Old Cao and Boss Hu started a fight, and the competition intensified.

Where there's gambling, there's competition, and this kind of competition usually gets people's blood pumping. But this crooked little tree in front of us is hard to predict, otherwise it would rot from competition.

Boss Hu, Hu Yongyi, is undoubtedly an expert in the study of plants, and he was determined to acquire this small tree. Despite years of research, he wasn't entirely certain about the species before him—a small black pine mixed with a small piece of agarwood. The two species are unrelated and distinct in scent, but the fragrance of this particular tree wasn't strong enough to be easily distinguishable, and it was also distracted by the presence of strongly scented trees on either side.

Moreover, the rule here is that you are not allowed to touch the flowers and trees! Zhang Guodong's way of touching them was probably unconventional, but fortunately the organizers did not mind and forgave him as a novice.

It looks like a small black pine, but it also has some characteristics of a small agarwood. However, most people don't know this subtle feature because there are few precedents to follow. When the organizers were looking for plants that could be gambled on, they took into account that there was very little information on this kind of ambiguous situation.

Old Cao felt the same way; he always felt that there was something strange about this little tree, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was so strange about it.

"This is a bit risky, Mr. Cao, have you thought it through? One word: 200,000. If anyone has ever offered 200,000, then let him have it!" Hu Yongyi said loudly and provocatively, with a hint of a smile, but the smile had a mysterious and unfathomable quality.

Everyone shook their heads.

They were not optimistic about this gamble. Hu Yongyi was wealthy and had accumulated a substantial fortune over the years, but the others were not fools who didn't treat money like it was nothing. They might gamble on tens of thousands of dollars, but if they spent two hundred thousand dollars on a small black pine tree, they would be ridiculed.

But Lao Cao's interest was piqued, and he didn't want to budge on Hu Yongyi's offer.

Old Hao was a little worried for his old friend. Two hundred thousand yuan was gone in just one sentence. He looked at it for a long time but couldn't figure it out. Like everyone else, he thought it was just a small black pine tree.

It's clear that gambling on flowers and trees is a deep and complex business, and people without experience in this area can easily be fooled.

"Haha, it's worth taking a gamble with 200,000. Since Boss Hu said so, I'll add another 5,000!" Old Cao squinted and laughed.

Old Cao was being a bit of a prank; he only added five thousand yuan?! Everyone was astonished. These were all prominent figures present; adding ten thousand wouldn't have been too much, would it?

"That Boss Cao is really cunning!" everyone thought to themselves.

"Fine, you can have it!" Two hundred and five thousand? Hu Yongyi's face darkened instantly, but he had already said it, so he had no choice but to give up now.

"This old guy is no pushover. He only makes a move once every ten days or so, and when he does, it always attracts a lot of attention!" President Jiang chuckled softly as he looked at the bidding over there.

Seeing that the bidding results were about to be announced, President Jiang got up and walked over.

"Anyone else bidding? Mr. Cao, you're betting 205,000 for good luck. It might just be a good plant worth hundreds of thousands!" President Jiang said with a smile to the crowd.

But nobody's crazy. Two hundred thousand five thousand is already a high price; to gamble so much for such a tiny possibility is clearly too risky and not worth it.

In the end, the small tree, which resembled a small piece of agarwood, ended up in Old Cao's hands, much to his delight.

After paying the money and completing the transaction, Lao Hao looked at Lao Cao's delighted expression as he treated the sapling like a treasure, shaking his head and sighing, "You've probably misjudged it. Two hundred thousand for a small black pine tree, don't regret it later!"

Old Cao ignored Old Hao's advice. He had the staff help move the sapling out, then stepped forward to smell it and said, "We'll only know if I've made a mistake once the leaves sprout. Besides, I haven't made a move in the past few days, and now I'm itching to do something. If it really is a small black pine, consider it a lesson learned!"

The money has been paid and the certificate has been obtained; it's too late to regret it now.

Speaking of this black certificate with gold trim, it's quite interesting. Although this is a black market, it possesses authoritative appraisal certificates called 'Flower and Tree Appraisal'. The certificate records the auction price, photos, and other information about the sapling, demonstrating its value.

The general public may not know about the "Flower and Tree Appraisal Group," but those in the know are. The "Flower and Tree Appraisal Group" isn't a formal organization for appraising plants and trees; it doesn't have a fixed location, yet its appraisal reports are considered authoritative on the black market. This is a long-established black market organization where, when appraisal is needed, a group of authoritative figures gather to provide a conclusion; when not, they all disappear from the public eye. They seem like a disorganized mob, but their appraisal fees are very high.

"Watch carefully!" Old Cao handed the sapling to his assistant, giving him several instructions before resuming his work. Old Hao hadn't made any progress yet and needed Old Cao's advice.

Zhang Guodong, however, acted alone.

He took a liking to a tree with a thick neck, about five meters tall, as thick as a thigh, with fine, even bark without cracks, giving it a somewhat handsome appearance. Many people had seen this thick-necked tree, but most lost interest after one look.

This is a cultivated semi-arbor camellia tree! It's just that this camellia tree is a little tall, which is nothing special.

Overall, it's quite ordinary; you can find this common semi-arbor, cultivated tea tree in Yunnan, Sichuan, or Guizhou. The only slight differences are due to geographical variations.

But Zhang Guodong took a liking to it after touching it.

"President Jiang, I'll take this shrub!" Zhang Guodong noticed that no one was paying attention to him, making the place seem a bit deserted, so he happily went over to greet President Jiang.

President Jiang glanced at Zhang Guodong, knowing he was a novice. However, it was a good sign that a novice was making a move. Although his eye for talent wasn't sharp, only eyeing an ordinary camellia tree, making money was the priority. There was no reason to refuse a customer!

"Young man, you have good taste. Is anyone else bidding?" President Jiang praised Zhang Guodong briefly, then reminded the person next to him.

Nobody was interested in the camellia tree, which was only worth a few hundred dollars; they didn't even bother to glance at it.

Li Ningguang is one of them.

However, unlike the others, Li Ningguang was not interested in the Hezhu tea tree, but he became interested in Zhang Guodong and tried to get close to him.

"Young man, my name is Li Ningguang. Let's get acquainted. We can collaborate on projects in the future!"

Zhang Guodong looked at the newcomer with surprise, shook hands with him, and accepted his business card. Li Ningguang's business card boasted a long list of titles, indicating he dealt in flowers, trees, jade, and the like. However, Zhang Guodong had never heard of the company. Perhaps he was the only one running this company? Holding titles like chairman and general manager in one go.

"Zhang Guodong, unemployed, definitely!" Zhang Guodong didn't want to refuse the other party, so he gave his name, made a perfunctory reply, and exchanged business cards.

This time, the business cards were newly printed. Zhang Guodong had learned his lesson; they only had his surname and phone number on them, with no other information.

Unemployed? Li Ningguang obviously didn't believe it, but it was normal for someone not to mention their real identity when they first met.

"Hehe, Brother Zhang is too modest. You look like a promising young man. I won't bother you any longer. Let's make some money together sometime!" Li Ningguang chatted with Zhang Guodong for a few words, and seeing that Zhang Guodong was busy, he immediately took his leave.

Zhang Guodong added politely, "Brother Li, won't you take a look at this plant?"

Li Ningguang glanced at the camellia tree and said, "Ha, since you're calling me Brother Li, how could I steal your business, young man? Let me look at the others."

That's so hypocritical!

As a result, no one else bid for the camellia tree, and Zhang Guodong bought it for the base price of five thousand yuan. President Jiang praised it briefly and then walked away, but his expression was indifferent.

Zhang Guodong's heart was pounding; he seemed a little excited. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was just excited about his first move! Only he knew the real reason.

Old Hao also bought a flowering tree for 60,000 yuan, and was very happy. Seeing that Zhang Guodong had also made a purchase, he immediately said, "Little Zhang also made a purchase? Hey, isn't that a camellia tree? How much did you buy it for?"

It wasn't just one person with a discerning eye; most people recognized it, and Zhang Guodong broke out in a cold sweat. He hadn't recognized the tea tree before, but this one, when touched, actually allowed him to sense fluctuations in spiritual energy. Although the spiritual energy fluctuations were weaker compared to medicinal herbs like wild ginseng, it was one of the few small tree species present that he could sense!

The discovery of this secret greatly excited Zhang Guodong.

Peach Blossom Spring not only promotes the growth of plants, but also has some effect on animals. Furthermore, it affects Zhang Guodong's ability to detect the spiritual energy fluctuations contained in precious medicinal herbs. Now, the trees actually contain spiritual energy fluctuations, which is another great discovery!

However, judging from the situation, this is just an ordinary camellia tree, so how could it have spiritual energy fluctuations?

"This, five thousand yuan, hehe, no one's competing with me, so I bought it!" Zhang Guodong said with a laugh.

He was the only one who dared to buy something without having any concept of it.

"That's right, it is indeed a camellia tree. What a pity, although the money wasn't much, we bought it at a low price!" Old Cao said regretfully after examining it. "But since it's Xiao Zhang's first time here, it's a good souvenir; it has a special meaning!"

These are words of comfort.

"It doesn't matter, it's only five thousand yuan!" Zhang Guodong smiled, not caring, and changed the subject.

Time flew by in the greenhouse. In the last half hour, the transaction volume of small tree species increased significantly. The transaction amount in the two hours was more than 24 million yuan, which made Zhang Guodong secretly marvel.

It's worth noting that Lao Cao once said that large tree species are the main focus of the transaction, with a starting price of 100,000 yuan for a single tree, much more expensive than small tree species. Prices ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions are common, and prices reaching millions or tens of millions indicate high-quality goods.

Zhang Guodong quietly found two more saplings before the small tree market closed, only to discover upon inspection by Lao Cao that they were both Sichuan pepper trees! Lao Cao looked at Zhang Guodong with a strange expression, thinking to himself, "Why does this young Zhang keep buying ordinary stuff? Does he always run into bad luck?" Even Lao Hao shook his head and sighed, saying that Zhang Guodong was unlucky.

Not to mention others, even Zhang Guodong was a little frustrated.

He managed to find a camellia tree and two prickly ash trees, the latter two exhibiting contrasting spiritual energy fluctuations, one stronger and one weaker. He suspected that these two trees were unearthed together. He wouldn't have made a move if he hadn't been able to sense the weak spiritual energy fluctuations.

However, given the fluctuations in spiritual energy, can I really say that out loud?

The small tree market announced its closure, and everyone headed towards the large tree market with renewed vigor.

Taking a moment to ask Lao Cao, Zhang Guodong humbly inquired, "I have a question: are older trees very expensive?"

That's a very unprofessional statement.

Old Cao was surprised, but immediately said, "That's right. First, it depends on the tree species. For example, your camellia tree. A tree that is over a hundred years old is four or five times more expensive than one that is less than fifty years old. A tree that is hundreds or even thousands of years old is incredibly valuable, at least a hundred times more expensive, or even more. The main thing is that it is in demand but priceless!"

Old Hao nodded and said, "However, old trees are hard to find, and extremely rare, so it's very difficult to come across one, haha!"

Old Cao seemed to have figured something out, and looked at Zhang Guodong with a smile, saying, "Little Zhang, could it be that the two saplings you found are old?"

This was obviously a joke.

Zhang Guodong was still startled and quickly denied it, saying, "How could that be? I don't know anything about flowers and trees. I was just asking casually. Otherwise, I would embarrass myself!"

"Haha, look how anxious you are!" Old Cao patted Zhang Guodong on the back. "Ordinary tea trees and pepper trees aren't worth much, but some wild ones that are hundreds of years old might be worth 500,000 yuan, not 5,000!"

"Wild products? Heh, I'm not counting on 500,000. With my limited expertise, I'd lose everything!" Zhang Guodong chuckled sheepishly.

"Take your time learning, let's go, don't let anyone get ahead of us!"

"Hey, young man, wait a minute!" someone called out to Zhang Guodong. Young man? Probably only Zhang Guodong could be called "young man." The others were all over thirty, right?

Zhang Guodong and his companions stopped in their tracks, and were taken aback to see that Hu Yongyi had caught up with them.

"Boss Hu, are you calling me?" Zhang Guodong wasn't entirely sure. However, Zhang Guodong, Lao Hao, and Lao Cao were the last to arrive. Was he the youngest?

Hu Yongyi caught up, nodded seriously, and then forced a smile, saying, "Young man, come this way, I want to talk to you about something—"

"What is it that needs to be discussed in private?" Zhang Guodong asked, puzzled. Hu Yongyi then whispered, "Could you give me your pepper tree? I'll give you 20,000 yuan, how about it?"

He pointed to the rough-barked prickly ash tree next to Lao Cao's assistant, about twenty meters away. The small tree that Zhang Guodong photographed was being watched over by Lao Cao's assistant; they would be transported back together once they finished shopping at the large tree market.

That was one of two Sichuan pepper trees. Strangely enough, these two Sichuan pepper trees were deformed and not very tall, unlike the average Sichuan pepper tree.

Zhang Guodong had already made some guesses after listening to Lao Cao's explanation about the age of trees. Among trees of the same type, the older the tree, the more spiritual energy it accumulates. However, Hu Yongyi was referring to the pepper tree with slightly weaker spiritual energy.

The trunk of that pepper tree was of uneven thickness and rather deformed. Compared to the previous tree with its symmetrical trunk, its bark was noticeably rougher, like dense, scaly scales.

Seeing Hu Yongyi's intrigued expression, Zhang Guodong's heart stirred. No wonder Boss Hu's eyes were fixed on the sapling Zhang Guodong had brought out earlier; he kept staring at it.

"Twenty thousand? Not for sale!" Zhang Guodong hesitated for a moment before refusing.

Turning 5,000 into 15,000 in the blink of an eye is not bad. However, Zhang Guodong had a general idea of ​​whether it was good or bad. The only thing he didn't know was how old the tree was, which was represented by the fluctuation of spiritual energy.

Hu Yongyi was slightly disappointed upon hearing this.

“Boss Hu is a shrewd man. Although it’s a pepper tree, it’s quite old, isn’t it?” Zhang Guodong continued to probe.

Hu Yongyi's expression changed slightly; he hadn't expected Zhang Guodong to also see that the peppercorns weren't simple. This slight change in expression was caught by Zhang Guodong, who, sure enough, had seen through it. Zhang Guodong was delighted; had he really found something good?

P.S.: First update. There haven't been as many donations lately, and I know a little about why—you can't please everyone. But I can guarantee that farming is essential; what else would a farmer do if not farm? But that doesn't mean you can't occasionally do it part-time, right? Hehe, that's what I think.

Afterwards, we will try our best to adjust the plot to give everyone a refreshing feeling and help them relax.

Fortunately, many readers have left comments, which is a very good sign. Their participation in the discussion demonstrates their interest in the book, so I will take the time to read the comments and incorporate everyone's suggestions and opinions. If it weren't for the fact that this week's featured posts are already finished, I would have liked to add three featured posts to every single comment!

Finally, Tiandao would like to express his gratitude to all the friends who have supported this book. Tiandao is kind and will continue to work hard. Thank you!