Chapter 285 - A Battle of Stratagem (1/2)

Nature’s Masterpiece, the peony Fatty Cui gave Li Xi’er as a present, was originally given to him by a jade merchant who does business with him. Fatty Cui is not a big fan of plants while Lucy is very naughty. He gave Nature’s Masterpiece to Li Xi’er only because it would be a waste to keep it himself.

“My friend told me he bought it at a newly opened flower shop opposite the Temple of the Marquis Wu. Is it fake?”

His question makes Lin Luoran amused and speechless. Fatty Cui has been in the jade trade for so long that it has become an instinct for him to ask the “fake or real” question once he sees everything.

“Of course, the peony is real. We want to visit the shop and buy flowers from them exactly because the peony is of good quality. Do you know their address?

Fatty Cui smiles in a low voice and says, “Go ahead. The shop’s easy to find, right in the alley diagonally opposite the Temple of the Marquis Wu. The owner is a young lady whose surname is Yang. Ask around and you’ll find her.” In fact, what his friend told him was the young lady who owns the shop is more attractive than flowers. Otherwise, why would Fatty Cui spend a fortune on some so-called precious peonies he knew nothing about?

Lin Luoran then invites Li Xier to go to the flower shop together after she gets the address.

The shop is not too far away. They drive there. The alley is very lively. The shop is the only shop that sells potted plants in the alley so is easy to find as Fatty Cui said.

There are few customers. Lin Luoran takes a look at flowers put outside. Their prices vary from hundreds to thousands of Yuan. Potted plants used as room decorations cost just about ten dollars nowadays. People who are not enthusiastic about plants would hardly buy such high-end flowers sold at the shop.

Lin Luoran sees two old men at the entrance checking an orchid thoroughly with a magnifying gla.s.s. They seem to want to find out the authenticity of the breed. There are many tourists who admire the potted plants from afar. Only those who think they can afford will come close and look at the plants because one can easily break their vulnerable leaves and flowers.

Thus, the young lady at the shop doesn’t really have much work to do. It surprises her when Lin Luoran and Li Xi’er enter the shop. She pauses for a short while and welcomes them with a smile.

“You can look around as you like.”

Lin Luoran moves her eyes away from the orchid to the shop owner. She is very young, probably in her early twenties, and definitely a beauty in the crowd. However, Lin Luoran has seen so many beautiful girls in the world of cultivation. As far as she knows,White Fairy has the beauty of Helen of Troy. Xin Yuanping is also an extremely beautiful girl, Li Xi’er’s outstanding appearance could make her a famous actress even if she cannot act, let alone those who are not close to Lin Luoran. The lady of the flower shop, on the other hand, doesn’t have any outstanding facial features, but her face is in a perfect proportion, especially her dimples which make her amiable.

Her vital energy and blood are the same as ordinary people. There is no abnormality. However, Lin Luoran starts to be nervous about how she feels about her.

She never feels someone is amiable just because of their appearance. The only exception was Xin Yuanping. Lin and her family completely fall for Xin Yuanping’s every twinkle and smile when she talks. Lin Luoran still remembers the great price she paid because of Xin Yuanping’s beauty.

“My friend here loves flowers and plants. A man gave her a peony a few days ago, but its leaves are shriveled up now. We tried a lot of ways to treat it, but nothing works. So, we come here to ask if there are any ways to save it. Oh, I forgot to say that my friend said it was bought in your shop.”

She sounds like the kind of unreasonable customer who blames the seller when their flowers get sick. If they were not all girls, the two old men who’ve been appreciating flowers would stand up and say something for the owner.

Yang Lisha is not offended at all. She smiles and asks, “Miss, you can call me Miss Yang. Do you remember when did your friend buy that peony? We have records of everything we sell. Even if you bought it in other stores, I can give you some advice anyway.”

What a flawless answer! Yang Lisha impresses all of the customers in the shop with her response and generosity.

Lin Luoran is surprised, “Actually, it’s a gift so we don’t know when our friend bought it.”

Yang Lisha’s smile remains the same, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t know. Can you tell me more about the symptoms of the peony?”

“I don’t know much about plants. Its leaves wither and turn yellow.” At this moment, Lin Luoran really looks like a rich yet difficult customer who doesn’t know how to spend her money. She notices the two old men finally have some facial expressions, so she immediately adds, “But I brought it here. Xi’er, take it here and let Miss. Yang have a look.”

Li Xi’er comes in with a dying peony with yellow leaves. The two men admiring orchid give a few glances at them and whisper “It looks like the precious breed from Yangzhou we saw last time. The buyer turns out to be them. What a pity! They even don’t know how to take good care of it.”

Li Xi’er is irritated by their conversation. They have been talking too much. She glares at them regardless of respect.

Yang Lisha knows what happens once she sees the peony. “It is sold by us. I am afraid that aphids ate the stems. If you trust me, you can leave it here and pick it up in two days. I’ll kill the aphids and let it be in full bloom.”

She naturally stands in front of the slightly opened door leading to the backyard. Lin Luoran is taller so she can see many more precious flowers are put in the yard. A big tree with a girth of one person’s arm span is standing in the middle. It looks very similar to the Acacia tree Lin Luoran once saw in a picture alb.u.m.

The two old men keep praising the shop owner’s excellent skills in floriculture and say that most of the precious flowers here are cultivated by Yang.

Li Xi’er wants to respond while Lin Luoran nods and agrees to leave the peony at the shop. After leaving her address and phone number, she orders some potted flowers and leaves.

Li Xi’er has been with Lin Luoran for a long time. She knows how Lin Luoran would react under different circ.u.mstances. Sending the peony back is not as simple as how it looks. She doesn’t say a word until they drive far away from the flower shop.

Lin Luoran creates a Mini World to block sound transmission. Li Xi’er takes a deep breath and asks, “Luoran, do we need to do something about her?”

“Good question. You’ve made progress.”