Shen Qiqi rolled up her sleeves and said angrily: "Let's go! Let's go meet this old stubborn!" Lu Qing chuckled behind her, his eyes full of doting. This little hot pepper is really not afraid of anything.

The two walked side by side, an invisible tacit understanding flowing between them.

The yard of Mr. Zhang's house was quiet, with only a few old hens pacing slowly.

Shen Qiqi went forward and knocked on the door. Dong, Dong, Dong, the knocking sound echoed in the silent courtyard, as if knocking on the door in the old artist's heart.

The door creaked open, and the weather-beaten face of old artist Zhang was full of displeasure.

"What are you doing here?" His tone was stiff, like a hard stone to chew.

"Mr. Zhang, we came here to talk to you about shadow puppetry." Shen Qiqi had a smile on her face and a gentle tone, like the warm sunshine in spring, trying to melt the ice.

"There's nothing to talk about! My skills will never be passed on to anyone else!" The old artist said in a decisive tone, and tried to close the door with a slam.

Shen Qiqi was quick to move and pushed the door open. The smile on her face remained, but her tone was a little more serious: "Mr. Zhang, you are closing the country to the outside world! The things of our ancestors are not meant to be hidden, they must be carried forward!"

When the old artist heard this, his beard stood up in anger: "Carry forward and develop it? You young people, you just mess around! You've changed our ancestors' things beyond recognition!"

Shen Qiqi was not annoyed, and continued to smile: "Mr. Zhang, the times are advancing, and we have to keep up with the trend, right? The things of our ancestors are good, but they can't remain unchanged! We are innovating on the basis of inheritance, so that more people can understand and like shadow puppetry!"

"Innovation? Humph, I think it's nonsense!" The old artist blew his beard and glared, looking unyielding.

Shen Qiqi took a deep breath, knowing that a head-on confrontation wouldn't work, so she slowed down her tone: "Mr. Zhang, don't worry, we won't do anything rash. We just want to..." She paused, her eyes flickering, her tone carrying a hint of mystery, "Choose the best..."

Shen Qiqi paused, her eyes flickering, her tone carrying a hint of mystery, "Select the best and most dedicated young people to study, and respect all your rules, and never mess around!" Her eyes were sincere, her tone sincere, as if the overflowing emotions in her heart were about to pour out.

Lu Qing also joined in: "Mr. Zhang, don't worry, we all really want to learn shadow puppetry and will definitely not let you down." A warm current of trust rose in his heart.

A breeze blew by, ruffling the strands of hair on Shen Qiqi's forehead.

Lu Qing reached out gently and tucked her hair behind her ears.

Shen Qiqi looked up and met his loving eyes, a sweet feeling welling up in her heart.

When the old artist Zhang saw this scene, a hint of relaxation seemed to appear on his originally tense face.

A trace of thoughtful emotion rose in his heart. This young couple is really sincere...

Seeing that the old artist was wavering, Shen Qiqi struck while the iron was hot: "Mr. Zhang, do you think this is okay? You can teach us some basics first, and if we don't do well, you can stop at any time."

Old Artist Zhang stroked his beard and looked back and forth between the two men, as if weighing the pros and cons.

"This..." He pondered for a moment, still a little hesitant, worried that these young people would not have patience and would fish for three days and dry the net for two days.

He frowned and finally did not agree.

Seeing this, Shen Qiqi thought to herself that this was not good. It seemed that this old stubborn man was really a tough nut to crack!

Her eyes rolled, a plan came to mind, and she reached into her pocket and took out a piece...

Old artist Zhang frowned, as if he was looking at two tough bones to chew, and worry was swirling in the wrinkles on his face.

Seeing this, Shen Qiqi thought to herself, "This is tricky," but her signature smile was still on her face, and her eyes were shining with a gleam of unwillingness to admit defeat.

She cleared her throat and said in a steady tone: "Mr. Zhang, you are worried that we don't have patience, right? How about this, you teach us some basics first, such as how to manipulate shadow puppets and how to sing, and we will take it step by step and proceed step by step. Do you think this will work?" She blinked her big eyes like a cunning little fox, trying to soften the old stubborn heart.

Lu Qing nodded silently beside him. His eyes fell on her gently, and a warm feeling surged in his heart.

Old Artist Zhang still said nothing, but his brows furrowed even more tightly, as if he was trying to compete with himself.

Shen Qiqi was not in a hurry. She suddenly changed the subject and began to talk about the successful cases of cultural heritage in other places. The vivid description made it seem as if she were there in person.

What about the Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival, what about young people falling in love with traditional opera, what about ancient skills being revitalized? The talk was so exaggerated that the old artist Zhang was stunned.

She spoke until her mouth was dry, her heart overflowing with excitement, and her cheeks flushed slightly, like a burning flame, full of enthusiasm and vitality.

Lu Qing looked at her talking incessantly, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and a feeling of relief rose in his heart.

He knew that she would be able to impress the veteran artist.

Old Artist Zhang listened intently, the wrinkles on his face seemed to relax a little, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his cloudy eyes.

He pursed his cracked lips and seemed a little shaken.

At this moment, Shen Qiqi suddenly took something out of her pocket. It was a...

"This..." Old Artist Zhang exclaimed, stretched out his hand, his voice trembling, his face full of disbelief.

What Shen Qiqi took out was actually a piece of exquisitely crafted shadow puppet!

The lifelike shadow puppet was exactly the most proud work of the old artist Zhang when he was young. It depicted a heroic young general with a spear in his hand flashing with cold light, as if he would jump out of the shadow puppet in the next second and gallop across the battlefield.

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