Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 389 - Chapter 389 Chapter 377 Heated Discussion

Chapter 389: Chapter 377: Heated Discussion Chapter 389: Chapter 377: Heated Discussion Zheng Tan hadn’t expected that a visit to the botanical garden because of the orchid would lead to an encounter with Lord, nor had he expected to learn about some of the fellow’s past, which also counted as one of today’s gains from the visit.

Not staying there any longer, Zheng Tan didn’t want to be like Lord, staring blankly in one place. Roughly estimating the time, Zheng Tan visited a few more places before returning to where the Jiao family was resting.

When Zheng Tan arrived, the families sitting there were considering packing up to visit more places, and Zheng Tan’s timing was just right.

Many people liked visiting the botanical garden in autumn because there were few mosquitoes and the temperature was pleasant. Aside from the flowers that bloomed in autumn, there were orchards worth visiting, with both in-season and off-season fruits available, some of which were even sold at the botanical garden at a cheaper price, of course, picking was usually not allowed–those who sneakily picked fruits avoided the garden’s staff. In spring and summer, honey, royal jelly, and pollen were also sold here.

If one visited a month later, some leaves would turn yellow and red, yet it wouldn’t be the time for extensive leaf fall. The scenery would be beautiful.

The greenhouse housed many tropical plants, many of which could be grown in Chuhua City but didn’t grow as well as in tropical regions due to climatic reasons; hence, they could only be seen thriving in special places like the botanical garden.

Students from the Life Science Institute were often brought to the botanical garden in their freshman and sophomore years to learn about plants. Special instructors accompanied them. Although many trees had signs labeling their species and annotations, many did not and required the instructor to inform them.

Apart from fruits, near the entrance of the botanical garden, there were many souvenirs and potted plants for sale. Business was usually good whenever the botanical garden hosted large exhibitions.

One stall was selling clover ornaments resembling artificial amber, genuinely from a clover species, not from mutations or natural variations that produced four leaves instead of three. Having seen and even picked clover with five, six, or even nine leaves, Zheng Tan found these utterly uninteresting. As for amber, he had once found a piece of genuine archaeological significance, so these held even less appeal for him.

While strolling back, as he passed the exhibition hall, Zheng Tan, inside his carry bag, noticed quite a few people with cameras outside the hall who looked like journalists.

“The exhibition hall is full now, so they are limiting the number of people; these are all in line,” said someone nearby.

“It’s good that we went there early,” said Jiao Ma.

“I’ve never seen so many people before, and besides, it’s the afternoon now, almost dinner time. What are these people still queueing here for? It should be ending, right?” Shi Rui’s father wondered.

An individual wearing a botanical garden staff badge explained, “They are all here to see the ‘Jade Cat.’ It’s said that the ‘Jade Cat Fairy’ orchid, a rare item presented by Professor Lan, is valued at millions per sprout, not per pot.”

As people who had known about it early, Mr. Jiao and others remained calm, but some tourists nearby were shocked. Though tired from sightseeing and planning to head home, they now hurried towards the exhibition hall, deciding that waiting in line wasn’t too much to bear; after all, seeing a flower worth millions with one’s own eyes was worth it.

“It’s just a flower; who would bother buying that without anything better to do? Only those obsessed with flowers would,” said a tourist.

The staff member glanced at him meaningfully and added pensively, “Despite the price, there are quite a few clamoring to buy it, including businessmen and those who love jade. When I came out half an hour ago, someone had directly offered a few thousand,” mentioning that the bidder was a big company’s boss.

“A few thousand… million?”

“What else?” the staff member shook his head. They just watched these events as bystanders, as those still paying off mortgages couldn’t even fathom associating with such material and spiritual planes.

Because of what this employee said, many tourists around tried to use their connections to enter. The sign at the exhibition entrance clearly stated that it was open for one day only and viewing it any later would be impossible.

Zheng Tan merely felt the situation was a bit exaggerated and unexpected, but he did not know that the exhibition hall’s popularity was even more explosive than the staff had described.

Due to the exhibition hall reaching full capacity, it was not only filled with experts in the field but also many media personnel. Meanwhile, the botanical garden’s manager was constantly on the phone, including with some big shots who often interacted with the botanical garden. These individuals, whose names alone had weight in the research community, were not locals of Chuhua City and were usually busy, so they did not get the news immediately. By the time many had mentioned it, their interest had piqued, but it was too late to make it; they thought the flower exhibition was still a week away, followed by a dedicated chrysanthemum exhibition, meaning the dates could be pushed to November. Why couldn’t the orchids be displayed a few more days? Interaction meant better with more people involved; what’s the point with just a few insiders and some bystanders, all within a single day? These big shots barely had a chance to show up, let alone communicate.

The person in charge couldn’t afford to offend anyone. With each phone call, he continually apologized, and his forehead never stopped sweating. These ‘big shots’ were termed so because not only were they influential, but they also had significant temperaments. Although receiving their calls usually felt honorable, at this moment, the person in charge felt overwhelmed.

Apart from the calls from these big shots, many media outlets also negotiated with them. There were local, out-of-town, and even central media rushing for interviews, something the staff at the botanical garden had never anticipated.

Since so many people had spoken up, they could only gradually contact the exhibitors to discuss extending the exhibition a few more days. They actually understood that the most important thing was Professor Lan’s “Jade Cat Fairy” orchid. With the way things were developing, it was likely that people from abroad would be there by tomorrow, and by then, it wouldn’t be up to these lesser figures to decide anymore. They would have to invite a few big shots to support the venue.

After being persuaded, Old Man Lan left the flower there and even stayed at the botanical garden to care for the orchids. The botanical garden staff had also brought Old Mrs. Zhai over, knowing that they couldn’t control Professor Lan if he lost his temper and that it would require Mrs. Zhai’s intervention.

After Zheng Tan and others returned, the next day they saw extensive reports in the morning and evening newspapers, and city newspapers with color pages that even included photographs. One photo was of the orchid; another was of a placard placed beside the flowerpot, listing the species, product name, exhibitor, and number. Zheng Tan felt that having Old Man Lan front and center was a good idea; otherwise, if people saw the Jiao family’s name on the placard now, chances are many would be knocking at their door, and peace would be elusive.

It was better to have the experienced Old Man Lan take the lead, Zheng Tan thought cheerfully.

After three years of quiet, Old Man Lan had really vindicated himself this time. Yesterday, when Zheng Tan and the others were leaving the botanical garden, Old Man Lan had even taken a break to meet Mr. Jiao and had a few words to share, mostly complaints about those who don’t play by the rules, but Zheng Tan could see that Old Man Lan was quite pleased with himself.

The botanical garden’s separate exhibition hall, originally open for two days, was now open for three days, and with limited time and restricted visitor numbers. The staff responsible for the exhibition hall had tripled to prevent any issues.

Ermao, having learned about this and seen the orchid firsthand, spent a long time talking to Old Man Lan and then went to Mr. Jiao’s office to block him, negotiating for an hour, and finally managed to reserve a few plants.

Upon hearing “a few” plants, Zheng Tan’s whiskers twitched. He knew Ermao wasn’t short on cash–this guy didn’t care about money to the point that, given the prices that were being stirred up, it was definitely in the millions. Ermao’s move to buy a few plants outright showed he was indeed a hidden tycoon.

However, it wasn’t decided how many plants; it might be one or two, or perhaps more. Now even Old Man Lan wasn’t sure, as he still needed a few more years to nurture them. But Ermao wasn’t in a rush; he had asked Old Man Lan to split off a small pot when the time came, intending to give it to his grandfather in Beijing, hopefully, just in time for the old man’s birthday.

Meanwhile, in newspapers and online, “Jade Cat Fairy” became a hot topic. Naturally, people asked why there was a “cat” in the name of the flower. After learning that the discovery of the flower related to a cat, some cat owners thought, why can’t their own cats do that? All they did was chew on and ruin flowers, even killing the indoor landscape trees with their scratching and pooping in the flowerpots! Indeed, other people’s cats are smart, sensible, and even bring wealth, while their own cats are just silly troublemakers!

Aside from these purely curious folks, there were also many who stirred the pot, mostly for hype. Because of such hype, Old Man Lan’s orchid became a trending topic online. When people chatted after meals, they would mention it, and for many ordinary people, not to mention a treasure worth millions, even a flower costing a few hundred was considered insanely expensive and not worth it. But as a topic of conversation, it was more than suitable, enough to engage them for a long time.

Maybe, one of the reasons why Old Man Lan had said “no need to hype it up” was precisely this–he didn’t need to lift a finger; there would always be some people stirring the pot.

The hype made the flower increasingly famous, and its price skyrocketed, frighteningly so. People who genuinely wanted to buy it were quite angry at those stirring the pot: Why meddle if you’re not buying? You can’t afford it anyway! Keep to yourselves!

Those stirring the pot thought: Yes, we can’t afford it, but we can hype things up. We’re not going to be well-behaved. Let’s inflate the price and see those big shots arguing with constipated faces; we’ll just watch the drama from the sidelines. What can you do about us?

This flower was now very popular, with related reports in the daily newspapers including visits by prominent local experts and famous international figures. Even some hotels in the city, which had gone quiet after the National Day holiday, began to pick up business again, with many hoping the topic would stay hot.

A topic cooling down?

Stir it up again!

Compared to those who got excited as if they were on steroids, Zheng Tan felt somewhat uneasy.

Sure enough, within a couple of days, the orchid was stolen.

Old Man Lan nearly ended up in the hospital upon hearing the news. When he heard, his vision blacked out, and if it hadn’t been for Old Mrs. Zhai’s timely support, he probably would have fallen right over.

Theft of antiquities and similar items from exhibition halls can be overlooked, but a flower being stolen? Although there had been similar incidents before, they were relatively less common compared to other items.

Antiques and other inanimate objects being stolen could be recovered over the years, but not so with flowers and plants. Improper care could easily kill them, as many expensive items are extremely delicate.

Some people felt pity, others took pleasure in the misfortune; overall, what had been a slightly sluggish topic due to a lack of novelty was once again stirred up nationally and even internationally.

At the same time, Zheng Tan arrived at the Old Tile House and turned on his phone. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to Qidian (NovelFire.net) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.NovelFire.net to read.)

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