There was a little old man wearing glasses, who looked like a teacher. He shook his head and introduced the "Hong Kong boy" to him.
"Look, there are several varieties of Clivia on the ground. This is Da Shengli, this is Heshang, this is the dye factory, there are also oilers, Huang Technician, etc. The one with orange petals is the large-flowered Clivia."
Chen Xia was stunned: "What a weird name, haha."
A middle-aged man nearby laughed and said, "These names all have a story behind them. For example, this dyeing plant variety is named after manager Chen Guoxing of the Dongxing Dyeing Factory, and the Huang Technician variety was bred by technician Huang Yongnian of the Changchun Institute of Biological Products."
"What about this? Why is it called a monk?"
Someone was shouting, "Because this is the name the little nun gave it."
Hahaha.
The old man with glasses scolded and laughed, "Don't mislead me, this is a variety of Clivia that was cultivated by the old monk of the Prajna Temple, so we usually call it Clivia."
Chen Xia is not actually interested in any variety. He now has a golden finger and knows that any Clivia will increase in price in two years anyway, so he just needs to buy any one.
But if you really want to make a lot of money, you have to buy high-quality and famous products, so he is more concerned about which variety is better and which type of Clivia has more money-making potential.
"Hey, gentlemen, among all the varieties of Clivia, which one is the most valuable?"
Another little old man interjected, "That's not necessarily true. It actually depends on the appearance. Different varieties can be divided into rare, fine, excellent, good, mediocre, and inferior products. So the price is not determined by the variety, but by the appearance."
Chen Xiatian really asked, "How do I tell the quality? I don't know how to do it. Can you seniors teach me?"
If it was a poor boy, no one might be interested, but in this era, people tend to be more pro-Western and friendly to foreigners or compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, so everyone started to introduce Chen Xia with a smile.
The old man with glasses is obviously more authoritative among this group of Clivia lovers, so this time he took the initiative to introduce:
"When identifying Clivia varieties, leaf shape, leaf veins, and the color and number of flowers are generally useful indicators. For example, a plant with clear veins and even spacing indicates a high-end plant.
Secondly, pay attention to the leaf width. Normally, the leaf width of a mature Clivia is about 9 to 10 centimeters. If the length is exactly 3 times smaller than that, then the quality of the plant will be very good.
Another factor to consider is the glossiness of the leaves. Glossy green leaves are a hallmark of Clivia, but if you observe carefully, you'll notice that each plant is not exactly the same. Top-quality plants have completely glossy leaves, while mid-gloss leaves are mid-range. Low-quality plants have leaves that appear dull, as if covered in dust.
The thickness of the leaves can be determined by simply touching them. Plants with uniform texture are of high quality. On the other hand, if obvious unevenness can be clearly felt even on the same leaf, it is a lower quality plant.
Finally, there is the shape of the leaf tip. The variety of Clivia plant is inversely proportional to the sharpness of the leaf tip. Generally, the plants with a round shield shape are of the best quality.
"Little brother, after all this talk, how much have you understood?"
Chen Xia smiled awkwardly: "You are a master chef, I have benefited a lot from you, haha."
The old man with glasses didn't care and just smiled kindly.
Chen Xia stood up and scattered cigarettes around. While everyone was smoking, he quietly asked the old man with glasses:
"Master, I think your level is this", after saying that, Chen Xia gave a thumbs up.
"I have an unsolicited favor. I'd like you to help me out. I'll give you 100 yuan a day. How about that?"
The old man with glasses was shocked. His monthly pension was only 40 yuan, and what he earned in these two days was equivalent to five months' salary. Only a fool would not do that.
The old man slapped his thigh, stood up happily, and took the initiative to extend his hand to introduce:
"My last name is Huang, you can call me Old Huang. If you trust me, I promise you will receive the best Clivia."
Chen Xia also extended his hand and shook it. "My last name is Zhang. You can call me Xiao Zhang. Let's start from today."
Old Huang was very straightforward. "Okay, then, Xiao Zhang, how many pots are you planning to buy this time? And what grade are they?"
"I want rare and exquisite items, the best. I'll take as many as I can get, no limit on quantity. However, I'm in a hurry to purchase them, so I'd like to add 50% to the market price for rare items and 20% for exquisite items. What do you think?"
Old Huang nodded heavily: "That's it, you've asked for a high price, I guarantee you'll be satisfied in two days."
It is now February 1982. Although there are many fans of Clivia in society, the price has not really been raised.
The cheaper ones cost a few yuan per pot, the better ones cost only a few dozen yuan per pot, and the most expensive batch of Clivia rarely costs more than 500 yuan.
The true historical trend is that people started speculating on Clivia in the second half of 1982, and by 1983 the price had risen to several hundred or several thousand yuan per pot.
The craziest thing was that from the second half of 1984 to June 1985, pots of rice were sold for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of yuan each.
So Chen Xia bought at a good time, just like the night before the stock market was about to soar in the future, Chen Xia bought all the stocks.
Old Huang was very prestigious among the group. After finalizing the cooperation with Chen Xia, he stood on a large rock and shouted loudly:
"Everyone, hurry up and bring out your exquisite and rare Clivias. My fellow Hong Konger next to me is offering a price for them. Take as many as you can get. This is a rare opportunity."
"Is this true? This Clivia is not cheap. How much can you charge for it, young man?"
Chen Xia patted his backpack and said, "Don't worry, money is not the problem. The problem is whether you have any rare items. I only accept the good ones."
Everyone was still a little skeptical, when a middle-aged man squeezed into the crowd, holding a Clivia in his hand.
"Comrade, what do you think of this large pot of Clivia I have? I've been raising it at home for four years. Look at its appearance and the shape of the flowers. It's an absolute treasure."
Chen Xia didn't know anything about appearance, so he just looked at Old Huang. He was not afraid that Old Huang would play a double game with others.
Firstly, he had a sudden impulse and Old Huang had no time to prepare; secondly, he thought he had a good eye for people;
Third, he is not afraid of anyone plotting against him in public. Chinese people don't have many other qualities, but they have a lot of people who like to meddle in other people's affairs. If there is a real problem, there will always be someone who will jump out to refute it. To put it bluntly, it is called meddling.
Old Huang picked up the pot of Clivia, looked at it, and nodded: "This pot of large leaves is in good condition, it is a fine product. The market price is 100 yuan, and I can buy it for 120 yuan."
Everyone's eyes were focused on Chen Xia. Chen Xia shrugged and readily took out 120 yuan and gave it to the middle-aged man.
The first business deal was completed.
That’s great now. Everyone comes to Chaoyang Park just to get a good price. Now that someone is willing to buy it, why not sell it?
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