In the early eighties, the New Year still held a strong festive atmosphere.
The entire Su family, except for the eldest couple who rushed back to the breeding farm on the first day of the Lunar New Year, stayed at home.
The family ate, drank, and chatted, and the day passed quickly.
Grandma Su, feeling idle, asked Li Jianhong and the others to come over, and everyone helped with needlework.
Li Jianhong initially felt a bit embarrassed, but Grandma Su said it was livelier with more people.
The Su family had no relatives in Beijing, and apart from visiting Dong Yuanzhong's home on the second day of the Lunar New Year, they didn't need to pay New Year calls.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Su Taohua's family came to pay their respects, even bringing their son-in-law, Huo Sinian. Su Dan Novel Network.
Huo Sinian was already very familiar with the Su family and didn't treat himself as an outsider, affectionately calling Grandma and Grandpa "Grandma" and "Grandpa" repeatedly.
Su Xiaotian was even a little jealous, as if he were their own grandson-in-law.
Grandma Su genuinely doted on Su Taohua like her own daughter.
As for Su Taohua's children, they were treated no differently than her own grandchildren.
When her daughter brought her granddaughter and grandson-in-law, the maternal family naturally had to host them well.
Liang Xiu and her two sisters-in-law busied themselves preparing lunch. Su Taohua offered to help, but Liang Xiu and the others declined.
However, Su Taohua wasn't the type to just wait to be served and still helped in the kitchen.
Li Linlin and Su Xiaomei, both pregnant, shared experiences and discussed their soon-to-be-born babies.
Shen Zizhen and Huo Sinian discussed national affairs, agricultural issues, and other topics with the Su family.
Soon, the main hall of the Su family was bustling again, with three tables filled with people.
After the meal, Li Jianhong and the others voluntarily offered to help wash the dishes.
With more hands, the work was done quickly, and everything was tidied up in no time.
The men gathered to discuss national affairs, chatting about everything under the sun, while the women also got together to talk about everyday matters.
Su Xiaotian, holding a pen and sketching on paper, planned to come up with some new clothing designs while also paying attention to their conversations.
Unlike the men's discussions, the women's topics were more down-to-earth.
"The old couple next door to us spent fifty yuan before the New Year to buy a potted plant. That thing can't be eaten or drunk, and they spent so much money that their daughter-in-law was so angry she took the child and went back to her parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year."
Su Taohua said, munching on melon seeds, and couldn't help but click her tongue as she spoke.
"Taohua, did you mishear? I'd feel heartbroken if I spent five yuan on a potted plant."
"Really, I didn't mishear." Su Taohua nodded affirmatively. "The old couple's conditions are good, and they usually like flowers and plants."
"Fifty yuan is indeed too expensive," Liang Xiu shook her head.
If she had spent fifty yuan on a potted plant, she really wouldn't have been willing to.
"Back in my hometown, I wouldn't have dared to think of fifty yuan. Now that I'm in Beijing and earning more, I still can't bring myself to spend fifty yuan on a potted plant."
Su Xiaotian's interest was instantly piqued when she heard about a potted plant costing fifty yuan.
Fifty yuan was almost a month's salary for a worker; spending that much on a potted plant was quite a splurge.
Could it be that this flower was something special?
Although in later generations, it wasn't uncommon for wealthy people to spend a fortune on a pot of orchids, it was only the early eighties now.
Wait, could it be...
Su Xiaotian remembered hearing about a bizarre murder case in her previous life.
At that time, she noticed this murder case because its cause was two precious flowers.
A home invasion, and for two pots of flowers, the robber killed the owner.
Someone even wanted to trade a car for a pot of flowers, which many people at the time took as a joke.
When she heard it in her previous life, she also thought it was simply a joke.
But thinking about it now, perhaps it wasn't?
After all, in a few decades, even the most bizarre things would happen.
If she remembered correctly, it should have happened in the last few years.
Su Xiaotian carefully recalled the news from newspapers in the past two years, trying to find any clues from the reports.
It wasn't for nothing that she read everything, including newspapers; it proved useful at critical moments.
After some thought, Su Xiaotian finally managed to find a clue from a forgotten corner.
Last year, it seemed that Chuncheng had imposed price limits on Clivia and even held a Clivia exhibition.
If she wasn't mistaken, the expensive flower could only be Clivia.
"Aunt Taohua, do you know what kind of flower it was?" Su Xiaotian asked with excitement in her voice.
How could she have forgotten such an important matter as making quick money in this era?
"It's called something like a lan, but it doesn't look like an orchid to me."
Su Taohua thought carefully before replying.
"I glanced at that pot of flowers; the leaves were this wide, and it wasn't blooming."
Su Taohua said, using two fingers to indicate a short distance.
It was undoubtedly a Clivia!
"Aunt Taohua, is it called Clivia?"
Su Taohua slapped her thigh and laughed, "That's exactly the name! I couldn't remember it. You tell me, just one pot of flowers, and they spent a month's worth of household expenses, who wouldn't be angry?"
Su Xiaotian smiled after confirming it was Clivia.
"Taohua, you might not know, but this Clivia has a bit of a history," Yu Ruiyuan said with a smile.
"Grandma Yu, please tell us the history of Clivia."
"Clivia is considered an imported product, originally from the subtropical mountain forests of southern Africa. In 1823, the Englishman James Bowie discovered it in South Africa and brought it back to England, planting it in the garden of the Duchess of Northumberland in northern England."
"However, what Powell brought back was not the common Clivia we see today. In 1828, botanist John Lindley named it Clivia miniata according to international botanical nomenclature regulations."
The women of the Su family listened with great interest and praised Yu Ruiyuan for being knowledgeable and knowing so much.
Grandma Su also chuckled, "That name is quite nice, Clivia miniata!"
"Madam, it's not called that abroad. This name was translated by a Japanese person named Saburo Okubo. The leaves and plant shape of Clivia closely resemble Chinese orchids, hence the name Clivia."
Grandma Su's smile faded slightly as she said, "Such a nice-sounding name, and it was thought up by a Japanese person?"
Wasn't that displeasing?
Upon hearing this, everyone also exclaimed, asking how this flower, being Japanese, ended up in China and was sold at such a high price.
"I think I heard someone say before that orchids are very valuable, is that why?" Li Jianhong chimed in, having overheard the conversation.
"Daughter, you've guessed wrong. Clivia is not an orchid, but a member of the Amaryllidaceae family, and has nothing to do with our orchids."
"It has nothing to do with them, yet it's called that name," Li Jianhong said with a smile, biting off a thread.