The blooming monarch

Spring came early this year. As we entered March, the breeze and sunshine for the past few days have opened up various flowers in the flower garden downstairs.

One day, when I was watering the plants on the balcony, I noticed that several flower bones suddenly emerged from the monarchs that had been growing for 5 years, and they were surrounded by 12 green leaves, like babies in swaddling clothes, sleeping in silence and quietly looking forward to the moment of delivery. I was so excited that my years of hard work were finally coming to fruition.

The actual 12 tiny flower bones gradually burst out of the green leaves, showing themselves brightly in the sunlight, I began to count the days, looking forward to the day of flowering. 5 days later, 6 flower bones stand out, red and full. 8 days later, the middle one is the first to bloom, like a beautiful crown of laurel, dignified and elegant. 9 days later, another 5 buds bloom one after another. 12 days later, the remaining 6 The remaining six buds all opened brilliantly, like a fairy, graceful, pavilion, a small balcony decorated with spring.

Twelve green leaves surrounded by 12 flowers, which means that the 12 months of the year have a complete cycle. The first thing I thought of was to tell Mr. Zhang, who gave me the monarch orchid, the good news.

One summer evening 5 years ago, I was walking in the community downstairs and happened to see Mr. Zhang, a retired middle school teacher on the 5th floor, tending to more than 10 pots of monarchs in the community's flower garden. Most of these monarchs have tiny leaves and only five or six pieces, as if they were seedlings that had just grown up and were verdant. I like monarch orchids very much, a friend once praised it as "not dyed in the dust, your self-respect. A friend once praised it, saying, "It is a gentleman's degree of virtue and virtue. It is a humble gentleman among flowers, extremely spiritual, and has the symbolic meaning of good luck, happiness, and beauty.

I took the liberty to ask Mr. Zhang for it: "Mr. Zhang, can you send me a pot of Junzi orchid, I will take it back and plant it myself."

Mr. Zhang pondered a little and readily agreed. He gave me a pot with six leaves: "Pay attention to watering and don't wilt. If you encounter leaf spot disease, make sure to fertilize in time and prescribe the right medicine."

After several years, the leaves of the orchid grew to 9, during which the rhizome of one leaf withered and I had to cut it off. I didn't expect that a few days later, another new green leaf emerged from the root system. I was happy to keep watering. Soon, two more new leaves sprouted. Now there are 12 leaves, each thick and smooth, like jasper, upright like a sword, a vibrant life.

Last year, I went away for a month or so for summer vacation, and when I came back, I saw that the leaves of the monarch were wilted and yellow and dying. I hurriedly let the dry soil soaked with water, and then gently poured water on the leaves. Within a few days, the orchid was alive again, and every leaf was lush and green.

At the beginning of February this year, I went downstairs for a stroll and saw Ms. Zhang tending to the flowers in the flower garden again. I saw only one pot of monarchs and a few new pots of violets. "Why are all those monarchs gone?" I wondered. Mr. Zhang said blandly, "They were given to the neighbors upstairs and downstairs. During the epidemic, we can't go out, so it's good to raise flowers at home.

After my family's monarchs bloomed, I looked for Mr. Zhang several times, but I never found him. One day, I went downstairs and met Master Chen of the property management, who told me that Mr. Zhang had gone back home to Guizhou at the end of February. He brought the last pot of Junzi orchids he planted 5 years ago to the small school where he taught when he was young, saying that the Junzi orchids would definitely bloom this year and he wanted the children to be happy in front of the blooming Junzi orchids!

I can only ask the spring breeze to bring the happy news of monarchs blooming to the small school deep in the mountains of Guizhou: Mr. Zhang, the monarchs you sent me have survived 5 years of cold winters and hot summers, and have kept their unyielding, tough and noble nature to bloom proudly in March, which is the flower of spring.