Leisurely Traveler with Check-in System

Chapter 353 - 163: Look at My Painting Skills... [First Update!]

There were two things worth noting this morning when I woke up.

One thing was that Li Younan’s last ascent of Gongga Snow Mountain and his simultaneous rescue of Ding Rui caught the eye of several news media outlets.

Honestly, the incident happened a while ago and suddenly regaining attention is definitely not without reason.

Li Younan also saw online updates from a lawyer regarding the progress of the criminal allegations filed against the influencer Old Xu.

Additionally, several prominent figures commented on this matter, all from the perspectives of the online environment, public opinion, and wrongful accusation self-evidence.

Old Xu tried to make amends and attempted a comeback, but was shot down by netizens into silence.

This incident was certainly stirred up by someone.

Ding Rui is not one to swallow his grievances, and has already stated online that if Old Xu dares to make a comeback, he will destroy his career.

However, Old Xu is currently focused on dealing with court summons, with conclusive evidence against him, facing a tenacious lawyer in pursuit of fame and fortune, making a reversal almost impossible.

Online audiences are watching his downfall, much like they did with Li Younan in the past.

It’s as if time, place, and people all fell apart.

Looking at Old Xu’s current situation, Li Younan is naturally in high spirits.

For such a person, he holds no pity.

...

Half an hour later, Li Younan arrived at the agreed location, and then drove Lu Shihua to the artisan’s house.

While in the car, Lu Shihua occasionally sneaked a glance at Li Younan.

Before this, she had sent messages to many prominent figures online, but so far, only Li Younan responded.

Originally, Li Younan was her lowest priority among the prominent figures she considered, since he is strictly a travel blogger, and the relevance between travel blogging and intangible cultural heritage isn’t particularly strong.

Some bloggers focused on promoting traditional culture were more of a priority.

But unfortunately, perhaps because her collaboration wasn’t commercially driven, she didn’t know whether these prominent figures missed her messages or simply didn’t intend to reply, leaving her somewhat disappointed.

While in the car, Lu Shihua suddenly asked, "Teacher Li, why did you respond to my message?"

"Actually, you don’t need to call me Teacher Li. I’m not much older than you; just call me Brother Li." Li Younan glanced at Lu Shihua and said, "As for why I responded to your message, well, how should I put it? I’m just curious to see what kind of person is doing this work."

Lu Shihua felt a bit surprised and tilted her head, puzzled, "Just for that reason?"

Li Younan nodded.

His answer was still somewhat strange to Lu Shihua.

She was actually also an outstanding young woman during her time in college, often participating in social practices. Whether in teaching support or other volunteer activities, she always did them earnestly. After leaving university, driven by passion, she worked to rescue intangible cultural heritage on the brink of extinction, naturally having interactions with many influential people online in the process.

What can I say...

The process of dealing with these people gradually shattered her romanticized view of online personas.

She started to realize that on the internet, regardless of what kind of persona one projects, the majority are in it for material gain via their public accounts.

And of course, this situation shouldn’t necessarily be viewed with contempt.

Take a network influential person promoting Chinese culture for instance; even though it’s for profit, they indeed promote Chinese culture.

But regardless of how they output content, whether it’s positive or negative, dealing with them requires a different mindset.

When it comes to collaboration, they always consider the benefits.

Some benefit directly in monetary terms, while others may be related to gaining traction.

Due to previous setbacks, when Li Younan calmly expressed this reason, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of absurdity inside.

She recalled the news she read before, where Li Younan nearly risked his own life to save another on Gongga Mountain.

She began to realize that perhaps the world isn’t as bad as she imagined; after all, some people are genuinely pure, like Li Younan sitting beside her.

She couldn’t resist looking at Li Younan a few more times.

About an hour and a half later, the car finally entered a rural path.

With Lu Shihua’s guidance, Li Younan’s car turned into a village in Langzhong.

Langzhong is known for several things, like Langzhong Ancient City and Zhang Fei Beef.

But at the moment, Li Younan didn’t have time to explore the ancient city or taste Zhang Fei Beef.

They quickly arrived at the village Lu Shihua mentioned and met the elderly man she spoke of.

The smell of earth mixed with decaying leaves seeped in through the car window as the road narrowed, finally stopping before a wooden door with a tarnished copper ring. On the lintel were the words "Li Family Bamboo Craft," with red paint remaining only as mottled traces.

Pushing open the door, the bamboo racks in the yard dripped water, and the half-finished fabric dolls were hanging to dry on them.