Chapter 87 Unexpected Gains
The flowers displayed in the shop quickly attracted the attention of many people.
There aren't many flowers in winter, and even fewer that bloom as beautifully as this.
Although daffodils are winter flowers, they mostly rely on natural growth or simple cultivation at this time.
It's not common to see people in the streets.
In order to make it easier to see, the number of passersby asking for directions and customers buying things has increased significantly in the past few days.
Before Guo Baiwen could even come up with an excuse to change the pot of daffodils, he was already at a loss for words.
Before he could even put down the box of books on his back, he learned the news from Grandma Guo.
"Grandma, you mean," Guo Baiwen felt his head buzzing a little, as if he hadn't fully processed the information yet, "you mean someone came into the shop today and was planning to buy the flowers and pots together?"
Seeing that Guo Baiwen seemed unable to accept it for a moment, Grandma Guo quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "I haven't agreed to sell it yet!"
After all, this flower was grown by Wenzai, and the flowerpot was also custom-made.
Whether or not to sell it is ultimately up to Wenzai to decide.
"That man asked for forty-five taels. I was just thinking, let's see what you have to say when you get back."
The initial price was thirty taels of silver. Grandma Guo was shocked by the number, but she quickly waved her hand and said, "No, no, this is my grandson's pet, not for sale."
But the more you refuse, the more the person wants it.
Soon, the price rose from the initial thirty taels to the forty-five taels that Guo Baiwen had heard about.
The person was so persistent in their persuasion that Grandma Guo almost agreed to the price for just one potted plant.
Fortunately, at the last moment, she pinched her own arm, which barely stopped her from talking.
Later, seeing that Grandma Guo really couldn't make the decision, the person who wanted to buy the flowers compromised and asked her to discuss with her grandson whether or not to sell them.
If you agree to sell, the price is negotiable.
He will come again tomorrow.
It was at this time that Guo Baiwen realized that there were few varieties of flowers available in winter, and daffodils, being in season, were even more scarce.
After all, the cultivation techniques at that time were not very good, and the growth cycle of daffodils is very long.
In addition, daffodils are regarded as a symbol of noble character, and many literati like them very much.
Even so, the price shouldn't be this high, right?
Guo Baiwen scratched his head.
Today happens to be the last day before the New Year at the academy, and they will be closed for the holiday afterward. He decided to wait for someone to come to his door tomorrow before asking them properly.
Grandma Guo originally liked that potted plant quite a bit and placed it in the most conspicuous spot in the shop.
After hearing that this beautiful flower was actually so valuable, she dared not keep it in front anymore and carefully moved it to the main room at the back.
I was afraid of knocking over even a single leaf.
If what that person said today is true, then what fell wasn't leaves at all!
It's clearly pure, hard-earned money.
Grandma Guo was on tenterhooks until the person actually came to her door yesterday, at which point she finally felt at ease.
Guo Baiwen poured tea for the man, and the two sat down and chatted briefly.
That's when I learned the reason for what happened.
It turned out that with the Lunar New Year approaching, his family had prepared a lot of New Year's gifts to send to their relatives in the provincial capital.
But this year happens to be the 60th birthday of the old lady in our family. They only found out about it half a year ago through connections. The old lady has a special fondness for flowers.
With few flowers available in winter, the few orchids I had painstakingly cultivated suddenly turned yellow about two weeks ago.
Orchids are inherently delicate, and in the cold winter, even the expensive florists they hired were at a loss. So they decided to look for other flowers instead.
"Did you look for other flowers as well?"
The man was clearly someone who didn't care about money. He nodded and said, "Yes, we've already acquired wintersweet and pansies, but they're not particularly rare varieties."
If I sent these flowers over, even if they were in full bloom, the old lady would at most just say that it was thoughtful of her.
Since they still had a few days left, they decided to search around the city.
And just then, I saw the pot of daffodils at the Guo family's house.
Guo Baiwen himself didn't know much about flowers, only commenting on whether they were pretty or not. Hearing this, he finally understood.
The flower that the Emotion System gave us is a relatively rare variety here.
He had always disliked the 'flowerpot' under the flower, so since it could be sold for a high price, he naturally had no objections.
But when he suggested that the flowerpots underneath should be replaced, the person who bought the flowers became anxious.
He mumbled a lot more, and Guo Baiwen listened carefully for a long time before he understood that the person, in addition to being interested in the daffodils, was also interested in the special flowerpot underneath.
After all, when giving a gift, what matters is that it's unique and special.
He especially liked it even more after asking Grandma Guo yesterday and learning that it was made individually.
Putting aside the fact that this flowerpot is made of white porcelain, just the shape of the bottom alone is something I've never seen before, not even in the provincial capital.
If they actually gave this to the old lady, would they be worried about her being unhappy?!
That's why he came back the next day to continue his persistent pleading.
After hearing his thoughts, Guo Baiwen fell into a suspicious silence.
unique.
It is indeed very unique.
Would anyone normally think of planting flowers in this?
After all, it was a birthday gift for an old lady. Others might not know what the 'flowerpot' underneath was, but surely he himself knew?
So he was about to continue his refusal.
The man seemed to have sensed something was amiss, and before Guo Baiwen could speak, he hurriedly said, "Fifty taels! I'm willing to pay fifty taels!"
"I want it, flower and pot!"
Fifty taels?!
This is five taels more than the original forty-five taels, which is much more than what the system gave in the recycling.
So what's wrong with using a squat toilet as a flowerpot!
Besides, nobody's ever used this before!
It's brand new!
And he's even willing to give fifty taels!
Even if the sky were to fall, if he says it's a flowerpot, then it is a flowerpot!
So Guo Baiwen immediately made the decision, afraid that the other party might go back on their word, saying, "Alright, fifty taels it is! I'll sell it to you!"
The man originally wanted to say something more, but he didn't expect the man to agree so quickly this time.
He opened his mouth, then swallowed the rest of his words. After choking for a moment, he couldn't help but blink and quickly added, "Then it's settled, fifty taels. You can't let anyone else make the same flowerpot!"
...It seems she really likes it.
Guo Baiwen was inwardly amused and exasperated, but outwardly continued to solemnly assure him, "Don't worry, it absolutely won't happen!"
Who would have the time or inclination to ask someone to do this?
When they saw the person to the door, both sides looked very satisfied.
Grandma Guo didn't say a word the whole time.
They waited until they could no longer see the person standing at the shop entrance before pulling Guo Baiwen back into the courtyard in the middle.
"Fifty taels?"
Guo Baiwen handed over the money bag he had just warmed, saying, "Grandma, you can count it."
Grandma Guo opened the bag, glanced at it, and couldn't help but exclaim softly, "My goodness!"
She really doesn't understand the thinking of rich people.
After looking at it for a while, he stuffed the money bag back into Guo Baiwen's hands and said, "Wenzi, you've been spending a lot of money on school lately, so you should keep this money for yourself."
"But you should still spend money where it's necessary, and definitely don't waste money on things that aren't necessary."
"Don't worry, Grandma," Guo Baiwen nodded seriously, even though he had heard this many times before. "I know what I'm doing."
Grandma Guo felt a little relieved. After giving a few more instructions, she turned around and prepared to go back to the kitchen to continue tidying up.
This year has been a mild winter, and the shop is closed for the past two days, which is a good opportunity to take some things back to Guojia Village.
Halfway there, she suddenly remembered something, "Don't forget what your Uncle Stone told you before!"
"Don't worry, Grandma, I won't forget!"
When it was almost time, he moved a table into the yard, spread out his writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and prepared to get to work.
Last year, because his handwriting was not good, Uncle Shi originally wanted to ask him for a couplet to hang up.
But after just one glance at the account book that Grandma Guo showed him, he couldn't bring himself to say anything bad about the neat and tidy handwriting.
But just thinking about it, I know that this is the kind of couplet I'll be hanging at the entrance of my own courtyard.
Guo Baiwen didn't even need to think about how to refuse; Uncle Shi walked around the yard a couple of times and chatted with Grandma Guo for a while.
Even after leaving his house, she never mentioned asking Guo Baiwen to help write couplets again.
Although no one mentioned it afterward.
However, it must be said that this incident did indeed deal a significant blow to Guo Baiwen.
He himself thinks his handwriting is ugly, but if everyone around him thinks so, then it's really too ugly!
This is why he practiced calligraphy intensely every day afterward.
Finally, another Spring Festival has arrived.
This year, he must write a beautiful couplet to redeem himself!
Although farmers may be illiterate, they still know whether the Spring Festival couplets hanging above their doors look good or not.
Guo Baiwen had bought Spring Festival couplets before, since they are something that is pasted up for a whole year, and those who are particular will even hire someone to write them.
However, most people would choose to buy a pair of couplets from a market or a peddler, which are mostly common and universal New Year couplets.
Phrases like "Farewell to the old year amidst the sound of firecrackers, welcome the new spring amidst the fragrance of plum blossoms," or "May everything go smoothly and may you rise higher and higher every year."
So it was quite common for neighbors to find that several families had pasted up the exact same Spring Festival couplets when they went out.
But since Guo Baiwen intends to write it himself, he naturally wants to write something different.
Besides our own family, there will also be the Chen family, Lin Niangzi's family, Sun Ya Po's family, Yang Qiaomai's family, and several other families from Guojia Village that we had mentioned beforehand.
In addition to writing Spring Festival couplets for families, we also need to write Spring Festival couplets for shops.
If you count them carefully, the total number is quite large.
Luckily, I had prepared enough red paper in advance.
If there are many written ones, we can share them again.
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