boyutpedia Chapter 126 This acting is just a mouthful of words
Chapter 126 This acting is just a mouthful of words
"Qing Zhao, I'm sorry to have made a fool of myself. I remember that place was called the Flower Market or the Flower Bureau?"
Huanxi put the orchid safely away, came out of the carriage and stuck her head out to ask.
Xu Qingzhao smiled slightly. "Of course not. Why don't you come out and sit next to me? The Flower Bureau is on the east side of town. It only takes a cup of tea to get there by car."
Huanxi came out and sat next to Xu Qingzhao. She had always been alone, and now she had someone to accompany her when she came to town. It was good. At least there was someone to talk to.
Zhao Huanxi looked at the people on the street, and the unease in his heart rose again. A few people dressed as refugees were huddled on the side of the road, basking in the sun on this scorching summer day, not even trying to find shade.
"Qing Zhao, are those refugees?"
She had never seen what real refugees looked like, but had seen similar actors in movies, so she didn't dare to confirm it.
Xu Qingzhao also noticed these ragged people and said with a frown:
"Like, remember that big wind a month ago?"
"I remember that my vegetable garden was tortured beyond recognition."
"I left at night. Rongshan Town is surrounded by mountains, so the damage wasn't that severe. But other towns in Shang'an Prefecture weren't so lucky. I was watching from the road and saw a lot of crops destroyed, and even some houses were blown down."
This news was really bad. She had watched the TV series "Iron Teeth and Bronze Teeth" many times in her previous life. An official in the TV series said something very right: these people would not leave their homes and go to another place to survive unless they had no other choice.
These people came to Rongshan Town because they knew that the disaster here was not serious, so they came here to ask for food.
"Hey, won't the imperial court open its granaries to release grain? Are they just letting these people starve to death?"
Xu Qingzhao sneered, "It's not that easy for the imperial court to open the granaries. Reporting from the county to the prefecture, and then to the capital, how many good officials can truly treat the people? They don't care about the lives of the people, they only care about how much money they can make from opening the granaries."
This is true. This is the case when there is grain in the warehouse. What if there is no grain in the warehouse?
Huanxi sighed. Whether it was God's displeasure or the Emperor's wrath, the people who suffered were the common people. She was just an ordinary rural woman. There was nothing she could do to help...
"Huanhuan, we're here."
Xu Qingzhao tied the carriage aside. She followed behind him, holding the orchid pot.
This flower market is really lively, and the streets are clean, as if they have been specially cleaned. There are awnings in front of each store, and many different kinds of flowers are displayed underneath.
Or there would be a number of large bird cages with colorful parrots or mynah birds chirping non-stop.
The passersby were either holding bird cages or folding fans, or were followed by servants, or in groups of three or five. But they all had one thing in common: their clothes were made of fine materials, not the kind used by poor families.
Zhao Huanxi was also visiting this place for the first time. He nudged Xu Qingzhao with his elbow and whispered:
"Are we setting up a stall or something?"
Xu Qingzhao took the orchid from her arms. The porcelain basin was not light. Huanhuan felt as if she had no strength at all when holding it.
Xu Qingzhao winked at Huanxi and said loudly in a somewhat pretentious manner:
"My dear, this orchid was left to me by my mother. I can't sell it. Let's go back."
Zhao Huanxi was stunned for a moment, then realized that this was a performance, and quickly responded:
"Hmph, who told you to gamble all the time? You've lost all our land deeds. If you don't sell them, our children will have nothing to eat!"
The two of them were talking so loudly that the passers-by around them looked at them sideways. Some of them recognized the orchid in Xu Qingzhao's arms, but did not dare to confirm it, so they stepped forward and asked.
"Brother, what kind of orchid is that in your hand? It looks more like a ghost orchid to me."
A young man in yellow came forward and asked, holding a folding fan and followed by a servant.
Xu Qingzhao quickly took over and said:
"This young man has a very good eye. This is a Ghost Jade Clivia, a family heirloom my mother left me. Naturally, it is very precious."
Zhao Huanxi took the hint and said with a feigned ferocity, "If it weren't for your gambling addiction, we'd all be left with nowhere to go. Why would we need to sell flowers to make a living?"
When the young man in yellow heard that it was the Ghost Jade Clivia, his eyes immediately lit up, and the passers-by around were also shocked by the name. The Ghost Jade Clivia is extremely rare. Due to the climate and geographical location here, you can only see one occasionally, and they are all sold at sky-high prices.
Judging from the couple's behavior, they are obviously desperate. If they can get it at a low price, wouldn't they make a lot of money?
Seeing that everyone was gathered around, Xu Qingzhao quietly winked at Huanxi, who immediately began to perform diligently after receiving the instruction:
"I would never sell this orchid unless it was absolutely necessary. Now that I have no other choice, I..."
"Sister-in-law, just tell me the price. We can't bear to see people suffering, so we'll help if we can." Someone in the crowd said this.
"I'll give you one hundred taels!"
When the young man in yellow heard the bidding had begun, he quickly shouted, "One hundred and fifty taels!"
Seeing that the effect was achieved, Zhao Huanxi tugged at Xu Qingzhao's sleeve and said distressedly, "Husband, please say something."
"We won't sell it anymore. My dear, I was wrong. I will never gamble again. Let's go home."
When they heard that the product was no longer for sale, the crowd suddenly became excited, and some of the shop owners in the surrounding shops came out to watch the fun.
Many connoisseurs recognized it as a pot of Clivia miniata and wanted to come and see if they could get their hands on it. After all, wealthy people are eager to buy such rare flowers, and those who can't afford it also want to see what this legendary Clivia miniata looks like.
"Hey, don't go. Didn't you say you were going to sell it? Why aren't you selling it anymore?"
"That's right, isn't this a joke?"
"If you think the money is too little, we can negotiate."
At this time, a middle-aged man in purple clothes in the crowd said, "If you don't want to sell it, you can show it to me. Even if the deal doesn't go through, we can still be friends!"
The purple-robed man was the largest cloth merchant in town. He had recently come to the Shang'an Prefecture's Tongpan (Tongpan) for help on a matter, but he had plenty of money and beautiful women. I'd inquired about his preferences and heard he had a special fondness for orchids.
I was looking for flowers at the flower market here today, and after walking around for a long time, I only saw the common varieties. That's all... They don't lack them...
Just when I was getting anxious and angry about this matter, I heard a fierce quarrel on the street, and happened to hear them discussing the preciousness of this orchid.
He was a cloth merchant who was only interested in money and knew nothing about orchids. He quickly pulled over a man who was chatting enthusiastically and asked a few questions. After confirming that this was a real Clivia miniata, he wanted to ask the price, but then he heard that the other party was not interested in selling and was leaving. This was not going to work.
But looking at their posture, he had been in the business world for many years, so how could he not see that they were just acting? So he could only keep them for the time being and make plans later.
Seeing the big fish take the bait, Zhao Huanxi said aggrievedly:
"Sir, it's not that I don't want to sell it. Since my husband has reformed, I still have to obey my late mother's wishes..."
The cloth merchant was anxious and said quickly, "My house is nearby. Please come to my house to rest and discuss a suitable price."
The people around were unhappy, and the young man in yellow quickly shouted, "Boss Zhou, how come a cloth merchant like you is interested in orchids? I was the one who asked about these orchids first, so they should go to my house."