1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 249 Applying for Intangible Cultural Heritage Status: Senior and Junior Brothers and Sisters Working Together
"Grandma knows what she's doing, no need for all that trouble. She's been through so many years, it's nothing."

Like most elderly people her age, Grandma Hu is reluctant to seek medical treatment, not wanting to trouble her children.

Lin Xiyu knew exactly what was going on, and then smiled and advised, "How about this, let Gu Bin accompany you to the hospital tomorrow to get an X-ray and have some IV drips for a few days."

"no, I'm fine."

Grandma Hu waved her hand, not wanting to linger any longer: "Grandma is really fine, don't bother Xiaobin, you should rest too, Grandma will be leaving now."

"I see you off"

Lin Xiyu lifted her leg and got out of bed.

"Don't come out, Grandma can go out by herself."

Grandma Hu hurriedly stopped her and walked away with small, quick steps.

Lin Xiyu heard two muffled coughs through the curtain, and her right eyelid twitched involuntarily a few times.

"Gu Bin."

Unable to contain her alarm, she still chased after him out of the room.

"what happened?"

Gu Bin was about to take Grandma Hu home when he heard his wife calling him, so he turned around and came back.

"You should try to persuade Grandma Hu."

Lin Xiyu looked worried: "I told her she absolutely had to go to the hospital for an X-ray. The sound of her cough seemed to be coming from her lungs. I told her not to delay any longer and to go see a doctor as soon as possible."

"Okay, I understand."

Gu Bin patted her shoulder reassuringly, signaling her not to worry.

"You absolutely must let her go!"

Lin Xiyu, still not entirely reassured, repeated herself.

"I'll go with her myself, okay?"

Gu Bin dotes on his wife and is always there for her.

As it turned out, Lin Xiyu's premonition was correct. After Gu Bin's earnest persuasion, Grandma Hu finally agreed to go to the hospital for a check-up.

The result was heartbreaking: the doctor diagnosed it as late-stage lung cancer, and if treatment was abandoned, it would not last more than six months.

-

"How could this be?"

Lin Xiyu nearly collapsed upon hearing the devastating news: "Grandma Hu was such a good person, why would she get cancer?"

Grandma Hu is getting old.

Fearing that his wife's excessive grief would affect the children, Gu Bin tried his best to persuade her, saying, "Even if you don't get cancer, it will happen sooner or later."

"That's different."

Lin Xiyu still couldn't accept the cruel reality: "Now is the crucial time to apply for intangible cultural heritage status. With Grandma Hu's illness, isn't there no hope?"

"Grandma Hu is sick, but you're still here, aren't you?"

Gu Bin patiently persuaded him, then reached out and pulled the person into his arms.

"I can't do it"

Lin Xiyu's eyes showed fear: "I panicked when Grandma Hu wasn't around. I can't imagine facing such pressure all by myself."

You are not alone.

Gu Bin was as reliable as ever. His wise mind worked at lightning speed, and he reacted immediately, giving reasonable advice: "Aren't there some junior brothers and sisters? They are all Grandma Hu's apprentices. They have benefited from her teachings, and now it is time for them to repay her kindness."

"Junior brother, junior sister?"

Lin Xiyu's eyes lit up after his reminder: "Those ten apprentices that Grandma Hu personally taught at the Children's Palace back then?"

"Yes, it's them."

Gu Bin nodded: "Are you still in contact with them?"

Yes, there are.

Lin Xiyu looked conflicted: "However, many of them have already been admitted to universities and gone to other places. Very few have stayed in Jinan."

"Count as many as you have."

Gu Bin gently patted her back, expressing his support with his actions: "I can help you too. Let's work together and try, no, we must help Grandma Hu fulfill her wish before she passes away."

"You, you?"

Lin Xiyu looked up in surprise, staring at him with a somewhat bewildered expression.

"Have you forgotten?"

Gu Bin raised her eyebrows: "My husband owns a game company and has many computer design and drawing experts under him."

"I was stupid."

Lin Xiyu's eyes lit up, revealing a look of joy: "I should have thought of these things a long time ago, instead of foolishly drawing with my hands."

"Grandma Hu is in good health, so I don't care that you've forgotten."

Gu Bin's eyes were full of affection: "I'm truly happy for you that you have something you like, something that you find meaningful, and something you're willing to work hard for."

"Nothing"

Having reached the emotional threshold, he paused and then said, "Right now, the most important thing for me is you and the babies. We can't afford to be careless at all. So I've decided that no matter what my wife thinks, I won't let you worry about it. I'll take care of everything from now on. Give me your phone number, and I'll contact your junior colleagues. As for Grandma Hu, I'll arrange for her to be hospitalized as soon as possible for further treatment."

"I have no opinion."

Lin Xiyu's eyes were filled with emotion as she leaned against him, saying, "I just want to say one thing: it's so good to have you here."

Gu Bin's lips curled up slightly, and he used a little force to hug the person even tighter.

-

Ten years ago, while filming the documentary "Spring Water Family", Grandma Hu personally selected ten talented teenagers from the Children's Palace to be her personal disciples and teach them paper-cutting skills.

Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. The apprentices from back then have all grown up. Some went to university, some went out to work, and for various reasons they have scattered all over the country.

To this day, only three people remain in Jinan.

Two men and one woman: 23-year-old Li Ang, 21-year-old Wang Lei, and 19-year-old Zhang Jie.

Wang Lei and Zhang Jie are both college students, studying at universities in their hometowns.

Li Ang went to a technical school and after graduation, he worked odd jobs, including as a sales clerk in a supermarket.

Gu Bin made the contact, and the three of them readily agreed. The next evening, they came to the old house to discuss helping Grandma Hu apply for intangible cultural heritage status.

"Look, this is the pattern I designed."

Lin Xiyu took out a section of the long scroll she had drawn earlier and showed it to her junior brothers and sisters.

"A Jinan version of 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'?"

"This idea is brilliant!"

"It's even more perfect than we imagined."

The three junior students praised the painting highly and looked at her with admiration.

Lin Xiyu smiled modestly: "This was Grandma Hu's idea; I was just writing it on her behalf."

"Such an intricate pattern couldn't have been cut with scissors, could it? It must have been carved with a knife?"

Li Ang is a bit older and knows more about paper cutting than his two junior classmates.

"Yes."

Lin Xiyu gave him an appreciative look: "Knife carving is also a technique of paper cutting. Grandma Hu also said that carving this long scroll requires solid knife skills."

"I'm fine with scissors."

Li Ang was a little discouraged: "His knife skills are mediocre, so I guess he won't be of much help."

I can give it a try.

Wang Lei volunteered: "I liked carving when Grandma Hu was teaching me, and I haven't given up these past few years. I often carve a few pieces when I have nothing to do, but I can't reach her level of skill." "That's enough."

Lin Xiyu was pleasantly surprised: "Grandma Hu will still be responsible for the most important part of the scroll; we'll just be assisting."

Zhang Jie asked with concern, "Can Grandma Hu's body hold up?"

"Hard to say"

Lin Xiyu shook her head sadly.

"Ugh."

Zhang Jie sighed, her eyes reddening.

"If all else fails, the few of us will have to step in."

Wang Lei encouraged his two senior and junior female classmates: "At worst, we'll just have to use a few more sheets of paper. If one month isn't enough, we can try two months, and if two months aren't enough, we can try a year. As long as we persevere, we'll succeed sooner or later."

"Even Grandma Hu might not be able to hold on until then."

Zhang Jie glared at him with red eyes.

"Uh."

Wang Lei choked, gave two awkward laughs, and then fell silent.

Lei Zi is right.

Lin Xiyu affirmed: "What we need to do now, besides drawing, is to practice carving techniques. We must step up when it matters and help Grandma Hu fulfill her wish before she passes away."

"it is good."

Her three junior brothers and sisters were moved by her words and agreed in unison.

When will our city of JN be able to apply for intangible cultural heritage status?

Zhang Jie was still very worried about Grandma Hu's health.

"do not know"

Wang Lei shook his head.

Where can I find out about this?

Li Ang was also puzzled.

I have a suggestion.

Gu Bin, who had been listening in the room, chimed in at the right moment: "Our old Jinan has a lot of unique folk culture, such as dough figurines, clay sculptures, stilt walking, shadow puppetry, Shandong storytelling, etc., all of which have the potential to be listed as intangible cultural heritage. You can contact other veteran craftsmen and cooperate with each other to form a folk art organization to apply for intangible cultural heritage status together. This way, you can get more information and have a greater chance of success."

"That's a great idea!"

Wang Lei's eyes lit up, and he smiled and chimed in, "That's exactly what I was thinking. I was just about to say that, but Brother Bin beat me to it."

"Stop trying to make yourself look good."

Zhang Jie rolled her eyes at him and scolded with a smile, "You should practice your knife skills properly. Don't just talk the talk but walk the walk, or you'll mess things up when it matters."

"no problem"

Wang Lei was full of enthusiasm: "I'm about to graduate, and once I submit my thesis, I won't have to go to school anymore. I can come to Sister Xiyu's house every day to help her. As long as she doesn't mind me and gives me a meal, that's enough."

"I can't do it"

Zhang Jie was a little annoyed: "I'm only a freshman, and I still have to attend classes, so I'm only free on weekends."

"Leave the visiting of other veteran craftsmen to me."

Li Ang felt that his description wouldn't be of much help, so he took the initiative to take on the task of contacting someone: "I know the old town well, so finding someone won't be difficult."

"It would be best if you could step in."

Lin Xiyu was overjoyed.

Be polite when you meet them.

Wang Lei said with a smile, "First, introduce yourself and make it clear that you are Grandma Hu's apprentice. Most of the older generation of craftsmen know Grandma Hu, and out of respect for her, they won't easily blame you for coming to bother them and kick you out."

Li Ang rolled his eyes: "I went to tell them the good news, why are you chasing me away?"

"You're even a harbinger of good news!"

Zhang Jie chuckled and teased, "The application for intangible cultural heritage status is still far from being finalized, what good news are you reporting?"

I think it's better if you're mentally prepared beforehand.

Gu Bin kindly advised: "Applying for intangible cultural heritage status is not an easy thing. We want to cooperate, but others may not think the same way. They may even feel that there is competition between us and have some resistance in their hearts, so they don't want to pay attention to us."

"No way"

Li Ang didn't believe in superstitions and didn't take his words to heart.

In fact, he regretted it not long afterward.

As Gu Bin predicted, some people were resistant and not so willing to cooperate with them.

After being repeatedly turned down at the home of an old craftsman, he was disheartened and lost the confidence to try his luck elsewhere.

In the end, it was Gu Bin who stepped in to negotiate and persuaded the other party to cooperate.

Together with other veteran artisans, they established a non-governmental organization—the JN City Mass Art Museum—which is spontaneously formed by artisans with unique Jinan folk culture characteristics.

-

Grandma Hu was delighted and donated several of her carefully cut-out works free of charge for display in the art gallery.

With the help of her three junior brothers and sisters, Lin Xiyu was no longer as flustered and helpless as before. She regained her confidence and began designing patterns.

Wang Lei assisted her in drawing the design on the scroll by hand.

After being persuaded by Gu Bin, Grandma Hu accepted his financial assistance and was hospitalized for treatment.

The first chemotherapy session went well, and when her other apprentices heard the news, they all called to offer their congratulations. Grandma Hu was very pleased, as everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

-

In early July, Wang Fan and Li Qing's wedding was held as scheduled.

Contrary to my cousin's expectations, there was no dramatic or sensational story of a runaway bride or provocative behavior. Instead, it was rather bland and almost boring.

After the couple went through the motions of the ceremony, Wang Fan sent his lover to the United States that very evening.

Zou Yan was smart and understood that she had to avoid confrontation with Li Qing before she had absolute certainty.

Wang Fan was very pleased with her well-behaved and sensible nature. He bought her a luxury house in the United States and left her a large sum of money that would allow her and her son to live a very comfortable life.

Li Qing was not unaware of Zou Yan's whereabouts; however, she did not take a mistress who had started as a secretary seriously, believing that she posed no threat to her.

Her arrogance and carelessness sowed the seeds for future lawsuits and disputes over family property.

-

The feuds and intrigues within the Grand Mansion have absolutely nothing to do with Lin Xiyu.

Pregnancy with quadruplets is not easy. After four months, her belly swelled up like a balloon, and she became noticeably bloated and heavier.

My body is too heavy, making it difficult to walk and sleep. I need help to turn over, and someone has to support my belly to turn over, otherwise I feel very uncomfortable.

Gu Bin took great care of his wife, never daring to slack off for a moment. Whenever his wife made the slightest movement while he was sleeping, he would immediately open his eyes and shower her with concern.

His wife gained weight during her pregnancy, while he visibly lost weight.

Five months into her pregnancy, Lin Xiyu was no longer able to continue drawing and had to hand the task over entirely to her junior apprentice.

Wang Lei did not disappoint his senior's expectations. After discarding hundreds of drawings, he finally completed the final hand-drawn design at the end of July.

Grandma Hu knew in her heart that her time was running out, but during her hospitalization, she still insisted on personally cutting and carving, using her carving knife to pour her life's blood into the work stroke by stroke.

Liu Ang and his two junior classmates took turns staying with her in the hospital and helping her.

Lin Xiyu would occasionally visit the hospital, but most of the time she was too weak to do so and had to follow the doctor's advice to rest in bed.

The days passed in a mixture of torment and anticipation. Finally, when the woman was seven months pregnant, the doctor recommended a cesarean section, and the couple were finally relieved.

On September 17, 2005, Lin Xiyu successfully gave birth to quadruplets at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital.