Chapter 83: “Wasting a Treasure”
Cen Tianjiao nearly burst into tears when he received the message. Forcing a smile, he turned to Jiang Qingxiang and said,
“Jiang… sister, the flowers in your courtyard are truly beautiful.”
Jiang Qingxiang had been resting her chin on her hand, staring at him intently. But the moment she heard him call her Jiang Sister, she was so delighted she nearly lost herself, suddenly becoming an open book.
“Of course! In all of Shou’an—no, I’d say in all five major bases along the Qingpeng River—nowhere else has a garden as lush as mine. You folks in Dongyang don’t have anything like this, do you?”
Cen Tianjiao frantically hyped himself up mentally.
“Definitely not. Coming here has really broadened my horizons.”
Jiang Qingxiang’s face gleamed with pride. She gestured grandly around the courtyard with her plump fingers.
“I have over forty types of flowers here, and I’ve never even counted all the greenery. Not only do I have a wood-type ability user regularly tending to them, but I also employ four professional landscape masters to maintain the place daily.
“See anything you like? I’ll send you a pot to take home. The flowers cultivated here can stay fresh for two whole months without wilting—imagine the prestige of having one on your windowsill!”
Cen Tianjiao secretly took a deep breath and put on a bright, handsome smile.
“Thank you, Sister Jiang. Then I won’t be polite… but I like both blue and white roses. Can these two colors appear on a single flower?”
Jiang Qingxiang waved her hand dismissively. “Of course they can! Forget two colors—however many colors you want, I can make it happen. Just wait a moment, and I’ll show you with your own eyes.”
With that, she pulled out her communicator and made a call.
Twenty minutes later, Su Tao met the wood-type ability user named Wu Zhen. He was short and slightly chubby, with dimples that remained visible even when he wasn’t smiling, giving him a naturally friendly appearance.
He carried a toolbox filled with small gardening tools.
Jiang Qingxiang, seeing him arrive, casually waved him over from afar, offering no polite greetings or introductions to the guests. She simply issued her command:
“The blue roses you made for me last time—make a new one with both blue and white. And make it bloom quickly. Show everyone.”
Wu Zhen seemed used to this treatment. He nodded and used his tools to pick two rosebuds from the courtyard—one blue, one white.
Jiang Qingxiang, as if watching a performance, nudged Cen Tianjiao excitedly. “Watch closely!”
The two freshly cut roses in Wu Zhen’s hands suddenly seemed to come alive, intertwining and fusing together in under five seconds.
The bi-colored rosebud slowly bloomed, its blue and white petals mingling in a stunning display.
Yet, just as it reached full bloom, it withered in an instant. The dried petals scattered to the ground, carried away by the wind.
The performance over, Jiang Qingxiang grinned even more smugly. “Amazing, right?”
This time, Cen Tianjiao nodded sincerely.
Su Tao, her mouth slightly open, nodded as well, her mind racing with thoughts.
If flowers could bloom in such a short time, could vegetables and grains also be harvested just as quickly?
Wouldn’t that mean Wu Zhen alone could sustain a massive number of people?
Jiang Qingxiang picked up a withered petal from the ground and sighed dramatically.
“This kind of beauty is fleeting… Little Brother Cen, I’ll have him cultivate some bi-colored rose seeds for you. Take them back and plant them yourself. That way, the flowers will last much longer.”
And just like that, Cen Tianjiao was given a small bag of bi-colored rose seeds.
Jiang Qingxiang smiled brightly, patting his hand.
“Who would’ve thought—a man like you actually likes roses. Such a perfect balance of strength and tenderness…”
Cen Tianjiao stood there stiffly, wishing he could commit seppuku on the spot to prove his masculinity.
Meanwhile, as the others chatted, Su Tao quietly slipped over to Wu Zhen, who was packing up his toolbox to leave. She decided to start with a personal connection.
“Hello, is your father Wu Jianyi? Before the apocalypse, he was an outstanding architect and even served as the director of the Environmental Research Center at Capital University.”
Wu Zhen froze for a moment. “You are…?”
“My surname is Su. Mr. Mei Hongyi—Old Master Mei—sent me to look for your father. We traveled all the way from Dongyang, searching for a long time before finally finding out what happened to him… which led us to you.”
Hearing Old Master Mei’s name, Wu Zhen suddenly felt a lump in his throat.
“Uncle Mei sent you? No wonder… I was wondering how anyone still remembered my father. That night, two years ago, before my dad passed, he told me to find Uncle Mei. He said Mei’s son was no good and definitely wouldn’t treat him well… How is he now?”
Su Tao smiled. “Maybe you should give him a call and ask yourself.”
She handed him Old Mei’s contact information.
Wu Zhen was overwhelmed with emotion and deep regret.
“I never thought it would be Uncle Mei reaching out to find us first. It’s my fault—I kept making excuses not to visit him. I let my father down.”
Su Tao asked, “Was there something preventing you?”
Wu Zhen didn’t know how to respond. After a long silence, he finally let out a sigh.
What could he say? His ability was too rare, and different factions had kept him under house arrest, cutting him off from the outside world.
Later, when the Jiang family rose to power, Jiang Qingxiang took a liking to him, granting him freedom and a relatively better life.
Seeing his reluctance to talk further, Su Tao changed the subject.
“What’s the name of your ability? It’s incredible.”
After this round of “reunion,” Wu Zhen developed great trust in her and spoke openly:
“It’s called Plant Whisper. People outside say I can communicate with plants, and that’s not entirely wrong. But in reality, I can sense a plant’s needs and guide it to change, making it more adaptable to its environment. You could think of my ability as plant domestication.”
As he finished speaking, he casually plucked a wilted daisy from the ground.
“See, right now, it’s telling me that it’s hot and thirsty. So I just need to guide it a little—tell it, ‘You’re strong. You can adapt to high temperatures. Even without water, you can still bloom for a little longer…’”
Su Tao watched, eyes wide, as the drooping daisy suddenly perked up!
Damn.
Wu Zhen handed her the daisy. “Here, take it. Play around with it.”
Su Tao accepted it and asked, “Can you also domesticate crops?”
Wu Zhen nodded. “Yes. I grow a lot of vegetables and fruits on my balcony. They’re resistant to heat and drought, and they grow really well. I can show you sometime if you’re interested.”
Su Tao practically wanted to kidnap him and bring him straight to Taoyang.
But she held back.
She couldn’t make the offer herself—Wu Zhen needed to bring it up first.
Switching tactics, she asked, “Have you ever considered running your own botanical garden or plantation? Instead of being stuck in this tiny courtyard… I imagine you’re not too fond of performing tricks for the rich, are you?”
Wu Zhen’s hand trembled slightly as he tried to hide his true feelings. “Miss Su, I think my life right now is fine. I haven’t thought about changing it.”
Su Tao gave a subtle smile. “You never know.”
The moment they left Jiang Qingxiang’s house, Cen Tianjiao tossed the bag of rose seeds at Su Tao like it was a live grenade.
“I don’t like those girly flowers,” Cen Tianjiao scoffed.
Su Tao, on the other hand, was delighted. She happily accepted the seeds, planning to try growing them once they returned to Taoyang.
On the way back to the guesthouse, Su Tao rested her chin on her hand, staring out the window in deep thought.
Shi Zijin asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Before Su Tao could answer, Guan Zining beat her to it: “She’s thinking about how to poach talent without making it too obvious.”
Su Tao playfully punched her. “I’m thinking about how many ability users like Wu Zhen have been kept under lock and key by Shou’an’s warlords for their own selfish gain. It’s such a waste of potential.”
Guan Zining agreed. “Wu Zhen could have made Shou’an a major base with abundant food and prosperity for its people. Instead, he’s being used as a private gardener. It’s ridiculous. But it’s also understandable—this era is full of personal greed. There aren’t many people like our old commander or you, who find rare talents and think about how to use them for the greater good.”
Shi Zijin added, “There are probably quite a few more like him. Not just in Shou’an—other bases likely have the same problem. If it weren’t for our commander keeping things steady in Dongyang, some people would have tried pulling the same stunt there. Remember how Dongyang’s hospital was built? He spent years recruiting top medical professionals with high salaries and spent six whole years preparing before it was finally established. Even now, among the five major bases along the Qingpeng River, Dongyang is the only one with a public hospital.”
Su Tao let out a sigh, silently hoping that Taoyang and Dongyang would continue to grow stronger, gain recognition, and attract even more talented people to join them.
