HLM – Chapter 95 I’m Back!

Faced with pile after pile of items, Charlie looked stunned. “Wang, do you realize how much tax you’ll have to pay to get all this through customs? And how are you even going to carry it all back by yourself?”

Wang Bo shrugged. “Of course I know. But this is the only way I can show filial piety to my parents, so I don’t care how much tax I pay or how tiring it is. Honestly, how many times a year can I do something like this anyway?”

Juan nodded. “Boss is right!”

Transporting everything was actually pretty simple. The Rustic Dweller Construction Company had a fleet of pickup trucks parked at the foot of the mountain. Wang Bo picked out a Ford F-150, loaded everything into it, and drove it all to Wellington.

But when he went to pick up his return ticket, Wang Bo winced. The flight to New Zealand had only cost him 5,000 yuan, but the ticket back was a whopping 15,000!

The reason was simple—Charlie had booked him a first-class ticket…

Wang Bo called up, grumbling, “Who told you to book me a first-class ticket? What a waste of money!”

Charlie lazily replied, “Buddy, weren’t you the one who said he was a tycoon?”

“I’m a budget-conscious tycoon! Low-key luxury with inner depth! What’s the point of flying first class?”

“Well, first class does have its perks. For instance, you can grope the flight attendants—but only three times, so count carefully.”

“Scram! You dirty perv!”

Wellington Airport was beautiful. As the filming location for the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, one of its terminals was even called the Middle-earth Hub, and it was redesigned with a Middle-earth aesthetic.

On the ceiling of the departure hall was a sculpture of Gollum in a swimming pose, stretching 13 meters long, surrounded by plump, swimming fish.

Wang Bo stood beneath the Gollum statue for some selfies, then posted them to his social media. A flood of likes came in, followed by comments from classmates and friends:

“Where is Wang Bo? That creepy face behind you is huge!”

“How’s that overseas pyramid scheme going? Poor guy’s lost so much weight!”

“Wang Bo, interested in Amway? Let’s talk when you’re back.”

“Bro, can you bring some baby formula from New Zealand? My kid needs better food!”

Wang Bo had indeed bought a lot of baby formula. Once people heard he was coming back to China, classmates and friends with kids had all asked him to bring some back from New Zealand.

Thanks to his Lord’s Heart item, which could store goods, Wang Bo happily agreed and picked up everything they requested. He even bought five of the latest iPhones.

The flight departed at 5 p.m. with two layovers.

First, they flew to Sydney, Australia. Then, from there to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The entire journey took about twenty hours before finally landing at Beijing Capital International Airport.

He flew on an Airbus A380, the pinnacle of international flights. First class had only four seats per row in semi-enclosed pods, with wide space, large seats, and the ability to fully recline with a footrest to form a mini-bed.

Once on board, a beautiful flight attendant guided Wang Bo to his seat and asked what he wanted to drink, which she promptly brought over.

Each seat came with a personal PAD and controller for playing games, but Wang Bo wasn’t interested. Instead, he pulled out a public administration textbook from New Zealand and started reading seriously.

After the New Year, the construction on Highway 8 would almost be finished. As the town mayor, he would soon have to take on the responsibility of developing the town.

By midday, the plane landed at Beijing Capital International. Wang Bo was finally back on home turf.

Just as he was about to disembark, a fair-skinned, beautiful flight attendant came up with a smile and asked, “Hello, Mr. Wang Bo. May I take a photo with you?”

Wang Bo was momentarily stunned and pointed at himself, “With me?”

He wasn’t a celebrity or particularly handsome—why would this gorgeous flight attendant want a picture with him?

With wide eyes and a hint of anticipation, the flight attendant replied, “Yes, aren’t you the first Chinese mayor in New Zealand? I saw the report on you. I think you’re really charming!”

Turns out the local media and government in New Zealand had actually promoted him, but Wang Bo hadn’t noticed—he’d mostly stayed in the small town of Omarama.

So, cheerfully, he took a few photos with the flight attendant and even exchanged contact info.

He wasn’t thinking anything improper—he just hoped she’d visit Sunset Town someday, and maybe promote it to passengers, helping to attract tourists.

Having grown used to Sunset Town’s deep blue skies and the crisp, fragrant mountain air, Wang Bo found it hard to adjust to being back in Beijing, especially with the winter cold and the stark environmental contrast.

Luckily, he wouldn’t be staying in Beijing long. After printing his ticket—again, first class—he took a direct flight to Nancheng, the provincial capital near his hometown.

Once there, too lazy to deal with switching transport, he found a hotel room, transferred the gifts from his sandbox castle to regular luggage, and rented a van for the final leg of the journey.

His hometown was a small coastal county called Langcheng, nestled on the shores of the Yellow Sea. A beautiful seaside town.

His home was in a little fishing village. Thanks to the government’s infrastructure projects, the road home was much better than in his youth—he remembered the rural roads as rough and hard to travel.

Though he’d only been gone for a little over two months, it felt like forever. The moment he saw the familiar black wooden door of his house, his heart surged with emotion—he was finally going to see his parents again!

Pushing the door open, he saw his mother bent over in the courtyard, drying fish. When she heard the door creak, she turned around, and her calm face instantly lit up. She quickly reached up to wipe her eyes.

Wang Bo rushed over and hugged her tightly, shouting, “Mom! Don’t rub your eyes—it’s me, your precious baby boy is back!”

Beaming with joy, she laughed, “Aiya, you really are my big baby! Why did you come back all of a sudden? Didn’t you just call yesterday saying everything was fine?”

“I was fine! I meant I was fine to get on the plane!” Wang Bo laughed heartily. “By the way, where’s Dad? I don’t see him.”

His mother replied, “He’s probably out at the drying ground fixing the fishing nets. He’s heading out to sea in a couple days to catch some more fish and shrimp for the New Year.”

Living by the sea meant living off it. Every household in the village had a small wooden boat. They used to make a living fishing, but now they mostly fished for their own meals.

There wasn’t much choice—China’s coastal fisheries had been increasingly depleted, and with all the nearby factories, the water was too polluted to expect a real catch.

Wang Bo carried in the large boxes one by one. When his mom opened them, she gasped in surprise. “Whoa! How much did you buy? What’s this—seafood? We’ve already got plenty at home! What were you thinking, silly boy?”

Wang Bo grinned. “If we already had it at home, I didn’t buy it. I only bought what we didn’t have. Mom, you start unpacking—I’m heading to the drying ground to find Dad! Oh, and what’s for dinner?”

“You and your stomach! Fine, I’ll make fried fresh fish and grilled flatbread for you!”