Although there was a minor hiccup during the livestream, Sheng Juanhua continued broadcasting.
She livestreamed every Wednesday and Friday afternoon.
Sheng Juanhua and her husband ran this shop together. Although the rent was incredibly cheap compared to other shops of the same kind, the couple was still anxious. Living in the city required money at every turn - eating, drinking, and even going to the bathroom all cost money. They had to pay rent for the house and the shop, and cover living expenses for the two of them, not to mention their child who was still in school. They couldn't just spend money without earning any.
However, the sales at this shop were not very good. Compared to the past when Su Youfu carried a shoulder pole to sell his wares, the business was doing much better and charging higher prices. But after deducting utility bills, labor costs, and rent, there was hardly any net profit left. This kind of life where money gets spent before you even open your eyes was truly stressful for farmers.
The couple had ventured out, and they were unwilling to return without any achievements.
Su Youfu was a simple and hardworking man who was skilled at bamboo weaving. He toiled relentlessly, wishing he didn't have to sleep at night. But it was no use making products that wouldn't sell. So Sheng Juanhua took it upon herself to boost sales.
There weren't many people in Lvshan City, so offline sales were limited. She first tried setting up a Taobao shop, but Taobao was already a very mature platform by then. New small shops had no exposure and were useless. As for those recommended spots, they were exorbitantly expensive, costing even more than the shop rent.
Sheng Juanhua pondered and explored the Taobao site every day, clicking on every button to familiarize herself. That's when she discovered livestreaming - people could livestream just about anything, from cooking to fishing, drinking tea to stone cracking, selling jade to selling clothes. As long as it wasn't illegal, pretty much any niche livestream could find an audience.
She watched and watched, often spending an entire afternoon engrossed in the livestreams without realizing it.
Then she had an idea - since handmade items were always the most expensive, and her husband's craft had even been selected as an intangible cultural heritage item, why not livestream his skills? She could do the talking while Su Youfu did the actual weaving.
Since no one would see them, she had nothing to be embarrassed about.
Sheng Juanhua was a woman of strong execution. Once she decided to do something, she did it.
After some trial and error, she learned that she needed a ring light to brighten up the camera for a better look.
From the initial struggle with only over a hundred viewers, she now had over three thousand. Many viewers didn't buy anything but still tuned in regularly, saying it was stress-relieving to watch bamboo strips gradually transform into objects.
In any case, livestreaming was going quite well. Each session garnered at least ten orders, enough to keep them busy for the week.
This was the scene that Xiao Qi happened to witness.
Sheng Juanhua greeted the livestream viewers warmly, calling for likes, follows, and promising a giveaway if the like count reached twenty thousand.
Apparently, more likes meant higher exposure.
Many viewers were regulars who camped in this livestream channel. Based on their viewing times and purchases of "flower" virtual gifts, some were labeled as iron fans, diamond fans, devoted fans, and so on, while newcomers were considered new fans.
Seeing that her parents were about to livestream, Xiao Qi decided not to disturb them. Instead, she sat nearby, logged into her Taobao account through her phone, searched for "Su's Bamboo Weaving Museum," and entered the livestream room.
Through the phone screen, she could see her father's hands swiftly moving, forming the frame of a horse figurine.
She heard her mother's voice coming from the phone, welcoming "Lost Afternoon" to the livestream.
Xiao Qi was startled - that was her own username, randomly chosen and never changed.
"New fan, please follow the host. There are gifts for followers," her mother said.
Xiao Qi tapped the follow button.
Then she sent a smiley face emoticon. The comment section showed she was "New Fan 1: Lost Afternoon, smiley face."
Sheng Juanhua would read out all the comments, answering any questions or simply repeating the comments to encourage engagement.
Xiao Qi had never experienced livestreaming before and found it incredibly fascinating.
At that moment, there weren't many customers, and Xiao Qi noticed that people were actually buying products in the livestream room, and they weren't just shills.
Her mother would alternate between focusing the camera on her father's bamboo weaving process, then pick up the finished pieces one by one to introduce them.
Whenever a viewer made a purchase, Sheng Juanhua would repeat the product introduction.
Xiao Qi acted as a little assistant, helping to hand over the items.
She saw how busy her mother was - simultaneously livestreaming product introductions, monitoring the backend for new purchases, and handling customer service all by herself.
Xiao Qi felt that she had changed a lot, but when she returned home, she realized that her parents had changed even more.
The simple farmer couple she remembered had transformed into articulate livestream hosts, cooperating seamlessly. Sometimes, even her father would chime in a few words. They never showed their faces until the very end of the livestream when they bid farewell to the viewers. Only then would they briefly reveal their faces. The audience kept clamoring to see the host's daughter, but Sheng Juanhua simply smiled and panned the camera toward Xiao Qi before cheerfully logging off, ignoring the stream of comments.
That evening, since their daughter was home, Sheng Juanhua and Su Youfu wanted to eat out.
The family of three went to the Lvshan Restaurant.
It was an old-established restaurant in Lvshan City, once considered the largest.
Many new restaurants had opened in recent years, causing the Lvshan Restaurant to decline. But for many Lvshan residents, dining at the Lvshan Restaurant was still a grand affair, worth mentioning ten times over.
Xiao Qi had expected her changed parents to be utterly astonished, but it turned out she was the one who was astonished.
It was hard to imagine her parents walking arm in arm so naturally.
Her mother wore a red dress with khaki leather shoes, while her father donned traditional Chinese attire. Although his foot was still lame, causing him to limp noticeably, he carried himself with confidence.
Moreover, Sheng Juanhua had attractive features. In the past, it was just her rustic dressing that made her seem unsophisticated. But now that she had found a suitable style, she instantly transformed into an elegant beauty. At first glance, one would assume that this lame man must be wealthy.
Xiao Qi was overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear.
She felt that her parents were amazing, far exceeding her expectations. They had simply lacked opportunities in the past. Given even a slight chance, their transformation was astounding.
The family of three ordered two vegetable dishes, one meat dish, a soup, and a swan-shaped lychee pastry for dessert.
Watching her mother order with such poise, while her father smiled sheepishly - he hadn't changed much, but his clothes were clean and crisp, and his face had a healthy glow. Previously, he had rarely dressed so well except for New Year's, since working in the fields would quickly soil his clothes.
Unlike before, when people mocked his limp and he could only respond with an embarrassed grin, his smiles now seemed more natural.
Xiao Qi realized that her father's sheepish grin was a self-defense mechanism, a way to deflect mockery when he felt powerless to retaliate.
The three of them cleaned their plates, still hearty eaters.
This scene of the family dining at a restaurant was something Xiao Qi had only dreamed of. Yet, she felt that her mother's cooking tasted even better, as the restaurant food was too greasy.
"Mom and Dad, you both have a day off each week, right? Why don't you go for a health checkup together on that day?" Xiao Qi suggested.
The museum was closed every Monday, so they didn't need to open the shop. But they had never considered going for a checkup, thinking it would be a waste of money.
"No need. I'm in good health. Maybe you and your dad should go instead," Sheng Juanhua initially wanted to suggest just Xiao Qi going, but Su Youfu's leg did tend to ache with weather changes, so it might be good for him to get checked as well now that they could afford it.
"I don't need to. You and the kid should go," Su Youfu quickly added.
Xiao Qi: ...
"Next Monday, we'll all go. No arguing." Xiao Qi decisively put an end to the discussion.
Su Youfu and Sheng Juanhua, the married couple, nodded obediently, not knowing why. For some reason, the way their daughter spoke just now reminded them of the leaders at the Cultural Palace, and she seemed rather intimidating. The couple felt a little startled.
