Chapter 66: The Five Declines of Heaven and Man (Part 2)
The car stopped in front of the villa and soon after, the high iron gate of the villa opened automatically.
As I entered, all I saw were tall coconut trees with trunks as thick as a man's embrace on both sides of the road, their branches laden with fruit. Under the coconut trees stood pots and pots of strange and wondrous potted landscapes: some resembled an old man fishing, others a mountain monk asking for directions, others a waterfall cascading straight down, and others a scholar with a humble heart like a valley; each one was unique and inexplicably strange.
In front of the villa is a circular flowerbed, in which stands an old banyan tree about one meter tall, surrounded by various colorful flowers.
Fresh flowers bloom in profusion, competing with each other in beauty, attracting colorful butterflies to flit about, making one's eyes light up at the sight.
When they arrived at the villa and got out of the car, Lin Yingru came out from inside to greet them.
Xiao Jun is here.
"Auntie, is Grandpa doing better?"
Huang Xiaojun stepped forward and intimately hugged Lin Yingru's hand and asked.
"Alas, still the same old thing." Lin Yingru said with a worried expression.
"Don't worry about it. Auntie, this is my friend Song Wen. I said the one who can help treat Lao Guan's plum tree is him."
Huang Xiaojun pointed at Song Wen on one side and said.
Lin Yingru listened and was surprised at Song Wen's youth, but politely greeted him: "Mr. Song, thank you for coming. Please come in, don't stand outside, sit inside."
"Auntie, don't be polite, since you're here, go take a look at that pot of old plum blossoms first!"
If nothing else, Song Wen didn't like going to strangers' homes because he would feel constrained and uncomfortable when visiting someone's home. Besides, this time he came to treat the tree, not to drink tea.
"This..."
Lin Yingru looked at Huang Xiaojun with difficulty, this seemed to be against the host's hospitality, and it was still Huang Xiaojun's friend.
"Let's go take a look then." Huang Xiaojun said with a smile. After finishing speaking, he wanted to bring Song Wen to see that old potted landscape.
At this time, two people came out from inside, a middle-aged man and a young man.
Song Wen thought the two men looked very alike and guessed they were father and son.
"Xiao Jun has arrived, why don't you go inside and sit?" said the middle-aged man with a smile to Huang Xiao Jun.
This man is Chi Qiao Sheng's son, Chi Wan Nian. He runs a large landscape gardening company that is vertically integrated from production to sales. Relying on his father Chi Qiao Sheng's connections in the floristry industry and the recent support of provincial and municipal governments for landscaping companies, his business spans across southern provinces and Southeast Asia.
"Uncle, never mind. I'll bring my friend over to see the old potted plum blossoms and see if they can be cured."
The young man next to her was shocked and pointed at Song Wen, saying: "Little Jun, you won't be deceived, will you? This guy's hair isn't even fully grown, how can he treat trees?"
"Shut up! How dare you speak like that!" As soon as he finished speaking, Chi Wan Nian slapped him on the head with a loud smack.
The young man was still unhappy and glared with his eyes about to speak when Lin Yingru hastily pulled him aside.
Song Wen gave him a glance, cursed in his heart "you banana pineapple", secretly thinking "I don't care about your business, little rabbit".
If it weren't for Huang Xiaojun's relationship, he would have thought of leaving immediately. Coming over to help would also make people suspicious, and his good intentions would be misunderstood.
"The young master cannot speak, please don't be offended. Come, let's go inside and have some tea."
Chi Wan Nian didn't even defend his own son, after scolding him, he apologized to Song Wen and invited him to sit inside.
Huang Xiaojun on the side also cast an embarrassed glance.
Song Wen said it was nothing, but the tea was not to be drunk anymore, and even if he drank it, he would suffocate. Look at this kid talking nonsense, his hair isn't even grown yet. You banana, this guy is younger than yourself, if you haven't even grown up yet, your grandfather's, how can you be grown up?
"Never mind, just take me to see that old withered plum blossom instead. If it can be cured, then let's cure it as soon as possible; if not, I'm also helpless."
Song Wen said lightly. He was speaking ill of him beforehand.
Seeing Song Wen insisting, Chi Wan Nian led the way in front, and the group headed towards Laozhuang Xue Mei.
Before arriving at the old plum tree, Song Wen looked ahead and saw that the old plum tree had twisted branches and a rough, cracked trunk. The sturdy tree trunk was like a crane about to take flight. However, the leaves on the branches had already fallen off, the bark was dry, and when he touched it with his hand, there was no moisture at all, even more pitiful than the old osmanthus tree he had received from Huang Xiaojun.
"How is it?"
Seeing Song Wen just lowered his head and looked at it without speaking, Huang Xiaojun asked.
"What a decline of the five virtues!" Song Wen said with a shake of his head.
"What's 'Tianren Wushuai'?" The people beside him heard this and were all confused.
"Beep beep"
Huang Xiaojun was about to ask again when a loudspeaker sound suddenly came from outside, and it was unclear who it was. Chi Wannian walked over.
After his father fell ill, many friends heard the news and came to visit. Maybe it's another friend who has come, can't be slow.
Before long, Chi Wangnian came over with an old man.
"Are you here too, Xiao Jun?"
The old man came to the front of the old potted plum blossom, saw Huang Xiaojun, and asked in surprise. But thinking of Qi Qiao's relationship with her was not shallow, he also let it go.
"Grandpa Qin, you're here too! I brought some friends over to see the old plum blossoms," said Huang Xiaojun.
The old man's surname is Qin, and his name is Fu. He is Qiao Sheng's good friend. Recently returned from a foreign inspection tour, he rushed over as soon as he arrived. Qin Fu also took great care of Huang Xiaojun, so she respected him very much. He also regarded her as his granddaughter.
"Your friend?"
Qin Fu then carefully sized up Song Wen, he originally thought he was Huang Xiaojun's pursuer, it seems not.
He also knew that Qi Jiao Sheng was ill because of the old potted plum blossom, and unexpectedly asked: "Young man, what do you think of this potted landscape?"
"He said it was the decline of the heavenly man?"
Song Wen had not yet replied when Chi Yifeng, the son of Chi Wannian who was standing beside him, spoke up.
Chi Wan Nian glared at him fiercely, and his mother hastily pulled him aside, lest he get beaten again.
"Is it the decline of heaven and man?" Qin Fu muttered to himself as he looked at the withered and barren winter plum blossoms in front of him.
"Can he be saved?"
Actually, when he saw the plum blossom bonsai, he already had an answer in his heart, but it's hard for people not to have expectations and hopes, wanting another answer.
"I don't know."
Song Wen also didn't know if it could be cured, so he just told the truth.
"Alas! Let's go and take a look at Old Man Chi, and try to persuade him well. Having spent his whole life with bonsai trees, he can't just follow them to the grave too."
Qin Fu listened and his eyes, which were full of expectation and hope, immediately turned dull and disinterested. He let out a sigh and without calling out to the others, he walked into the villa by himself.
Chi Wan Nian and Lin Ying Ru hastily followed up, while Chi Yi Feng on the side also took a look and followed along.
Song let out a sigh of relief as everyone finally left. Seeing Huang Xiaojun still there, he said to her: "You can go too, I'll take a closer look."
He wanted to get rid of Huang Xiaojun so he could take out the copper mirror.
Huang Xiaojun came here and hadn't gone to see Qiao Sheng yet. He also wanted to take a look, so he nodded slightly and walked in.
