Not only do the viewers think this way, but even the show’s guests are thinking the same!
Seeing it through a screen is far less shocking than witnessing it with your own eyes.
Everyone was awed by the deep-rooted traditional craftsmanship.
But the most shocked of all were Zhu Rui, Ji He, and Yuan Xingyao, who already knew Shi Dingbo could weave by hand.
When they stayed at Shi Dingbo’s house before, the things he showed them weren’t these!
At the time, he had only displayed some simple handmade everyday items!
They never imagined that he would have such hidden depths!
At the same time, it suddenly served as a wake-up call for the guests.
What they see might not be all there is, and they should not underestimate any villager in the village.
But soon after, the guests felt conflicted.
The show had said there were three intangible cultural heritage inheritors in the village, and now... the three master craftsmen in front of them are undoubtedly such inheritors.
Is the director releasing the correct answer in advance?
With thoughtful expressions, the guests pondered.
But evidently, the show had no intention to clarify, and after bringing everyone together, Shen Zha left them with the words "study well" and then retreated behind the scenes.
In front of the camera, the guests couldn’t remain distracted for long.
They knew what was actually most important for them.
The final reward, although lavish, seemed too distant.
It was better to film the show properly, become familiar faces to the audience, and try to gather some goodwill.
This was an unedited live stream, with viewers watching closely, and good deeds might not be praised, but any missteps would surely be criticized!
Jiang Ning and Lou Yingyan stayed at Mo Tiantian’s house.
Even Lou Yingyan, the last guest to arrive, had heard of this Granny Mo, notorious outside the village.
His personality is good, and as a doctor, he’s helped villagers treat minor ailments like shoulder aches and back pains, and the villagers liked him and were willing to share gossip, including tales about Granny Mo.
Seeing Lou Yingyan and Jiang Ning end up at Granny Mo’s place, many villagers looked at them sympathetically, seeming to already believe the two youngsters would suffer in the coming day.
Lou Yingyan quietly prepared himself mentally.
Following the show’s arrangement, Granny Mo gave them a brief introduction to the silk weaving process and then started teaching them the basics of selecting and boiling silkworm cocoons.
Lou Yingyan and Jiang Ning had never been exposed to silk weaving before, and occasionally voiced their questions during help.
Unexpectedly, Granny Mo, who always seemed stern and hard to approach, answered their questions earnestly, repeating explanations until both utterly understood.
No perfunctory responses and no impatience whatsoever.
In a short period, Lou Yingyan got some understanding.
Granny Mo wasn’t as terrifying as the rumors suggested, but rather someone deeply passionate about silk weaving.
Perhaps it’s a solitary lifestyle for too long, resulting in a somewhat isolated character, not so adept with social interactions.
An unsophisticated, spiritually rich old woman.
Before they knew it, Lou Yingyan and Jiang Ning had been busy at Granny Mo’s house all day.
The other guests were equally busy at Shi Dingbo’s and Shi Lin’s houses throughout the day.
Initially believing that rainy weather might make indoor live streaming dull and lengthy, they found instead that the learning time passed quickly amid the hustle and was over before they realized, leaving them slightly unsatisfied.
Many viewers unknowingly stayed in the live stream for hours.
[Ahhhhh! I declare! Today is, since watching this show, the most interesting day!]
[It’s my first time knowing that silk production is so complex, no wonder silk products are so expensive!]
[Seeing the silk products at Grandma Mo’s house, I’m really tempted! Previously I was an ignoramus, to think those patterns weren’t nice, how shameless of me!]
[Damn, I never resented wealth before, but now I’m genuinely envious. Do rich people really wear such fabric? Ahhhh, so jealous!]
[Watching Jiang Ning and Guo Yongyan boil cocoons was fun too, still can’t grasp how these tiny cocoons transform into threads and then into various woven items, amazing! The first person to discover silk was surely a genius!]
[I feel like I was possessed by a monkey today, jumping around all the live streams, wanting to see each guest’s sessions, what the three master craftsmen taught was so interesting]
[Hahaha, who isn’t! Today was really an eye-opener. I’m a bit envious and a bit in awe of these people who have been quietly persisting with traditional crafts...]
[I’ve actually stayed in Zhu Rui’s livestream for more than an hour? Listening to the old man talk about his performances everywhere when he was young is so interesting! Feels like he could write an autobiography!]
[Me too! I’ve been listening to the old man talk about his performances in the countryside when he was young! I’m so engrossed, it feels like those days are right in front of me]
[Wuuu, I really want to see his shadow puppet play! I wonder if the show will broadcast it again tomorrow, please, let the old man perform!]
[Yun Lu’s livestream is also very interesting! Watching Uncle Shi making those bamboo products with bamboo, it’s really unbelievably surprising!]
[I’ve seen the news, a rich person online has already said they want to buy that square bamboo lamp from Uncle Shi, offering 2 million, ready to pay instantly as long as the uncle is willing to sell it]
[Damn! I really wanna compete with you rich people!]
That night, Shen Zha and the behind-the-scenes staff reviewed today’s livestream data, and found that although the number of viewers today was less than usual, the retention rate and average viewing time were several times higher than usual.
"Director Shen, how should we arrange tomorrow’s livestream?" A team leader asked.
"Today’s livestream content, judging by the audience’s feedback, seems to be quite satisfactory." The assistant director said while touching his chin.
"Continue with today’s grouping and livestream mode tomorrow." Shen Zha seemed to be prepared already. He pulled out a sheet of A4 paper filled with writing from his pocket and said to everyone, "Let’s pause our current work and have a brief meeting."
A good night’s sleep.
The next day, it continued to rain in Sanwan Village.
Both the audience and the guests were quite pleased to see this.
Sure enough, right after breakfast, they received a notification from the production team to continue going to the homes of the three masters for learning, according to the grouping drawn by the guests yesterday.
The guests were satisfied, and the audience was happy too.
The production team looked at the steadily increasing data and secretly rejoiced as well.
Only a small group of fans who discreetly shipped Jiang Ning and Lou Yingyan felt their hearts shatter upon hearing the news before they could even establish a topic.
Because in the past two days of Jiang Ning and Lou Yingyan’s livestream, although they were in the same group, they had no extra interactions apart from some necessary intersections, which was completely unlike the sweet, ambiguous glances they imagined!
The fans hadn’t united yet, and the main couple was already a bust.
As if Lou Yingyan’s special attention to Jiang Ning those days was just an illusion created by the netizens.
Like a small stone falling into a silent lake, stirring up ripples, but quickly restoring the usual calm.
Director Shen gathered all the guests at the village chief’s house, and under everyone’s watchful eyes, Shen Zha pulled out eight cards from his pocket: "Just like last time, draw a card to decide the destination."
"Huh? Reshuffle the groups?" Hao Meng was the first to wail: "No, please!"
She looked pleadingly at Shen Zha: "Director Shen, I’ve been shaving bamboo at Uncle Shi’s place for two days, and he finally agreed to teach me how to make the bamboo jointed man today. I haven’t learned it yet!"
The other guests also nodded quickly with expressions of shared sympathy, echoing Hao Meng’s sentiments.
"Director Shen, I feel like I’ve learned pretty well these past two days, let’s not change the groups."
"I promised Uncle Shi yesterday that I’d go learn a simple shadow puppet from him today. Director Shen, surely you wouldn’t make me go back on my word?"
It’s not just intangible cultural heritage; any skill isn’t learned just for fun.
For the past two days, everyone has mostly been doing odd jobs, not even reaching the entry-level.
If they were to switch now, it’s better to keep learning with the original mentors.
Everyone is currently quite interested in what they’re learning.
The viewers in front of the screens also pointed fingers at the production team’s arrangement, not agreeing with Shen Zha’s approach.
Everyone has witnessed how hard the guests have worked these past two days.
It’s not just the guests who haven’t finished learning; the viewers are also watching with great interest, so what? Are they gonna start all over again?
Shen Zha looked at everyone’s reactions and smiled, "Let’s draw first."
Judging by his attitude, there was clearly no room for negotiation.
The guests sighed, having no choice but to follow the production team’s arrangements and step forward to draw lots one by one.
Before drawing lots, Hao Meng took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and wished to draw Shi Dingbo so she could continue learning the bamboo jointed man.
But when she turned her card, she was instantly dumbfounded upon seeing the words on it.