By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 97 Li Younan's Carving Knife [6.5 thousand words]

Although Li Younan's rural home renovation video series doesn't have a very high viewership yet, it has already caught the attention of some companies' marketing teams.

Because Li Younan doesn't check his private messages much, and his profile also has WeChat contacts for business collaborations, he's received quite a few friend requests on WeChat lately.

After a busy day, he slowly took out his phone to check the messages when he got home.

First of all, Li Younan completely ignored those greetings like "Are you there? Are you there?". How should I put it... it was so unprofessional.

People who ask "Are you there?" are either inexperienced newbies or people with poor communication skills. They are simply inefficient and a waste of time, and you probably won't get any good results from communicating with them.

Although it's a stereotype, it makes sense.

In contrast, those who directly state their needs and specific requests when greeting others give a more professional impression.

At the very least, when adding someone as a friend, saying "I'm from [Company Name]" will give them a more professional impression.

Li Younan compiled a list of the dozen or so partners who had recently added him. He added advertisements as requested by some of them, noting that these ads significantly reduced the video viewing experience, while the corresponding compensation was not very high.

The vast majority of partners quoted prices within the range of 5000 yuan, a figure based on the number of Li Younan's fans.

Although he has now amassed 20 followers, when taking on commercial orders, this number of followers typically only earns him a few thousand yuan per order. While a few thousand yuan is already quite good for the average self-media creator, consistently working and securing a few orders a month could lead to an income of tens of thousands, placing him among the high-income earners.

However, Li Younan also knew that his situation was different from that of other streamers of the same caliber.

Because each of his videos gets a high number of likes, this is also his bargaining power.

His thinking was that if adding ads would degrade the video viewing experience, then spending several thousand yuan was definitely not an option, as it involved the long-term development of his account.

After careful selection, Li Younan has only chosen three commercial promotions for the time being.

One is a second-hand recycling website that's like a stubborn skin disease, and the other is a second-hand car trading website.

The requirements for these two promotions are not high; they only need to read an advertisement for about ten seconds in the video. After Li Younan negotiated, the price for these two commercial deals was raised to 7000 yuan each, which is very high for a streamer of his caliber.

There is another order, which, although the unit price is lower, also has lower requirements; it is for a certain beverage brand.

Its only requirement was that their brand of electrolyte drink appear in the video for at least 20 seconds, without having to deliberately read the advertising slogan, which was very friendly to Li Younan.

It can be seamlessly integrated into videos!

The company will be busy for a while, and Li Younan may need to hire some workers to help out. He needs sponsorship from a beverage company, which readily provided dozens of cases of electrolyte drinks to the address Li Younan gave him.

The price for this order is between 2000 and 5000 yuan per video, depending on the number of views, and long-term cooperation is possible.

Li Younan's idea was to collaborate with this electrolyte drink on the entire video series, but he demanded 5000 to 1 yuan for the last video in the series, because according to Brother Long, the last video would get the most views.

The other party did not immediately refuse, but said that they needed to think about it.

Li Younan's current problem is that he doesn't have much energy to deal with business matters.

When I sent JK Long the video again that night, I mentioned this incident, since I needed to include the advertisement when editing the video.

JK Long scoffed and said, "What kind of ads are these? They're low-class, and the pay is too low."

According to the contract with JK Long, he should receive a percentage of this revenue.

Li Younan thought leisurely, "I thought they were creatures untouched by worldly affairs, but I didn't expect them to still care about profits."

If ads are to be added, JK Long will definitely know, since he's the one who edits the videos.

However, Li Younan realized a bug: the business cooperation was negotiated with him, the price was determined by him, and the final profit would be directly transferred to him by the partner. In other words, Brother Long could only know that there was a business cooperation agreement, but the specific price was entirely determined by his verbal statement... It all depended on his word.

For example, if a company gives you 1 yuan, but you tell Brother Long it's only 1000 yuan, Brother Long won't be able to verify it.

After thinking for a moment, Li Younan honestly explained the situation to JK Long.

JK Dragon was silent for a while before saying, "So?"

Li Younan gently scratched his bangs and typed: "You'd better think of a win-win solution. Or how about this: I'll scan a copy of the contract I sign every time I take on an advertising job and send it to you."

After sending the message to JK Long, Li Younan saw that the other party was in a "typing" state, but after a while, he sent a message: "No need."

Li Younan looked at these three words and found them somewhat amusing.

How could he be so at ease with a complete stranger?
Thinking about this, Li Younan even felt a little ashamed, because he couldn't trust JK Long 100%.

But then JK Long added, "However, the business orders you've taken are too low-quality. How about this, I'll help you with the business cooperation and get you some higher-quality commercial promotions."

Li Younan raised an eyebrow slightly, because Brother Long had not yet demonstrated this talent.

Li Younan hesitated for a moment.

Seemingly aware of Li Younan's concerns, JK Long added, "It's too passive of you to keep waiting for business partners to add you on WeChat. How about this, I'll take the initiative to contact some high-quality partners. Anyway, you'll still be the one signing the contract. If you don't think it's suitable, just reject it."

Upon seeing this, Li Younan realized that this way he could completely avoid his own risks; it was essentially the business broker model.

Li Younan thought for a moment and then asked, "So, what do you think is a suitable percentage for this part?"

JK Long's phone went to "typing" again. After a long while, he finally sent a message: "Is it okay if the video editing and the agent take 10% of the commission?"

Looking at this number, Li Younan fell into deep thought and speechlessness for a moment.

Of course, it's not because the number is too high; on the contrary, the number is outrageously low.

First of all, one thing is certain: Brother Long is not an MCN agency, but a completely independent individual. If he is handling business and economic affairs, he will be directly dealing with himself and the brands.

Li Younan had also looked up these agents online; their commission rates were very high, ranging from 20% to 30%.

At the same time, JK Long is also his own video packaging designer. Combined, his commission should be at least 30%!

Li Younan typed a few words tremblingly: "Brother Long, are you doing charity work?"

JK Long said coldly, "Do you think I'm after the money?"

Li Younan couldn't help but ask, "So what exactly are you after?"

JK Long said irritably, "Why do you have so many questions? Why are you being so indecisive? If you agree, then do it; if you don't, then forget it."

Li Younan naturally disagreed, feeling that it would be too much of a loss for Brother Long.

This time, Li Younan hardened his stance: "It's too little, I won't agree. If you don't want to do it, then forget it!"

Li Younan's sudden assertiveness left JK Long speechless.

After a long silence, JK Long sent two words, seemingly in a fit of exasperation: "Idiot."

In the end, an agreement was reached. Jk Dragon's commission for video editing will remain the same, while commercial orders will be calculated separately for each successful order. With Li Younan's consent, the commission rate will vary depending on the amount, but will not exceed 20%.

Sometimes Li Younan couldn't help but wonder, could JK Dragon be...?

But I'm not like that. Could I be a little girl in his eyes?

After tidying up all this messy work, Li Younan was exhausted and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.

Chengdu, in a corner of a room.

The girl slowly closed her laptop, walked leisurely to the bed, and turned off the light.

The room was plunged into darkness.

Just then, someone gently knocked on the door.

The girl responded softly, and the door opened a crack.

She found the light coming through the crack a little too bright, and her breathing became a little rapid.

A hand gently reached in, placed a glass of milk on the table by the door, and whispered, "Don't forget to drink your milk."

If Li Younan were here, he would immediately recognize that the voice was the same magnetic voice that had dubbed his videos several times.

The girl responded again, then suddenly added, "I've started a new collaboration with him."

The person outside the door was stunned for a moment. "What?"

The girl wrapped herself tightly in the blanket and said, "He needs an agent..."

The person outside the door remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh: "I understand... You really know how to cause me trouble."

The door was gently closed, and the room was plunged into darkness once again.

……

As time went by, Li Younan became more and more skilled in rural reconstruction work.

As building materials were delivered piece by piece, the entire project progressed steadily, both quickly and well.

After completing the water and electricity renovations, Li Younan built a wall between the kitchen and living room in the main room, effectively separating them.

In this way, the cooking fumes from the kitchen will not escape into the living room.

Next, he knocked down all the cement floor and laid tiles on it. He moved everything that could be moved, and covered the rest of the floor with a waterproof tarpaulin.

The living room was painted all over, while the kitchen was kept simple due to concerns about cooking fumes; it was simply tiled for easy cleaning.

In the guest rooms, each room has an extension that has been converted into a separate bathroom, and waterproofing work is still underway these days.

The video meticulously documented all these steps. However, the video's viewership didn't increase; instead, the viewership for each video gradually decreased.

Li Younan wasn't in a hurry, since no one wanted to see a half-finished product, including himself.

The slope behind it hasn't been touched yet; Li Younan's plan is to deal with it at the very end.

The project is progressing roughly as it is, with the timeline gradually shifting from July to August, and the weather becoming increasingly hot.

It rained a few times during that period, but none of them were heavy.

Overall, the climate in Baishui Township is quite good, and there is no history of natural disasters.

This period was probably the happiest time for my grandparents.

Because of my father's passing, my grandparents receive assistance from the village and receive a monthly subsistence allowance. In addition, my mother continues to give them money, so they can live comfortably even without working in the fields.

My grandparents' several plots of land were all contracted out to a university in another city for use as experimental fields. They don't need to take care of them, and they can still earn a little income every month.

The two elderly people didn't have many expenses to begin with, or rather, they had almost no expenses. They didn't need much materially, but they did need emotionally...

Now Li Younan comes here every day, and his grandparents try their best to make him delicious food and good things, which are mostly meat.

My grandparents didn't raise pigs because it's physically demanding. They only had one chicken coop, and the eggs laid there were all truly free-range.

Grandma would fry two for Li Younan and Lu Xiaolan every day.

Although the variety of vegetables grown is not very extensive, the vegetables grown by farmers have a special aroma.

It's probably because of the variety; it tastes much better than the varieties cultivated in supermarkets for long-term preservation and transportation—it must have a stronger "vegetable flavor." For a while afterward, the kitchen was temporarily unavailable, so I cooked in the yard.

When Li Younan has free time, she will compete with her grandmother to do chores so that everyone can taste her cooking skills.

To be fair, Li Younan's cooking skills are better than his grandmother's, but he only cooked for her two or three times before letting her cook for him, because this was one of the few happy moments for the elderly.

Grandpa had nothing to do, so he would go for a walk outside. When he came back, he usually wanted to do some physical work, but Li Younan stopped him.

The best way to deal with the elderly is through moral blackmail. As long as Li Younan says, "Grandpa, if you're going to do bricklaying, aren't you making me, as your grandson, the subject of gossip and criticism?"

Although that was a bit of an exaggeration, Grandpa was genuinely worried that such a thing would happen. He muttered a few curses like "Let's see who dares," but he stopped competing with Li Younan for chores.

Xiaolan is about to go to university, and she's quick to adapt to new things. Now she has a pretty good idea of ​​what a qualified assistant should do.

Even if Li Younan doesn't speak during the live stream, she will actively interact with the viewers. She chatted enthusiastically with several loyal fans, posing as Li Younan's cousin.

She is basically the one maintaining the relationships within Li Younan's Douyin fan group.

Sometimes I chat with fans and group members until one or two in the morning and still don't stop, so I come to "work" the next day with dark circles under my eyes.

Thanks to Lu Xiaolan's efforts, Li Younan gained a group of loyal fans.

During this time, Lu Xiaolan also brought Xu Liya into the group, and the two would occasionally plan some activities, leaving Li Younan speechless.

These two "fan leaders"...

During this time, Lu Xiaolan received her university admission letter, which was something to be happy about.

Although it doesn't have the same prestigious university as Li Younan's, it's still a very good comprehensive university.

For Lu Xiaolan, this summer vacation was not only fulfilling, but also filled with good news, which made her very happy.

Every weekend, Li Younan's mother would come over to help him with chores. Naturally, Li Younan wouldn't let his mother do any heavy work. Most of the time, his mother would just stand by and watch Li Younan work with a bit of a daze.

But even this alone has made my mom very happy.

There was still important carpentry work to be done, so Li Younan called Huang Xiaoyang and asked him to help purchase a batch of timber.

Huang Xiaoyang's family has connections with timber mills in many places, so they can get a batch of high-quality timber from nearby factories without being ripped off.

Carpentry is a very meticulous task. After completing the hard decoration of several rooms, they need to be left to air dry for a period of time. So Li Younan patiently began to do the carpentry work.

Whether it's installing ceilings or making cabinets, it requires slow and meticulous work. However, generally speaking, carpentry is easier and doesn't involve much physical exertion.

There are other interesting stories too.

There is a primary school in the township, about one or two miles away from the village, which is not far.

My grandfather's closest neighbor has a little boy who looks about seven or eight years old.

As soon as school was over, he would wander around playing.

He used to often come to his grandpa's house to tease the big yellow dog. They were very familiar with each other, and his grandpa and grandma called him by his nickname, Dou Dou.

When Li Younan arrived, Dou Dou was initially a little shy and embarrassed to come in. Later, she became bolder and opened up, curiously watching what Li Younan was doing.

Especially after Li Younan started doing woodworking, he would run over to watch Li Younan do woodwork as soon as he got out of school.

Kids are always easily pleased; they can spend an entire afternoon watching others saw wood with a chainsaw or make mortise and tenon joints with a chisel.

As time went on, Li Younan couldn't help but tease the little boy.

The little boy was a bit mischievous. When Li Younan wasn't doing carpentry, he would climb trees, go down to the river, and explore everywhere.

On one occasion, Li Younan saw him pick up a baby bird that had fallen from a tree and plan to climb up the tree to put it back in its nest.

Because it was hot in the summer, DouDou was only wearing shorts and a tank top, and she didn't have any pockets.

Then, to Li Younan's astonishment, Dou Dou spat twice and grabbed the bird's foot...

It's picking it up...

In that instant, there was the little bird struggling upside down, Dou Dou squinting her eyes as she prepared to climb the tree, and Li Younan looking completely bewildered.

Coming to his senses, Li Younan quickly went over and took the little bird out of Dou Dou's beak...

DouDou spat out two more mouthfuls of saliva.

Li Younan was speechless.

That little brat.

For Li Younan, what followed was easy.

He put the little bird into his pocket, hopped lightly, grabbed a thick branch with one hand, and then used his other hand to climb to the nest in a few quick movements.

He easily suspended his entire body in mid-air with one hand, and slowly took the little bird out of his pocket with the other hand and put it back in the nest.

For Li Younan, who has a level 2 rock climbing ability, he can easily hang himself up using only two fingers.

DouDou below looked up, her expression blank.

Since then, Li Younan has become DouDou's idol.

He felt that Li Younan, this older brother, was probably omnipotent. He could make wood, connect wires, do masonry, and even perform light-body kung fu.

Many years later, DouDou will probably comment online like this: "The omnipotent Li YouNan? Pshaw, I knew that when I was 6 years old!"

In his spare time each day, Li Younan would use leftover wood scraps to make one or two toys for Dou Dou.

Sometimes, to keep it simple, you can just use a saw to cut out a "millet and rifle" or a sword.

Sometimes, for a slightly more refined touch, they might carve one or two small trinkets, like Maitreya Buddha or Ultraman.

Making these little gadgets was just a casual pastime for Li Younan, and it didn't take him much time.

After visiting Binhai City, Li Younan's biggest impression was that this country is really big.

In some places, children can casually mention smart robot toys worth tens of thousands of yuan.

In some places, children can happily play with a smooth wooden stick for an entire afternoon.

The pieces of wood that Li Younan gave him might accompany him throughout his entire childhood.

Then one day, a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old dragged Dou Dou over in a fierce manner.

Li Younan was painting a piece of wood when he blinked and looked at the girl with a somewhat bewildered expression.

When the girl spoke, Li Younan realized that her aggressive demeanor was not directed at him.

The girl's eyes were a little red, and she angrily slapped DouDou's bottom: "Kneel down!"

Dou Dou didn't cry, but she buried her head very low and knelt down in front of Li Younan with a "thump" following the sound.

This scene left Li Younan stunned for a long time before he came to his senses.

The little girl grabbed Dou Dou's ear: "Take it out!"

DouDou finally cried a little, but didn't move.

The little girl got even angrier and tugged hard at Dou Dou's clothes, saying, "I told you to take it out!"

DouDou then took out a small carving knife from her hand.

Seeing this, Li Younan suddenly understood something.

He glanced at the little girl. At that age, she was definitely not DouDou's mother; she was probably her older sister, aunt, or something similar.

It turned out that Dou Dou had secretly taken the small carving knife that even Li Younan himself hadn't noticed, so the older sister was furious and brought her younger brother to apologize.

Yes, that's how it is.

It's not a big deal.

The little girl was a bit emotional, but Li Younan could understand.

The little girl took the small carving knife, her head bowed low, her voice trembling slightly: "I...I'm sorry, my little brother..."

"You like carving?"

"My brother..."

"Interested in this?"

"Ah...it wasn't me, I wanted to say sorry, my brother took...stole!" The girl stammered and stumbled because she was nervous.

"It's not that serious," Li Younan smiled. "However, a little punishment is fine."

He looked at DouDou and said, "DouDou."

The little boy timidly raised his head, not daring to look Li Younan in the eye.

Li Younan said, "How about I punish you by making you move wood for me?"

DouDou was stunned for a moment.

The girl sensed the forgiveness in Li Younan's words and felt both relieved and ashamed: "I...I already hit him."

Li Younan nodded.

The girl continued, "DouDou told me that all his toys were given to him by you, and he still did this kind of thing, I...I..."

Li Younan shook his head: "That's fine then, the punishment has already been given."

Instead of saying things like "It's okay for a child," Lee You-nan said, "I've been punished, I understand," conveying the message that the child did make a mistake, but that wrongdoing can be forgiven.

The significance of the latter is that children need to understand that this is wrong, but there is a possibility of being forgiven for doing something wrong.

This is just a minor incident, nothing serious.

Before leaving, Li Younan gave the small carving knife to Dou Dou.

The little girl resolutely refused, but Li Younan put on a stern face: "It's for Dou Dou."

The little girl paused for a moment, inexplicably sensing a certain authority in Li Younan. "Oh...oh, I...I understand..."

As the little girl led Dou Dou away, Grandma slowly said to Li Younan, "The two siblings... are such tragic children... The older sister dropped out of high school. Her father works away from home alone, and her mother is in poor health, paralyzed from the waist down, and needs constant care. There's also a younger brother... sigh..."

Li Younan was stunned for a moment, his gaze falling on the two small figures, and his heart felt as if something had caught in his throat.

(End of this chapter)