Chapter 413 - 412: Losing Out Due to an Information Gap

"How many do you have? I’ll take them all!"

Huo Yue Lan had the confidence to say that. After all, her son was the CEO of the Lu Family’s company and her husband was the chairman. They had nothing but money.

However, even if Huo Yue Lan could buy all the seeds, Yun Zijin had no intention of letting her take them all.

"If you like them, I can give you some when you head back."

"Planting too many Ice Trees and Fire Trees has a major impact on the temperature of the surrounding environment."

So, for safety’s sake, Yun Zijin didn’t recommend planting them on a large scale.

Huo Yue Lan’s earlier demand to take them all was actually a test for Yun Zijin. After all, she had nothing to lose whether she succeeded or not.

"Fine, but if they ever go on sale, you can’t keep it from me!"

Whenever Huo Yue Lan thought about the lesson she’d learned at the research institute over the Moonlight Grass, she wanted to give her past self a sharp knock on the head.

"Of course not. When they’re available for purchase, I’ll be sure to message you first."

* * *

「Lu’s Sanatorium.」

After Yun Zijin and Huo Yue Lan left the hospital room, Lu Yunzhou looked at Lu Yunque.

"Those two plants you just showed Mom—are you sure they’re real?"

Although Lu Yunzhou hadn’t looked intentionally, his eyesight was good, and he could see the contents of the phone screen even from such a distance.

"When I first saw them, I thought they looked fake, too. But it turns out, they’re real plants."

It was just that, so far, the only person they knew who had seeds for this kind of plant was Yun Zijin.

"Are you sure these are seeds that exist on Blue Star?"

Lu Yunzhou’s single sentence was a sudden revelation for Lu Yunque.

"Brother..."

The Ice Trees and Fire Trees Yun Zijin possessed were just too conspicuous; they didn’t fit the style of Blue Star’s flora at all.

But Lu Yunque didn’t want to believe the speculation was true. After all, it was just too incredible.

Lu Yunque now looked at Lu Yunzhou with a hint of pleading in his eyes.

"Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone."

After all, everything required evidence. If he went around rashly telling people about this, they would just think he was crazy.

"Those photos, let me see them again."

Lu Yunzhou had inherited Huo Yue Lan’s strange affinity for plants.

Lu Yunque didn’t refuse. He took out his phone, went to the photo album, and tapped on the pictures of the Ice Tree and Fire Tree.

"If you hadn’t confirmed over and over that these are real trees, I really wouldn’t believe it."

This color, these branches... they’re just too perfect!

Now that he had officially seen the photos, Lu Yunzhou was already looking forward to the day he would see the Ice Tree and Fire Tree in person.

"Have you asked where sister-in-law got the seeds from?"

Yun Zijin was in Dijing. She hadn’t been exploring some remote mountains or ancient forests, so how did she suddenly have these magical seeds?

"Brother, it’s better not to be too curious about some things."

Lu Yunque, of course, knew there was something strange about Yun Zijin suddenly producing so many magical plant seeds, but he had never asked her about it.

Lu Yunzhou fell silent. He understood Lu Yunque’s concerns. As he sighed internally, he also felt that Lu Yunque had truly fallen hard.

Since Lu Yunque wasn’t asking, Lu Yunzhou decided to act as if he knew nothing.

"I won’t ask. But when can you help me ask for a couple of them?"

Lu Yunzhou felt that if he could also have an Ice Tree and a Fire Tree, his mood would improve, which might even be beneficial for his recovery.

"Wait a while longer."

Even though they were blood brothers, Lu Yunque preferred to keep accounts clear.

Since Lu Yunzhou wanted them, he decided he would organize an auction, send him an invitation, and let him bid for them himself.

As for how much money that would cost, that wasn’t a problem Lu Yunque needed to consider.

Lu Yunzhou didn’t press Lu Yunque any further about the Ice Tree and Fire Tree. He knew that whatever Lu Yunque promised, he would definitely deliver.

* * *

Huo Yue Lan finally took enough pictures and reluctantly tore her eyes away from the Ice Tree and Fire Tree.

Yun Zijin led her into the main villa, pulled Huo Yue Lan to sit on the living room sofa, and Wang Minli promptly served them each a cup of tea, placing one in front of each of them.

"If I had known earlier that you were the one who provided the Moonlight Grass, I wouldn’t have let those people at the Plant Research Institute string me along for so long."

In the end, she had donated a ton of research funding to the institute. She’d really been ripped off.

Yun Zijin didn’t know what to say to that. After all, she had no idea Huo Yue Lan would be interested in Moonlight Grass.

For her, besides using it to landscape the green belts, it had no other purpose.

The possibility of her carefully tending to it in a greenhouse was basically zero.

Fortunately, Huo Yue Lan had no intention of blaming Yun Zijin and quickly steered the conversation to the Ice Tree and Fire Tree seeds.

This time, she wanted to get her hands on two of them before the Plant Research Institute discovered the Ice Tree and Fire Tree.

Yun Zijin used the excuse of going to her room to get the seeds. After a quick trip, she came out with two nearly identical seeds.

"Auntie Huo, these are the seeds for the two trees. This one is the Ice Tree, and this one is the Fire Tree."

Yun Zijin wrote the names on labels, affixed them to the seeds, then put both into a sealed bag before handing it to Huo Yue Lan.

Huo Yue Lan eagerly took the two seeds in her hand. "No, I can’t wait! I want to plant them right now!"

Huo Yue Lan couldn’t wait another moment.

"Where do you want to plant them? I can give you a ride."

When Huo Yue Lan came out, she had ridden in Yun Zijin’s car, and the Lu Family’s driver hadn’t come along. So, Yun Zijin decided she might as well see it through to the end.

"Sorry to trouble you. Just take me back to the old mansion."

The Ice Tree and Fire Tree plants were beautiful and unique. As long as she chose the right spot, even planting them at the Lu Family’s Old Mansion wouldn’t ruin the scenery.

Yun Zijin nodded. She had barely sat down for a moment before Huo Yue Lan was urging her to take her back to the Lu Family’s Old Mansion.

Yun Zijin had no choice but to have Zero One and the others prepare the car. She took Huo Yue Lan back to the vehicle, and they set off for Lu’s old house.

Along the way, Huo Yue Lan held onto Yun Zijin and recounted the heartbreaking history of her plant-growing endeavors.

As Yun Zijin listened, she thought that Huo Yue Lan could publish a book about it; she was sure it would be a bestseller.

However, Yun Zijin was only snarking internally; she would definitely never say such a thing out loud.

About an hour later, the car finally arrived at Lu’s old house.

Lu Zhengguo and Xu Su Hua were both a little surprised to see Huo Yue Lan and Yun Zijin arrive together.

Huo Yue Lan, however, just smiled mysteriously. She pulled Yun Zijin to the courtyard of the house she shared with Lu Xianzhang. Then, in an empty spot in front of their yard, she found a place that looked just big enough for two trees.

"Zijin, what do you think of this spot?"

It was near a corner wall, and besides the lawn, there were no other plants. Planting the Fire Tree and Ice Tree here would perfectly fill the scenic void.

"It’s great."

Yun Zijin looked around and agreed that it was a great spot.

"Then it’s settled! I’ll have someone come dig the holes."

It was impossible that Huo Yue Lan would do it herself. She had been a wealthy madam for so many years, living a pampered life. She didn’t even cook, let alone dig holes.