HLM – Chapter 199 Hot Springs, Meat, and Wine

New Zealand’s beautiful environment is absolutely world-class. Places like Lake Tekapo are virtually unpolluted, with waters so crystal-clear they shine a bright emerald green. When there’s no wind or waves, the lake’s surface looks like a piece of pure jade.

Wang Bo found this quite surprising. His own Twin Lakes back home were also clean, but their waters were light blue—completely different from Lake Tekapo.

Charlie explained, “That’s because Lake Tekapo and Twin Lakes were formed in different ways. The latter is fed by underground springs, while Tekapo is formed from glacial meltwater. The water has fewer copper ions, which gives it that green hue.”

They booked a hot spring hotel online called Aoraki Mountain Lodge. After arriving at Mount Cook Village, they checked into the hotel, parked the car, and unpacked. It was time for a soak.

Only after entering the hotel did Wang Bo learn that “Aoraki” is Māori for “Cloud in the Sky”—it’s the same as Mount Cook, just different names for the same peak.

The hotel owner, a Māori man, proudly declared, “Gentlemen, this hotel has been in our family for generations. In fact, this whole village is called Mount Cook Village because of our lodge. When we first moved in, there wasn’t a single tourist who knew about this place!”

Bowen sneered and muttered, “Blowing smoke.”

Wang Bo shot him a glare. What a mouth on this guy. So what if the man’s bragging? Just go along with it. What, are you planning to brawl with him?

Aoraki Mountain Lodge was a mid-sized hotel with about a hundred rooms. During the off-season, it rarely reached full occupancy. But in winter, with many visitors coming to enjoy the hot springs, business was decent.

As Wang Bo and his crew were heading out, a couple approached them and asked if they’d like to visit Aoraki National Park together. They didn’t have a car but were willing to chip in for fuel.

The park wasn’t far from the lodge and was quite famous, with glaciers covering 40% of the area and 19 peaks rising over 3,000 meters. On one side of the mountains lay the Tasman Glacier, the second-longest in the world at 30 kilometers—second only to those in the Himalayas.

But Wang Bo wasn’t all that interested. The whole town of Lake Tekapo was basically a pristine natural garden. He saw scenery like this every day and was already numb to it.

Seeing they weren’t interested, the couple left, slightly disappointed. Meanwhile, Wang Bo’s group, with their loyal dog in tow, headed to the lake for a hot spring soak before nightfall.

The hot spring pools near the snowy mountains ranged from over 30°C to as high as 45°C. Wang Bo tried the hottest one but couldn’t take it, so he went looking for a cooler spring.

Bowen gave the hot one a try too, and ended up grinning as he stayed in. To Wang and Charlie’s amazement, he settled in like a fish in water and groaned in pleasure, “Ohhh, sh*t, this feels amazing!”

Wang grimaced, “Sh*t, careful you don’t end up as chicken stew.”

As soon as he said that, the hot spring pool started bubbling with a long stream of bubbles.

Juan jumped in alarm. “Sh*t! Is it boiling?! Get out, quick!”

Bowen scratched his head awkwardly. “No, that was me. I, uh, farted.”

“What kind of bombastic fart is that? Like chopping a power line with a cleaver—sparks and lightning!”

Wang Bo found a spring at the perfect temperature and slipped in. Zhuang Ding followed with a splash and stayed obediently by his side, wearing a “good boy” expression on its face.

It loved water. Mastiffs are great swimmers, though the small spring pool didn’t give it much room to show off.

Wang Bo leaned against a smooth rock, only his head above water. With a sigh, he muttered, “Damn, soaking in a hot spring in winter is the best… except my face is freezing.”

Juan said, “Boss, I saw there are indoor springs too.”

Wang Bo shook his head and pointed ahead. “What’s the point of indoors? Look, that’s Lake Tekapo right in front of us. Isn’t it gorgeous? And behind that—Mount Cook’s snowy peaks. You know what this is? This is living the life!”

They had also ordered a hot spring set meal. A white waiter brought over a small stove with a pot bubbling on top—filled with meat, fish, and veggies all stewing together in an even wilder mess than northern China’s chaotic hotpot.

There were drinks too—white liquor and hot coffee. The service was top-notch.

The waiter handed Wang Bo a bill to sign. He checked it over, saw no issues, and signed his name.

Charlie handed him a little bottle of liquor. The group started alternating sips of booze and bites of meat, enjoying the view, eating and drinking to their hearts’ content.

Feeling poetic, Wang Bo raised the bottle and recited:

“Heaven must love wine, else the Wine Star wouldn’t shine.
Earth must love wine, or there’d be no Wine Springs.
Since heaven and earth both love wine, drinking it offends neither!
Bells and jade banquets mean little—I’d rather stay drunk forever!”

Juan clapped. “Boss, that was amazing!”

Charlie scoffed, “That’s not even a real poem, is it? Wang, can you just look at the scenery like a normal person for once? Why always showing off your ‘literary depth’?”

Wang Bo laughed smugly, “Sorry, poetic inspiration strikes like a bursting bladder! Who can compete with me? Once the muse comes, nothing can stop it!”

Charlie ignored him, just sipping his drink and gnawing on meat, clearly enjoying himself.

Winter days are short. It was dusk when they entered the springs, and before long the sun dipped below the horizon and the moon rose. A cold night set in.

Soaking in the spring felt fine—only the skin was exposed to the cold, and with the hot water and alcohol speeding up blood flow and warming the body, Wang Bo didn’t really feel chilly.

But once he got out, he started shivering nonstop. Zhuang Ding shook itself too, not from cold but to fling off water from its coat.

Seeing Wang Bo shiver like him, Zhuang Ding thought he was copying it and shook even harder—spraying Wang Bo with freezing droplets.

“Damn it, I’m gonna freeze to death!” He quickly threw on his bathrobe, dried Zhuang Ding first, then finally dressed himself.

Mastiffs are cold-resistant, but Wang Bo still worried about it catching a cold. Dog colds aren’t like human ones—they can lead to serious problems since dogs don’t sweat and can’t regulate temperature the same way.

After a hot soak, good food, and strong drink, Wang Bo curled up in bed with Zhuang Ding and fell asleep.

It wasn’t easy coming all this way. The next morning, once the sun came up and the air warmed slightly, he headed for another hot spring dip. Lunch was once again by the spring—white liquor and stewed chaos.

After lunch, they packed up and prepared to leave. But just as they stepped outside, the same white waiter who had served them suddenly appeared, smiling politely.

“Gentlemen, if you don’t mind settling your bill?”

Wang Bo immediately got a bad feeling.

Juan pulled out his phone. “We booked and paid for everything online—set meal included.”

The young man replied with a friendly smile, “Yes, but last night and today’s hot pot and alcohol weren’t included in that package. If you’d like, I can show you the charge slip. This gentleman signed for it, did he not?”