Fleeing from famine? Not a chance; the divine healer's wife made her fortune.

Chapter 214 The Difficulty of Persuading Lantern Performers

The difficulty of persuading lantern artists

Su Yunlan believes that in this era, people's pursuit of beauty is eternal, and lanterns are one of the carriers of beauty.

The next day, under bright sunshine, Su Yunlan pulled Xiao Yuhan and headed straight for the largest lantern workshop in the city.

The workshop was decorated with all sorts of lanterns, red, yellow, and green, a colorful and beautiful sight.

However, the designs of these lanterns are somewhat outdated, mostly featuring traditional auspicious patterns such as dragons and phoenixes, and symbols of fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness, lacking originality.

Stepping into the workshop, a strong smell of pigments and bamboo strips hits you.

An elderly man with gray hair, dressed in coarse cloth, sat in the center of the workshop, holding a carving knife and meticulously carving the bamboo strips in his hands.

This old man is Li, the lantern maker, the owner of this workshop, and a renowned lantern-making master.

Su Yunlan stepped forward, her face beaming with smiles: "Hello, Master Li. We've come here because of your reputation and would like to discuss a collaboration with you."

The lantern maker, Li, raised his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan. He put down his carving knife and said in a calm tone, "Cooperation? This old man only knows how to make lanterns. I wonder what you two want to cooperate on?"

Su Yunlan didn't beat around the bush and directly stated her purpose: "We want to cooperate with Master Li to make some unique and distinctive lanterns. The current lantern styles are too outdated. I want to innovate on the basis of tradition to make lanterns more popular with people."

Upon hearing this, the lantern artist frowned immediately, his already serious face showing even more displeasure.

"Nonsense! Lantern making is a craft passed down from our ancestors. It's all about tradition and charm. How can it be changed so easily? You young lady, you probably don't understand lantern making!"

Su Yunlan had anticipated Li the lantern artist's reaction, and she calmly explained, "Master Li, I don't mean to completely abandon tradition, but rather to add some new elements to it. For example, we can incorporate some popular characters from stories into the lantern design, or use some new materials and techniques to make the lanterns more exquisite and unique."

"Hmph, all that fancy stuff!" the lantern artist Li sneered, his tone firm. "The essence of a lantern lies in its traditional charm. The fancy designs you're suggesting will only ruin its essence. I will not agree to that."

Seeing Su Yunlan being scolded, Xiao Yuhan felt somewhat dissatisfied and stepped forward, saying, "Master Li, this is my wife. She has many ideas. Why don't you listen to her specific plans before making a decision?"

"And who are you?" Li, the lantern artist, glanced at Xiao Yuhan, his tone even more impolite. "It's none of your business to tell me what decisions I make! Young man, don't think you know everything just because you have a little knowledge. The craft of lantern making is not something you can learn casually."

Xiao Yuhan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant after being scolded by the lantern performer Li.

When has he, a mighty war god, ever suffered such humiliation?

But he knew that Su Yunlan took this matter very seriously, so he could only suppress his anger and stand silently to the side.

Seeing the atmosphere getting a bit awkward, Su Yunlan quickly tried to smooth things over: "Master Li, please don't be angry. We just want to make a contribution to the lantern industry. You are a lantern master with rich experience, and we really hope to get your guidance and help."

However, the lantern artist Li seemed determined to refuse Su Yunlan's proposal, and no matter what Su Yunlan said, he resolutely refused to budge.

He believes that innovative lanterns are a desecration of tradition and a disrespect to our ancestors.

Su Yunlan felt somewhat frustrated. Looking at the monotonous traditional lanterns in the workshop, she felt helpless.

She knew that if she couldn't persuade the lantern artist Li, her unique lantern project would be difficult to carry out.

Time flies by, and in the blink of an eye, there are only three months left until the Lantern Festival.

Su Yunlan was extremely anxious. She knew that time was of the essence and she had to find a breakthrough as soon as possible.

That day, Su Yunlan suddenly came up with a solution.

She asked Young Master Xiao Twenty-Seven to go to the city and find some children who liked lanterns, including Little Sun.

She wanted the children to use their innocence and imagination to move the Li lantern artists.

When the children arrived at the lantern workshop, they were immediately excited and surrounded the brightly colored lanterns.

They curiously touched this and looked at that.

"Grandpa Li, these lanterns are so beautiful!" The little boy tugged at the sleeve of the lantern artist Li and said innocently, "But these lanterns are all the same. Can you make some different and fun ones? For example, a moving rabbit lantern, or a star lantern that lights up."

The other children also expressed their thoughts.

"I want a lantern that can change color, sometimes red, sometimes blue."

"I want a lantern that can sing, and sing beautiful songs."

The children chatted amongst themselves, expressing their expectations for the lanterns.

Looking at the children's innocent faces and listening to their imaginative wishes, the lantern artist Li's originally stubborn face gradually showed a hint of hesitation.

The children's eyes sparkled with longing for the novel lanterns, a longing that, like a tiny spark, ignited their love for lanterns.

Could it be that I was really wrong?

Is it really true that lanterns cannot be changed?

The lantern artist, Li, fell into deep thought.

Su Yunlan watched the subtle changes in the expression on Li Huadeng's face and a glimmer of hope ignited in her heart.

She knew that the children's words had touched a deep chord in the heart of the lantern artist Li.

Young Master Xiao looked at Su Yunlan, hesitated, and finally asked, "Sister-in-law, what should we do next..."

Su Yunlan smiled slightly, but her eyes were unwavering: "No rush, the best is yet to come."

Watching Su Yunlan go to great lengths to persuade the lantern artist Li, appealing to her emotions and reasoning with her, even bringing along children, Xiao Yuhan felt both sorry for her and admired her resilience and intelligence even more.

He walked to Su Yunlan's side, gently took her hand, and whispered in her ear, "Yunlan, no matter what, I will be with you."

The warm breath brushed past her ear, and Su Yunlan felt a jolt of electricity surge through her body, making her feel numb all over.

She looked up and met Xiao Yuhan's deep, loving eyes. Her heart warmed, and a blush involuntarily rose on her cheeks.

She gripped Xiao Yuhan's hand tightly in return, feeling the warmth of his palm, and all her fatigue and anxiety seemed to vanish.

With him by her side, she felt fearless.

Looking at the children's innocent smiles and listening to their anticipation for the novel lanterns, the lantern artist Li felt a certain wavering deep down.

He wasn't stubborn; he simply had a deep reverence for the craftsmanship passed down from his ancestors.

Innovation is important, but he is even more afraid that he might accidentally ruin the craft.

He sighed and said slowly, "Children, your idea is good, but making lanterns is not an easy task. Many things cannot be made just because you want to."

Su Yunlan knew that the lantern artist Li was not completely moved yet, and she needed to put in more effort.

She stepped forward and said sincerely, "Master Li, we know that making lanterns is not easy, which is why we want to cooperate with you. You are experienced and have superb skills, while we have some new ideas and approaches that may spark something new."

The lantern artist remained silent, simply gazing at the lanterns.

Seeing this, the children were somewhat disappointed, but they did not give up. Instead, they continued to surround the lantern artist, chattering about their various whimsical ideas about lanterns.

As Su Yunlan looked at the children, an idea suddenly popped into her mind.

She walked over to Young Master Xiao and whispered, "Brother Twenty-Seven, go and inquire again if there are any legends or stories about lanterns in the city, or any special lantern materials. Perhaps we can start from these aspects and persuade Master Li."

Young Master Xiao nodded and immediately took the order and left.

Su Yunlan knew that to persuade the lantern artist Li, words alone would not suffice; she had to present something tangible to show him the possibilities and value of innovation.

She decided to start by finding the right materials for the lanterns.

She carefully observed the various materials in the workshop and found that most of them were common bamboo strips, paper, and paint.

While these materials can be used to make exquisite lanterns, they are insufficient to realize her wildly imaginative ideas.

For example, if she wants to make a star lantern that lights up, she needs to use some special light-emitting materials; if she wants to make a lantern that can change colors, she needs to use some special color-changing pigments.

Thinking of this, Su Yunlan's heart stirred.

She suddenly remembered that she had seen a special kind of silk in modern times. This silk was not only light and breathable, but also had a good luster and color expression.

If this kind of silk could be used to make lanterns, it would definitely make them more exquisite and unique.

She told Xiao Yuhan her thoughts, and Xiao Yuhan agreed that they made a lot of sense.

He said, "Yunlan, your idea is very good, but this kind of silk is probably hard to find."

Su Yunlan smiled slightly and said confidently, "It's all about human effort. As long as we search diligently, we will definitely find it."

She decided to start by checking the major silk shops in the city to see if they had this special kind of silk.

However, after visiting several silk shops, Su Yunlan still couldn't find the silk she wanted.

The owners of the silk shops all said they had never seen this kind of silk before.

Su Yunlan was somewhat disappointed, but she did not give up.

She believed that as long as she persisted, she would definitely find it.

Just as she was about to leave the last silk shop, the shop owner suddenly called her back.

“Madam, I don’t have the silk you’re looking for, but I’ve heard that Zhang, the materials merchant outside the city, seems to have some rare and unusual materials. Perhaps you could go there and take a look.”

Zhang, the materials supplier?

Su Yunlan's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, "Do you know where Zhang the materials supplier is?"

The silk shop owner pointed in the direction outside the city and said, "Mr. Zhang, who sells materials, lives in a small mountain outside the city. He has many unique materials there, but they are very expensive. However, if you really need them, you might as well go and take a look."

Su Yunlan thanked the silk shop owner and immediately set off with Xiao Yuhan towards the outskirts of the city.

Watching Su Yunlan's hurried departure, Xiao Yuhan couldn't help but ask, "Yunlan, do you really think this Zhang material merchant has the silk we need?"

Su Yunlan shook her head and said, "I don't know either, but we should give it a try. Perhaps he has other materials that can be used to make unique lanterns."

The two traveled swiftly and soon arrived at the foot of the small hill outside the city.

There was only a simple thatched hut standing alone at the foot of the mountain.

Around the hut, there were piles of all sorts of materials: wood, stone, bamboo, herbs, and some things I couldn't name.

A short, wrinkled old man was sitting in front of the thatched hut, leisurely basking in the sun.

Su Yunlan walked up to the old man and respectfully asked, "Excuse me, are you Zhang, the materials merchant?"

The old man raised his head, squinted at Su Yunlan, and said in a hoarse voice, "That's right, I am Old Man Zhang. What do you want with me?"

Su Yunlan quickly explained her purpose, hoping to find materials for making unique lanterns from Old Zhang.

After hearing this, Old Zhang chuckled and said, "Materials for making lanterns? I have quite a lot here, but my things aren't cheap."

Su Yunlan quickly replied, "As long as we can make good lanterns, price is not a problem."

Old Zhang nodded, stood up, and led Su Yunlan and Xiao Yuhan into the thatched hut.

The hut was filled with all sorts of materials, making it even more cluttered than the outside.

Su Yunlan carefully examined the materials, hoping to find the silk she needed, or some other special materials.

Suddenly, her gaze fell on a corner.

Inside a dilapidated box were some stones of various colors.

These stones emitted a faint glow and looked quite mysterious.

Su Yunlan picked up a stone and examined it carefully.

She discovered that these stones contained a special kind of energy that could be used to emit light.

She was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Old Zhang, what are these stones? What are they used for?"

Old Zhang chuckled and said mysteriously, "These stones are no ordinary things. They're called 'starstones,' a very rare luminescent material. Lanterns made from them not only emit light, but also a mesmerizing glow."

Starstone!

Su Yunlan was even more excited.

With these star stones, she can make real, glowing star lanterns.

"Old Zhang, I want these star stones. How much?" Su Yunlan asked impatiently.

Old Zhang held up five fingers and said, "Five hundred taels of silver."

Five hundred taels of silver! Su Yunlan gasped. That price was outrageous!

Xiao Yuhan also felt it was a bit outrageous. He frowned and said, "Old Zhang, your price is too high! These stones are rare, but they are not worth this much money."

Old Zhang chuckled and said, "Think it's too expensive? Then don't buy it. I only sell my stuff to people who know their value."

Su Yunlan knew that Old Man Zhang was the kind of person who wouldn't act without a clear objective, and getting the Star Stone from him would likely come at a considerable price.

She gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, five hundred taels it is. But I have one condition."

Old Zhang raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are the conditions?"

Su Yunlan smiled slightly and said, "I hope you can keep this a secret for me and not tell anyone about these star stones."

Old Zhang was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, young lady, you're quite an interesting person. Don't worry, I, Old Zhang, love keeping secrets the most. But..." Old Zhang paused, leaned closer to Su Yunlan, and lowered his voice, "Why do you want to keep this secret?"