Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 385 - Chapter 385 Chapter 374 Hua Exhibition

Chapter 385: Chapter 374 Hua Exhibition Chapter 385: Chapter 374 Hua Exhibition Old Man Lan didn’t provide much explanation for the name of the flower, simply mentioning that its discovery was related to a cat, and when people asked for details, Old Man Lan clammed up and refused to say more.

Fortunately, everyone’s attention was now focused on the orchid, and though they found it odd to have the character “cat” in its name, they weren’t fixated on it; all they wanted was to take a longer look at the orchid.

Old Man Lan had been mentioned repeatedly lately because of this orchid, and the fact that Old Man Lan had cultivated an orchid worth over ten million had become a hot topic in the residential courtyards of two districts. Having been renowned for breeding rare and precious orchids, Old Man Lan’s fame was now even greater.

Wherever Old Man Lan went recently and met people he knew, they would ask him, “Mr. Lan, why don’t you let everyone see the Jade Cat? Don’t keep it hidden all the time!”

Unfortunately, after being named, Old Man Lan’s small flower bed was no longer open to the public, and not even his closest friends could expect a backdoor visit. Having arranged contacts, Old Man Lan was preparing to send the orchid to the botanical garden, and before doing so, he didn’t intend to let anyone see it. Only when some persistently nagging individuals annoyed Old Man Lan excessively would he allow them a quick peek. As for those less shameless, they were simply turned away. It goes to show that sometimes, one needs to be thick-skinned.

Zheng Tan also heard that two elderly men, failing to find Old Man Lan, and seeing that the fence around the small flower bed wasn’t too high, decided to climb over it with a ladder. Unfortunately, they weren’t as nimble or quick due to their age and nearly injured themselves, which gave Old Man Lan a good laugh when he found out.

No matter what, after three years of obscurity, Old Man Lan was finally gaining face.

This flower exhibition was a long event, starting two days before National Day and lasting until around the 20th. Since it was the 60th anniversary of the founding of the country, provincial and city leaders decided to organize a grand flower exhibition to celebrate.

The exhibition was divided into several smaller venues and one main venue, ensuring that residents from all districts could enjoy the exhibition at parks or plazas closest to them. However, Old Man Lan and some professionals kept their eyes on the main venue at the city botanical garden, where more renowned and precious flowers would be displayed.

Many flowers from both the main and smaller venues were sourced from the public, but the showstoppers were still provided by those within the orchid enthusiasts’ circle like Old Man Lan. They didn’t bring all of their renowned flowers to the botanical garden, keeping one or two pots at other smaller venues to showcase there as well, allowing the residents in those areas to view the prized plants. Naturally, there were also security personnel in charge of the smaller venues to prevent any damage.

Nevertheless, cherished possessions, the trump cards used to boost one’s own reputation while taking a jab at others, were still taken to the botanical garden’s main venue. With professional display stands, security windows, and more professional talent and connoisseurs present, it essentially became a small-scale exchange event for some, even though it wasn’t an expo.

What’s an exchange event for?

Is it for sharing gardening experience?

Yes, that’s definitely part of it.

And then?

Just like a school reunion, there’s no shortage of showboating and flaunting wealth.

Only, instead of cars, houses, and watches, they flaunt plants and flowers. The old men feel rather good about themselves, considering it art, a refined spiritual pleasure, not the vulgar and coarse exchange of money.

Every time Zheng Tan heard the old men in the courtyard boasting proudly, he would scorn them in his mind–just a bunch of old children. No matter how sagely they acted in front of college students or young teachers, in private, they were like big kids, participating in rivalry, squabbles, and absurdities like the recent wall-climbing incident.

One morning, as Zheng Tan went out with Mr. Jiao, they walked past the small flower bed and happened to see Old Man Lan sneaking out, looking around for familiar faces and, not seeing any, promptly locked the courtyard door, dusted off his hands, and went home.

It was still early morning, and Old Man Lan had already arranged the flowers inside; he must have gotten up by five in the morning, clearly trying to avoid people seeking him out.

After seeing Zheng Tan, Old Man Lan’s face broke into a smile filled with wrinkles.

“Heitan, the flower exhibition will last another week, but a few of us old men have agreed to bring our flowers over tomorrow. You can come along with your Cat Dad and visit then,” he said.

Old Man Lan’s treasures wouldn’t stay on the display for long; a day of exchange was sufficient–there was no need for a week. Besides the crowded National Day, the botanical garden was now much quieter and without disturbances, giving them peace of mind.

Old Man Lan’s words also revealed a couple of details. First, the old guys’ treasures would be displayed tomorrow; second, “Xiao Jiao,” mentioned by Old Man Lan was Mr. Jiao, which meant that the Jiao family would be going, and since tomorrow was Saturday, Jiao Yuan and Little Youzi would be there, enabling the entire family to attend; and third, normally the botanical garden doesn’t allow pets, but on weekdays when there are fewer people, the staff might turn a blind eye. However, during the flower exhibition period, it would be difficult to bring in pets. Old Man Lan suggesting Zheng Tan come along meant that he had likely already arranged the necessary permissions with Mr. Jiao beforehand.

Zheng Tan was naturally happy to go to the botanical garden with the Jiao Family, to have a day out with the family and immerse himself in nature–a perfect time to relax.

He had enjoyed yet another privilege.

Zheng Tan also knew that Old Man Lan had advised Mr. Jiao that if they wanted to sell the orchid, they should bide their time, not rush to sell it, and not worry about the Lan City market crashing. Every year there were several orchid exchange events and expos, attended by well-known figures from both domestic and international circles, many of which were not open to the public. After all, the prized possessions brought to the exchanges were valuable and avoiding mishaps was crucial. Displaying at these events would increase the orchid’s fame and potentially the number of interested buyers, naturally driving up the price – perhaps even doubling it.

Mr. Jiao seemed to have no intention of selling the orchid, which relieved Old Man Lan and naturally lifted his spirits, as it meant that the orchid might stay in his care for several more years.

After Old Man Lan left, Zheng Tan didn’t intend to climb into the small flower bed to look at the flowers. He wasn’t too interested in them, and besides, since Old Man Lan had already been to the small flower bed, the security would have been nicely arranged, preventing a view of the orchid.

Just as he was about to leave, Zheng Tan’s ears twitched and he looked over.

The sheriff jumped down from a tree around the corner, walked along the perimeter of the fence for a distance, glanced at Zheng Tan, and, seeing that Zheng Tan had no intention of jumping inside, took the initiative himself and climbed over the wall.

Like those yearning for the orchid, ever since the sheriff had seen that pot of orchids, he had been thinking about it. However, Old Man Lan had become experienced in guarding against him and had never let the sheriff see the flowers again. Even though the sheriff came to watch every day, he never got the chance.

Did the sheriff not understand the warnings from Mr. Lan and the others?

Not necessarily.

As someone who had known the sheriff for six years, Zheng Tan knew that this guy’s intelligence was not an issue. Cats that had been in human society for a long time and had interacted with humans could understand some speech.

Don’t think they don’t understand; they just don’t want to comply and are playing dumb.

The reason he kept testing the limits was purely that the sheriff knew Mr. Lan couldn’t do anything to him, and he himself wanted to see and chew on the flowers, so he acted as if he didn’t understand. Whatever people said, he would just shake his ears and scatter the words away.

Zheng Tan jumped atop the wall to take a look and sure enough, the sheriff could only wander outside the anti-cat net, unable to enter the greenhouse area; he could only nibble on the unprotected trees and wildflowers around.

With the sheriff there making a commotion, Zheng Tan jumped onto a tree, raising his head to look at the sky.

Although it had rained during the National Day holiday and the temperature had dropped a bit, now that the sky was clear, the temperature had risen again. Tomorrow should also be a sunny day.

Indeed, if it weren’t a sunny day, Mr. Lan and the others wouldn’t go either. Surely they must have understood all the various weather and geographical conditions well in advance while planning this.

As Zheng Tan had thought, the next day turned out to be a sunny day. Moreover, the sky was unusually blue and clear, unlike the usual hazy days.

The Jiao family, four people and one cat, drove towards the botanical garden.

On the way, Jiao Yuan kept asking about that pot of orchids. He had only returned from school the night before and knew they were going to the botanical garden for the flower exhibition on Saturday. He had been told about the orchids by Little Youzi. When Zheng Tan had brought the orchids back initially, Jiao Yuan was aware as there was no need to hide it from him; besides, he had heard some gossip from the courtyard, but at that time, he had not connected it to his own family.

The botanical garden was not far from Chuhua University; a drive of twenty minutes or so would get them there. If not for the traffic jam they encountered halfway, perhaps it would have taken just ten minutes.

Lan Tianzhu and his grandfather, Old Lan, were moving together. Xiong Xiong’s mother and Xiong Xiong would go later. Su An’s family and Shi Rui’s family were traveling together. The Jiao family was one of the earliest to arrive.

The parking place was some distance from the main gate of the botanical garden. Because it was still the flower exhibition period, the number of visitors was greater than on average days, and as the main venue, the botanical garden naturally attracted more people driving over. It wasn’t feasible for everyone to drive there since there was not enough parking near the botanical garden entrance.

Of course, those with special passes could still go through, like Mr. Lan and others who had such passes, as they had long been familiar with the botanical garden staff.

Although Mr. Lan had given Mr. Jiao a pass that would allow Zheng Tan in, to avoid standing out too much, Zheng Tan still had to squeeze into a backpack for the time being.

One should be low-key as a person, and the same goes for being a cat.

It wouldn’t make sense for Little Youzi or Jiao Ma to carry the backpack, and in accordance with the principles of respecting the elderly and loving the young, Jiao Yuan wouldn’t let Mr. Jiao carry it either. Jiao Yuan, who was in his senior year of high school and was taller and stronger than Mr. Jiao, had to be the one to carry it–who else if not him?

As they walked toward the main gate, Zheng Tan peeked through the zipper of the backpack and saw signs nearby, as well as volunteers in uniform distributing maps of the plant distribution in various areas of the botanical garden. The maps clearly marked some restricted areas, as several places were not open to the public today.

Just then, a black sedan drove by slowly.

“Why can that car drive in? It doesn’t seem that special,” Jiao Yuan asked. They had been stopped by someone at the periphery, not allowing the car to go through. That’s why they had parked even further away.

“There’s a pass sticker on the car window,” Mr. Jiao explained.

Jiao Yuan gave an “Oh” and didn’t dwell on it any further. Privilege always exists; if they can have it, so can others.

Zheng Tan poked his head out of the backpack and watched the car that passed at a not-so-fast speed, feeling that when that car drove by, there was something inside staring in their direction. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (NovelFire.net), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.NovelFire.net to read.)

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