HLM – Chapter 938 The Scent of Meat on a Snowy Night

Many of the boxes in the vehicle were empty; Wang Bo had stored the food in the castle basement and only needed to temporarily bring it inside.

The basement held both beef and lamb, as well as chicken and duck. Wang Bo took a tray of beef, half a hanging of lamb, and a ham. Student A Qiu exclaimed, “That’s so much! We can’t possibly eat all of this.”

Wang Bo smiled. “My dogs and cats could eat this entire tray of beef by themselves.”

Thinking of the freezing cold outside, he guessed the little ones must be hungry as well. So he also grabbed five plump turkeys.

Outside, the wind and snow raged. Snowflakes whipped against the window with a loud thump, piles of snow in the courtyard were lifted and thrown around by the wind, and the trees along the street swayed violently…

Even indoors, watching this scene made one feel the chill.

The small town normally didn’t see many guests staying overnight, but now the inn was suddenly packed. Every available utensil was being used. The innkeeper lent them the kitchen pots, and Wang Bo took charge of cooking, preparing both a stew and a hotpot.

The four teenagers returned to their room to call home, reporting their situation and location, only to receive a scolding from their parents in unison.

Wang Bo prepared the hotpot beside them, watching the kids nod and kowtow into the phone. He couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

It turned out that their school had indeed suspended classes due to the blizzard, but students were required to stay in dorms for self-study. These four had snuck out.

It was clear that all four came from modest families—none had cars. Given the difficult road conditions, their parents could only worry but couldn’t come pick them up.

After scolding them, the four handed the phones to Wang Bo one by one. Their parents politely addressed him as Teacher Wang, asking him to take care of their children.

Wang Bo was easygoing. He responded well to politeness and didn’t like arrogance. As long as people didn’t put on airs, coexisting was never a problem.

The four kids continued nodding and kowtowing on the phones. Wang Bo finally laughed. “You’re not even on video—what’s the point of all these gestures?”

The water in the pot boiled, sending up curling wisps of steam.

Driver Zheng held a cleaver, cutting the beef into pieces. As he added them to the pot, he praised, “Boss, where did you get this beef? Such authentic meat is rare—no water added at all!”

Those with life experience could recognize quality. The marble patterns in the beef were natural and smooth, pleasing to the eye. Anyone could tell at a glance it was top-quality meat.

Wang Bo didn’t explain much, simply saying a friend who raised cattle had supplied it. He tossed the beef into the pot, added scallions, ginger, garlic, star anise, and a generous handful of Sichuan peppercorns, covered it, and let it stew.

One student curiously asked, “Is this beef stew soup? But the beef chunks are so big… My dad cuts them into tiny cubes.”

Wang Bo smiled. “Your father has his own skill. This is my specialty. Try it later—you might not find it tastier than your dad’s, but it will have its own unique flavor.”

Eva sliced the ham and placed it on a plate. Dale handed a piece to the snow fox, who was a true foodie, eyes sparkling and bouncing excitedly. If not for the Zhuang Ding keeping it in check, it probably would have leapt at the girl to snatch it.

A Qiu watched Dale pop a slice into her mouth. “Isn’t this ham raw? You eat it like that?”

Wang Bo said, “You can put it in the hotpot if you want, but we usually eat it raw. It’s European-style ham—it’s already smoked and cooked.”

A Qiu tried a slice and instantly grinned. “Delicious! This is really good—better than Delis or Jinluo!”

The other three students also grabbed slices, equally praising the taste.

The hotpot boiled, and the bright red chili oil began to churn, filling the room with a spicy aroma. In this environment, the smell wasn’t overpowering; instead, it felt comforting from the heart.

Slices of beef and lamb went into the pot, curling naturally. Wang Bo signaled that everyone could start eating.

“I’ll go get some dipping sauce,” volunteered Zheng.

Wang Bo waved him off. “Try the meat first. If you need sauce later, you can add it. These are all prime lamb and beef—true hotpot treasures.”

Wang Bo took a piece. The hotpot base was mediocre, but it didn’t matter—the lamb slices were tender and juicy. Chewing them was pure enjoyment, the aroma filling the mouth.

Who had eaten such high-quality lamb before? Especially in this freezing, hunger-inducing weather, tasting the beef and lamb was like a feast for the starving—they immediately grabbed more.

Wang Bo stoked the fire and placed the turkeys on the grill.

The innkeeper asked curiously, “Sir, what’s your occupation? Are you in the meat business?”

Wang Bo flipped the turkeys and laughed. “What do you think I do?”

Zhao, the innkeeper, pursed his lips. “If you ask me… I’d say you’re a rich second-generation. But second-gen kids don’t take buses. Maybe you wholesale meat? But judging by your demeanor, I don’t think so.”

Wang Bo laughed. “Boss, you can read people’s demeanor?”

Zhao chuckled. “I can’t tell your demeanor, but I can tell about women. A foreign woman like your wife—rare even on TV. Not everyone can marry someone like her.”

Eva was indeed beautiful, with delicate features and gentle temperament, leaning more toward Eastern aesthetics. In New Zealand, however, she didn’t have the same shocking beauty effect due to different cultural standards.

Seeing the huge, plump turkeys, Zhao’s curiosity returned. “What kind of chicken is this? How big! Must be ten kilos each?”

Wang Bo explained it was turkey—just large in size. Actually, the taste wasn’t exceptional. Zhao shook his head, “Not exceptional? I’m drooling just from the aroma.”

Wang Bo tore off a leg and handed it to him, tossing the rest to the Zhuang Ding and the chubby cat brothers, who immediately pounced.

The snow fox snagged a piece as well and happily ran to eat it elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the beef soup finished cooking. Steam pushed against the lid, clanging loudly, and the savory aroma seemed to threaten to burst through the inn’s walls.

The smell didn’t escape outside, but drifted into the other rooms. Soon, people appeared in the lobby, asking in unison, “What’s that amazing smell?”

Learning that Wang Bo was cooking, they pulled out their wallets and asked, “Brother, can you give us a portion? We can pay. This weather is brutal—we’re starving!”

Wang Bo wasn’t a saint or a philanthropist, but trapped here in such weather, anyone would be miserable.

His group had already eaten their fill. To waste the rest would be a shame. He nodded, “Not much left. Let Boss Zhao divide it among you.”