Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Buy Buy Buy Swap Swap
Although the boss was in the villa, Lin Anran's daily work and life did not change much. At work, her superiors and colleagues took care of her. As long as she did her job well, she would be fine. The nanny job provided food and accommodation, and there were no problems in her life. She quickly adapted.
Even though he lived in the same villa with his boss, Lin Anran rarely saw him. His boss had a full schedule every day and spent his free time swimming and running to exercise. Occasionally, different people would come to his house and ask to meet him.
"Xiao Lin, take the map and look for it. If you still can't find the flower market, you can ask someone on the road, or ask the bus conductor." Aunt Li enthusiastically contributed her map and thoughtfully drew a route map with a red pen.
"Okay." Lin Anran was off today. They were employees who had one day off every week. Since she and Aunt Li had the same job, they took turns taking leave. She looked at the map curiously. Since she didn't have a cell phone, she just used the map.
Aunt Li reminded her again, "Today is Sunday, and everyone has the day off. There will definitely be a lot of people going out. Be careful not to let anyone steal your money, and hide it well. Also, if someone on a motorcycle tries to grab your bag, don't hold on to it tightly. Those reckless bikers will drag you away with your bag. You can call the police and get them back later, but if you get hurt, it's more trouble than good."
Lin Anran's heart skipped a beat. She asked, "Aunt Li, have you ever encountered a motorcycle gang?"
"It wasn't me. My son's classmate had an incident. He was wearing a gold necklace, and the motorcycle gang grabbed the necklace and dragged him by the neck on a motorcycle. If his classmate hadn't been quick to untie the necklace, his head would have been pulled off. Don't worry too much. This kind of thing happens, but it's not common. The police are strict in arresting people, and the sentences for this kind of thing are also strict."
Aunt Li's words of comfort didn't have much effect. Lin Anran became even more worried about herself. Then she heard Aunt Li say, "The motorcycle gangs only rob the rich on the street. We don't show off our wealth. If you look poor like this, they won't rob you."
Lin Anran curled her lips: "...Aunt Li, I don't feel very happy when I hear your honest words."
Aunt Li laughed and continued, "You've just arrived in Shenzhen and haven't been outside yet. And you're going out alone today. I'll tell you more so I can put your mind at ease. Also, you should be careful of human traffickers. They're the hardest to guard against."
"Then I will go out with this old bag on my back. No one should rob me. If someone does, I will just throw it away. There is nothing valuable in the bag anyway." Lin Anran was looking forward to seeing the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in the early 1990s, but because of Aunt Li's earnest advice, he couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. He wondered how chaotic the Shenzhen Stock Exchange was now.
The Zhou family's villa is strategically located, and many wealthy people have purchased villas here. The area around the villa is quite prosperous, with good security and basically all kinds of supporting facilities. If Lin Anran just goes out shopping and buys daily necessities, she doesn't need to worry about the lap problem at all. But she wants to go to the flower market. It's a 50-minute drive from the villa to the flower market, which is not close.
Lin Anran said: "I have a good sense of direction, I won't get lost."
Aunt Li: "There's a direct bus. Even if you get lost, you won't have far to walk."
After Aunt Li finished what she wanted to say, she went out to get busy again. Lin Anran was able to stay in the room alone to prepare. She was going out today and would never wear work clothes on vacation, so she changed into the original owner's clothes. The original owner's clothes were all bought in the rural market, half-worn floral shirts and black pants. She felt uncomfortable wearing them. When she looked in the mirror, she felt that the person in the mirror did not look like her, and looked rustic.
Lin Anran was raised by her grandparents since she was a child. Her grandmother had good aesthetic taste and loved to dress her up, so she had a lot of beautiful clothes since she was a child. She had never tried clothes like the original owner. She quickly put down the mirror and had to buy herself a few good sets today. She also had to change the worn-out underwear that had been washed white.
Lin Anran felt that the original owner was too harsh on her and too frugal. She never had anything good to eat or wear. She had endured the underwear shortage for a few days and had reached her limit.
After reporting to the housekeeper Uncle Wang, Lin Anran went out with an empty bag. The villa area was large and the Zhou family villa was in the very center. She walked for a long time before reaching the gate and had to register before being let out.
Standing at the edge of the gate of the villa area, Lin Anran let out a sigh, looked up at the gate that was full of gold and preciousness, then lowered her head and grabbed the map in her hand. She had only one thought - she needed to buy a watch to tell the time!
She used to travel around the world with her cell phone, but now she realizes how inconvenient it is to live without one. There are so many things she needs to adapt to.
Lin Anran shook her head, looked around curiously, and walked briskly towards the bus stop. The bus didn't come, so she went to a nearby bank to withdraw money. She only had more than 40 yuan in her pocket, and she was afraid it was not enough. The original owner had deposited her salary into Lin's father's passbook at this bank, and now she had to withdraw money from the passbook.
Although it was still early, there were still many people queuing up at the bank counter to handle business on Sunday. Lin Anran observed and chose a line to follow.
Sure enough, she made the right choice. The counter staff handled the business quickly and soon it was her turn. She handed in her passbook and ID card, and finally took out the whole hundred yuan. When she saw the four portraits on the hundred-yuan note, she was stunned. This was not the hundred-yuan note she was familiar with. Yes, the fourth edition of banknotes was used now.
Putting her money, passbook and ID card close to her, Lin Anran walked out of the bank calmly and went straight to the bus stop. This time she was lucky, as the bus arrived just as she was standing. Then she watched the crowd swarming onto the bus, the driver and the conductor shouting loudly for people to line up and squeeze to the back. She moved her eyes to the back of the bus and took a deep breath. My goodness, there were already so many people crowded in the bus, how could there be room for another one like her?
She had to squeeze in even if she couldn't, after all, she was an intern who had to squeeze into the subway during rush hours in the morning and evening.
Lin Anran struggled to squeeze himself onto the bus and paid for the ticket breathlessly. The passengers on the bus were noisy and the conductor was still shouting to maintain order.
Lin Anran suspected that the bus stalled halfway because it was seriously overloaded, but after the driver got off the bus and tinkered with it for a while, the bus immediately and conscientiously carried its passengers to their destination.
Some people got off the bus and some got on along the way. Lin Anran was squeezed from the front to the back of the bus. When she arrived at the flower market, she followed the crowd and got off. There were many people going to the flower market with her, so she didn't even need to ask for directions and just followed behind.
The flower market was bustling with people and all kinds of sounds merged together, making it seem extremely lively. Lin Anran went straight to the nearest stall with a clear goal to look at orchids. Orchids have been very popular in recent years, and there are especially many people buying and selling orchids.
"Orchid seedlings for sale! Orchid seedlings just dug up from the mountain yesterday!"
"Boss, you're not lying, are you? Did you really dig this orchid fresh from the mountain?"
"It's absolutely true, no lie, once these are sold out, they're gone," the boss greeted enthusiastically, and then shouted loudly, "Orchid seedlings for sale! My stall has the most complete range of orchid seedlings, come and have a look if you pass by..."
"Boss, are these really orchid seedlings? You're not trying to fool us with weeds?" Someone pointed at the pots in the corner suspiciously.
Lin Anran also looked over and saw that there were indeed a few potted plants with a lonely orchid seedling. To her, a novice, it looked no different from a weed.
The boss didn't get angry when he heard the doubts. Instead, he smiled and explained, "In some places, orchids are called orchid grasses. Mine are real orchids. I bought these seedlings from an old farmer in Yunnan Province. They cost ten yuan a pot. If you buy them and take them home to grow, you might be able to make hundreds of thousands of yuan when the flowers bloom."
"Ten dollars?! So expensive? Boss, you are robbing us. These pots of grass look like they can't be kept alive." Everyone booed.
Lin Anran didn't react at first, but when she remembered that the average monthly salary was three or four hundred yuan, she suddenly hissed. The bus ticket she just took cost fifty cents. Money is very valuable now. Ten yuan saved can go a long way. A pot of orchid that she didn't know if it could survive actually cost ten yuan!
The boss continued to smile and greeted everyone enthusiastically: "Everyone, take a look at these pots of Phalaenopsis orchids. They've been cultivated for almost three years and will bloom soon. Phalaenopsis orchids were brought from Taiwan. They're considered a noble flower, the king of flowers. There aren't many Phalaenopsis orchids in the entire market, or even the entire mainland. And here are some unique Phalaenopsis orchid seedlings. If you raise them for three or four years, you can make a killing by reselling them."
When they heard that it was from Taiwan and that Phalaenopsis orchids were so rare, everyone immediately became interested and asked about the price.
The boss smiled and said, "Potted Phalaenopsis orchids range from 90 yuan to several hundred yuan, and orchid seedlings are 15 yuan. If you like any of them, you can take them away immediately."
Everyone immediately put on a sour face, thinking this was really a money grab, but there were also many buyers interested in Phalaenopsis, who chased the boss to ask all kinds of questions, and some even asked directly how to grow Phalaenopsis.
Lin Anran felt a pang of sympathy. She saw a pot of Phalaenopsis orchids for 500 yuan! Her monthly salary was only 500 yuan. Orchids were indeed beyond the reach of a rookie like her. Getting rich from orchids seemed like a pipe dream. Even if she spent countless efforts to raise orchids and they bloomed, they wouldn't sell for a high price unless they were particularly rare. As for cultivating new orchid varieties herself?
Go take a shower and go to bed.
Lin Anran walked obediently to the next stall and looked at them one by one. She found that orchid seedlings were really not cheap. The cheapest ones were a few dollars, and the expensive ones were three or even four digits. Potted orchids that had been cultivated for a few years and were about to bloom were even more expensive. Most people were just there to watch the fun, and not many people bought seedlings. To quote what a passerby said, they had raised a lot of orchids in the past few years and knew they were not cut out for it, so they just joined in the fun.
"Boss, these pots of the most wilted seedlings are three yuan each. Would you like to sell them to me?" Lin Anran returned to the first stall empty-handed and pointed at the orchid seedlings that looked like weeds and asked the boss. No one was buying these pots, just like when she left.
The boss had sold quite a few seedlings and was in a good mood. When he heard the price being asked, he glanced at Lin Anran and said, "No less, ten yuan."
Lin Anran put his hands in his pockets and said very calmly, "Three dollars. If you don't sell it, I'll leave."
When you have no money, you have to be careful with every penny you spend.
The boss shook his head: "Ten dollars."
Lin Anran turned and left. She didn't have to buy this unknown orchid. It usually takes three years for orchid seedlings to bloom, or even longer. Growing orchids requires a large investment and the returns are unknown. She had thought too simply before.
"Wait, take it for eight dollars." The boss said quickly. Those orchid seedlings would die sooner or later if they were not sold. At least he could make some money back if he sold them now.
Lin Anran refused to budge: "Three dollars."
boss:"……"
After paying three dollars, Lin Anran held the potted plant and finally reached out to touch the orchid seedling. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this small orchid seedling could be saved and he would take good care of it in the future.
"Boss, do you have any orchids for sale at a low price? I want ones that can bloom this year and have beautiful flowers, like the Phalaenopsis you mentioned before." Lin Anran took the opportunity to ask.
The boss was speechless at the question, but he did have cheap orchids for sale, all of which were about to die and need to be disposed of: "Take your pick, two yuan a plant."
Lin Anran bargained: "Fifty cents? One dollar!"
Boss: “…one piece.”
Lin Anran smiled: "Thank you, boss, I wish you great fortune! Can I reach out and pick it up to have a look?" Before, she only looked and never touched other people's goods.
The boss waved his hand and said, "Sister, I've seen many people like you who want to find orchids at a bargain price. Let me tell you in advance, if you regret it, I won't refund your money. I can't even save these orchids. I even consulted an orchid expert. If you can keep them alive after buying them, it will be good for them."
Lin Anran put the small potted plants aside and rolled up her sleeves to pick out the orchids. After touching them for a long time, she found that most of the orchids had almost no vitality and were difficult to save. Some could be saved but were difficult. After picking and choosing, she finally picked out only two orchids, one was a Phalaenopsis and the other was a Clivia.
After using the golden finger many times, Lin Anran became more adept at it. She could even tell what kind of plant it was by touching it. For example, the small orchid seedling in her small potted plant was Cymbidium orchid.
Lin Anran clenched his fist excitedly. Great, the golden finger is really powerful. Isn’t this plant identification?
When the boss realized that Lin Anran had chosen the Phalaenopsis, he took the two yuan and said, "Big sister, the roots of this Phalaenopsis are rotten, and the leaves are yellowing. It's hard to save. I originally bought the Phalaenopsis, and this was given to me as a gift. I originally wanted to take it home and take care of it, but it didn't work out. We don't have much experience raising Phalaenopsis in mainland China. People in Taiwan use greenhouses and other high-tech facilities to raise Phalaenopsis, and Phalaenopsis is very delicate."
After getting the orchid, Lin Anran smiled and said, "I'll take it back and try it out. If I can really keep it alive, maybe I can sell it to you, boss."
boss:"……"
I've seen confident people, but never anyone as confident as her. The boss was at a loss for words and said he was looking forward to doing business with her.
Lin Anran bought a lot of necessities for growing orchids, such as soil and fertilizer, from the boss, which cost her another ten yuan.
Because the boss was kind, Lin Anran shamelessly borrowed the tools on the site to "treat and perform surgery" on the three newly bought orchid pots, and then re-planted them into the newly bought pots one by one. Finally, he received a bamboo basket as a gift from the boss, put all the things in it, slung it over his arm, and returned home with a full load.
Lin Anran got off the bus again, carrying a basket and smiling. She turned on her toes and headed straight for the commercial street in the other direction. The commercial street was a bit more lively than the flower market. She compared three hair salons and chose one to go in. Immediately, a girl came up to her warmly and said, "Welcome, would you like a haircut? Our hairdressers can do any hairstyle you want. Do you want dyed, permed, or curled hair? This is the most popular hairstyle now..."
Lin Anran was led to an empty seat and sat down. He took the magazine and flipped through it, then said casually, "Give me a short haircut and give me some care."
It was obvious that her hair was malnourished. Lin Anran didn't plan to mess with her hair. She cut it short first and let it grow back slowly. In her previous life, she treasured her thick long hair. Compared with her current hair, there was a huge difference. It made her sad just thinking about it.
"Are you sure you want a short haircut? Actually, considering your hair condition, cutting the ends off—"
"Cut your hair short and take care of it." Lin Anran was unmoved. Instead of taking care of her frizzy long hair, it would be better to cut it short and let it grow again. Her body needed more nutrition.
"Good guest."
"Ms. Lin, short hair suits you very well." Hairstylist Li Jia complimented sincerely. Although Ms. Lin's face was a little dark and her skin was a little poor, upon closer inspection, her facial features were really delicate and beautiful, and the combination of their features was surprisingly harmonious, which made people feel comfortable.
Lin Anran touched his short hair, which had become much smoother, with satisfaction. At least it no longer looked like a chicken coop or dead grass. "Good skills. I'll come to you next time."
Li Jia smiled more sincerely.
After getting her hair done, Lin Anran immediately rushed to the clothing store. She ordered four sets of underwear, two skirts, two sets of shirts and trousers, a set of pajamas, and six pairs of new socks. Those with holes in the toes could be thrown away. She also had to buy a hat to prevent tanning. Her face was already dark enough, so she didn't want to get any darker. She also had to buy Pechoin face cream and new shoes...
Lin Anran was very happy to go shopping. She replaced everything on her body that could be replaced. She felt at ease spending the original owner's money because her house and savings became the original owner's, and they spent their own money.
With his hands full of things, Lin Anran walked back lightly. It turned out that he had made the right decision by buying a hat.
Lin Anran signed at the gate of the villa, put down his pen, picked up his things and was about to go in when he saw a familiar car driving out of the villa. He looked closely at the license plate and found that it was his boss's luxury car.
She immediately turned around with a respectful smile on her face, watching the boss's luxury car slowly drive out of the villa gate. This was a trick she learned from Aunt Li and the others. Even if the boss didn't see it, the subordinates had to show it.
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