The days of growing flowers are not as wonderful as you imagine. If this hits home, raise your hand.

Today is the first day of the National Day holiday. I bet a lot of you are stuck in traffic on the road. As a flower-growing enthusiast whose wallet isn't exactly plump, this long holiday is perfect for staying in the garden and getting work done. At night I'll scroll through Moments and take a little tour of the whole country. Today is our motherland's birthday, so let's all have some fun together with the days of growing flowers!

I once thought that growing flowers was like this, flitting like a little fairy through a garden that blooms in all four seasons.

(Some images excerpted from Ms. Yang Liping)

Or else, holding a favorite book and sitting quietly in the garden, listening to birdsong and breathing in the fragrance of flowers.

Gathering a few good friends for a beautiful floral afternoon tea.

Or else, in your spare time, pruning the flowers you love and watching them bloom and fade!

It seems that everything, absolutely everything, is a kind of beautiful enjoyment.

But in fact, most of the time, this is what we look like:

Endless branches to trim. If you want a garden to stay beautiful, you have to put in a huge amount of time pruning, fertilizing and spraying.

If you're not paying attention, bugs turn up inside the flower centers too. Besides being beautiful, flowers come with plenty of bugs.

Before the old wound heals, a new one appears, a proper case of "stir-fried shredded meat."

Not to mention the flower casualties caused by pests and diseases, which can only be summed up in two words: "heartache."

Only with effort is there reward. When you see the whole garden in full bloom, you feel again that it was all worth it. National Day, time for a little venting. Wishing all you flower lovers a pleasant trip!