"I didn't realize that Xiao Zhang was so special. Researcher Hu is always so quick to make a purchase. Could it be that Xiao Zhang really found some good stuff?" Old Cao was a little doubtful of his earlier judgment and went back to look at the three saplings. Old Hao was also puzzled.
However, he knew Zhang Guodong and believed he wouldn't have any dealings with Boss Hu.
Old Cao squatted down and stared at it for a long time, but he still couldn't see anything different. It was clearly just a camellia tree and two prickly ash trees! Based on Old Cao's experience and knowledge, he was certain he couldn't spot anything unusual. Clearly, the world of betting on flowers and trees is a deep and complex business!
"Old Hao, do you really think Xiao Zhang and Boss Hu don't know each other?" Old Cao asked.
Old Hao shook his head: "He probably doesn't know him. This is Zhang's first time here."
Before long, Lao Cao and the others saw Hu Yongyi beckoning his assistant with a smile on his face, who was actually there to withdraw money for Zhang Guodong!
This left everyone utterly astonished and speechless.
"Old Hao, am I seeing things?" Old Cao asked in surprise.
Old Hao smiled wryly, but in his heart he thought Zhang Guodong was really lucky. He knew nothing about plants and trees, yet he made a fortune. A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger?
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Just ask Xiao Zhang later!" Old Hao said irritably.
Zhang Guodong never expected that his first visit to Tongguan Town would result in a profit, as he sold the second pepper tree to Hu Yongyi for 180,000 yuan.
After the transaction was completed, Zhang Guodong didn't forget to ask Hu Yongyi, "Mr. Hu, how old do you think this pepper tree is? It should be able to make a lot of money, right?"
He wore a smile, but Zhang Guodong was actually unsure of himself; this was a ploy to get information out of Boss Hu.
However, Mr. Hu, who had acquired a good item, did not notice any of this and said with a smile, "Not at all, not at all. I didn't intend to sell this little tree. It's just for my collection. If you were to sell it to someone else, you'd be lucky to get 20,000!"
After a slight pause, Mr. Hu cautiously said, "I'm not entirely sure about the year. If I'm right, it should be around seventy or eighty years ago, right?"
This is a vague statement.
Zhang Guodong also sensed something was amiss. However, although Boss Hu would certainly be conservative in his words, he had a rough estimate in his mind that the tree was probably a hundred years old.
"Then the other one must be at least 150 years old!" Zhang Guodong was overjoyed. A pepper tree of that age is extremely rare!
In terms of the strength of spiritual energy fluctuations, the remaining plant is several levels stronger than the one that Boss Hu bought.
After successfully completing the transaction with Boss Hu, Zhang Guodong counted the money, confirmed it was legitimate, and put it into his wallet. In the black market, everyone knew each other, and generally no one dared to use counterfeit money; otherwise, you couldn't survive in this industry. However, Zhang Guodong was still quite excited about having so much cash at once.
After exchanging business cards, Zhang Guodong walked toward Lao Cao and the others with a happy expression.
"Young Zhang, you're something else! You made a fortune. You're a force to be reckoned with!" Old Cao said, looking at Zhang Guodong with a strange expression. He was somewhat impressed by Zhang Guodong; a newcomer to the flower and tree market, he'd actually snagged a bargain!
How could Zhang Guodong dare admit that he had a good eye? He scratched his head and pretended to be stupid: "Hehe, just lucky, just lucky!"
"You're wrong," Old Cao said, not entirely agreeing with Zhang Guodong's assessment. "Gambling on flowers and trees isn't just about luck; it requires skill and experience, followed by opportunity, and finally, luck!" He continued, "If you don't understand flowers and trees, or don't understand them well enough, there's no point in discussing anything else. And as for opportunity, you don't always find a bargain, so chance is crucial. The last layer is luck, but of course, luck comes with huge risks; the price can fluctuate wildly after a successful trade!"
Zhang Guodong exclaimed in surprise, "So many steps?"
"Of course!" Old Cao said. "Have you heard of gambling on stones? Gambling on flowers and trees requires just as much skill, and there's always someone better. Otherwise, this market wouldn't be able to survive!"
Zhang Guodong nodded humbly in acceptance.
He had naturally heard of jade gambling. Jade within a stone is a natural disguise, requiring little artificial processing or embellishment. But the flower and tree market is different. Experts in flower and tree cultivation first select plants; they don't gamble on those with overly obvious characteristics. Instead, they choose those with ambiguous or deformed features that are the most ideal.
The next step is to process and prune, concealing some obvious features, such as leaves and roots, which further increases the risk of gambling.
The final step is classification. For example, similar flowers and trees are grouped together based on color, shape, or smell, while others that are not similar are grouped into another category.
In addition, the industry's unspoken rules prohibit lower-level organizers from approaching the flowers and trees before the market opens, thus preventing the possibility of cheating.
So strictly speaking, this is a highly technical job.
It tests not only knowledge of flowers and trees, but also experience and business acumen.
Zhang Guodong listened attentively as Lao Cao recounted his story.
Having tasted initial success, Zhang Guodong also developed an interest in flowers and trees. "This is a quick way to make money," he realized.
As they talked, everyone arrived at the large tree species market. This greenhouse was even larger and warmer inside, with a large stove burning brightly. The thousand-square-meter greenhouse seemed rather crowded, and the number of large tree species was nearly twice that of small tree species.
Zhang Guodong also noticed that the number of customers seemed to have doubled, many of whom were unfamiliar faces, people he hadn't seen in the small tree species market.
Old Cao seemed to be in the mood to teach others. Seeing Zhang Guodong's doubts, he said, "The market for small tree species has a small trading volume, which is no match for that of large tree species. Many truly wealthy people don't go to the market for small tree species, but go directly to the market for large tree species. Hehe, it's a bit difficult to find bargains here, but it's also very easy to make money. In short, those without money can only stand aside!"
Old Cao's statements were contradictory, and that's not the case.
In this market, the starting price for large tree species is twenty times that of small tree species, starting at 100,000, and it's easy to reach millions through bidding. Many rare tree species can fetch several million.
However, for large-scale tree species to find bargains, they need to get more attention. After passing this hurdle, the chances of finding a bargain are much smaller.
After all, there are always people better than you; that's the way it is. In the flower and tree market, no one can say they've never made a mistake.
"Should Xiao Zhang continue with us, or should we split up and try our luck again?" Lao Cao asked.
Zhang Guodong was taken aback for a moment, then immediately said modestly, "You and Lao Hao don't need to waste your time on me. I'm just here to go through the motions, don't worry about me!"
"Alright, let's all try our luck!"
After parting ways with Lao Cao and the others, Zhang Guodong decided to go his own way. He didn't want to stay around Lao Cao and Lao Hao too much, otherwise how would he find any bargains?
With the market stock more than doubled, Zhang Guodong's mind started racing. If he could find some older trees, they would be worth far more than small saplings, and the million-dollar price tag was incredibly tempting.
However, the flower and tree market is always about seizing opportunities, and older tree species are extremely rare, so Zhang Guodong can only rely on luck.
"Hey, young man!" Just as Zhang Guodong was wandering around in the quiet empty seats, an acquaintance approached him.
Upon hearing the sound, Zhang Guodong looked up and saw a beautiful young woman with light makeup standing in front of him with a smile. Her fur coat could not hide her stunning figure, and her breasts stretched the black veil so tight they seemed about to burst. Her legs were long and slender, pressed tightly together. He felt that this woman looked somewhat familiar, but for a moment he could not remember who she was.
"Who are you?" Zhang Guodong asked, looking at her with surprise.
"Young man, you're so forgetful! Don't you remember? My name is Mei Li!" The young woman generously extended her fair hand and shook hands with Zhang Guodong, her little finger seemingly intentionally or unintentionally brushing against his palm.
Zhang Guodong immediately remembered who this woman was.
Sister Anita Mui!
Jun's girlfriend was a rather flirtatious woman with captivating eyes. Although she was good-looking, Zhang Guodong disliked strong perfume and didn't want to associate with thugs, so he immediately decided to keep his distance.
Zhang Guodong suddenly realized and said, "Oh, it's Sister Mei. My memory is terrible. Is there anything you need?"
That vigilance is unavoidable.
Mei smiled and said, "Can't I talk to you if there's nothing wrong? I'll still call you Guodong. I didn't expect you to be involved in gambling on flowers and trees in addition to running a shop. That's really surprising!"
Zhang Guodong said, "Ha, you just came to my place with friends and you don't have money to gamble? Sister Mei, you're joking!"
With this woman there, Brother Jun was naturally there as well. Zhang Guodong hadn't even noticed him earlier, but he didn't want to have anything to do with Da Mingtang anymore, and their only connection was limited to business cooperation.
"Really?" Melly's eyes darted around, her gaze somewhat amused.
"What are you chatting about so happily?" Just then, another person appeared beside them. His voice was somewhat cold, and his expression towards Zhang Guodong was very unfriendly. He pulled Mei Li into his arms. Mei Li frowned slightly, then smiled sweetly. Zhang Guodong raised an eyebrow and saw that it was Brother Jun.
Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.
At this moment, Jun was a little annoyed. In the blink of an eye, Mei Li disappeared. After searching for a while, he found her with that poor boy, looking very intimate, which violated his taboo.
He was extremely possessive of women. And he held Zhang Guodong in utter contempt. If it weren't for Green Treasure Pavilion supplying vegetables to Damingtang, he wouldn't have given a second glance to such a nobody as Zhang Guodong.
But this seemingly insignificant person actually managed to bring down Cai Daming (Ming Ge) and even got involved with 'Jiahao'. The phrase "a nobody turning their life around" perfectly describes someone like Zhang Guodong, a nobody who seems to have a knack for success.
'Jiahao' snatched the vegetable and seafood supply from Green Treasure Pavilion, leaving Damingtang behind.
This is a thorn in Jun Ge's side.
Zhang Guodong never expected to offend Brother Jun like this. However, he is no longer the Zhang Guodong who used to carry only a few dozen yuan. He can now talk to people on an equal footing.
"So it's General Manager Liu!" Zhang Guodong greeted him. Jun Ge's full name is Liu Haojun. He doesn't like being called General Manager Liu; he prefers to be called Jun Ge.
"Oh, it's Xiao Zhang. What are you doing here?" Brother Jun said with undisguised contempt. "The flowers and trees here cost hundreds of thousands, even millions. Can you afford to gamble that away?"
Liu Haojun completely disregarded Zhang Guodong, and that contempt infuriated Zhang Guodong, causing his face to turn cold.
"Whether I can afford it or not is my business, Mr. Liu doesn't need to worry about that!" Zhang Guodong said coldly. "But does Mr. Liu know anything about flowers and trees? I highly doubt it!"
"You little punk! You're asking for it!" Upon hearing this, Brother Jun flew into a rage, throwing all restraint to the wind, and slapped him across the face. How dare a small-time boss be so arrogant in front of him? Crushing him would be a piece of cake!
P.S.: Second update! A shout-out to vote, add to favorites, and tip!
Also, thank you to '无剑书生', '1uiz', and '书友' for their generous donations. '无剑书生' and '1uiz' are old friends, and '书友' is a new friend. I am grateful for your full support! Thank you!
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