Chapter 499: Chapter 34: The Mysterious Visitor from a Foreign Land (Part 2)
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In the luxurious suite on the sixteenth floor of Wanhe Haosheng Hotel, John still held a document provided by Huang Tengchong after entertaining guests, which clearly listed all the information about the hangover medicine and that small pharmaceutical factory which had once been on the brink of closure.
Despite being minor characters, why would Commissioner John waste time on these people? Huang Tengchong wasn’t particularly clear about John’s identity, but he had received an overseas call from the United States that morning.
On the other end of the phone line, Lady Serlin informed him that people from the European Royal Research Institute would soon arrive in China. Huang Tengchong had to find a way to connect with them and was also required to report in detail everything about Researcher John’s visit today, including his accommodations and transportation—nothing could be missed.
"Thank you, Mr. Huang, for the information you provided. I’d like to ask for another favor," John’s impression of Huang Tengchong was neither good nor bad, simply considering him a somewhat cooperative businessman.
Standing in the empty room, Huang Tengchong watched as John set down the document and his gaze landed on a vase of wilted roses on the table.
Huang Tengchong cursed inwardly, Damn it, I paid over four thousand for one night in this presidential suite, and there’s this vase of pathetic flowers on the table? Isn’t this just embarrassing me? He made a gesture as if to go forward and replace the roses.
John made a gesture for him to stop; the flower was specifically what he had come for.
He took out a white pill and dropped it into the vase of water.
The pill dissolved upon contact with the water, and a few bubbles surfaced. After a few breaths, the rose underwent a change. The shriveled and dry petals showed a hint of red, and the verge-of-wilting leaves turned from dark green back to a youthful green. Although it didn’t completely revert to the original state of the roses, it was significantly better than the dried appearance from before.
"Mr. Huang, I heard you’re the owner of the largest aquaculture farm in Beijing. Could you provide me with some of the dead specimens?" John didn’t acknowledge Huang Tengchong’s suddenly changed expression but instead made a request that sounded quite peculiar to Huang.
"Dead ones?" Huang Tengchong looked at John, an old-fashioned English gentleman with meticulous grooming, and truly couldn’t associate him with the strange request he had just made.
"Of course, when do you need them? And how many?" The rose from before let Huang Tengchong vaguely guess John’s identity. Fearing he might say something wrong, he dared not show his astonishment and nodded in agreement with his head lowered.
"Bring them by before noon tomorrow. Didn’t you mention raising hairy crabs during our conversation? Just select a few that have recently died for me; remember, they should be recently deceased," John didn’t look directly at Huang Tengchong. Being a double agent wasn’t easy, especially when trying to stay on good terms with both himself and that old demon lady, Serlin.
Huang Tengchong didn’t dare to ask anything further and quickly agreed before leaving.
John picked up the vase that was sitting on the coffee table, took out the revived rose, and shook the vase. At the bottom of the vase, the last bit of white powder also dissipated.
John smiled, resting his finger on the flower, and upon opening the vase again, there was a show of vivid red and deep green.
On Friday afternoon, Xiao Xian went to visit Mao Dazhu again. This time, Mao Dazhu’s office wasn’t as crowded as it had been before.
Xiao Xian briefly described the sales situation of the week. Based on the sales staff’s performance, he proposed a reward system. People who sold more would get extra rewards. Since that day, the group of salespeople had become much more respectful and didn’t dare gossip about Xiao Xian privately anymore.
Yet, despite Xiao Xian’s highfaluting justifications that day, this summer’s business for Five Gentlemen’s Bamboo Mats was not as good as in previous years. The neighboring water buffalo hide mats were one reason, and another reason was that the price of the Five Gentlemen’s Bamboo Mats was more expensive than other similar mats.
"Not bad," Mao Dazhu was quite satisfied after hearing Xiao Xian’s report, "Others might opt for low profit, high volume. We pursue high quality, precision. Anyway, we’re making money; we can’t let the Five Gentlemen brand fail. If the mat business is tough, we’ll just switch to something else next year."
Hearing that, Xiao Xian became even more confused about the actual business model of Five Gentlemen Flower Art. Taking advantage of Mao Dazhu going to the bank to check the accounts, Xiao Xian started to ask the stoic driver.
"The company’s products are plentiful. I’ve followed Manager Mao for many years; he has dealt in everything. Anyway, the company has survived all these years. But what Manager Mao really wants to get into is gardening. It’s just that our company’s employees are all old hands; they can’t keep up with the comprehensive quality required, and Manager Mao often gets nagged at home for engaging in exhausting and thankless trades," said the stoic driver, a man who is stern on the outside but warm on the inside. He knew everything about Mao Dazhu and the company.
He knew about Xiao Xian’s relationship with Mao Dazhu as a master’s nephew, so he didn’t hide anything and laid out the overall situation of Five Gentlemen Flower Art.
Xiao Xian was the youngest employee to join the company in over a decade. The second youngest was the stoic driver.
Five Gentlemen was established by Mao Dazhu eleven years ago when he retired from a state-owned enterprise. Initially, they recruited retirees, solitary elderly gardeners, and farmers who grew flowers. At first, it was just a hobby, but then they made some money, and Bai Juyi provided some presentable bonsais, which brought a bit of fame to the company in Beijing.
Later as Bai Juyi grew older and became temperamentally eccentric, relying on those incompetent old employees, no good bonsais were produced; the company could only maintain itself through bamboo products.
"If business is tough, we might as well just close up," Xiao Xian couldn’t imagine that the ever-cheerful and busy Mao Dazhu had so many worries on his mind.
"The old gentleman is reluctant. He says that if the company collapses, those lonely elders and the traditional craftsmanship of South Gate will truly be lost to the world. When you’re old, having that bit of hope can make life much more comfortable," the stoic driver shook his head; he stayed here worried about these elders, accepting a salary below the citywide average.
Xiao Xian left Five Gentlemen Flower Art, the faces of Mao Dazhu and Bai Juyi flashing alternately in his mind. (To be continued. If you like this novel, you’re welcome to go to Qidian () to cast your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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