HLM – Chapter 208 Dong Tao Chickens

The process of a livestock auction usually follows a “tiger’s head, wolf’s waist, and leopard’s tail” format—starting with a bang to capture interest, a relatively average middle, and then ending with a dramatic finale to keep everyone excited to the end.

Unlike luxury goods auctions, livestock auctions are hosted by qualified local farmers or ranchers. Today’s auctioneer was a small, sixty-something old man with a ruddy face and energetic demeanor. As soon as he stepped on stage and opened his mouth, his booming voice immediately reminded Wang Bo of Hani.

“Folks! I know exactly why you’re here today. You want to take home some top-quality stock, don’t you? So I won’t ramble on—let’s get straight to it. Here comes our first lot: 100 Dong Tao chickens imported from Vietnam, 10 roosters and 90 hens, total price: 100,000 dollars!”

As the old man spoke, someone brought up two chickens—one large and one small. The large chicken had multicolored feathers and a bright red comb, exuding energy. The smaller one was snow white, with alert eyes.

This was Wang Bo’s first time seeing this breed, and they had a very striking feature—their legs were unusually thick. The large chicken’s claws were as thick as a teenager’s wrist, and even the smaller one’s were exceptionally stout.

The old man began introducing them: “Folks, if you get your hands on these birds, you won’t regret it. These Dong Tao chickens come from Vietnam in Asia. Their ancestors were once royal tributes and offerings for religious rituals. Just twenty years ago, you wouldn’t have even had a chance to see these birds, let alone eat them…”

The crowd showed considerable interest in the Dong Tao chickens, whispering among themselves: “Sh*t, Dong Tao chickens really are something else. In Asia, their meat goes for a hundred bucks per kilo!”

“The claws are where the real value is! Did you see those massive legs? I’ve heard that in Japan and China, a pair of claws can sell for 500 to even 1,000 NZD!”

“When did New Zealand start importing Dong Tao chickens? Damn, they’re expensive—comes out to around a thousand bucks each? Oh crap, I didn’t bring enough cash!”

As Wang Bo listened to the chatter around him and browsed the chicken’s description, he started feeling tempted.

He quickly looked them up online. Dong Tao chickens are considered high-end poultry with tender and flavorful meat, popular in upscale East Asian restaurants. If farmed at scale, they could even be exported.

Even without export, there’s domestic demand. Dong Tao chickens have twice the protein content of regular chickens, making them a highly nutritious food. Their eggs help with blood replenishment and cancer prevention, and are especially beneficial for pregnant women.

When the old man finished his pitch, the bidding began.

“100,000!” someone called out.

“101,000!” someone else immediately followed.

Wang Bo stroked his chin and raised his hand: “102,000!”

“103,000!”

“105,000!”

“…”

The price kept climbing. Clearly, people understood the value of these chickens. Wang Bo only joined in once before the price shot up to 120,000. A 20% increase in such a short time was significant by livestock auction standards.

But after hitting 120,000, the bidding momentum began to stall. For many, that was the limit of what they could justify.

Raising poultry isn’t a simple matter of 1+1=2. There are unpredictable factors like weather, disease, and temperament—losses are inevitable.

At 120,000 for 100 chickens, that’s 1,200 NZD per bird—on par with the price of a full-grown Boer goat.

And since New Zealand lacks farming experience with Dong Tao chickens, ranchers weren’t sure how many would survive post-purchase. If only 80% made it, that would raise the effective cost to 1,500 NZD per bird.

Even though these are adult chickens, 1,500 NZD is steep. Buyers were interested in breeding stock, hoping to profit from raising and selling offspring.

But there were caveats. Dong Tao chickens are very sensitive to climate and dislike being caged. If anything goes wrong, the losses could be significant.

What’s more, their egg production is lower than regular chickens, and their oversized claws make hatching more difficult. Their breeding process is a challenge.

And it takes at least a year for chicks to grow into 5–6 kg market-ready birds. Factoring everything in, raising these chickens is a serious investment.

All things considered, 120,000 seemed to be the absolute upper limit for this lot.

Seeing no one else was bidding, Wang Bo raised his hand: “122,000!”

He increased the bid by 2,000 in one go, prompting curious glances from the other ranchers—wondering who the fool was that was still pushing the price at this point.

It was clearly the final stage of the auction, and raising the price now did seem like a dumb move.

But Wang Bo had a reason. He’d been watching closely and noticed a few ranchers still hesitating on whether to bid.

If they jumped in, even 1,000 at a time could push the price much higher. That’s the “boiled frog” approach of auctions—better to throw down a high bid right away and signal that you’re determined. That might force them to back down.

This wasn’t something Wang Bo came up with on his own—it was a tip he’d learned from the regional president of Christie’s at the castle auction.

Noticing his Asian face, nearby ranchers began speculating:

“Is this guy a plant? I heard these Dong Tao chickens came from Vietnam—is he Vietnamese?”

“Hey Tony, come confirm—he’s not a shill, right?”

“He’s not a shill, I can vouch for that. I know him—he’s a great new rancher.” Big-bellied Geer spoke up on Wang Bo’s behalf.

“Sh*t, jumped 2,000 in one go. Anyone still bidding? Not me.”

Just as Wang Bo predicted, there were still a few people interested. After some murmuring, someone called out again: “123,000!”

“125,000!” Wang Bo doubled down again.

That was the final straw. The competition vanished.

The old man on stage pointed and called out, “Bidder #13, 125,000! Folks, 125,000—anyone else?”

“Going once at 125,000! Going twice at 125,000! OK, I’m bringing down the gavel—125,000, sold!”

“Congratulations to this gentleman—from Sunset Town, Mr. Wang! Let’s give him a hand, folks. He’s off to a fantastic start—these rare Dong Tao chickens are now his!” the old man shouted energetically.

Applause broke out. The ranchers were good-natured and friendly with each other.

Wang Bo stood up and waved to the crowd. For 125,000, he’d won a hundred rare Dong Tao chickens. That was a good deal.