HLM -Chapter 808 Let’s Row Our Boat

“The feeling of shearing sheep isn’t bad at all,” Fan Dong said with a laugh as they ate lunch.

Song Jiashu gave him a sideways glance. “Isn’t your Party already busy shearing the common people every day?”

Fan Dong spread his hands. “Come on, I’m just a lowly clerk. Even if someone is shearing wool, it’s got nothing to do with me. I can’t even get a whiff of the sheep dung.”

Zhou Haojie grimaced. “We’re eating here, guys. Can we not make it disgusting?”

Wang Bo rapped his knuckles on the table. “If you really enjoy shearing sheep that much, you can keep doing it this afternoon.”

“It’s enough to try it once. What are we doing this afternoon?” Li Jiayi asked. After spending half a day on the ranch, they all reeked of cattle and sheep — a nightmare for someone who cared about their appearance.

Wang Bo said, “How about we take a walk around the Māori village? Tonight we can have a Māori-style feast. Hangi.”

“Or,” he added, “we could go fishing on the lake. There are tons of fish, shrimp, and crabs out there. We could have a full seafood feast tonight.”

As they ate, they discussed it and finally decided to go boating on the lake first.

“The weather’s perfect for it,” Wang Bo said. “The water’s clear, the temperature’s just right, and the sunlight’s not too harsh.”

“We mostly just want to see your yacht,” someone teased. “Brother A said it’s yours. You really live like an aristocrat now — castle, helicopter, yacht, vintage cars, foreign dogs. Total life winner.”

Wang Bo blinked innocently. “You’ll have to take turns. My yacht’s just a basic fishing boat, not one of those luxury ones. It can’t hold more than ten people — twenty would sink it.”

Since most of Lake Hāwea was on his private land, there were only small boats docked at the pier. The townsfolk couldn’t afford yachts, and the rich people who could didn’t live here.

That afternoon, the sun was blazing. Su Dongdong, who spent all day at school and rarely got any sun, rubbed her arms and complained, “It’s too hot!”

Wang Bo turned around with a grin. “It’s only October! You think this is hot? Give it another month — if you stay here on the South Island without sunscreen, you’ll be two shades darker in two days.”

Everyone burst out laughing. When boarding, they stuffed Su Dongdong onto the boat first, then let the ladies go up next.

Wang Bo told Malop to take care of the classmates on board while he and a few of the guys stayed on the dock under a parasol, setting up fishing rods.

As the yacht sped off, kicking up sparkling waves, Zhou Haojie gazed at the crystal-clear lake and murmured, “It feels like the yacht’s floating in midair.”

The midday sun shone bright, the shallow water by the shore glimmering. Sunlight pierced through like blades, reaching the lakebed. The water was so clean it wasn’t just clear — it was transparent.

Some strands of waterweed drifted upward, buoyed by the current, looking like wisps of willow fluff floating in the air.

From the yacht came the girls’ cheerful voices singing in harmony:

“Let’s row our boat together,
Pushing through the gentle waves.
The lake reflects the beautiful white pagoda,
Surrounded by green trees and red walls.
The little boat drifts softly on the water,
As the cool breeze blows in our face…”

The yacht sailed farther and farther away, and the singing grew faint until it vanished into the distance.

Eva smiled. “That’s a lovely melody. Too bad we don’t have a white pagoda here.”

Wang Bo asked, “Do you like white pagodas?”

Eva curled up her long, slender legs and rested her chin on her knees, thinking for a moment before smiling. “Why not? I imagine it must be beautiful, isn’t it?”

Wang Bo nodded. “Alright then — I’ll build one here.”

Cao Bo chatted with her in Chinese. “Eva, your Chinese is really impressive. How long have you been learning?”

“Thirty months? Maybe thirty-two. Anyway, it feels like a long time,” she replied.

“That’s really talented,” Zhang Rui praised sincerely. “To speak Chinese this well in just two and a half years — especially in New Zealand, where you don’t hear it much — I’m impressed.”

Eva gave Wang Bo a sly wink and chuckled softly. “Because I love a man who speaks it. I had to learn his language, or we’d never truly connect.”

Zhou Haojie let out a long sigh. “Damn, Old Wang, your wife’s one in a million.”

Wang Bo looked a bit embarrassed. He’d never even learned a word of Ukrainian from her.

But Eva was indeed gifted with languages. She was fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, and English, quite good at Chinese, and was now studying Thai with Kuncha.

As they chatted, Wang Bo opened some beers.

There was a fridge in the capsule hotel nearby, so the beer was ice-cold. One big gulp in this weather — it was like your soul was floating.

They cast their lines into the water. The lake was so clear they could see the fish gathering around the bait.

Everyone leaned over curiously to watch. Fan Dong pointed to a small school of fish. “Hey, Old Wang, what kind of fish are those?”

The fish were long and slender, about 10 to 20 centimeters each, with cylindrical bodies and flat heads and big mouths. Their scales were deep green with golden markings — stripes, dots, and crescent shapes.

Wang Bo frowned. “Huh, what kind of fish are these? Never seen them before.”

Eva blinked in surprise. “Is that… silver grayling? Are there graylings in this lake?”

Wang Bo was startled. “That’s a grayling? Or a New Zealand silver grayling?”

The others asked what a grayling was. Eva suddenly noticed one about to take the hook and quickly threw a chunk of ice from the beer cooler into the water.

The splash startled the fish, and they scattered.

“Hey, what are you doing? You scared them off!” Zhang Rui asked in confusion.

Na Qingyang, who also didn’t recognize the fish, realized her intent. “It must be a protected species — you can’t fish those.”

Eva nodded. “Yes, this is the New Zealand silver grayling. Graylings exist in Oceania and South America, but the silver grayling only lives in New Zealand’s freshwater rivers and lakes. They’re critically endangered and need protection.”

Fan Dong chuckled. “Even New Zealand’s got endangered species?”

Wang Bo said, “Plenty. You guys have no idea — these white folks are actually stricter about it. The wood pigeons around the castle and the blue ducks we saw the other day — all protected species. They were nearly wiped out back when the Māori and early settlers hunted them.”

Fan Dong took out his phone. “I gotta post this. You have no clue how many young people back home think everything abroad is perfect — like even foreigners’ poop is pink. Ridiculous.”

Wang Bo laughed. “Then I’ll give you a few more talking points to shut them up.”

Na Qingyang nodded in agreement. “True, the moon abroad isn’t any rounder than at home. But to be fair, New Zealand does have its advantages — environment, education, healthcare, and resources. You have to admit that.”

Eva smiled. “And how many countries can compare to New Zealand? I’ve been to China — rural China, even — and I thought it was wonderful. If you’d seen Ukraine, you’d know I’m right.”