She had only discarded the flowers away the day before in a moment of impulse. Later, when Mrs. Landis told her that she hadn’t really thrown it away, Iris had been overjoyed.
It was the things that one recovered after losing that they cared about the most.
She grabbed the pajamas next to her, put them on, and walked out of the room barefooted, making a beeline for the greenhouse.
Mrs. Landis was standing next to the pot of flowers. At the sight of her, she panicked at once. "Oh dear, look at you, ma’am..."
She took a pair of slippers and gave them to Iris, who rushed over to the pot of flowers eagerly.
The pungent smell was still there, but the worms on the plant were gone.
Although the flowers still looked lifeless, they weren’t dead.
Mrs. Landis pointed to it. "The worms are really gone. Has the pot of flowers recovered?"
Iris shook her head. She stared at the pot of flowers with a frown and said, "No, not exactly. The worms have indeed been driven away, but the flowers have also been contaminated by the mixture, so they may also wither."
This was the reason why she had refrained from using pesticides even after such a long time.
All pesticides had harmful effects on the flowers. Orchids were simply too delicate!
That was why she had been so hesitant and hadn’t dared to use it all this time. But in the end, a young missy living next door had used it on the flowers instead, sigh!
Mrs. Landis turned the pot of flowers around and examined it. She said, "Ma’am, the flowers look like they are in better condition than before to me, though? Think about it—it also looked terribly lifeless when it was still infested with worms, but it seems alright today? This pot of flowers isn’t as delicate as we imagined after all!"
Mrs. Landis marveled at the sight. "That young missy’s remedy from yesterday surprisingly saved the flowers! Haha, maybe the pot of flowers would have already recovered by now if you had used pesticides on it five days ago! You were just too scared and too distressed about it. That’s why you didn’t dare to do it!"
Iris hesitated for a moment. "Really? But I remember that it was exactly because I used pesticides that a pot of flowers I once had, had died. The flowers became rotten, and even the roots were damaged and couldn’t grow anymore."
Mrs. Landis was in a very good mood. She said, "But that was a different species of flowers. Maybe that pot of flowers just didn’t have enough vitality and life force. This pot of flowers here is chock full of vitality, though!"
Iris also nodded. "Yes, let’s watch over it today!"
The pot of flowers remained half-dead the whole day. Iris watered it regularly and let it bask in the sun. This continued until the third day when the pot of flowers actually survived!
"Ma’am, this pot of orchid is no way near as delicate as you say it is! Look at how hardy it is! It’s still doing fine even though that young missy was spraying vinegar on it that day!"
Mrs. Landis walked around happily in the greenhouse with a spray bottle filled with water. She said, "Actually, maybe these flowers are just like people. It’s easier to keep them alive by letting them grow in the wild instead of cultivating them so carefully!"
Iris felt that her words had some truth to them.
She went one round in the greenhouse but suddenly stopped in front of a pot of dark purple chrysanthemums. She pushed the soil aside and inspected it carefully, upon which she was shocked. "Mrs. Landis! This pot of flowers has been infected!"
Mrs. Landis walked over at once when she heard her. Sure enough, she spotted a few small black worms crawling around on the chrysanthemum buds. However, it seemed like it had only just been infected, so they weren’t many.
However, the worms must have already laid eggs on the flowers, so it was impossible to remove them all without the use of pesticides.
Mrs. Landis suggested, "Why don’t we also give it a go, Ma’am?"
Iris wondered out loud. "But I clearly remember that the flowers I used pesticides on in the past had died!"
Mrs. Landis pointed at the pot of A Glimpse of Blood and said, "I remember you said that this pot of flowers is an exceptionally delicate type. Since even it can recover, this pot of chrysanthemums will definitely recover, too!"
Iris looked at the pot of A Glimpse of Blood that had returned to standing straight and glowing with vigor. At last, she sighed and said, "Alright."
She took out the pesticide she had bought, diluted it, and sprayed it gently on the chrysanthemum buds. The little worms fled all about as if they had just met with their natural enemy.
Unfortunately, they fell onto the leaves after inching away just a couple of steps, unable to move anymore.
Mrs. Landis exclaimed in approval, "Isn’t the insecticide much better than the vinegar she used? And there isn’t much of a smell, either. Vinegar simply smells too strong! And it’s sour, too. Take a look at this instead—the pesticide has already killed off the worms so soundlessly..."
Iris was rather worried, though. "Surely nothing will go wrong, right?"
She felt rather uneasy.
Mrs. Landis laughed and said, "Even the young missy next door can cure a pot of flowers so easily, let alone you, Ma’am. Have a little confidence in yourself!"
She looked at the dark purple chrysanthemums. When she saw how they didn’t seem like they were affected, she breathed a sigh of relief. She placed the infected pot of chrysanthemums outside and kept it away from the other flowers. It should be fine after doing that.
With that in mind, Iris went back into the house.
However, when Iris woke up the next day and went to check on the pot of chrysanthemums, she was stunned!
The pot of chrysanthemums had actually wilted!
Additionally, the flower that she had specifically sprayed with pesticide the day before was already half-rotten! Not only was it drooping, but its petals had also fallen off, and it looked half-dead.
Mrs. Landis was also stunned at the sight. "H-how can this be?"
Iris panicked. "What should I do?"
Mrs. Landis was perplexed. "This shouldn’t be, though. Ma’am, that young missy easily saved your pot of A Glimpse of Blood just by messing around a little. Why did this pot of flowers turn out instead?"
As soon as she said that, Iris’s head whipped up abruptly. "Perhaps... that young missy wasn’t just messing around?"
Mrs. Landis was taken aback. "What do you mean by that, Ma’am?"
Iris stood up straight. Her big beautiful eyes were full of shock and astoundment. She replied, "It means that young missy is actually a master orchid breeder! Come on, Mrs. Landis! Let’s go next door and ask for advice!"
The two went next door, but even after knocking on the door for a long time, no one opened the door.
Mrs. Landis panicked. "Why isn’t she opening the door? Surely she lives here, right?"
Iris took a deep breath. "Call the property management office and ask for her number."
Meanwhile, Tanya was on a stroll with Nora and Pete outside.
Tanya was very smug as she looked at the scenery in the villa complex. "Isn’t the place big, Pete?"
Pete replied, "... It’s okay, I guess. It’s about the same size as my garden."
"... Do you also have a stream in your garden?" asked Tanya.
Pete nodded. "Yeah. There’s also a pond that draws water from the hot springs, so it’s possible to grow lotus flowers in there even in winter!"
Pete let out a sigh. "Even though I’m already five and I jog in the manor every day, I still haven’t gone a full round around the manor."
Tanya was rendered speechless with envy. "Stop. Don’t humblebrag anymore."
She waved and said, "Let’s go. We’ll drive straight to the villa. God-mom has her own home now, Pete! I’ll be living here in the future!"
The group arrived at Tanya’s villa. As soon as the car stopped, Mrs. Landis ran over, grabbed Nora’s hand, and said, "Miss, help!"