"Sir, what are you looking at? Should I pull over?"
The assistant looked at the somber young man in the rearview mirror and asked softly.
The young man propped his head up, his eyes fixed darkly on Chi Wan walking down the street. Hearing the question, he said impatiently, "Pull over for what? Didn’t you hear the old la... Grandma telling to hurry ho? Just drive."
The assistant lowered his head, pretending not to understand that the young man had clearly ant to say "old hag," and said no more.
The driver, who had heard the assistant and was about to slow down, lightly stepped on the gas, and the car slipped into the stream of traffic like a fish.
Upon entering the manor, as soon as the car stopped, the door was opened by a tall girl. "Brother, what took you so long? Grandma was just asking about you."
The young man clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Tsk," and muttered a curse. "Didn’t she go back to her hotown? Why is she back so soon?"
The girl pouted, leaned in closer, and whispered, "It might have sothing to do with Song Yangming. You should be careful."
The two were, naturally, the younger generation of the He Family: He Lingfeng and He Lingshan.
When He Lingfeng heard the na "Song Yangming," a flash of disgust crossed his eyes. "Figured as much."
With that, he walked toward the main entrance.
Halfway there, he seed to rember sothing, turned back, and asked softly, "Is it arranged?"
A glint appeared in He Lingshan’s eyes, and she gave a strange smile. "They’re already on their way."
He Lingfeng nodded and strode through the doorway.
*
While waiting for the paternity test results, Chi Wan had a few peaceful days.
That afternoon, Xu Qiannian, who had arranged the visit in advance, ca to her door with his precious "rotten wood," followed by Xiahou Yu, who had changed into casual clothes.
This ti, he was wearing a hoodie, which made him look a bit younger than before.
Xu Qiannian was a tall, elderly man who carried himself like he had been a soldier, with a straight back and a vigorous spirit.
Xiahou Yu was almost the spitting image of Xu Qiannian. When the grandfather and grandson stood together, their blood relation was obvious without a word.
But Mr. Xu Sr.’s normally sowhat serious face broke into a smile that smoothed out his wrinkles when he saw Chi Wan jogging over to open the door. "Hello there, little Wanwan! I finally get to et you in person. Does this count as us online friends eting up?
"Oh, you have no idea. Not only did old Zhou sing your praises, but my quiet grandson here went ho last ti and praised you to , too. He said the way you handle orchids is as smooth as flowing water, much better than this old man’s technique. And look, he insisted on coming along this ti."
Xiahou Yu glanced at his grandfather, cleared his throat softly, and handed a beautifully wrapped gift to Chi Wan. "Miss Chi, it was rude of not to bring a gift last ti. Zhou Huai’an told the Jade Token ca from you. I ca today to express my thanks."
Chi Wan didn’t act coy. She graciously accepted the gift and welcod the grandfather and grandson inside. "There’s no need to be so formal. It was just a normal transaction~"
Besides, the money from the Jade Token had already been deposited. The eight-figure balance in her overseas account was enough to make Chi Wan see the world through rose-colored glasses for the entire sumr break.
Smiling, she led the two into the greenhouse.
In the past few days, Li Xingye had helped her expand the greenhouse in his spare ti and even set up a work area.
Chi Wan had also taken the opportunity to transplant many types of orchids into the greenhouse, so even though Xu Qiannian had heard a bit about it from Xiahou Yu, his eyes went wide the mont he stepped into the unique space.
"Is this... a Dragon Robe?! A Dragon Robe with such vibrant colors! Little friend Wanwan, how did you grow this?! And a Jade Rabbit Butterfly!! I knew it! Old Zhou got that Jade Rabbit Butterfly from you, didn’t he? And he had the nerve to say his grandson gave it to him. What a poser!"
Mr. Xu Sr. looked from one plant to another, loving each one, wanting to praise each one. His eyes were dazzled.
Spotting one particular plant, he suddenly smiled. "Isn’t this a division from my Zhang Yulan? It’s growing so well. Ah, Wanwan, you’re so good at raising orchids. It’s a sha to just keep it to yourself. How about you co and join this old man’s Orchid Association for fun?"
’The Orchid Association?’ Chi Wan’s eyes lit up.
Mr. Xu Sr. said cheerfully, "We call it an association, but it’s really just a place for a few of us old fogies to chat and exchange ideas when we’re bored. Of course, if there’s a good orchid, we’ll appreciate it together, trade divisions, and that sort of thing. With so many healthy orchids here, if you brought them to the association, their eyes would probably pop out of their heads!"
Xu Qiannian was being modest. Chi Wan knew of the Orchid Association he ntioned. It wasn’t just for discussion; more importantly, the various regional orchid associations were connected to every exhibition.
And taking a step back, the sheer number and variety of orchid species one could encounter on this platform was enough to make Chi Wan yearn for it, even if it was just for appreciation and not for profit.
She also finally understood why Xu Qiannian was so invested in a piece of wood that might just possibly contain a Ghost Orchid.
Chi Wan gave a shy smile. "Grandpa Xu, don’t tease . What kind of orchid haven’t you guys seen in your association? I’m just dabbling here. How could I possibly compare to you all?"
Xu Qiannian waved his hand. "It doesn’t matter how many orchids you have if you don’t know how to grow them. If you’re like old Zhou, who can’t keep anything alive, I wouldn’t let him in! So it’s settled. Old Zhou told you’re a student at Huazhong University? That’s not far. You can drop by the association whenever you have ti.
"Let’s show those arrogant old geezers who think so highly of themselves. Who says you have to be old to be a good gardener?"
And just like that, with a few simple words, Chi Wan’s entry into the Huazhong Orchid Association was decided.
After all that, Xu Qiannian finally got down to business.
He carefully took out the rotten wood from the thermostat-controlled box, a troubled look on his face. "I’m sure Zhou told you the origin of this piece of wood. Everyone says I was scamd, that this is just a piece of rotten wood.
"But deep down, I just can’t accept it. I don’t know why I’m so obsessed with a piece of wood. Every ti I think about giving up, I just think, what if?"
From behind Xu Qiannian, Xiahou Yu said softly, "That’s because you’ve already put too much of a sunk cost into it. That’s why it’s so hard to let go."
Xu Qiannian wanted to argue, but he didn’t know what to say.
Because everyone felt pretty much the sa way as Xiahou Yu—that he had beco obsessed.
In truth, he knew it himself. If there had been any other possibility, he wouldn’t be pinning all his hopes on a young girl like Chi Wan.
But Chi Wan just smiled. "Mr. Xu Sr., I can understand how you feel. It’s not just about the sunk cost. The Ghost Orchid is simply too rare. Since it can’t be artificially cultivated, there’s no telling when it might go extinct in so remote mountain.
"And now, a possible chance to cultivate a Ghost Orchid is right in front of you. No matter how slim the hope, for soone who likes and truly loves orchids, it’s an opportunity you would never want to miss."
User Comments
0 comments from readers