Many people have identified the small tree species in the greenhouse. Some are common, with an actual value of only a few hundred or a thousand yuan. However, some are hard to identify, seemingly valuable but not quite. So many people gathered around, silently debating in their minds. Among them were some bonsai dealers.
However, gambling on flowering plants and collecting bonsai are very different concepts. Bonsai come in large and small sizes, and are not limited to a single tree; they can also be found in groups. Even with a single bonsai, its value is determined not only by its shape but also by its growing environment and the value of the tree species itself. But generally speaking, even bonsai made from common tree species can have high value—that's artistic value!
The artistic value of a tree is closely related to the growth condition of its branches, leaves, flowers, and roots. However, gambling on trees does not take into account the condition of branches and leaves. It only gambles on the intrinsic value of the tree, with less consideration for its artistic value. But this approach has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that it avoids a lot of risk because some tree species are nationally protected species.
The trading of small tree species is limited to two hours, as arranged by the organizers. Therefore, if you want to gamble on small tree species, you have to do so within those two hours. The remaining hour is for trading large tree species.
Compared to smaller tree species, larger tree species are much larger, which makes identification somewhat easier. However, the time frame is short, and for large-volume transactions, time is limited, so luck also plays a role.
The organizers have taken all of this into account.
The bidding for small tree species was quite fierce. In less than half an hour, Zhang Guodong saw that five million yuan worth of trees had been sold in the greenhouse. These merchants had considerable influence. Among them were a white jade tiankui (a rare variant of purple-backed tiankui) and a hundred-year-old sandalwood tree, which were sold for 800,000 and 1.2 million yuan respectively.
In Zhang Guodong's view, are two small trees really worth that much? With a base price of five thousand and dozens of businessmen competing, it can actually reach a million, which is simply outrageous! It also illustrates the great temptation of finding a bargain, and the value of precious flowers and trees should not be underestimated.
However, the small tree that the group of people were surrounding had nothing to do with Zhang Guodong; he wasn't so wealthy as to spend millions to buy a small tree.
Zhang Guodong stroked each of the saplings, then stood up, seemingly relieved.
Ah Biao and the others were very dissatisfied with Zhang Guodong's behavior: "Uncle Jiang, should we go and warn him? The people Lao Cao brought are very problematic!"
President Jiang sat in front of the tent, with a tea table next to him, leisurely drinking tea. He didn't care about the competition among the crowd at all; the highest bidder would win.
Of course, even the organizers of the flower and tree gambling business have secrets they don't know. The secrets of the higher-ups are that the lower-level organizers don't really have inside information about what kinds of flowers and trees are involved. This maintains the fairness of the market and allows the black market to continue to exist, with very considerable profits.
"Forget it, as long as they're not cops or have ulterior motives, we welcome them all!" President Jiang squinted and glanced indifferently at Zhang Guodong. In fact, he was also quite dissatisfied with Zhang Guodong's behavior, but since he was brought by Lao Cao, he should be a novice. He could be trained in manners slowly; after all, he was a potential client.
Moreover, Lao Cao is not a simple businessman, and President Jiang has a sharp eye, so they are unwilling to offend him. They usually communicate as businessmen.
At that moment, a customer shouted, "I'll bid five thousand for this one!"
The one making the bid was a scholar-like businessman. He looked refined, but those who knew him knew that Mr. Hu was a wealthy man and his transactions were never extraordinary.
It was a small, dark-colored tree, quite short and rather ugly. Its bark was cracked and mottled, and the flesh around the cracks was completely covered, obscuring its color. Furthermore, the tree had no odor, and apart from its slightly dark branches, it was probably no different from any other small tree.
"Isn't this just a small black pine tree?" A fat man next to him glanced at it a few times and muttered.
The others nodded in agreement.
To the average person, this is definitely a small black pine, a variant of the large black pine. It is short in size and can be considered an evergreen tree in bonsai, with considerable ornamental value. It would probably cost a few thousand yuan at most.
But just by standing there, Boss Hu attracted the attention of others. Zhang Guodong also heard the voice, looked up and saw Boss Hu's helpless expression.
Old Hao and Old Cao also put down their magnifying glasses, seemingly wanting to join in as well.
Zhang Guodong whispered, "Is Little Black Pine really that special? Why is it attracting so many people?"
Old Hao chuckled, making Zhang Guodong blush slightly. He was a complete novice, knowing nothing about flowers and trees. But he felt a little unwilling not to ask.
Old Cao said solemnly, "The small black pine is not special. Although there aren't many, it's still worth a few thousand yuan at most. But this Boss Hu is a regular here. He's very generous. He once bought a tree that cost over 30 million yuan. Do you know how much he paid for it?"
Old Cao kept Zhang Guodong in suspense, looking at him with a smile.
"How much?" Zhang Guodong asked immediately. This piqued his interest; Old Cao's words clearly had a hidden meaning. He guessed that Boss Hu had bought low and sold high, getting a bargain?
Old Cao raised his hand and slapped him.
"Fifty thousand?" Zhang Guodong tried to guess.
Old Cao actually shook his head.
"This old man is being deliberately mysterious," Zhang Guodong laughed. "Five hundred thousand is not bad either. We've made over twenty-nine million!"
Old Hao was also curious, but he didn't interrupt. He thought to himself, "Old Cao doesn't usually admire anyone, but judging from the situation, he seems to really praise that Boss Hu. However, there are quite a few experts here, and everyone has a rather illustrious past."
"Five thousand!" Old Cao rolled his eyes and said irritably. He thought to himself, "How come this young Zhang has no sense of judgment? When he first heard about five thousand betting on thirty million, he was quite shocked."
I cursed back then, saying that Mr. Hu was incredibly lucky. But was it just luck? As it turns out, Mr. Hu's knowledge and experience are extremely rich. More than ten years ago, he was a researcher at the National Flower and Tree Research Base, but he resigned and went into business.
Since that incident, Mr. Hu has attracted much attention in the Tongguan flower and tree market.
At first, many people hesitated when Mr. Hu made his move. But after about ten bids, Mr. Hu earned tens of millions, which made many people envious. As a result, whenever Mr. Hu made a bid, others would follow suit and drive up the price.
This was something that people talked about with great interest at the time.
As everyone followed suit and raised prices, Mr. Hu's business plummeted. Then someone gave him a tip: deliberately set a trap to get everyone to raise prices, so they would lose everything.
Thus, an honest researcher specializing in horticulture quickly became a businessman, learning the art of scheming and intrigue. This transformation was swift, taking less than a year.
Then Mr. Hu started using deceptive tactics, sometimes asking for millions, which eventually led to the price being raised to over three million. What was originally a unique but ordinary peach tree from Songfeng Mountain, which would have been worth at most ten thousand, ended up selling for over three million, almost causing those who followed the bidding to lose their shirts.
After a few such instances, few people followed Mr. Hu's lead anymore; instead, they adopted a wait-and-see approach. After all, once a celebrity's fame rises, it's not easy for them to fade away.
Once you make a move, even just observing can be enjoyable.
As Zhang Guodong listened to Lao Cao's story, he also sighed that society is indeed capable of nurturing people; honest and hardworking researchers have all turned into profit-driven businessmen, or what we might call Confucian businessmen.
"Heh heh, kid, you're getting jealous," Old Cao said, glancing at Zhang Guodong.
People were already bidding up the price, which quickly rose to 100,000, and then fewer people were bidding. But no one showed any sign of leaving.
Those in the know understand that a truly top-tier sapling could potentially be worth millions or even tens of millions. However, such extremely rare saplings are very few in number on Earth, making them quite difficult to find; you might only see one in a year on the market.
Slightly inferior, top-quality small tree species could potentially be worth one or two million.
The same principle applies, but such opportunities are not easily found; otherwise, the organizers would go bankrupt. The black market for flowers and trees is vast, a long-term industry chain, and involves long-term business. Even if a bargain is found, it depends on luck and ability.
Zhang Guodong and his companions also went closer to take a look, but there were quite a few people inside and outside the crowd. They could only see that the small tree, which was slightly dark in color, was less than a meter tall, with three branches and seven or eight twigs. The whole tree was slightly dark, but the color was not much different from most small trees that had been exposed to the wind and sun for a long time.
Although some people are discussing it, most believe it is a small black pine.
Zhang Guodong had already touched this tree, which resembled a small black pine, but there was nothing particularly special about it. Seeing that there were too many people and he couldn't squeeze in, Zhang Guodong said, "Old Hao, Old Cao, I'm not interested in this. You guys..."
He was also annoyed. Was that little tree really a treasure? And these people were really something else! Was it interesting to have dozens of people gathered around? Although the price was tempting—if he could actually make a profit, it would be equivalent to Green Treasure Pavilion's monthly profit. Hundreds of thousands!
Unfortunately, although there was a lot of money, it didn't belong to Zhang Guodong, and he didn't see anything for himself.
At this moment, Boss Hu said calmly, "This might be a small agarwood tree!"
The term "small" refers to the size of the agarwood tree; it's a variant that doesn't grow very large. Agarwood trees, as everyone knows, are a very precious type of tree.
With a bang, everyone was shocked. Boss Hu actually said it? But a different thought arose in their hearts at the same time. People who gamble on flowers and trees are usually wary of each other and it is almost impossible for them to say what it is. But Boss Hu, who has not been seen for several days, is talking about this flower and tree. Is he not afraid of people fighting over it?
A conspiracy! It's definitely a conspiracy!
It was only then that everyone remembered that the current Boss Hu was no longer the researcher Hu from Shanghai, but a genuine businessman! He had also slept with quite a few people.
But gambling on flowers and trees is a once-in-a-lifetime decision; no one can blame anyone else. If you really have to blame someone, it's your own greed. Greed knows no bounds; there are precedents for this.
Mr. Hu's move startled many people who were initially hesitant. Although tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan were not much to these people, this money did not come easily. Gambling on flowers and trees required skill and luck, not just random bidding. Otherwise, it would lose its fun and be looked down upon by many people. Of course, the most important thing was that he would lose his underwear.
"130,000, I'll take it!" A gruff voice announced.
Upon closer inspection, everyone recognized them as a nouveau riche couple, clearly Brother Jun and Sister Mei, and a hint of disdain flashed in their eyes. This is probably the difference between those who understand art and laymen.
Brother Jun and Sister Mei are regulars here, coming every ten days or so. They always buy something, but not much, and the price isn't high. They never know how the flowers and trees they bought turned out.
Old Cao had a deep understanding of flowers and trees. As soon as the people who felt there was no chance dispersed, he squeezed in and took out a magnifying glass to observe them.
Mr. Hu didn't mind who tried to snatch it; he had already offered 130,000, and he simply said, "150,000!"
"Hmph!" Jun snorted, but then noticed the fierce looks in A Biao and the others' eyes and looked away. He was a gangster, but A Biao and his men had a chilling aura and were clearly ruthless. Besides, this wasn't his territory.
"160,000!" Jun Ge was not to be outdone and immediately called out a new price, only increasing it by 10,000 from the original price, which was obviously just messing around.
"Two hundred thousand, I'll take a gamble!" At this moment, Old Cao stood up and also made a bid, but his expression was not relaxed. Obviously, he had looked at it for a long time but still couldn't determine whether it was small agarwood or small black pine.
Such flowers and trees are worth gambling on, regardless of whether the price goes up or down.
Boss Hu looked at Lao Cao with surprise.
"Two hundred thousand for an ugly little tree, not worth it, I'm not bidding!" When Lao Cao raised the price, Jun Ge immediately backed down and said to himself with a self-deprecating laugh.
This was a way for him to save face. Brother Jun had learned his lesson from Old Cao and held him in great awe. Old Cao's three assistants, though cold-faced, were true experts. Once, when a dozen of Old Cao's men clashed with him, only one of Old Cao's three stepped forward. In less than a minute, one against a dozen, Brother Jun's men had all their limbs broken. Enraged, Brother Jun suddenly felt something cold on his head. He looked down and was immediately terrified—it was the dark muzzle of a gun!
Having narrowly escaped death, Brother Jun became extremely wary of Lao Cao; Lao Cao was not someone he could afford to mess with.
"Hehe, gambling is all about the thrill. One step to heaven, one step to hell. If you ask me, this price is more than 500,000!" Old Cao echoed Boss Hu's words, flattering the sapling, while everyone rolled their eyes.
P.S.: Second update! Nearly 4,000 words. I've already updated around 8,000 today. Heaven is a kind soul, updating quite a bit every day. Everyone, please give me some votes!
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