HLM -Chapter 803 Visiting the Ranch

Wang Bo and Zhuang Ding sitting side by side, sharing a piece of bread and a bowl of meat soup, surprised the whole group.

Li Jiayi cautiously asked, “Uh… Old Wang, no offense, but aren’t you grossed out eating together with your dog?”

Wang Bo grinned. “Haven’t you seen that report from the Royal British Research Institute? It says saliva exchange between humans and dogs helps gut health.”

Everyone stared wide-eyed as he dipped a remaining piece of bread in soup and fed it to Zhuang Ding. “That research is real. Besides, I’m not doing anything dirty—you see, I tear the bread off, dip it in soup, and feed him. The bread is separate, and neither I, the dog, nor the soup have any fluid contact. Perfectly clean.”

“You really treat that dog like your son,” Hou Haibo said.

Wang Bo chuckled. “That’s right. When I first got him, he was only this small—” he gestured with his hands, then continued, “Now look at him, he’s grown as strong as a little tiger.”

Zhuang Ding, realizing they were talking about him, rested his head on Wang Bo’s thigh, quietly gazing up at him as if listening to his story.

Fan Dong shook his head. “I don’t think it’s weird. It’s just the environment’s influence. New Zealanders are different from us. I’ve seen plenty of people here who treat their dogs like humans. Old Wang’s just been influenced by the culture.”

Wang Bo nodded. “That’s true. Everyone here does that. New Zealanders really treat dogs as their kids—they literally call them ‘son’ or ‘daughter.’ Eva loves calling Zhuang Ding and the others that.”

“What about you?” someone asked.

Wang Bo thought for a moment. “I treat them like my kids too, but I can’t bring myself to say things like ‘Zhuang Ding, my good son’ or ‘Queen, my good daughter.’ It just feels too weird.”

As he spoke, he picked up another piece of bread and scooped up a bowl of soup. Instantly, Zhuang Ding jumped to his feet, staring fixedly at the bread and drooling.

After eating, Wang Bo and Brother Bing cleaned up the mess while the rest eagerly rushed off to dig for gold ore.

Wang Bo still wasn’t interested in mining. He took Zhuang Ding for a casual walk around the mountain. Seeing Wang Bo with a rifle slung on his back, the dog thought they were going hunting—its eyes lit up. The moment a mountain goat appeared, Zhuang Ding bolted toward it like lightning.

The goat was petrified, frozen in place. But Wang Bo had no interest in killing wild animals, so he quickly whistled. Zhuang Ding skidded to a halt, turned around, and looked at him in confusion.

“We’re just walking, not hunting,” Wang Bo said with a smile.

The goat, realizing it had escaped death, bolted off in terror—probably thinking it had just brushed past the gates of hell.

By the end of the morning and through the afternoon, the group filled their backpacks with gold ore. They became more experienced, choosing smaller but higher-quality stones.

Wang Bo, however, started to worry. It wouldn’t be easy to take these ores out of the country—he’d need help from some friends.

Dinner was held at Sprays’ restaurant. The weather had warmed up, and the restaurant had added a medieval-style outdoor dining area.

The girls loved the atmosphere and insisted on eating outside instead of indoors.

Wang Bo laughed. “That outdoor setup is just for tourists. The inside view’s better.”

“What’s the fun in eating inside? Let’s enjoy it out here,” Fan Dong chimed in.

Wang Bo shrugged. “Alright, outside it is,” he said with no objection.

When the dishes arrived, Kobe came out, belly sticking out, and said to Wang Bo, “Boss, I need to discuss something with you. The outdoor dining area needs renovation.”

“Do as you see fit.”

Kobe wasn’t just a talented chef—he was a capable restaurant manager too. Wang Bo fully trusted him to run the place.

“Well, you should at least know the plan.” Kobe pulled out his phone and showed him some design sketches. “I want to make the outdoor area a retractable glass canopy. Basically, build a glass wall on the northern side that can extend into a glass roof.”

It sounded simple—construct a sturdy glass wall on one side of the restaurant, made of two layers, with one layer extending upward as the roof. The wall glass would be a single solid piece, while the roof would consist of 10-meter-long, half-meter-wide panels that could be extended or retracted. This setup would keep rain out, and by adding a sunshade film, it would stay cool in the heat.

Wang Bo understood how complex that would be—the glass panels had to interlock perfectly, or they’d collapse.

He asked Kobe if it was doable. Kobe nodded confidently. “No problem. I’ve got a friend in architectural design who specializes in this. I’ve seen it in person—this retractable glass structure is a mature technology.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Go for it!” Wang Bo said decisively.

Kobe grinned. “One more thing—the chef training program’s nearly done. Should we start launching the chain restaurants?”

Wang Bo had hired so many chefs not just to serve local tourists—he was planning to build a food empire.

He thought for a moment. “I’ve been pretty busy lately, and I just reunited with my old classmates. Let’s talk about it in a few days.”

Kobe nodded and left, and Wang Bo returned to the table—only to be greeted by a chorus of praise.

“Wow, Old Wang, this food looks amazing! What is this, steak? I thought it was a mini mountain sculpture!”

“This soup’s way better than the rabbit stew at lunch—so rich and flavorful!”

“Wait, are those flowers part of the dish or just decoration? You can actually eat them?”

Qingyang sighed helplessly. “You guys are making such a fuss. Haven’t you had enough Western food already? This all looks so fake.”

Li Jiayi rolled her eyes. “We’re just being polite. Old Wang’s treating us—of course we should compliment the food!”

Fan Dong added, “Fake? No way. The fanciest Western restaurant I’ve eaten at back home costs two hundred per person, and it’s nowhere near this. I’ve never even seen some of these dishes.”

Wang Bo laughed. “Don’t listen to him. When this guy first came to Sunset Town, he was such a country bumpkin—he’d never even seen a right-hand-drive car.”

“How could I have? There aren’t any right-hand drives in China!” Qingyang protested. “I was just staying calm—observing the environment. I didn’t talk for the first three days.”

Wang Bo smirked. “Yeah, and my Kiwi colleagues kept asking me, ‘Boss, why’d you hire a mute? Is this part of some special needs employment program?’”

The whole table burst out laughing.

Dinner passed in cheerful conversation. The group discussed where to go next. Wang Bo suggested taking them to Queenstown, since as New Zealand’s slogan says, ‘If you haven’t been to Queenstown, you haven’t truly been to the Southern Hemisphere.’

But the group shook their heads. Fan Dong said, “Let’s go see your ranch instead. None of us have ever visited a real, large-scale ranch.”

That was easy to arrange.

The next morning after breakfast, Wang Bo took them to Mackson’s store, letting everyone pick out cowboy outfits and boots—his treat.

“Get changed,” he said with a grin. “Today, you’re all cowboys.”