Chapter 133: My Little Uncle Is Just Too Generous

In the greenhouse, all kinds of orchids were in full bloom, delicate and elegant.

The “old gardener” Mo Xie was crouched in a corner of the greenhouse, using a small trowel to loosen the soil around a white orchid. He looked just like a new father doting on his precious little daughter, feeling even her tiny feet were fragrant, wishing he could shower her with kisses and affection.

That was exactly Mo Xie’s state at the moment. His usually sharp and handsome face was now adorned with a sappy, fatherly smile, his eyes full of tenderness. He reached out without a trace of disgust and pinched the soil at the roots of the white orchid.

Then he brought the soil up to his nose and sniffed it.

He frowned slightly. The soil wasn’t smelly enough—clearly lacking in nutrients. He’d have to figure out a way to get some better fertilizer.

As a member of the Mo family, famous for cultivating orchids, even though he hadn’t inherited the family’s usual wood-type powers, he still had a natural intuition for soil analysis and orchid cultivation.

Once he’d put the soil back and patted it down with the trowel, he finally revealed a satisfied smile. Today’s white orchid checkup was complete.

Just as he was about to turn to another yellow orchid, he realized someone was standing behind him.

He’d really let his guard down—not even noticing his eldest nephew had come in.

Mo Xie felt a twinge of annoyance, but his face showed no embarrassment. His usually cool and steady voice softened a little. “Xingyu, what brings you here today? Are you here to say goodbye?”

Wu Xingyu took a small step back, his cold, expressionless face curving into a gentle smile as he nodded. “Mm, we’re leaving this afternoon.”

Mo Xie’s lips curled up in satisfaction. “Good. I’ve already contacted Mo Lancheng. There’s still no news about your companions, so they probably haven’t reached Mo Lancheng yet. Maybe you’ll run into them on your way there while doing business. You can look for them yourselves. If I hear anything from Mo Lancheng, I’ll let you know. Communication in Earth Village is very convenient.”

Speaking of this, a pleased smile appeared on Mo Xie’s face. In the past, he’d often been away from home, and contact with Mo Lancheng hadn’t been close—largely due to communication issues.

Even though they all carried communicators, the special magnetic fields on Exile Star meant that eight times out of ten, they couldn’t get through.

Now, with Earth Village’s chat channel, his brothers no longer had to worry about losing contact with him.

But before that, he’d have to get the brothers in Mo Lancheng to join Earth Village—the chat channel was only available to villagers, after all.

Wu Xingyu’s gaze darkened, his brows furrowing. “Alright, I’ll look for them on the way.”

Then he got to the real reason for his visit. “Little Uncle, can you give me a few pots of orchids?”

Mo Xie’s expression instantly turned wary as he looked at Wu Xingyu. “What do you want orchids for? Cooking? Don’t tell me you listened to Aunt Song and want to try orchid tripe, orchid mushrooms with double fungus, or orchid crab roe with bamboo shoots?”

Wu Xingyu looked surprised. “Orchids can be cooked?”

A hint of longing appeared in his eyes at just the thought. “Those dishes sound delicious just from the names.”

“No, no, you misheard.” Mo Xie quickly shook his head, looking regretful. He hadn’t meant to let that slip.

Wu Xingyu didn’t believe him, staring straight at him. “I didn’t mishear. Little Uncle, don’t try to hide it.”

Seeing Mo Xie still refusing to admit it, Wu Xingyu frowned, disapprovingly advising, “Little Uncle, you still haven’t paid back the energy credits you owe me. Now you’re growing more and more orchids, getting poorer and poorer. Sooner or later, you’ll be flat broke.”

“I heard that Grandpa Mo once auctioned off a single Mo orchid for over ten billion energy credits, and that’s how the family fortune started. Since then, the Mo family auctions off an orchid every year, and various orchids flow into the market, supporting the family’s vast wealth. Grandpa Mo was a business genius, but how come you didn’t inherit any of that business sense? In this respect, you’re not even as good as Fatty Pei.”

“I—I just can’t bear to sell them…” Mo Xie’s handsome face flushed. He’d just bought a batch of plant nutrients and only had ten spirit coins left in his pocket, so he was both stubborn and a bit embarrassed.

Wu Xingyu cut him off, asking seriously, “How’s the Mo orchid you’ve been cultivating? Did it succeed?”

Mo Xie’s straight back slumped. He looked frustrated. “It bloomed, but it didn’t have the look a true Mo orchid should have.”

Wu Xingyu’s dark eyes saw right through him. “It’s because you didn’t have enough spirit coins, right? You spread your resources among all the other orchids.”

“But—”

“No buts. Little Uncle, you’re just too generous.” Wu Xingyu criticized, “You spread your resources among all the orchids, but you don’t use them to make money and get more resources. Instead, you just let them wither away, turning into low-nutrient fertilizer for the next orchid. Their short lives end up almost meaningless. That’s just dumb and foolish. If orchids could talk, they’d definitely jump up and scold you for trapping them in a pointless existence.”

“…Yes, yes, I was wrong.” Mo Xie was stunned by the harsh criticism, then humbly asked for advice. “So how can I give them value?”

“Sell them, of course.”

“Sell?” Mo Xie’s eyebrow twitched. He suspected his money-grubbing nephew was just trying to trick him into selling his flowers.

Wu Xingyu was unmoved, using his excellent powers of persuasion—er, eloquence—to continue, “Yes, sell them. I’ll take them out and let more people appreciate their beauty. Let countless people fight over them and spend piles of money. That’s their most glorious moment.”

Seeing Mo Xie about to object, Wu Xingyu didn’t give him the chance, and even gave a vivid example. “Orchids are like beautiful slave girls in their prime. If they’re locked away in a courtyard with no one to admire them, they’ll wither in loneliness. They’d much rather stand on the auction stage and see people go crazy for their beauty, throwing money like mad. That’s the peak of their lives.”

Mo Xie couldn’t help but laugh. “And how do you know what they’re thinking?”

Wu Xingyu’s dark eyes were deep. “I once busted a black market auction. Some of the slave girls who hadn’t been put on stage yet told me—they hated that I’d come too soon. They wanted to stand on the auction stage and see people go wild for them, obsessed and crazy.”

For those imprisoned slave girls, their only wish was to have one dazzling moment at the height of their youth—a memory to cherish in their otherwise bleak lives.

It was a strange thought, but also a pitiful one.

Mo Xie looked again at the orchids growing in the greenhouse, blooming unseen and soon to wither, and he felt he could somewhat understand those beautiful slave girls’ feelings.

He couldn’t help but relent. “Alright then.”"