is kind of shot. Some parts need replacing.”

Bowen climbed in to try it, then came back and said to Wang Bo, “It drives, but not fast. At the very least, the gear system needs replacing.”

“Can we get replacement parts in New Zealand?” Wang Bo was worried the model had been out of production for too long.

Bowen nodded. “No problem—jeep parts are widely compatible.”

With that settled, Wang Bo asked Harris to show the paperwork so they could transfer ownership.

In typical quirky New Zealand fashion, vehicle transfers had to be done at the post office. Even stranger, as Wang Bo was checking the documents, he realized something: he didn’t have a driver’s license. In New Zealand, you can’t buy a used car without one.

But since the car wasn’t expensive, he just registered it under the police station’s name anyway—he planned to use it for patrols.

Wang Bo went to withdraw $22,000 in cash—a thick bundle of money. He handed it to Harris and said, “Go ahead and count it.”

Harris had seen him take it out from the bank. He didn’t bother counting, just glanced at it and grinned. “Wow, thank my dad! This is the first time in my life I’ve seen so much cash!”

Cash is rarely used in New Zealand. Card payments, online banking, and digital wallets are very common. Some people don’t even touch a $50 or $100 note all year. The $20 bill is the most popular.

As they parted ways, Harris earnestly said, “Mr. Wang, I hope you remember what I told you. This vehicle hasn’t passed a full year’s WOF—you’ll need to take care of that yourself.”

WOF stands for “Warrant of Fitness”—a mandatory vehicle inspection done every six months in New Zealand. If you don’t have it and the police catch you, your car gets impounded.

Wang Bo said he remembered. Harris gave a relieved smile. “Then we’re all good. See you! I’ve got to get started on my dessert shop. With this twenty-two grand, and a little loan, I can finally be my own boss!”

He’d mentioned opening a dessert shop several times now. Wang Bo was struck by a thought and said, “Hey buddy, I did mention I’m the mayor of a new town, right?”

Harris nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

Wang Bo said, “Well, how would you feel about opening your dessert shop in my town? I bet the competition there is way less than in Christchurch. And don’t worry about customers—I’ll offer you a commercial property right on Highway 8, two years rent-free, with tax breaks too.”

The biggest expenses for a dessert shop are rent and taxes. Harris was immediately tempted. “Really? I think… maybe I’ll give it a shot.”

Rent-free and tax-reduced—it meant he wouldn’t need much initial investment. If things didn’t work out in the small town, he could always leave.

In other words, Harris could treat the opportunity in Sunset Town as a trial run. If he made money, great. If not, he only wasted time—and New Zealanders have plenty of that to spare.

Wang Bo didn’t expect Harris to agree so quickly. His trip to Christchurch had gone surprisingly smoothly. He’d not only bought a police car, but also recruited a pastry chef the town lacked—talk about hitting two birds with one stone.

Since the jeep wasn’t in good shape for high speeds, they towed it with a pickup. On the way back, in high spirits, Wang Bo learned they’d pass by New Zealand’s famous snow-capped hot springs—and decided to treat everyone to a relaxing soak.

These hot springs are called Tekapo Springs, located on the shores of Lake Tekapo. Backed by the towering, snow-covered Mount Cook of the Southern Alps, the scenery was breathtaking—one of the best places for winter hot spring enjoyment.

The South Island has abundant water resources, with many large lakes—like Twin Lakes to the west of Sunset Town (Lake Wānaka and Lake Hāwea), Lake Otai to the east, Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown, the jewel-like Lake Moana, and of course, the Tekapo Lake his mother kept mentioning.

Lake Tekapo is the second largest north-to-south flowing lake in the northern MacKenzie Basin. Fed by the Dre River, it sits 700 meters above sea level with a basin area of 83 square kilometers—nestled in the heart of the Mount Cook basin and MacKenzie region.

There are several hot spring resorts around the lake. Wang Bo’s group chose the most famous—Mount Cook Village, facing the great lake and backed by snowy mountains, a picturesque little settlement.

They had completed the car purchase smoothly and began their return journey the same day. When they reached the Tekapo Lake area, it was just around dusk.

At this time of day, Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook were at their most beautiful. The soft winter sunlight bathed the peaks, with the white snow glowing in sacred brilliance. The turquoise lake shimmered with golden hues, each reflecting the other in harmony.

Nearby, wisps of milky-white steam rose gently from the hot spring vents. Wang Bo gazed out at the scene and couldn’t help but sigh, “Waves upon waves across the vast sea, snow stretches a thousand miles across Yin Mountain—stunning!”

Bowen and Juan had recently been forced to study Chinese. They understood a bit. While they didn’t grasp the full meaning of the poem, they could appreciate the poetic feeling.

Charlie pondered for a moment, then added a line of his own: “Smoke rises from the snowy mountain, the sun sets over the vast lake!”

Wang Bo flipped him the finger. “What the hell was that?”

Charlie grinned smugly. “Read enough Tang poems, and even if you can’t write good ones, you can still wing it.”

Now all the pressure was on Bowen and Juan. Bowen swallowed nervously and, after a long pause, said only one thing: “Fuck. Beautiful. This place is fucking beautiful!”

Juan chimed in: “As beautiful as a lover’s t*ts.”

Wang Bo and Charlie: “……”