"You know, you can stop fussing around; my mom isn’t lacking anything. She used to have a bit of rheumatism, but after a few sessions of Qigong massage from you, she’s been cured. She’s pretty happy these days," said Huo Sining, indicating that Su Qingqing needn’t bother preparing a birthday gift for her mom.
As soon as Su Qingqing heard Huo Sining mention preparing a birthday gift for her mother, she repeatedly waved her hands, indicating that it wasn’t necessary.
However, Huo Sining didn’t agree, thinking there must be something she was lacking. It was definitely because Su Qingqing, the careless fool, had no clue what her mother actually liked.
"Where’s your aunt today, not at home?" Huo Sining had been at the Su family’s place for over half an hour but hadn’t caught sight of Huang Hongying—she couldn’t help feeling curious.
Su Qingqing pursed her lips, "Some old ladies from their social circles called her out. They said someone’s orchid had bloomed, and a bunch of them went to that lady’s house to admire the flowers. I really don’t get it—a mere Orchid Grass blooming, and they’re all making such a fuss."
While Su Qingqing expressed her disdain, Huo Sining was suddenly inspired: "Does your aunt like cultivating flowers?"
Su Qingqing nodded, "She does. You probably haven’t been up to our rooftop terrace. My mom has especially built a glasshouse there just for cultivating flowers, and she even joined the Flora Association of S City. She’s always bringing home plants like Golden Osmanthus, camellias, and calla lilies."
Huo Sining nodded, "That’s great, having hobbies can certainly spice up life, you know. Women, as they hit menopause, tend to start overthinking. By keeping herself busy with hobbies, your aunt can fill her time and enrich her life."
Su Qingqing’s mouth twitched, revealing an awkward expression: "If that were only true... My mom and I are alike; she naturally repels plants. Whatever she tries to cultivate always dies. Despite giving them all her careful attention, she just can’t keep them alive. The flowers she brings home usually die within a few months."
"Not even one survived?" Huo Sining was immediately surprised.
"Well, not exactly," said Su Qingqing, who couldn’t help but find it amusing.
"One time she did manage to keep a Droplet Guanyin alive for over a year, and she treasured that plant as if were her life. But then, an old lady brought her grandson over to visit, and I don’t know what got into him, but he sneaked up to the rooftop glasshouse."
An odd, unpredictable smile spread across Su Qingqing’s face:
"That brat, for some reason, directly yanked that calla lily out by the roots and dragged it down from the rooftop. By the time my mom saw it, that kid was still grinning foolishly at her."
Huo Sining could imagine Huang Hongying’s inner collapse and the struggle to maintain composure, her face contorting into a smile uglier than crying when she saw the trail of the ’corpse’ of her beloved Droplet Guanyin that the mischievous child had dragged along.
Yet, from Su Qingqing’s words, Huo Sining discerned something else.
Huang Hongying had gone to the trouble of building a greenhouse on the rooftop and even joined the city’s Flora Association, which showed her genuine love for gardening.
This reminded Huo Sining of the time not long ago in the Imperial Capital when she transplanted diseased orchid plants for the wife of Zhou Shitao.
Teacher Mother Zhou’s orchid had suffered from improper watering, resulting in root rot, which led to its sickly state.
During the transplanting process, Huo Sining used Spiritual Energy to treat the orchid.
In less than a week after being planted in the courtyard, Huo Sining heard from Zhou Shitao that the orchid had not only survived but also sprouted new leaves.
With that in mind, an idea sparked in Huo Sining; she had gained a bit of inspiration.
Since Huang Hongying liked gardening, Huo Sining thought this could be the perfect opportunity to set up a delicate greenhouse for her.
As soon as she thought of it, at Huo Sining’s request, Su Qingqing took her to the glass greenhouse on the top floor, where she saw its specific size and layout. After the visit, Huo Sining had a rough idea in mind.
"You’re really planning to set up a greenhouse for my mom? Let me tell you, she can’t keep anything alive. Even if you arrange it for her, I bet it won’t last long before everything’s dead," Su Qingqing said skeptically when she heard Huo Sining’s plan.
Huo Sining laughed, "You don’t believe me? Besides fishkeeping, gardening is also my strength. Just trust me, with me here, not only will these plants not die, but I’ll also make Aunt’s greenhouse the center of attention in the whole S City!"
"But you mustn’t blab about it, otherwise, you’ll have me to answer to!" Huo Sining warned Su Qingqing.
Su Qingqing rolled her eyes at Huo Sining in annoyance, "Got it, I won’t reveal a single word!"
With Su Qingqing’s promise, Huo Sining finally left with peace of mind.
After hurriedly leaving the Su Family, Huo Sining made her way into the Flower and Bird Market.
The Flower and Bird Market of S City was distinctly different from Antique Street, with flower and bird shops set up along the spacious streets and alleys. Although the market was not large, it offered a very complete variety of bonsai.
Many shops displayed pots of floral bonsai at their storefronts, from small potted herbaceous flowers to large pots of mature bonsai and even stones of various shapes and intricate patterns placed in some flower pots.
What is referred to as bonsai is not just limited to narrow stumps; it also includes landscape bonsai, such as those faux mountain bonsais made from stones, which fall under the category of landscape bonsai.
However, Huo Sining didn’t have much interest in those bare stones; she was there to look for The Droplet Guanyin.
Walking the length of the street, Huo Sining peered into each shop, just looking and occasionally asking a few questions. It seemed as if she was taking a leisurely stroll to admire the flowers, but in fact, she was learning quite a bit about the basics of flora through the exchanges with the shopkeepers.
Just like the antique market, it was taboo to make hasty purchases at the Flower and Bird Market.
With a wide variety of flora and saplings, a single type of flower could have countless varieties, each with vastly different prices.
For instance, a common orchid might only cost a few bucks per plant, but premium orchids could be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands.
Especially some flowers that had not yet bloomed; it was difficult to determine their exact species just from the branches and leaves, and the value could vary greatly between species.
Even experienced florists often make mistakes when identifying flora saplings.
As an outsider, Huo Sining could only scrupulously follow the rules set by Lu Huairu, which were to look more, listen more, ask more, think more, and buy less.
After finding out the going rate for calla lilies, Huo Sining had a better idea.
She had already visited a few shops and spotted some Droplet Guanyin plants that were in good condition, but she wanted to weigh her options. Comparing goods from three different shops would allow her to make the best choice.
Walking and stopping along the way, she finally paused in front of one shop’s entrance. Through the glass window, Huo Sining spotted a pot of calla lilies inside the shop.
Whether it was the straight, tender flower stalks, shield-shaped arrow leaves, or the yellow-green spathe, this pot of calla lilies stood out remarkably.