HLM – Chapter 911 Campaign Activities

Taking the two of them outside, Wang Bo pointed at the exquisite sign of the hotpot restaurant and said, “Look, we’ve already made it clear—it’s traditional Chinese dark cuisine, dark cuisine!”

He waved to Hou Wenyuan. “Go grab your hygiene rating certificate.”

Hou Wenyuan scampered back happily and quickly returned, handing him the certificate.

Wang Bo shook the certificate like a wave. “Look, you two—the hygiene rating is A. That’s your own evaluation. And now you’re causing trouble again? I know you think Chinese people are easy to bully, right?”

The older white man shook his head quickly. “No, no, no, Chief, what you’re saying is wrong. We never…”

“Wrong? Ha! Guys, let’s be frank here. If this were a Michelin restaurant, would you dare to be so audacious in your inspection? And if this were a New Zealand restaurant, would you be so picky?” Wang Bo interrupted them again without giving them any face.

Lawyer Mueller arrived soon after and showed his lawyer ID to Wang Bo.

Wang Bo tapped the ID on one of their shoulders and said, “Alright, from here on, it’s none of my business. Our lawyer will communicate with you properly. I hope your restaurant inspection is legal and compliant—otherwise, see you in court!”

The aggressive inspection ended just like that. The two staff members didn’t slink away in defeat; they completed their report on the spot, recording all the ingredients used by Haidilao.

But that was all—they did not require Hou Wenyuan and his wife, as owners, to remove the food from the shelves, nor did they threaten to close the restaurant for investigation.

Once the two inspectors left, Hou Wenyuan sincerely said to Wang Bo, “Mayor, you’re really tough. It’s the first time I’ve seen the Food Hygiene Bureau get beaten like this.”

Wang Bo sneered, “Consider yourselves lucky. I didn’t want trouble today—otherwise, you’d be in big trouble.”

“All right, just run the business properly. Ingredients are fine, but make sure hygiene is up to standard,” he added, leaving them with a reassuring word before returning to his office.

The new year had arrived, marking his fourth year in New Zealand.

According to New Zealand’s election rules, there is a four-year cycle, and the first democratic election in Sunset Town was about to begin. Wang Bo had to participate in the election.

But there was no rush—he could start preparing in the second half of the year.

Hani, having heard about this, was quite attentive. “Boss, the earlier you prepare for an election, the better. I think you should start assembling a staff team.”

Wang Bo asked, “So early?”

“Better than cramming at the last minute, right?” Hani said.

Wang Bo thought about it and agreed, so he began assembling his staff team.

This was simple—he only had a limited pool of people to choose from. He picked the most capable: Hani, Charlie, Bowen, Uncle Bing, and Eva. This became his staff team.

Kidd, however, wasn’t pleased. “Boss, why not include me? I was on the election committee at school. I have plenty of experience in elections.”

Wang Bo thought for a moment and said, “You’re right, Kidd. You’re in.”

This made Atulu unhappy. “Boss, if someone as useless as Kidd can join, why not me?”

This remark angered the hot-blooded young man, but Wang Bo stopped him. “Who said Kidd is useless? He has many roles—he’s a sports professional, strong and enduring, and can help transport election equipment.”

Kid: “…”

Atulu protested, “I can bring over 200 votes—our clan has plenty. Boss, that’s fine, right?”

Wang Bo considered it and realized he was right. He waved his hand. “Okay, Atulu, you’re in the team too.”

He added, “Besides bringing in your clan’s votes, you’ll also help Kidd with transporting our election equipment.”

Atulu’s face fell immediately, while Kid laughed heartily.

The first weekend of the new year, the staff team drew up an action plan. First, they would take advantage of the weekend, when townspeople had free time, to hold a community-friendly event.

Wang Bo smiled wryly. “Is this really necessary, everyone? Our team was just formed, and we don’t even have election opponents yet. What’s the point of all this?”

Elections need opponents. Without opponents, campaigning is meaningless.

Under New Zealand election law, township-level elections are open to all major parties, meaning anyone from any party can participate in a town’s election.

Of course, there’s a limit—at most, four candidates can run for mayor.

If there are no candidates, the New Zealand government will assign someone to run.

But this is largely symbolic. New Zealand is a small country; the political atmosphere has never been strong, and competition is mild, especially in rural areas.

Many township mayors have been re-elected four or five times, even ten terms, some elderly men in their seventies or eighties. A closer look would reveal that some have served since they were thirty.

Especially in Sunset Town, no party is interested.

First, everyone knows that Sunset Town is effectively Wang Bo’s private domain. If someone overthrows him, he could revoke land usage rights, forcing the new administration to work outside the town.

Second, Sunset Town’s rapid development is due to Wang Bo’s own investment. No party has the resources or interest to invest so heavily in a small township.

So for other parties, competing for Sunset Town is pointless.

Yet precisely because of this, Wang Bo was highly valued by various parties—absorbing him as mayor would essentially make the town a party stronghold. Who wouldn’t want that?

Once the campaign activities were determined, the project was quickly decided: the mayor would lead an environmental initiative, implementing a new policy for recyclable waste in Sunset Town.

This policy was introduced last year. Leaders in Wellington had decided that, to protect the environment, New Zealand would implement a new reusable waste recycling method starting from the New Year.

The method required residents in major cities like Auckland and Wellington to use a green 240-liter plastic bin for household recyclable waste.

The bins no longer required sorting by type—metal, plastic, cardboard, newspaper, or glass could be mixed together for convenience.

Of course, the collection method changed, and the types of recyclable waste also evolved. This campaign would let Wang Bo personally demonstrate to the community how to sort their waste correctly.