Shen Qiqi rushed to the town's materials market after a long journey, and immediately saw the greasy-faced material merchant Li, who was lazily sitting behind the counter and eating melon seeds.
She took a deep breath, put on what she thought was the brightest smile on her face, and walked to the counter: "Boss, let me ask, do you have any novel materials, the kind that can make handicrafts look bright and eye-catching?"
Material merchant Li looked her up and down, spitting melon seed shells all over the floor, then he slowly said: "Novel materials? Do you think this is a magic trick? We only have these three old things here, why don't you take a look and pick some?" He pointed to the messy hemp ropes, bamboo strips, and some dull-colored cloth scraps behind him.
Shen Qiqi didn't give up and continued to ask: "Is there anything, for example, that is lighter and has brighter colors? Or, can be made into a special shape?"
Material dealer Li rolled his eyes, his tone filled with disdain. "I say, you little wife, are you crazy? What are you thinking? These things are good enough to be usable, but you're still picky? You still want some special shape? Why don't you just go for it? Stop messing around and go home to take care of the kids!"
Shen Qiqi instantly felt as if her passion had been poured with a basin of cold water. She suppressed her anger, her eyes as cold as ice as she stared at Material Merchant Li.
"I'm telling you, the things in your store will be eliminated sooner or later!"
After saying that, Shen Qiqi left the materials market without looking back, leaving Li the materials merchant in a daze.
She returned to the village with a lot of anger and decided to start with the older generation of craftsmen to see if she could convince them to accept innovation.
She went straight to the handicraft workshop in the village and found the old artist Chen who was weaving bamboo baskets.
"Grandpa Chen, I have an idea that I want to tell you." Shen Qiqi tried to slow down her tone, hoping that the old man would listen.
The old artist Chen put down his work and looked up at her. "What's your idea? What's the next trick you've come up with, girl?"
"I think our handicrafts can be slightly modified and some new elements added. This will attract more people to buy them." Shen Qiqi said while gesturing.
"Nonsense! Nonsense!" When Chen Lao Yiren heard the word "change", his expression changed instantly. He excitedly waved the bamboo strips in his hand, wishing he could hit Shen Qiqi with them.
"How can we change things passed down by our ancestors? This is disrespectful to them! You little girl, all you know is to mess around!"
Shen Qiqi looked at the old artist Chen's angry expression, and her anger rose again. She sighed helplessly, knowing that it would be a waste of effort to say anything more.
"Grandpa Chen, I just feel..."
"I don't think it's bullshit!" Chen Lao Yiren interrupted her directly, pointing at Shen Qiqi's nose, "Just cook your meals and take care of your kids, and stop meddling in other people's business!"
Shen Qiqi opened her mouth, but swallowed back what she wanted to say. She felt like there was a stone blocking her chest, making her feel suffocated.
Why is the road to innovation so difficult?
"Humph, she's just bored and making trouble." At the entrance of the village, Mrs. Lu's voice was sharp and piercing, like a knife stabbing into Shen Qiqi's heart.
Mrs. Lu was like a fighting chicken with chicken blood, spreading rumors in the village that Shen Qiqi was "not doing her job properly" and "a spendthrift". She described it in a vivid and exaggerated way.
Those who didn't know would think that Shen Qiqi had committed some unforgivable crime.
She told everyone she met, spit flying everywhere, with a smug look on her face, as if she wished the whole village knew about Shen Qiqi's "crime".
That face looked like a weasel that had stolen a chicken, so mean and evil.
When Shen Qiqi walked on the road, she could always hear these rumors, buzzing like mosquitoes, disturbing people and making them feel upset.
Her heart felt heavy as if a stone was pressing on it.
Is it wrong for me to want to make life better for the villagers?
A feeling of loneliness spread in her heart, drowning her like a tide.
After returning home, Shen Qiqi locked herself in the room, looking at the "old three things" in her hands that were disliked by Li Material Merchant, with a strong desire to refuse to admit defeat.
She just couldn't believe that these seemingly ordinary materials couldn't be turned into treasures!
She began to delve into the properties of these traditional materials. The slender hemp rope wrapped around her fingertips, and the rough touch brought her new inspiration.
The texture of the bamboo strips presents different lusters under the sun, as if hiding some secrets.
Although those dull-colored pieces of cloth felt rough, they were surprisingly strong and durable.
A bold idea emerged in Shen Qiqi's mind: Since no new materials can be found, why not transform the old materials?
She thought of some modern processing techniques that might be applied to these traditional materials.
The excitement exploded in her heart like a bomb, instantly dispelling the previous haze.
Just do it!
Shen Qiqi began to experiment, dyeing the cloth with plant dyes and trying different weaving methods to give the hemp rope and bamboo strips more diverse shapes.
The room was filled with the fragrance of various plants, mixed with a faint smell of fireworks. The smell was not unpleasant, but made her feel at ease.
Repeated failures did not discourage her, but instead aroused her fighting spirit.
She was like a possessed alchemist, immersed in her own world, researching and experimenting day and night.
At first, the people around her scoffed at her "messy" behavior, but gradually, they were infected by Shen Qiqi's persistence.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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