Super-rich: Spending money is just a job!

"What do you mean by 'only a few leaves'? Look at the leaves of our pothos! They're so thick and lush, so vibrant and full of life. Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand." The shop owner was getting annoyed by Xiaomeng's words.

Ms. Mao quickly pulled Xiaomeng aside. "Haha, let's take another look, let's take another look."

Although Xiaomeng's item was taken away, she was still resentful and muttered to herself, "That's how it is. Can't I even complain if the item doesn't match the description?"

"Xiaomeng, you don't have to buy it if you don't like it. Their pothos plants actually grow quite well. If you say that, the owner might not be happy."

"I'm not happy about him ripping people off like that."

This kind of pothos doesn't just cost 5 yuan a pot, does it?

If it were sold at a street stall, people would pick and choose it, and it wouldn't be worth hundreds of yuan.

"Impossible, right? Can there be such good pothos plants at a street stall? And they're only 5 yuan a month?" Ms. Mao thought Xiaomeng was exaggerating.

"That's right. Green vines are the most easy to grow. Just throw a piece on the ground and it will grow like crazy."

Do you think he could possibly charge a low price?

"That's so exaggerated. I feel like you're talking about a completely different species from what we're talking about."

"Isn't there only one kind of pothos? It's so common, I can recognize it."

"But I've never seen one that costs five yuan a pot. I think what you're saying is a bit of an exaggeration."

"You'll understand when you visit us sometime in the future."

I don't think this guy selling pothos is being honest. Why don't you take me to find some bonsai trees instead?

"So what do you think of this place?"

"I feel like all the plants in this shop are wilted; they look like they're not growing well."

"Hey, what are those things over there? They look like little balls. Are they tulip balls?" Xiaomeng noticed something interesting.

Not all bulbs are tulip bulbs.

Ms. Mao looked in the direction Xiaomeng pointed. There, in front of a shop, was a large pile of bulb-like things, casually stacked high in several large wooden basins.

"Tulip bulbs are relatively flat, while this bulb is more rounded; it should be a daffodil bulb."

"Master, are you carving daffodils?" Ms. Mao asked as she stepped forward.

"That's right, I'm carving daffodils." The craftsman replied without looking up.

He sat beside a large wooden tub. In his right hand he held a carving knife, and in his gloved left hand he gripped the bulb, cutting and slicing with the knife, constantly trimming off pieces of the root.

Until they cut off half of a rather large bulb.

"Master, your skills are excellent."

"Of course! It's a family heirloom craft. It's been passed down for five or six generations."

"This is the first time I've ever seen a carved daffodil bulb."

"This is a traditional folk custom here."

Miss Lin, are you interested in daffodils? During the Lunar New Year, the older generation here would buy one or two pots of daffodils and place them in their homes. The warmth of the house would make them bloom.

"I've seen daffodils before, but I've never seen daffodils carved." Xiaomeng went up to watch with great interest.

A carving knife flew up and down in the old worker's wounded hands, and soon, the bulb on his left hand revealed green leaf buds and yellow flower buds.

The key point is that the old man cut off half of a whole bulb, making the bulb look quite pitiful.

"Master, isn't the part you cut off the part that daffodils need for flowers and leaves to grow?"

You've cut off a third of it at once. Will this daffodil still have enough nutrients to bloom?

"Enough, how could it not be enough? We know exactly what we're doing. We know exactly how to trim the flowers so that the blooms and leaves will be short, sturdy, and beautiful."

We also need to carve a few lines on those leaf buds.

The leaves that grow this way, crooked and twisted like crab claws, look much better.

"The daffodils carved in this way are called crab claw daffodils."

"This carving is to make the daffodil flowers that grow from it more interesting."

The leaves and flower stems will grow crooked and twisted.

In the past, there were beauty contests for the crab claw daffodils, a competition of artistic techniques.

"Oh, that's amazing! I'm thinking of buying one. How do you care for it? Do you just grow it hydroponically?"

"That's right, the daffodil bulbs in winter are grown using hydroponics."

People put the flower balls in pretty pots and place them on their desks for the New Year.

It was especially festive, with a strong Chinese New Year atmosphere.

When I was a child, my family would buy flower balls and carve them ourselves.

Unfortunately, young people these days don't study anymore.

"Okay, I'll buy a few pots."

Xiaomeng asked for two small round basins with a diameter of 30 mm.

I also ordered a large oval flowerpot with a diameter of 50 mm.

Then the craftsmen helped her select flower balls and fill the plate.

An uncarved flower ball costs 20 yuan, while a carved ball costs 60 yuan.