"Junzi Lan, or Clivia, was almost exclusively a royal flower in Japan when it first appeared there, rarely seen by commoners. It wasn't until before the founding of the People's Republic of China that Clivia was introduced to China.
One variety was brought to Qingdao from Germany, later known in our country as the Qingdao Big Leaf Clivia. The other was a vermilion Clivia gifted to the last emperor to celebrate the so-called founding ceremony when the puppet state of Manchukuo was established in the Northeast.
'Good heavens, a flower for an emperor,' Qi Liangying exclaimed, 'No wonder this flower sells for such a high price!'
Things used by an emperor were considered tribute, so a higher price seemed reasonable.
Even if that person was the last emperor, he was still an emperor, wasn't he?
'But this thing can't be eaten or drunk. Emperors don't lack money, but we common folk are short on cash!'
Su Taohua still felt that even something used by an emperor wasn't worth that price.
'A couple of years ago, I heard that in Chuncheng, the government encouraged people to grow this flower, and the price seems to be going up.'
Although Yu Ruiyuan was knowledgeable about Clivia, she didn't know the current market situation.
After all, she wasn't someone who enjoyed gardening.
The little bit of botanical knowledge she had was learned years ago for her painting.
Combining this with what Yu Ruiyuan said, Su Xiaotian instantly felt she had found another business opportunity.
Perhaps she could go to Chuncheng to see if she could get some good seedlings to cultivate.
Anyway, with her talent skill, Su Xiaotian wasn't worried about not being able to grow Clivia well.
If she could cultivate a few good Clivia plants, she could earn another sum of money.
After lamenting the high prices of flowers and plants for a while, the Su family changed the topic.
They chatted enthusiastically and changed topics quickly, unaware that Su Xiaotian's mind was already calculating how to find a reason to go to Chuncheng to get some Clivia seedlings.
Su Xiaotian even lost the mood to draw clothing designs.
If the legends from later generations were true, cultivating a dozen or twenty pots of Clivia would greatly accelerate the accumulation of capital. Wouldn't it be more profitable than opening a factory?
Su Xiaotian wasn't naturally diligent. Although she was building factories and enterprises, it was only to make her family's life better.
She was very interested in industries that made money quickly.
In the evening, after sending Su Taohua off, Su Xiaotian lay alone on her bed, planning which day would be suitable to go to Chuncheng.
Her schedule was actually quite full, and she didn't have much time to rest.
Fortunately, Chuncheng wasn't far from the capital; it took just over one night to get there, so no time would be wasted.
She finally decided to go on the sixth, stay in Chuncheng for three days to observe the market, and then return.
However, convincing her family was a real problem.
Su Xiaotian's mind raced, but she couldn't find a reasonable excuse.
It was already very late, and she needed to rest. Regardless, she would think of a way in the morning.
At worst, she could just bring her brothers along.
The Su family had thought that besides Su Taohua, no other relatives would come to pay New Year's visits.
Unexpectedly, the next day, Dong Yuanzhong and his wife arrived.
When they came, they weren't alone; they brought two men and two women, a total of four people.
When Su Xiaoba opened the door, he was shocked. Why were there so many people standing at the door?
'Xiaoba, you don't recognize your Second Grandfather?' Dong Yuanzhong said with a gentle smile.
He didn't have his own grandson, so he considered his elder brother's grandson as his own.
Hearing Dong Yuanzhong's voice, the people inside also came out.
When they went out, they discovered several people standing at the door, likely around Dong Yuanzhong's age.
The Su family didn't recognize these people, but Su Xiaotian recognized all of them.
Seeing these people, Su Xiaotian was momentarily stunned. Su Dan Novel Network
The reason was simple: she never expected these people to visit her home.
It couldn't be that these big shots had nothing better to do and were just tagging along with their Second Grandfather for a casual visit, could it?
Moreover, even if they were visiting, couldn't they visit each other within the compound?
Why would they come to visit a family like theirs, which had no status?
'Xiaotian, why aren't you greeting them? Haven't seen them for a long time, and you don't recognize them?' Dong Yuanzhong said cheerfully.
'Hello, Second Grandfather, hello, Second Grandmother. Hello, Grandpa Wu, Grandma Wu. Hello, Grandpa Chang, Grandma Chang.'
Guests were guests. Despite her surprise, Su Xiaotian quickly stepped forward with a smile to greet them.
The four people Dong Yuanzhong brought were two couples.
One couple was Minister Wu of the Ministry of Agriculture and his wife Yang Liming.
The other couple was Minister Chang of the Ministry of Commerce and his wife.
Indeed, they were all people Su Xiaotian knew.
As for Minister Wu, Su Xiaotian owed him her life, and later, the couple genuinely cared for Su Xiaotian, and their relationship was very close.
Minister Chang was the new minister after Minister Qian was transferred. He had a good relationship with Dong Yuanzhong.
He had met Su Xiaotian at the Silk Factory and the Electronics Factory, and he was very fond of the young girl Su Xiaotian.
He even heard that after Su Xiaotian was excluded from the parade formation at the military parade by Peking University, he had invited Su Xiaotian to join the Ministry of Commerce's float.
Although Su Xiaotian ultimately chose not to join the Ministry of Commerce's float, it had still fostered some goodwill.
Grandpa Su was relieved to see that his granddaughter indeed knew them all.
Dong Yuanzhong noticed his family's awkwardness, knowing they were uncomfortable meeting such important officials.
'Elder Brother, Sister-in-law, we're just visiting your home today as a group. You won't refuse us, will you?' Dong Yuanzhong said heartily.
Despite his words, Dong Yuanzhong cast a reproachful glance at the two less perceptive individuals.
They insisted on tagging along when he was visiting his elder brother's home; they were so inconsiderate.
But Minister Wu and Minister Chang acted as if they hadn't seen it, smiling cheerfully.
'Old brother, we're just here to sit for a while.'
Dong Yuanzhong snorted.
Just sitting? They were only here because the Su family's food was delicious.
How old were they to be coming for a meal? Weren't they ashamed?
Grandpa Su was unaware of the subtle exchanges between these influential figures and said with a smile, 'It is our family's honor to have you visit. We couldn't welcome you enough.'
Even if he didn't know these people, Grandpa Su could guess that anyone who could be with Dong Yuanzhong was definitely not an ordinary person, but a high-ranking official.
In the past, the most important visitor their Su family had was the production team leader. They wouldn't have dared to dream of such a high-ranking leader.
After all, who had ever seen the Emperor's son playing with a cowherd?
The Emperor's son would at least play with a prince's son, wouldn't he?
It had to be said that Grandpa Su's reasoning was perfectly sound.
People were like that; those not in the same circle would definitely not be able to mingle.
Dong Yuanzhong realized that the identities of these two approachable elders were extraordinary, but he hadn't considered that if these two went to their Sangyu County, even the county party secretary would be so excited that his legs would tremble."