HLM – Chapter 94 Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Cattle, Sheep, and Pigs

Motak’s ranch only had cattle, sheep, pigs, and deer—no poultry. In his own words: “Chickens, ducks, and geese are just too damn noisy, buddy. Way too noisy. They’re like women—you know how noisy women can be, right?”

Wang Bo gave a wry smile. “Then I’d better raise more of them. Even the wild hares on my land are all male. You’ve seen my castle, haven’t you? There’s not a single woman in it.”

Motak burst out laughing. “A good lad like you just needs to walk down the street and you’d have girls swarming around you.”

Wang Bo liked this tattoo-covered Māori guy. He was one of the rare locals without a shred of racial prejudice—and he liked to speak his mind.

Once it was settled that Wang Bo wanted to buy chickens, ducks, and geese, Motak took him to a farm in the southwestern part of the small town. There was a small lake there, and the farm raised all three types of birds.

The farm owner was also a Māori man, but he had few tattoos. His skin was fair, his smile sunny—he looked refined and well-educated.

Motak introduced them: the man’s name was Ririd. He’d brought a few bottles of chilled beer and was waiting for them. Upon meeting, he handed everyone a bottle.

The icy beer slid down his throat, and Wang Bo instantly felt cooler in the summer heat.

Then they began inspecting the breeds of poultry to make their choices.

Standing by, Motak chuckled. “Good thing we live in a small town. In Wellington or Auckland, you can’t even raise more than six poultry without a license.”

Kiwis do like raising a few small animals or birds, but that’s not really suitable in big cities—chickens, ducks, and geese are noisy and easily disturb the neighbors.

According to statistics from Auckland’s Regulatory and Bylaws Committee, there were 420 complaints related to poultry just last year.

As a result, Auckland took the lead in establishing mandatory minimum standards to regulate the types and numbers of chickens kept within the city. The aim: to reduce noise and odor disturbances, and prevent disease.

After the tour, Wang Bo was a little disappointed. He called Charlie over and asked, “How do you say ‘silkie chicken’ and ‘cuckoo chicken’ in English? What about ‘lion-head geese’ and ‘Emden geese’?”

Charlie shrugged. “Don’t bother. They don’t exist here. New Zealand’s livestock industry is all about uniformity and scale.”

Wang Bo sighed helplessly. He had discovered this during his online research as well—New Zealand had very few poultry breeds. For example, chickens were generally either for meat or eggs, nothing like the dozens of native breeds across China.

New Zealanders did like raising turkeys. These birds grow fast, are large, and provide a lot of meat. Though their meat isn’t particularly tasty, they’re still quite popular.

So Wang Bo didn’t have much choice—he started placing orders.

He bought:

• 10,000 broiler chicks
• 5,000 layer chicks
• 1,000 turkey chicks
• One adult chicken for every 50 chicks

He also got:

• 10,000 ducklings
• 2,000 goslings
• One adult duck or goose for every 50 chicks

Total cost: 120,000 yuan.

When the poultry was delivered to the ranch, it became even more lively. The cattle and sheep were initially annoyed by the sudden influx of newcomers, thinking the birds were there to steal territory.

But when they realized there were now all these feathery weirdos flapping about, they stopped worrying about the new livestock and started chasing the chickens, ducks, and geese instead.

So the ranch often echoed with the chaos of cattle and sheep chasing fleeing poultry.

As for the newly bought pigs? They simply gathered together, quietly munching grass, and didn’t get involved in any of the squabbles.

Motak and Ririd were stunned. “Buddy, are you sure you’re a serious farmer? And damn, your cattle and sheep are way too energetic!”

Motak was especially surprised—he noticed that the batch of cattle and sheep delivered earlier had grown unusually fast. In just over a month and a half, they had already reached mid-size, and some were almost ready for market.

In shock, he pulled Wang Bo aside and whispered, “Are you feeding them growth-promoting drugs? Or giving them hormone shots?”

Wang Bo firmly denied it. “Nope!”

Motak warned him repeatedly, “Don’t you dare use that stuff. If the Livestock Bureau finds out, they’ll shut your ranch down!”

Then he added suspiciously, “But seriously—how are they growing so fast?”

Wang Bo just shrugged, putting on an innocent face. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re just happier and eat better because they’re free-range?”

Motak blinked dumbly. “Maybe that’s it. Damn it—I’m going to try that when I get home!”

It was clear both Motak and Ririd were deeply envious of Wang Bo’s ranch.

As Charlie had said before, their own farms had been developed for decades and now relied heavily on fertilizer and drugs to stay productive.

But Wang Bo’s ranch? It was truly a virgin pasture—rare even in New Zealand.

In the last days of early February, Wang Bo was preparing to return home for Chinese New Year. It was coming early that year—he’d be celebrating it a little over a week after arriving.

Charlie booked his flight, telling him to just swipe his card and pick up the ticket later. Meanwhile, Bowen and the Juan helped him buy gifts.

“We’ve got to get our boss tons of presents. This is, uh, how do you say it in Chinese? When you return home in glory?”

“Yijin huanxiang!” Juan said, enunciating carefully. He and Charlie had been studying Chinese in their spare time, and both were doing quite well.

Charlie added, “Exactly. Wang isn’t just some nobody anymore. Forget being the town mayor—he’s the lord of a whole castle and estate!”

Wang Bo nodded proudly. Little Hani snorted. “Big estate lord? Ha! Dream on. Do you have maids? Chefs? Gardeners? Chauffeurs? Oh, wait—you do have a guard dog. What about the rest?”

“Whose brat is this? Drag him out and beat him!”

“Ahhh! Your mom exploded! Ahh, brat! Hit the brat!”

“Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof!”

Hani had already submitted her resignation to Tahiti Town. After a one-month notice period, he would move to Sunset Town. Little Hani was currently staying there under Bowen’s care.

This time, Wang Bo bought loads of stuff for his trip home—including boxes of New Zealand seafood.

Salmon, Australian lobsters, giant squid, baby cuttlefish, yellowtail, mackerel, yellowfin tuna, ribbonfish, golden-eye snapper, flower crabs, queen crabs, and king crabs—he spent a total of 15,000 yuan!

He also bought tons of New Zealand specialties: deer antler, dairy products, milk powder, honey, lanolin—everything was name-brand. For honey, he picked the famous Manuka honey.

New Zealand wool products are well-known, so Wang Bo prepared a full set of gifts for his parents: wool sweaters, sheepskin coats, leather belts, dress shoes, leather boots, and more.

He also got some wine and cigars—because no New Year celebration is complete without them.