In the market, pots of clivia are carefully arranged on the shelves.
The topmost one is a large potted clivia that has already bloomed, while the ones below are smaller.
Each pot has glossy black leaves and clusters of bright red flowers.
People frequently stop to watch in the market, then haggle over the price before finally paying to buy.
Everyone who bought a clivia was beaming with joy, holding it to their chest, walking with their heads held high and striding confidently.
Zhou Hongsong looked left and right, and when he saw someone spend 130 yuan to buy a pot of clivia full of flower stalks, his eyes almost popped out.
The clivia plant had several flower buds, which were club-shaped. The newly emerging buds were yellowish-green, and their color gradually turned peach-red as they grew.
He tugged at Li Xiangdong's sleeve and said incredulously, "My God, this pot of flowers sold for 130 yuan! Tsk tsk, the flowers are pretty, but they shouldn't cost that much! There are many of these flowers on the mountain, in all sorts of colors, and they're very beautiful too."
Li Xiangdong laughed, "Yes, these flowers can't be eaten or drunk, but they're worth that much money!"
They would stop and look at each stall, and if someone happened to be buying a clivia, they would stand by and watch the whole thing.
After walking around like this, you'll have a pretty good idea of how much each size of clivia costs.
"Xiang Dong, these flowers are too expensive. If someone had dozens of pots of clivia, they could easily buy a courtyard house in Yanjing City by just a few words!"
As Zhou Hongsong sighed, his big eyes darted around, "Are you trying to resell clivia plants?!"
"clever!"
No wonder he was once a gang leader.
"The key question is whether this price can be maintained?"
What if they hoard clivia plants, and then the price of clivia plants drops, wouldn't they be stuck with them?
"I reckon there will be several more years of price increases!"
This is a business secret I knew in my past life!
Li Xiangdong wasn't worried at all; this was just the beginning of the Clivia market boom, and the climax was yet to come.
Zhou Hongsong got excited, "Okay! I'll get some too! When I have money, I'll buy a courtyard house next to yours, and we can be neighbors!"
As they chatted, they walked to a flower stall selling clivia on the east side. The owner was an old man in his fifties who looked clean, neat, and energetic.
Most importantly, Li Xiangdong thought he was honest in his business dealings, and the flowers on his stall were of very good quality.
"Sir, how much are you paying for these goods?"
"What? Picking up goods?"
The old man put down the spray bottle, picked at his ear with his finger, and asked curiously, "How much do you want?"
"I want ten of these."
Li Xiangdong pointed to the rare Clivia miniata in the top row and said.
"Ten, ten pots? Do you know how much one pot costs?"
The old man glanced at Li Xiangdong and asked casually, "Five hundred yuan a pot! You said you want ten pots?"
He fully expected to see the arrogant young man shocked and ashamed by the price, and then flee in panic, but instead he saw that the young man opposite him didn't even raise an eyebrow.
"There's also this medium-sized one, fifty pots will be needed."
This one has just had its flower stalks pulled out.
"One hundred of these, the smaller ones."
"And this, the seedlings that have just sprouted, right? How much is this tray? Two, four, six... forty."
"Okay, I'll take ten of these too. That'll make a total of four hundred plants."
When Li Xiangdong finished speaking in one breath, the old man was stunned.
He, the old man, had no recollection of how much each of them had asked for; he only remembered Li Xiangdong gesturing with his long, slender fingers on his stall and his lips opening and closing.
Meanwhile, the surrounding vendors spread the word, and everyone gathered around to watch the spectacle.
Everyone spontaneously formed a circle, surrounding Li Xiangdong, Zhou Hongsong, and the old man.
After a long while, the old man seemed to wake up from a dream and asked, "Which unit do you work for?"
Such a grand gesture!
The people around were whispering among themselves.
"Good heavens, Old Li has made a steal!"
"Of course! You do the math, how much does this cost?"
"What kind of big organization would need so many clivia plants?"
"No, are you all using your brains? Is this young man joking? Look at him, he's only carrying a small bag, does he look like he has that much money in it?"
When everyone saw Li Xiangdong and Zhou Hongsong, each carrying a small bag, it was impossible for them to have several thousand yuan inside.
"Hey, I knew it! What kind of organization could afford to spend so much money on clivia?"
"Exactly, it's good enough if each family has one pot!"
"You guys really have no taste. Big companies all use bank transfers. I think Old Li might actually make a fortune this time."
"Is that so!"
Everyone had their own opinions, but that didn't affect Li Xiangdong and Old Li's bargaining at all.
"Sir, we're from Yanjing City. We can't disclose our specific organization."
Zhou Hongsong gave Old Li a knowing look, as if to say, "You know what I mean."
Old Li suddenly caught his gaze, and although he didn't know what he meant, he still nodded subconsciously.
"Sir, I need a lot, so it wouldn't be fair to give me the retail price, would it?"
"Um, well... that makes sense. Here, I'll give you a discount."
Old Li was very decisive.
The following scuffle was something they didn't want others to know, so the two went to a makeshift flower shed to talk in detail.
Others stood curiously at the entrance of the flower shed, eagerly anticipating the deal. If this transaction went through, it would be the largest single deal the Fengguan Joint Flower Market had made in recent years.
The two of them were talking quietly inside the flower shed, while Zhou Hongsong, a tall, black iron tower, was blocking the entrance, so they couldn't hear or see anything.
Gradually, some people got bored and went back to their own stalls.
We didn't encounter such a big customer, but there are always small customers who come to buy clivia. Even a mosquito's leg is meat!
Let's focus on our own business first!
After the crowd dispersed, Li Xiangdong and Old Li reached an agreement.
A rare "Phoenix Crown" Clivia, priced at 400 yuan per pot, was purchased by Li Xiangdong.
The rare "Huang Jishi" clivia, priced at 200 yuan per pot, was purchased by Li Xiangdong in five pots.
The rare "Great Victory" Clivia, priced at 200 yuan per pot, was purchased by Li Xiangdong in five pots.
The five varieties of Clivia, namely "Da Shengli", "Heshang", "Youjiang", "Duanye", and "Xiye", were all priced at eighty yuan per pot, and Li Xiangdong ordered fifty pots.
Li Xiangdong bought 100 pots of four varieties: "Monk", "Oil Craftsman", "Sparrow Orchid" and "Willow Smile". They cost 40 yuan each.
The remaining four hundred Clivia miniature seedlings, one yuan each, cover almost all varieties.
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