HLM – Chapter 894 Snowflakes and Fireworks

Just like with the introduction of the minced meat pie, with each new dish that came out, the women would give an explanation, sometimes even sharing an interesting story.

They also had fried pork chops, ice cream-braised pork, Finnish meatballs, and other dishes. Each portion was small, allowing them to try as many local specialties as possible.

Of course, roasted turkey still made an appearance, though only in pre-sliced pieces. The turkey meat was still snowy white, and the skin had turned a glistening golden brown, looking delicious.

But after taking a bite, Wang Bo stopped eating, giving the rest to Zhuang Ding and the queen. Accustomed to high-quality chicken from the ranch, they couldn’t bring themselves to eat a turkey raised on regular feed.

In Dale’s words, it lacked aroma—it was like chewing on dry sticks.

After the meal came fruit salad and dessert. The dessert was Black Forest cake, and the fruit salad was quite abundant.

In Finland, various berries were no longer the only fresh plants in desserts. Clover had become popular.

This wild plant had a complex flavor, offering sourness, aroma, sweetness, and even bitterness, giving the fruit a different taste profile—not dominated solely by sweetness.

Full and satisfied, Dale pulled out a check, patted her round belly, and said, “Teacher, I’ll treat you to this meal today, okay?”

Wang Bo smiled: “Of course, that’s great, but I think you should save this money. Why not use it to buy something for Ron and Little Si back home?”

Dale said, “There’s so much money! Even after paying the bill, there will still be plenty left—enough for gifts and snacks for them.”

She handed the check to the woman, who took a few coins from her pocket and gave them to her, saying, “Welcome, and thank you for your patronage.”

Dale stared blankly at the shiny silver coins in her hand and then asked Eva, “Sister, why is it only this much? We barely ate anything, didn’t we?”

Wang Bo pointed to the ice hut: “Just the rental fee for that little hut alone is a thousand euros.”

Dale immediately drooped, disheartened: “Zhuang Ding and the queen worked so hard, and the money’s already gone so quickly?”

Eva smiled: “So you need to understand, spending is easy, earning is hard. You can’t just spend recklessly, okay?”

Dale nodded bitterly: “Euros are worth much more than New Zealand dollars. Two thousand euros could be exchanged for four thousand NZD. How could it be spent so quickly?”

Seeing her troubled expression, the woman couldn’t help laughing. She pulled out a stack of bills from her wallet and handed it to her: “Alright, I’ll give you a discount. Merry Christmas, little angel!”

She was just teasing the child. The meal was indeed expensive, but not as much as two thousand euros. Including the ice hut rental and the meal, it was about six hundred euros in total.

Even so, it was a costly meal—comparable to a three-star Michelin dinner in Northern Europe.

Back at the hotel, snow began to fall again.

Dale was overjoyed; snow drifting down during the festive season was truly beautiful.

Wang Bo hadn’t expected their luck to be so good, to witness such a snowy Christmas night.

Later, when he went downstairs to fetch something, he discovered that the snow was artificial. There was a snow machine on the hotel’s top floor, creating a snowy scene for visitors to enjoy the festive atmosphere.

In reality, yesterday’s heavy snow had already used up all the moisture in the air, and Rovaniemi wouldn’t see natural snow for the next few days.

At this moment, Wang Bo couldn’t help but appreciate the perks of wealth—celebrating a festival was far more comfortable.

Hotels with a certain reputation in the city used snow machines to set the scene. By 8 PM, as firecrackers sounded, the night sky outside lit up brilliantly.

The Christmas fireworks display had begun.

To protect the Arctic, Finland generally bans fireworks outside Christmas. So during the festival, each region let loose, enjoying a rare and grand fireworks feast.

Wang Bo had booked a presidential suite with an excellent view. There was a large floor-to-ceiling window facing east, occupying almost half the wall.

He, Eva, and Dale sat by the window, sipping fragrant hot coffee, watching the dazzling fireworks explode in the sky, enjoying the warm indoor air. A record player played “Merry Christmas”—it was simply perfect.

The fireworks lasted for half an hour. By the end, Dale had fallen asleep.

She usually went to bed early, but she had been so excited today that she had enough energy to play until ten o’clock. Having woken up at midnight without rest, she was completely exhausted.

Wang Bo carried her to bed, and Eva tucked her in with a kiss. She then looked up and said, “I’ve never thought Christmas could be this wonderful. You know, I used to hate Christmas, especially as a child—I was always alone and lonely.”

“Every Christmas, while others were happy, I would be angry. This is God’s festival—doesn’t He bless all His children who love Him? Why didn’t I get His blessing? Why wasn’t He kind to me?”

Here she smiled gently: “Now I know, God has been very good to me. He has given me the best.”

At that moment, Eva looked like a painting. The room was warm; she wore only a wool sweater, perfectly outlining her curves.

But Wang Bo had no other thoughts. He hugged her and returned to the window, looking at the city lights outside: “He has also given the best to me. He’s been very good to us.”

However, he soon began to doubt this statement. At night, he could draw a card, but he drew a Heart of Territory this time—a Heart of Stadium, which seemed to be of little use.

Christmas, like New Year’s, is most enchanting before it begins. Once the holiday ends, the atmosphere disappears almost immediately.

Even in Santa Claus’s hometown, it was the same.

Wang Bo could see that both the government and households tried hard to maintain the Christmas mood. But once the festival ended, it was a new chapter—everyone began preparing for New Year and the next year.

They had participated in all the activities and played all the games. After Christmas, Wang Bo and Eva went shopping.

Coming to Finland, they couldn’t leave empty-handed. Wang Bo already imagined how envious and jealous his subordinates would be once they learned he spent Christmas in Finland.

“What gifts should we bring?” Standing in the mall, he frowned.

Eva said, “It’s simple. Separately, Mr. Hani will surely like Finnish vodka. The best vodka in the world isn’t in Russia—it’s here.”

“As for Atulu, also simple—just bring him some food, right?” Wang Bo smiled.

Eva also smiled, but strangely: “It’s true he should get food, but not just anything. Do you know about a particularly famous delicacy in Sweden, Norway, and Finland?”

“What is it?”

“A very dark delicacy.”

“How dark?”

“Perhaps enough to make Atulu lose his appetite!”

Wang Bo made a quick decision: “Then we’ll buy that thing!”