Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 382 - Chapter 382 Chapter 372 Stunned

Chapter 382: Chapter 372: Stunned Chapter 382: Chapter 372: Stunned Why the hurry?

Zheng Tan could guess that the problem lay with that orchid, but he wasn’t sure exactly why.

Was there some issue as it was about to bloom, or was it some other kind of accident?

Old Man Lan had always protected his flowers well, and besides, when Zheng Tan visited that day, it seemed that Old Man Lan barely allowed anyone else or animals to get close; Zheng Tan was merely allowed as the discoverer of the orchid, granted special favor by Old Man Lan.

If it wasn’t due to other people or things, could it be an issue with the orchid itself?

Zheng Tan knew that although the orchid looked similar to a common Iron Bone Orchid, just by looking at the leaves, it was hard to identify, even someone like Old Man Lan who had studied for decades hadn’t noticed anything unusual at first. It was only after careful study that he discovered the differences.

To clarify the reason, Zheng Tan squatted in front of Old Man Lan’s third-floor door, which remained mostly closed when Old Mrs. Zhai wasn’t home.

As Zheng Tan was squatting and waiting, Ermao exited to throw away trash and inexplicably glanced at Zheng Tan. He didn’t understand what Zheng Tan was doing there, and Zheng Tan didn’t pay him any mind.

Finally, around 10 o’clock, Old Mrs. Zhai returned home and after she opened the door, Zheng Tan followed her inside.

The old lady went to the kitchen to cook, unconcerned that Zheng Tan might cause any havoc in the house; over the years, Zheng Tan had never caused trouble there, so she was at ease.

Bringing out a small plate of fishballs, Old Mrs. Zhai saw Zheng Tan searching room by room for someone and, knowing he was looking for Mr. Lan, she said with a smile, “He went to the library. Recently, because the orchid hasn’t been blooming, he’s become anxious. Ah, whenever it concerns flowers, he becomes so stubborn.”

It hadn’t bloomed yet?

Mr. Lan had said that it would take only two or three days to bloom, and that day Zheng Tan saw that the bud really seemed about to open, yet for some reason, there was no further reaction when it was close to blooming.

While the old lady washed vegetables, she chattered on to Zheng Tan. From her words, it seemed Mr. Lan himself didn’t know the reason why it hadn’t bloomed. He had checked many resources to no avail, and now having flipped through all the books at home, he had gone directly to the university library; probably he wouldn’t come home for lunch either, as once he sat there studying, he forgot the time. The old lady, having prepared the meal, would have to deliver it. Although eating in the library was prohibited, there were special rest areas, and staff had their own places too. The old lady knew the people there and had informed them.

As for why Mr. Lan was so anxious, firstly, he didn’t know why the orchid wasn’t blooming, and secondly, there was the floral exhibition being held in town in October.

Over the past three years, Mr. Lan hadn’t continued studying other orchids. After basic care routines, he had largely dedicated his time to this peculiar orchid. It was only after nurturing it that Mr. Lan truly understood how difficult this orchid was to maintain. Initially, Mr. Lan thought it might take five or six years, or even longer, to see it bloom, but unexpectedly it was ready in just this third year.

Mr. Lan’s excitement at seeing the buds was something others couldn’t understand. Over these three years, people said Professor Lan had gone mad over a cheap orchid, laughing about it behind his back. At the annual National Orchid Expo, Mr. Lan usually presented one or several orchids, each one a masterpiece, and each fetched high prices, with hundreds of thousands being common. Many in the circle knew Mr. Lan’s reputation, and for this reason, everyone also knew that Mr. Lan had not attended the Orchid Expo for three years because of a cheap orchid.

Many told Mr. Lan that since he had many masterpieces, why not showcase them for everyone to enjoy? Even if they had been admired before, they could be admired again. Didn’t the price of your orchids shoot up every time they were displayed?

Unfortunately, Mr. Lan was stubborn, his focus laid on the orchid that Zheng Tan had brought back, intent on nurturing it to see what made its flowers different. As for the others, he had no desire to exhibit the prize-winning orchids again; he wasn’t accustomed to it and hadn’t cultivated new varieties in recent years, so frankly, he hadn’t participated in the Orchid Expo.

Whether this orchid was a masterpiece or not, Mr. Lan actually didn’t care much; he just wanted to understand the differences between this orchid and typical Iron Bone varieties. Once he dived into this alleyway of inquiry, Mr. Lan wouldn’t come out, and no persuasion was useful.

A few days ago, Mr. Lan had promised the organizers of the floral exhibition that he would bring several of his orchids to participate in the exhibit, including a few that had won awards and this orchid, which he suspected to be a natural mutant. But now, although there were buds that seemed about to bloom, they just wouldn’t open. Although it was still September, if it didn’t bloom by October, missing the exhibition would be a pity for Mr. Lan.

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