HLM – Chapter 841 The Serbian Carpenter

The résumé Hani handed over belonged to a middle-aged man named Dayan-Mihail-Abranović. He was a new immigrant from Serbia, wild-looking in the photo, and his profession was woodcarving.

“Woodcarver? Which department would he fit into?” Wang Bo asked.

Hani shook his head. “No, we don’t necessarily have to hire them into the government. As long as they’re useful to the town, we can make use of them.”

“So you think this Dayan-Mihail-Abranović—damn, his name is really long—is a talent? If we bring him to the town, we can have him make wooden carvings?”

Hani shook his head again. “No, I’ve just seen him before. He came to New Zealand four or five years ago. I was working in Oamaru at the time. The city tourism bureau needed a batch of wooden statues. The contract was won by a Serbian company, and he was part of that team.”

“If I remember correctly, this man is a very good carpenter. He’s not only skilled in woodcarving but also in woodworking. I think he’s a real asset.”

Wang Bo looked at the résumé and said in surprise, “Your memory is impressive. Are you sure it was this guy?”

“People with bad memory can’t be inspectors,” Hani said. “I’m certain it’s him, because his résumé lists the project I mentioned.”

Oamaru is an important town and port in southeastern South Island, New Zealand, about 88 km northeast of Dunedin. The surrounding area is rich in limestone and forests, and its development relied on stone and timber resources.

But quarrying and logging damaged nature too much, and once those resources are destroyed, they become difficult to restore. So the town started transforming its economy more than a decade ago.

In the past, Oamaru mainly exported raw timber. Now they produce woodcarvings and finished wooden goods like doors, windows, furniture, and so on.

After reading the résumé, Wang Bo told Eva to bring the Serbian man in for an interview.

Soon, a burly figure walked in, bending his head to enter.

The offices in the sports arena were temporary cubicles made of color-steel sheets, each only about two meters tall. Not very high.

But tall enough for a job fair. Wang Bo saw such a huge man for the first time in real life—Dayan must have been at least 2.1 meters tall, with terrifyingly broad shoulders and solid muscles, like a giant god.

Once he sat down, Wang Bo asked with interest, “Hi, sir, do you play basketball?”

Dayan froze for a moment, then gruffly replied, “Yes. I used to be a sparring partner for the Yugoslav national youth basketball team.”

Yugoslavia used to be a world powerhouse, though it has since dissolved. Before its dissolution, the country excelled in sports, especially the three major ball games—football, basketball, volleyball—all among the best in the world.

Wang Bo remembered that back in school, textbooks often mentioned Yugoslavia as China’s steadfast ally. Even though Tito had already passed away before Wang Bo was born, the leader still left a strong impression on many Chinese.

Dayan had brought a backpack to the job fair containing some of his woodcarving pieces and photos. One of the photos showed something that immediately caught Wang Bo’s attention—a siege engine.

“You made this?”

“Yes. I completed this siege engine myself. It took me twenty-five days to craft it,” Dayan said proudly.

Wang Bo felt puzzled. “But what position are you applying for? The things you brought make it really hard for me to connect them to our job listings.”

Dayan blinked. “Uh… I don’t know. I need a job, so I sent my résumé to every company. So, do you have a job that suits me?”

Wang Bo: “…”

This felt like fate. Wang Bo always appreciated people with technical skills. He agreed with Hani—Dayan would be valuable for Sunset Town. His woodcarvings would definitely appeal to tourists.

So he hired Dayan. When he learned the man had brought his whole family to New Zealand, Wang Bo also agreed to provide a house—of course, one of the block-style houses.

Upon hearing that Sunset Town would provide housing, Dayan barely asked about the salary before accepting the job.

Recruitment continued smoothly afterwards. Hani hired an assistant—his Audit Committee needed staffing—and with Juan, they now had three people, enough to get things running.

Wang Bo recruited two education workers as well. Sunset Town’s Education Committee had only Eva working part-time, which wasn’t ideal.

Fortunately, Sunset Town currently only had one elementary school and one special education school, so the workload wasn’t much, and Eva could manage it during her spare time.

But that wouldn’t work in the future. As the population increased, a middle school would be necessary. Otherwise older kids would have to go to Lewis Town or even Auckland, which would be very inconvenient.

Thanks to Sunset Town’s reputation and offered benefits, the recruitment process went smoothly. By noon, all planned positions had been filled.

Compared to previous hiring sessions, this one felt like paradise. Wang Bo was very pleased—it proved his efforts were worthwhile, and Sunset Town was being accepted by New Zealanders.

By noon, the group packed up the recruitment materials and résumés to leave. Na Qingyang asked what the afternoon schedule was.

“No schedule,” Wang Bo waved. “Do whatever you want.”

Hani rubbed his hands. “Then I need to go shopping. A, want to come with me? I want to buy something for my son, but you know I’m an old fossil—not on the same wavelength as you young people.”

Na Qingyang understood and laughed awkwardly. “I’d love to help, Hani, but I’m not on the same wavelength as your son either—I’m more than ten years older than him!”

“That’s still a closer wavelength,” Hani said.

The four of them went to lunch first. Wellington is full of cafés and restaurants that can stuff a person to bursting. Wang Bo had been there a few times, and each time he found amazing food.

Since Hani had worked in Wellington, he was familiar with the city. On the way he said, “When I lived here, the only thing that excited me was mealtime.”

Wang Bo agreed. “True, Wellington’s food is fantastic. No wonder locals don’t like wearing belts—when it’s time to eat, they loosen them. First, it’s troublesome; second, it can cause gastroptosis.”

Hani burst out laughing. “You seem to know this place better than I do! Honestly, maybe we should just follow your lead. Back then I only ate cheap stuff—cafés, budget restaurants, noodle shops—that’s where I always ate.”

Na Qingyang laughed. “We’re definitely following Old Wang. He has to treat us today, and it has to be a big meal. We’re working overtime, after all.”