Chapter 251: It’s On the Way

Chapter 251: Chapter 251: It’s On the Way

Live-streaming sales seemed like a good idea.

The live-streaming economy was booming all over the country. For a place the size of the small-town food factory, if they could make live-streaming a success, saving the nearly bankrupt factory would be a piece of cake.

Hadn’t the factory’s management thought of this method?

Of course, they had.

Unfortunately, the number of people live-streaming to sell products on major platforms every day was like a vast ocean. A small food factory like theirs, with nothing to make it stand out, was like a forgotten speck of moss, completely unnoticed by anyone.

Of course, now they had the traffic from "Cubs" and might be able to pull off a marketing push.

But this marketing would only reach the variety show’s audience.

Once the show ended, what would become of the food factory?

So, Master Xu’s approach wasn’t wrong.

Ultimately, to revitalize the factory, the product itself was the core competitive advantage.

And his attempt to improve the buckwheat crisp recipe was the most effective method.

Assuming Master Xu could succeed.

The problem, however, was that Master Xu was older. He hadn’t studied anything new in many years, his way of thinking had become rigid, and he found it difficult to innovate.

"...I actually know why I failed. When I was young, I apprenticed under a great master. Once I learned everything he knew, I thought I was invincible. I won a lot of awards and got so full of myself I didn’t even know who I was anymore. I had no desire to learn or improve. But times change too fast. I don’t know when it happened, but I got left far behind. And there I was, still feeling smug. I really deserve to end up like this... I had it coming."

Master Xu’s heartfelt words left everyone feeling a little melancholic.

Previously, when Nan Zhi had looked at Master Xu, he had seemed to be a man in his forties, in the prime of his middle-aged life and full of vigor.

But now, it was as if all the air had gone out of him, and he had aged twenty years in an instant.

Even Nan Yi and the other two Cubs, who didn’t fully understand, were affected by the atmosphere around him.

They all fell silent, quietly watching the man who seemed to be shrouded in the twilight of his years.

So how could the audience not be moved?

[SOB SOB SOB, this is so sad. Isn’t there something we can do?]

[Master Xu, please open an online store! We’ll all buy from you! We’ll buy you out on the spot!]

[Since Master Xu hasn’t done it, he must have his reasons. I just read someone’s analysis, it was pretty good, it’s in the comment section.]

[Sigh, old artisans like Master Xu are really in a pitiful situation. Times are changing too fast, and the public doesn’t pay enough attention to them.]

[That’s so ridiculous it’s making me laugh. Master Xu himself said he fell behind because he was too stubborn to learn. And here you are, blaming society again!]

[I agree. Don’t always blame external factors. Master Xu is reflecting on his own problems, why can’t we learn from that? This should be a wake-up call.]

[Master Xu’s words were a real eye-opener. It reminds me of how, when I was a kid, I loved the snacks sold by weight at those old-fashioned pastry shops. I don’t know when it started, but the traditional pastry shops you used to see everywhere became fewer and fewer, until they were completely replaced by cake shops and French patisseries...]

[That reminds me of an article I read the day before yesterday, criticizing how backwards traditional pastries are compared to Western ones. Calling them greasy, a mix of sugar and oil, unhealthy to eat... It makes me so mad! I guess they just can’t see the lethal amounts of sugar that go into those Western desserts, huh?]

[Is this the first time you’ve encountered people like that? They think anything foreign is better!]

...

Nan Zhi listened quietly, her thoughts unreadable.

But at this crucial moment, Nan Zhi didn’t rush to speak her mind, choosing to hold back instead.

She merely offered a word of comfort:

"Things will get better."

To some, Nan Zhi’s words might have sounded aloof and detached.

But they couldn’t force Nan Zhi to do anything.

They could only silently suppress their dissatisfaction.

A meal that had started out so pleasantly had become somber by the end.

As they prepared to head back to the village, Fu Chao found the atmosphere too heavy and decided to pause the live stream for now.

’It’s just travel from here on out anyway, nothing particularly interesting to film,’ he thought.

He forced a smile and waved goodbye to the audience. The moment the camera turned off, Fu Chao’s shoulders slumped.

"How about... we go buy some Chinese pastries? I think I remember a couple of shops on this street?"

The more Fu Chao thought about it, the better the idea seemed. He continued,

"I didn’t get to spend the money I’d set aside to treat everyone, so it’s perfect for this! We should buy a lot and hand them out back at the village. Ah, crap, we should have just bought some from Master Xu just now! Should we turn back and find him?"

All fired up, Fu Chao was about to turn around.

Nan Zhi stopped him with a helpless sigh, pointing up at the sky.

"It’s getting dark."

At first, Fu Chao didn’t get it.

A few long seconds passed before he exclaimed,

"Oh no! There won’t be any buses back!"

Nan Zhi glanced at the powered-off camera.

She said, as if to herself,

"The production team probably won’t let us hitchhike, so we can find someone else, right?"

Fu Chao was completely baffled.

Until Nan Zhi suddenly made a call and said to the person on the other end,

"I see you. Can we catch a ride back with you?"

The person on the other end must have agreed, as Nan Zhi quickly hung up.

Fu Chao, still out of the loop, asked dazedly,

"Is it one of the villagers? We can get a ride? That’s great!"

"A villager? I suppose so."

Nan Zhi replied enigmatically.

Fu Chao was a bit dazed.

But soon, he had his answer.

The black SUV that slowly pulled up and stopped was the best answer he could have asked for.

Fu Chao’s eyes widened.

"H-How is it him!"

Lu Shixu pushed open the car door, walked over, and nodded at them with perfect composure.

"What a coincidence. Need a ride back?"

Nan Zhi crossed her arms, a faint, teasing smile on her lips, not exposing Lu Shixu’s ruse.

Fu Chao rolled his eyes so hard they nearly left his head.

In the end, however, Nan Zhi, Fu Chao, and the Cubs still got into Lu Shixu’s car.

Fu Chao, moving with surprising agility, yanked open the door and scrambled into the passenger seat.

He was even a step faster than Lu Shixu, the driver himself.

As for his motive...

The way Fu Chao was glaring at Lu Shixu’s every move said it all.

Lu Shixu paid him little mind, instead helping Nan Zhi get the Cubs into the car one by one.

Faced with this intimidating, unfamiliar "uncle," Qi Zhang was a bit reserved.

Qing Xi had met Lu Shixu before and wasn’t as scared, but he still refused Lu Shixu’s help, dutifully choosing to climb in by himself.

When it was Nan Yi’s turn, he was shorter than both Qi Zhang and Qing Xi, so climbing in by himself would be a struggle.

Nan Zhi stepped forward to help, naturally assuming that Nan Yi wouldn’t want too much contact with Lu Shixu.

Lu Shixu thought the same and automatically took half a step back.