frightfiction Chapter 731 Solution
Chapter 731 Solution
Xie Heshun became increasingly agitated as he spoke, holding Lin Bufan's hand and rambling on and on. He recounted the past glory of wood carving and its current decline, from his apprentices' lack of understanding to his own worries and reluctance to part with the craft, from his anger at their departure to his eventual understanding. At the most emotional moments, the old man's eyes reddened, his voice choked with emotion, and finally, succumbing to the effects of the alcohol, his head lolled to the side, and he fell into a deep sleep on the table, emitting soft snores.
Before anyone knew it, a group of people had quietly gathered at the kitchen door and outside the window of the courtyard—Xu Hongdou, Chen Nanxing, Nana, Hu Youyu, Ma Qiushan, and even Da Mai stood timidly a little further away, clearly attracted by the commotion.
Seeing that Xie Heshun was drunk, the group quietly entered.
Looking at Master Xie, who was slumped over the table with graying temples, Nana felt a pang of pity and sighed softly, "Master Xie... has had a tough time too. He's dedicated his whole life to this craft, and it must be heartbreaking to see it slowly fading away."
Chen Nanxing nodded in agreement, his eyes filled with sympathy: "Yes, he seems so pitiful... like an old swallow guarding an empty nest, hoping that the baby swallows will come back, but the baby swallows have all flown away."
“You can’t say that.” Xu Hongdou shook her head, her tone rational and calm: “Those apprentices also need to make a living and support their families. Nowadays, fewer people appreciate wood carving, and the market is smaller. Passion and love alone can’t fill their stomachs. It’s only natural that they choose to go out and work to earn more money and improve their lives. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
While fiddling with the peanuts on the table, Hu Youyu chimed in, "Hongdou is right. These days, you can't get anywhere without money. I see that business at Master Xie's woodcarving workshop is indeed slow. It's unrealistic to keep young people stuck here for their entire lives, earning meager incomes. It's perfectly understandable for them to go out and explore, broaden their horizons, and seek better opportunities."
Da Mai, who had been timidly hiding behind Nana, now quietly voiced a different opinion. Though her voice was soft, it carried a hint of insistence: "Master Xie, isn't this... a kind of deception? Using such a false signal of prosperity to retain those apprentices, isn't that... a bit wrong?"
Ma Qiushan stood at the kitchen doorway, slowly turning his prayer beads. His gaze swept over the drunken Xie Heshun, then over the arguing crowd. He spoke slowly and calmly: "In this vast world, everyone has their own suffering and their own attachments. Master Xie cannot let go of the weight of inheritance, the craftsmanship that has permeated his life; the apprentices cannot let go of the pressure of making a living, the weight of reality. It's hard to distinguish right from wrong; it's all due to their perspectives. Forcing things to stay is shallow, forcing things to go is exhausted. Letting nature take its course may be the way to liberation."
Immediately afterwards, everyone began to discuss how to solve the wood carving workshop's predicament, ranging from market principles to upholding passion, from practical pressures to cultural inheritance. They offered many ideas, one after another.
Some suggested promoting the carving online and livestreaming it; others recommended developing cultural and creative products that better suit modern aesthetics; still others suggested collaborating with the government to apply for intangible cultural heritage protection...
However, every proposed solution was quickly found to have its difficulties or infeasibility by others. It was either due to a lack of sustained investment, slow results, or unsuitability for a traditional craftsman like Master Xie.
After much discussion and going around in circles, no one could come up with a practical and effective solution that everyone agreed was feasible.
Just as the atmosphere was getting a bit somber and everyone was frowning, Chen Nanxing turned his head and found that Lin Bufan had somehow moved a small stool to sit in the corner, with a small dish of peanuts in front of him, eating them with relish. His eyes were bright and sparkling, and there was a hint of amusement on his lips. He looked completely detached and enjoying watching the show.
Chen Nanxing was immediately furious and shoved Lin Bufan: "Hey! Lin Bufan! We're all here running around in circles, and you're just here watching the show, aren't you? Look at that sly smile of yours, do you have some kind of trick up your sleeve? If you do, just say it!"
Lin Bufan was pushed and swayed slightly, but he calmly tossed the last peanut into his mouth, patted the crumbs off his hands, and then slowly stood up. He cleared his throat, and his face instantly put on a smug expression that said, "You finally got to the point."
"A solution? Of course there must be one! Not only must there be one, but it must be a fundamental solution!" Lin Bufan straightened his back, put his hands on his hips, and swept his gaze over everyone present, finally landing on the drunken Master Xie. His tone was resolute and brimming with confidence: "What you just mentioned, like online promotion and cultural and creative products, are all too slow! Too ordinary! They only treat the symptoms, not the root cause! If we want to revive the art of wood carving, restore its glory, and even surpass its historical achievements, what is the key?"
He paused deliberately, basking in the curious gazes of the crowd, before suddenly waving his hand and raising his voice: "It's all thanks to the celebrity effect! The top-tier celebrity effect! Think about it, how many industries and products in history have taken off and become popular throughout the country, even influencing future generations for hundreds of years, simply because of the favor of a top celebrity!"
Lin Bufan became more and more excited as he spoke, and began to gesticulate wildly as he gave examples:
"Let's not talk about anything too far back, just take Cuju (ancient Chinese football) for example! Why was it so popular during the Song Dynasty? Everyone loved it! It was all because of Gao Qiu, the Grand Commandant! He earned his official position through playing Cuju; he was a top star of his time, the GOAT of Cuju! With him promoting it, oh no, with him leading the way, how could Cuju not be popular? But what happened later? After he left, wow, Chinese football... oh no, I mean Chinese Cuju, it just disappeared for so many years? I'd say more than eight hundred years! That's the influence of a top celebrity!"
Take lychees, for example! Why did the saying "A thousand miles of dust rise before the imperial concubine's smile" come about? It's all because Yang Guifei loved them! She was the epitome of a top celebrity at the time, a fashion icon! Her fondness for lychees caused their price to skyrocket, prompting them to be rushed over from afar, sparing no expense or labor! That's the power of top celebrities to drive sales!
And then there's... well... yes, calligraphy! Wang Xizhi wrote the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion," and with that title of "Sage of Calligraphy," how many people have imitated him? How many have idolized him? It directly established the status of running script! If he had gone to sell pork back then, I reckon his pork could have sold for the price of gold, and he could have even created a school of Wang-style knife-cutting techniques!
Lin Bufan spoke with great enthusiasm, his eyes shining, as if he could already see the bright future of the wood carving industry: "So! The key to the problem is that we lack a top celebrity like me, with huge influence and extraordinary charm, to lead the trend!"
wait for me!
Once I've mastered Master Xie's exquisite wood carving skills, and combined them with my own artistic cultivation and unique insights, I'll carve a few astonishing, unprecedented works! Then, I'll showcase and promote them, leveraging my own fame and connections…”
Lin Bufan spread his arms wide, making a gesture of embracing the world, his tone filled with boundless anticipation: "Just you wait and see! By then, the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will be lining up to invite my works for exhibition! Top international fashion brands will be begging to collaborate with me, incorporating wood carving elements into their designs! The world's wealthy and collectors will be willing to spend a fortune for a single wood carving I personally crafted! Wood carving will no longer be a craft of remote mountain villages, but a darling of the global art world! A symbol of status and taste!"
By then, Master Xie's woodcarving workshop will be so popular that the doorstep will be worn down! Want to become an apprentice? You'll have to go through layers of selection, harder than passing the civil service exam! Salary? Won't it start at over ten thousand yuan a month? And the year-end bonus will be plentiful! Yunmiao Village will directly rely on the woodcarving industry to become a nationally and even world-renowned art village and tourist destination! A tenfold or twentyfold increase in GDP will be a piece of cake!
Lin Bufan took a deep breath and delivered his final concluding remarks, his tone firm and powerful, as if announcing an inevitable fact: "Therefore, the key to saving the wood carving industry and making it great again lies in one person—that is, me, Lin Bufan! Once I master it and become famous, it will be difficult for this industry not to flourish! This is what is meant by 'one person attains enlightenment, and all their relatives and friends benefit'! No! It should be 'one person becomes famous, and the industry is revived'!"
After Lin Bufan finished speaking passionately, he put his hands on his hips, tilted his head slightly, and wore an expectant smile that seemed to say, "Come and worship me!" He waited to see everyone be amazed by his "grand plan" and then step forward to express their admiration and support.
However, what he was met with was an eerie silence.
The people in the kitchen—Xu Hongdou, Chen Nanxing, Nana, Hu Youyu, Ma Qiushan, and even Da Mai—just exchanged a silent glance, their eyes conveying a tacit understanding.
Then, Hu Youyu yawned loudly, stretched, and stood up: "Oh dear, what time is it? I was so busy listening to the story that I'm sleepy. I have to go to the bar to try out my new song tomorrow, so I have to go back to sleep."
Nana immediately chimed in, standing up as well, and tugged at Da Mai beside her: "Yeah, it's too late. The restaurant needs to get supplies early tomorrow morning, so we have to get up early. Da Mai, let's go back too."
Xu Hongdou gently patted Chen Nanxing's shoulder, her tone gentle yet authoritative: "Nanxing, let's go back and rest. We'll talk again tomorrow."
Chen Nanxing glanced at Lin Bufan, who looked completely bewildered, and then at the crowd who were all getting up. Although he found it a little funny, he obediently stood up as well: "Oh... okay."
Ma Qiushan remained silent, only shaking his head inscrutably, as if he had seen through something, or as if he had seen nothing at all. He twirled his prayer beads, turned around, and drifted away with incredibly steady steps.
In the blink of an eye, the kitchen, which had been surrounded by people, became empty, leaving only Lin Bufan standing there and Xie Heshun, who was still fast asleep on the table.
A cool evening breeze blew by, ruffling Lin Bufan's slightly disheveled hair.
His smile froze, and he craned his neck, watching the disappearing figures of the crowd, his eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief.
"Wait... Hey? You guys... you're leaving already?" Lin Bufan instinctively called out towards the empty doorway, his voice sounding somewhat abrupt in the quiet kitchen: "Hey! Come back! Don't go! You... you guys should at least say something, right? Hey!"
The only response he received was the faint chirping of insects outside the window and Xie Heshun's even snoring.
Lin Bufan opened his mouth, looked at the suddenly empty surroundings, and then looked down at Xie Heshun, who was drunk and unconscious. The expectation on his face completely collapsed, replaced by a sense of frustration and bewilderment at the failure of his plan.
"What's going on... Wasn't my brilliant argument brilliant? Shouldn't it have been met with thunderous applause?" he muttered under his breath, kicking the small stool beside him in frustration.
Frustrated as he was, there was an even bigger problem ahead – what to do with this drunk Master Xie?
He didn't even know where Xie Heshun lived!
Lin Bufan tried to nudge Xie Heshun: "Master Xie? Master Xie? Wake up, it's time to go home!"
The only response he received was even louder snoring.
Lin Bufan sighed helplessly, walked around the kitchen with his hands on his hips for a couple of minutes, and finally resignedly took out his phone: "Fine, I still have to find our village heartthrob, Little Sun."
He dialed Xie Zhiyao's number, briefly explained the situation, and Xie Zhiyao arrived shortly after. Seeing his uncle slumped over the table, he was both amused and exasperated. He thanked Lin Bufan, then expertly helped Xie Heshun up and left the courtyard.
……
The next morning, at Chen Nanxing's prompt urging, Lin Bufan finally arrived at the wood carving workshop on time.
Sunlight streamed through the wooden windowpane, making the wood shavings in the air seem to glow. Xie Heshun was already there, sanding a piece of wood, but his gaze was somewhat unfocused, and his movements were slower than usual. Seeing Lin Bufan enter, a fleeting, almost imperceptible embarrassment crossed his face. He paused, coughed lightly, and mumbled a greeting, "You're here?"
The two young apprentices were also standing to the side, secretly glancing at Lin Bufan with curiosity and a hint of watching the show.
Lin Bufan seemed completely oblivious to the subtle atmosphere, a bright smile playing on his lips. He walked over in a few steps, naturally reaching out to put his arm around Xie Heshun's shoulder, the gesture as intimate as that of longtime friends.
"Old Xie! Good morning!" Lin Bufan's voice was loud and clear, with undisguised familiarity: "You're in good spirits! Looks like you slept well last night?"
Xie Heshun froze, startled by the sudden arm around his shoulder. He nearly dropped the carving knife, and his embarrassment deepened. He stammered, "It's...it's alright..."
"Not bad, not bad!" Lin Bufan patted his shoulder hard, then leaned closer, lowered his voice, and gave him a knowing smile: "Old Xie, do you remember what happened last night?"