NFBE Chapter 737 Geniuses are always lonely
Chapter 737 Geniuses are always lonely
Xiaxia was stunned by Lin Bufan's sudden words and serious gaze. She was stunned for a long while before she suddenly came to her senses. Her face showed disbelief, and she hurriedly explained, "Master Lin, you...you mean Brother Kai is a liar? Impossible! Brother Kai is so good to me, how could he..."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Lin Bufan interrupted immediately, rolling his eyes in annoyance. He picked up the carving knife again, turned to face the wood, and his tone returned to its previous casualness: "Did I say your Brother Kai is a liar? Did I name him or mention his surname? Why are you making assumptions? I'm just giving you a legal lesson, a heads-up, and teaching you some common sense! Don't end up getting sold out and still happily helping them count the money!"
He stopped looking at Xiaxia and focused on carving the wood in his hand, which was gradually taking on a human shape, as if his words just now were just a casual remark.
Xiaxia opened her mouth, but looking at Lin Bufan's focused carving back, she swallowed back the words she wanted to say in defense of "Brother Kai." Her brows furrowed slightly, her face showing a mixture of confusion and barely perceptible unease, and she silently sat back down on the small stool. Once again, only the rhythmic rustling of the carving knife against the wood remained in the woodcarving workshop.
Not long after, the old wooden door of the wood carving workshop creaked open again, and Xie Bin, another apprentice of Xie Heshun, strode in with a burst of energy. His face was full of youthful vigor, and he greeted everyone enthusiastically as soon as he entered: "Master Lin! You're here early today! Wow! Such big pieces of wood, Master Lin is going to do a big project today!"
Lin Bufan didn't even look up, focusing on the curved carving in his hands, only letting out a soft "hmm" through his nose as a response.
Xie Bin didn't mind. He moved closer and looked at the outline that was already taking on a human shape and had an elegant posture. His face showed undisguised amazement and admiration, and he immediately started talking: "Master Lin, to be honest, I, Xie Bin, have never admired many people in my life, but you are definitely one of them!" He raised his thumb and said in an exaggerated but sincere tone: "You've only been learning for a few days? This skill, this feeling, let alone Xiaxia and me, even... even my master at his peak, I don't think he could have your skill! You were simply born to carve wood!"
Xie Bin was so engrossed in his conversation that he didn't notice the light at the workshop entrance dimming slightly. A familiar figure with a somber face silently entered—it was Xie Heshun.
Lin Bufan's carving knife didn't stop, but he had already caught sight of the newcomer out of the corner of his eye. A playful smile appeared on his lips, and he deliberately raised his voice to ask, "Xie Bin, aren't you afraid that if you insult Lao Xie in front of me, he'll hear you and make things difficult for you later, or even pick up a carving knife and chase you all over the village?"
"What am I afraid of? I'm just stating the facts!" Xie Bin waved his hand dismissively, even with a hint of smugness. "Besides, Master Lin, what I admire most about you isn't your craftsmanship, but your ability to keep our master completely under your thumb! Before you came, my master's temper was... well, it was explosive! If we had even the slightest disagreement, he'd start fighting and hurling insults at us without hesitation, and he'd really throw punches and shoes at us! But after you came, my master became like a mouse before a cat, completely meek!"
Oh, right! Just like your livestream, Xiaxia and I also tried livestreaming before, thinking we could bring some business to the workshop. And what happened? We hadn't even been livestreaming for two days when my master found out and almost turned the workshop upside down! He scolded us for not focusing on our main job, for being restless, and said we were wasting our skills! He gave us a thorough dressing-down, and we almost smashed the livestreaming equipment…”
Looking at Xie Bin, who was speaking eloquently, Lin Bufan gave him a thumbs up and said, "Young man, you are really brave!"
Xie Heshun, standing behind Xie Bin, had a face as black as the bottom of a pot, his chest began to heave violently, and the veins on the back of his clenched fists bulged out.
Xiaxia, watching from the side, was terrified. She kept giving Xie Bin meaningful glances, and when he didn't react, she whispered, "Binzi... stop talking, please stop talking..."
"Why not say it? I'm going to say it anyway!" Xie Bin was in high spirits and didn't understand Xia Xia's hint at all. Instead, his voice became louder, as if he wanted to completely release himself before he was free: "Anyway, I'm going to work outside in a while, and then I won't have the chance to say it!"
When Xie Heshun heard Xie Bin say he was going out to work, he could no longer contain his anger and roared, "You little brat! What did you just say?! Where are you going?!"
Startled by the thunderous voice, Xie Bin shuddered. He whirled around and met Xie Heshun's fiery eyes, instantly panicking and stammering, "Master...Master...I...I just said it offhand..."
"Just saying it offhand? I think you've been planning this all along!" Xie Heshun's fingers trembled with anger as he pointed at Xie Bin's nose and yelled, "I've taught you this craft for so many years, only for you to learn it and then run away? Huh? The wood carving workshop can't keep you anymore, is it? Is the outside world really that alluring to you?!"
"Master, it's not... I..." Xie Bin tried to cover it up, but couldn't find a suitable excuse, and his face turned red.
"No, no! Get out! Get out of here! Go pack your things now and go wherever you want! I'll pretend I never had a disciple like you!" Xie Heshun got angrier and angrier, and grabbed a thin piece of wood leaning against the wall, as if to hit it.
Seeing that things were going badly, Xie Bin didn't bother to explain anymore. He shouted, "Master, I was wrong! I was really wrong!" and ran away with his head in his hands. He nimbly crawled under the wood that Xie Heshun had raised and stumbled out of the wood carving workshop.
Xie Heshun was furious and refused to give up. Holding the thin piece of wood, he chased after him, cursing, "You little rascal! You dare to run! I'll break your legs today!"
The workshop was instantly left with only Lin Bufan and a worried Xia Xia. Xia Xia stood there helplessly, glancing at the door, then at Lin Bufan, and murmured softly, "Master Lin, what...what should we do..."
Lin Bufan shook his head at the doorway, continued carving, and said calmly, "Just do what we did before, and do it now..."
What did we do before?
Oh—I understand!
Xiaxia went to the workbench and began her carving for the day, no longer worrying about Xie Heshun and Xie Bin!
Upon seeing this, the viewers in the live chat burst into laughter.
"This guy is really reliable; he genuinely doesn't care if something happens!"
"Xiaxia, I misjudged you. I thought you were a dull person, but I didn't expect you to be so clever!"
Xiaxia: Don't let my usual naivety fool you, I'm actually incredibly clever...
……
After a long while, Xie Heshun returned, panting heavily and with a sullen face. He threw the piece of wood that hadn't even touched Xie Bin into the corner with a loud clatter, then plopped down on his own wooden stool, his chest still heaving, clearly still furious.
The workshop was silent except for the soft scratching of the carving knife across the wood. Xiaxia didn't dare to breathe, keeping her head down and pretending to continue working.
"Alright, Lao Xie, getting angry is bad for your health." Lin Bufan deftly turned his carving knife at a nearly finished fold of clothing, bringing down a wisp of extremely fine wood shavings. Without looking up, he spoke, his voice steady amidst the rustling carving sounds: "The children have grown up, their wings have hardened, and they want to fly out of these mountains to see the outside world. That's only natural. We, as their elders, can't stop them."
Xie Heshun grunted and turned his head away, not wanting to respond.
You speak in such an old-fashioned way, like you're some kind of grown-up!
Lin Bufan continued, the blade tracing the grain of the wood: "I know you care about this wood carving workshop, afraid the tradition will die out. But passion and sentiment alone can't fill an empty stomach. We have to be practical. Wood carving is good, it's art, but first and foremost, it has to be a livelihood. Xiaxia and Xie Bin are at the age where they should be starting families and earning money to support them. Seeing their peers earning more and living more fulfilling lives, how can they not have aspirations? They want to go out and try their luck, to earn a tangible income. It's not their fault."
Xie Heshun understood these principles perfectly well. He was just unwilling to accept that the craft he had guarded his whole life, the craft he cherished as his lifeblood, was less valuable than factory work or being a waiter in the eyes of young people. He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumped, and the anger he had felt while chasing Xie Bin seemed to vanish instantly, leaving only deep weariness and desolation.
After a long silence, Xie Heshun suddenly seemed to grasp at a straw, abruptly turning his head. His cloudy eyes stared at Lin Bufan, his tone tinged with resentment and skepticism: "You brat! Didn't you talk a big game before, saying that if we listened to you, the woodcarving workshop would see a turnaround, and woodcarving would become great again? Turnaround? Where's the greatness? I don't see any of that! You're just making empty promises!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Bufan paused in his carving, raised his head, and gave a "you're being unreasonable" look: "Hey, Lao Xie, I don't like hearing that. What do you mean by not seeing a turning point? Haven't you noticed that there are significantly more tourists coming to Yunmiao Village lately? Aren't there more people visiting our wood carving workshop and asking about prices? Have you ever seen this kind of popularity or attention before?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Heshun's worried expression did not fade, and his tone carried an indescribable bitterness and helplessness:
"Tch! What's the use? Yes, there are more people, and it's a bit more lively. But every single one of these people is here for you, Master Lin. They're all circling around you, wanting to buy the things you, Lin Bufan, carve!"
During this period, the popularity brought by Lin Bufan's live broadcast has indeed increased the number of visitors to the wood carving workshop and even Yunmiao Village.
But as Xie Heshun pointed out, these fans and tourists who come specifically for Lin Bufan have a clear goal, and their spending is highly focused on Lin Bufan personally. For apprentices like Xia Xia and Xie Bin, who have not yet completed their apprenticeships and lack fame and a unique style, the reach of this "halo effect," while helpful, is still limited.
Of course, this is also related to many reasons, such as the short time, lack of overall promotion around the wood carving workshop, lack of supporting experience projects, and the fact that Xiaxia and Xie Bin's skills still need to be honed!
Therefore, it is only natural that Xiaxia and Xie Bin would lack the determination to hone their craft for decades if their income did not change significantly.
Lin Bufan didn't intend to break down these analyses and explain them to Xie Heshun. After all, geniuses are always lonely, and he was used to it!
While continuing to carve, Lin Bufan said with extreme confidence, "Old Xie, think long-term. What happened before was just a warm-up, an appetizer! Today is the main course! Once these two masterpieces are finished, just you wait and see, the threshold of our wood carving workshop will be worn down! At that time, even if only one in a thousand or one in ten thousand of the surging crowds are willing to buy some trinkets or practice pieces made by Xiaxia and Xie Bin, it will be enough to feed them well and let them know that they can still make a living by sticking to this craft!"
"Hmph, bragging doesn't cost anything!" Xie Heshun snorted and turned his head away, clearly not believing him. In his opinion, Lin Bufan's cooking skills were undeniable, but his mouth was truly good at convincing people.
Hearing Lin Bufan's grand promises, the live stream became even more lively:
"I'll definitely buy it next time!"
"We must support President Lin! For the revival of traditional culture, I've decided to invest 100 million to acquire all of Xie Bin and Xia Xia's works! If anyone bids higher, I can raise the price! If no one bids higher... then never mind!"
"Actually, a lot of people have been going there recently to buy Mr. Lin's works, but Mr. Lin's works are not for sale at all. If Mr. Lin were willing to sell, with his fame, he could easily make those two little apprentices rich."
"Exactly! President Lin is so selfish! He's like a well-fed man who doesn't know the hunger of an starving man. He doesn't consider others at all! Now that he's famous, he only cares about showing off his skills and doesn't even think about helping his fellow apprentices!"
"If you're hungry, go eat! Do you think you can talk to Mr. Lin like that? He's your father, you think he has to consider your needs in every way?"
"Stop arguing, stop arguing! I just want to ask Mr. Lin if he's selling these two statues? I'll offer 500 million!"
"I'll offer 600 million! Mr. Lin, take a look at me!"
……
Lin Bufan ignored Xie Heshun and didn't bother watching the live stream chat. His gaze returned to the wood in front of him. The carving knife seemed to come alive in his fingertips. Sometimes he would lightly pluck and carve, outlining the gentle curves between the eyebrows; other times he would press down hard, carving out the clean lines of flowing clothes. Wood chips fell like snowflakes, piling up in a thick layer on the ground.
From sunrise to sunset, the only sound in the wood carving workshop was the soft scratching of carving knives against the wood. Lin Bufan barely moved, his gaze fixed on the two gradually taking shape statues, forgetting even to eat lunch.
During Lin Bufan's carving, the wood carving workshop saw a steady stream of tourists, just like in the previous days. Most of them had come after seeing Lin Bufan's live stream. Some were taking pictures with their phones, while others were whispering among themselves, but no one dared to make a loud noise, for fear of disturbing the focused "Master Lin".
They watched as two ordinary pieces of wood were transformed by Lin Bufan into the likenesses of two women in ancient costumes. One had gentle features and a flowing skirt; the other had a lively smile and fluttering clothes as if riding the wind. Their postures were so lifelike that they seemed as if they would step off the wood at any moment, and they couldn't help but marvel.