1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 291 Good News: Selected as a Municipal-Level Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor
"You can pull him down."

Lin Xiyu grabbed him and said, "Don't cause trouble so late at night. If you scare him into having a nervous breakdown, we'll have to spend money to treat him."

"Wife, you can't do this."

Gu Bin said with a hint of resentment, "Being too soft-hearted makes you easy to be bullied."

"You're only finding out now?"

Lin Xiyu laughed and scolded, "It's because I'm too soft-hearted that I forgive you again and again and let you bully me."

"So I'm really lucky."

Instead of getting angry, Gu Bin laughed and took the opportunity to pull her into his arms: "My wife is beautiful and kind-hearted. How many good deeds did I do in my past life and how much good fortune did I accumulate to be able to marry such a good wife?"

"such a pity"

Lin Xiyu's good mood vanished again when she thought of the misdeeds Li Ang had committed: "Good people never get good rewards. I've encountered all sorts of frustrating things."

"Wife, your luck will change."

Gu Bin deliberately tried to cheer her up, counting on his fingers with an air of composure: "Believe me, your good luck is just around the corner. Maybe one day, a mentor will recognize your talent and help you achieve great success."

"Lend your auspicious words."

Lin Xiyu didn't believe him at all, but not wanting to spoil his fun, she still pretended to be very happy and smiled.

At that moment, neither the couple realized that someone truly had the potential to become a charlatan.

Gu Bin's words proved prophetic; two days later, exciting news indeed came from the Children's Palace.

-

"Really? Another spot for a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor has been given? Can I apply too?!"

When Lin Xiyu received the call from the head of the Children's Palace, she was taking a walk under a pomegranate tree with her son, Dabao, in her arms. In her excitement, she almost dropped the baby on the ground.

Da Bao was so frightened that his heart trembled, and he clung tightly to his mother's neck, not daring to let go.

"This was specially approved by the higher-ups."

The head of the Children's Palace was genuinely happy for her: "They saw your cutting work and thought you had great potential and were qualified to become a municipal-level inheritor."

"work?"

Lin Xiyu was a little confused: "Didn't I not submit any materials? Where did this artwork come from?"

Of course you have it.

The head of the Children's Palace smiled and reminded her: "When you went abroad for an exchange, the piece you cut out when faced with difficult questions from reporters was the best proof. There were leaders in charge of the selection present who witnessed the whole process and praised you highly."

"what?"

Lin Xiyu belatedly realized: "Are there judges in the exchange group too? I didn't even know?"

"Whether you know it or not is not important; the key is to perform well."

The head of the children's palace jokingly told her, "Fools are often blessed; good luck has come your way."

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Sister Hu."

Lin Xiyu's ears burned from the teasing: "Now that you mention it, I really do prove the saying 'fools are lucky'!"

"I'm done talking. You should quickly prepare another application for the title of municipal-level inheritor and submit it along with your artwork."

The person in charge of the Children's Palace relayed the message, saying that they would not delay her any longer: "The selection process is progressing relatively quickly this time, and the results should be available before the end of the year."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Hu."

Lin Xiyu was extremely grateful. After the other party hung up the phone, she was still in a daze for a long time, unable to recover from the immense joy of the amazing reversal.

"What did I tell you?"

Gu Bin waved his hand in front of his wife's eyes, boasting smugly, "Your good luck is coming soon, do you believe it now? Your husband is just that amazing, he can predict the future."

"My swindler, I greet you."

Lin Xiyu, holding Da Bao, bowed in greeting.

"Hahaha."

Gu Bin was amused by his wife's rare humor and laughed heartily.

-

Lin Xiyu never imagined that she would be so lucky as to go from a district-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor to a city-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor.

The twists and turns of the application process perfectly illustrate the saying, "After the darkest hour comes the dawn."

She was very skilled at cutting out portraits of ladies, and could create a perfect piece in no time.

She reorganized the application materials and sent them to the Culture and Tourism Bureau that afternoon.

As the person in charge of the Children's Palace said, the review process was very fast, and the results were in less than a month.

Lin Xiyu was successfully selected as a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor.

Li Ang was also selected as a district-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor for his unique paper-cutting series of characters from the Water Margin, featuring the 108 heroes.

On the day the selection results were announced, Wang Lei and Zhang Jie both came to the old house to congratulate their senior.

As for the other fellow apprentice, the two were still angry when they mentioned it, and even had some complaints about the selection results.

"Forget it, let's just let this matter go."

Lin Xiyu was in high spirits when she was happy, and she was more open-minded than the two of them: "To pass on traditional folk art, more people need to participate. Putting aside personal grudges, his idea is still very good. He was able to cut out all 108 heroes of the Water Margin and successfully pass the selection. It can be said that he did not disgrace Grandma Hu's reputation."

"As long as he can persevere and not give up halfway, and make his due contribution to the inheritance of paper-cutting art, I don't want to argue with him anymore. As long as he doesn't provoke me again, I'll pretend this never happened. There's no need to say much in front of outsiders. It's enough to just get by on the surface."

-

"Senior sister is very generous."

Wang Lei stopped complaining and sincerely admired him: "In terms of tolerance, I really can't compare to him."

"It would be best if my senior sister could forgive him."

Zhang Jie's eyes lit up, and she breathed a sigh of relief: "Grandma Hu would be very pleased if she were alive."

"I just didn't want her to be disturbed even in her final resting place, which is why I wanted to suppress this matter."

Lin Xiyu had her own considerations: "Of her disciples, only the four of us are still in the local area. If we don't unite, and news of betrayal among our own disciples spreads, wouldn't it be a laughing stock if the inheritors of other projects found out?"

"It wouldn't sound good if this got out."

Zhang Jiexin shared the same sentiment: "Our pride is a small matter, but affecting Grandma Hu's reputation is a sin."

This is what we think.

Wang Lei was still furious: "I'm afraid that kid Li Ang will not repent and will become envious and jealous of his senior sister's higher level, and will cause trouble again."

He will never have another chance.

Lin Xiyu has already planned for the future: "On Saturday, I told Sister Hu that I would no longer go to the Children's Palace. Gu Bin specially reserved a classroom for me in the training class, so I will open a class there and teach children to learn paper cutting."

Why aren't you going?

Wang Lei spoke up for her, saying, "He's the one who's wrong, so he should be the one to leave. If you leave, what if he starts gossiping and saying bad things about you? The people at the Children's Palace don't know the inside story, and if he stirs things up, they might mistakenly think that you've changed your mindset after becoming the successor and don't want to continue doing charity work anymore. What will you do then? People's words can be terrifying. Senior Sister, you need to think this through carefully."

"I think Brother Lei is right."

Zhang Jie nodded in agreement: "I also think that you shouldn't avoid him, senior sister. We haven't done anything wrong, so we should stand up straight and confront him head-on."

"I'm going with my senior sister on Saturday."

Wang Lei was determined to stand up for his senior sister. He rolled up his sleeves, exuding an air of dominance: "If he can leave on his own, that's fine. But if he dares to cause trouble and insists on staying to get in my way, I'll have to slap him again."

"I'll go as well"

Not wanting to fall behind his senior, Zhang Jie chimed in, "With the two of us as witnesses, even if he tries to gossip, no one will believe him."

"Thank you so much. It's so great to have you all here. Senior Sister likes you all so much."

A look of emotion flashed in Lin Xiyu's eyes, and she opened her arms to hug Zhang Jie.

Wang Lei chuckled and was about to join in when a figure rudely blocked his way.

Do you want a hug?

Gu Bin glanced at him sideways: "I can fulfill your dream in place of your senior sister." "Uh."

Wang Lei was dumbfounded, and several beads of cold sweat dripped down the back of his head.

"Pfft, hahahahaha!"

Zhang Jie couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Lin Xiyu smiled helplessly, tacitly approving of her husband's scheming little scheme.

-

Children's Palace.

On Saturday morning, Wang Lei and Zhang Jie were eager to support their senior, and they indeed waited at the entrance of the Children's Palace at the agreed time.

Lin Xiyu was kept by the babies when she was about to leave home, so she arrived a little late.

When the three entered the Children's Palace, Li Ang was already there. When the staff saw him, they couldn't help but offer polite compliments and congratulations.

Li Ang was quite pleased with himself. After being praised a few times, he couldn't help but feel a little smug. When he arrived in the classroom, he couldn't resist bragging to the children.

The children, innocent and pure, surrounded him with eyes sparkling with admiration, clapping and cheering.

"tsk"

When Wang Lei pushed open the door and saw this scene, he sneered disdainfully: "What's so great about a district-level inheritor? My senior sister is already a city-level inheritor."

Li Ang's smile froze. He turned around and looked at the person, a hint of guilt flashing in his eyes.

"Is Teacher Lin a municipal-level inheritor of the tradition?"

Is the city-level higher than the district-level?

"Do you even need to ask?"

"It's definitely more powerful than the district level."

Wow, that's awesome!

"Teacher Lin is more capable than Teacher Li."

The children's reaction was clearly the opposite of his; they looked at Lin Xiyu with even more fervent eyes.

"You asked me before if I wanted to take on apprentices."

Lin Xiyu glanced at Li Ang and strolled into the classroom: "Originally, I didn't plan to do this, but now I've changed my mind."

"Teacher Lin, are you going to take on apprentices?"

Chen Xiang was the first to show joy and rushed over.

"yes."

Lin Xiyu patted his head affectionately as he approached: "Teacher is planning to take on a few suitable disciples. Anyone interested in signing up, come over here."

"Me me me"

"I want to register."

The children eagerly raised their little hands and moved closer to her.

Li Ang was suddenly all alone, and his embarrassed and bewildered expression looked rather ridiculous.

"All the students want to sign up!"

Lin Xiyu was very pleased and asked the children to return to their seats. She then presented them with a competition-style test to select the child with the best skills on the spot.

She has been doing charity work at the Children's Palace for a long time and knows every child in the class very well. She can choose a suitable apprentice even with her eyes closed.

The purpose of the open selection process is simply to highlight fairness and impartiality, and to convince other children.

-

The assessment involved koi fish bringing good fortune.

This pattern is somewhat difficult for young children. Lin Xiyu once taught them, and children who studied diligently could cut it out from memory.

A slight commotion arose in the classroom; some children's faces fell and they wailed as soon as they heard the questions.

"No talking during the match!"

Wang Lei, acting as a judge in his senior's position, maintained order.

He had a thin face, wore glasses, and gave off a very serious feeling when he wasn't smiling.

The wailing stopped abruptly.

The children looked at him with some fear, no longer daring to make any more noise.

-

The assessment went smoothly, and the results were roughly in line with Lin Xiyu's expectations.

Of the thirty-odd children, fewer than ten were able to persevere to the end and cut out the finished product.

Chen Xiang stood out the most, cutting out patterns with smooth lines and the highest visual appeal, which was almost perfect for a 9-year-old.

The other six children were slightly less skilled; the scissors left marks of mistakes in different places.

"These are the seven children."

Ignoring Li Ang's visibly shocked expression, Lin Xiyu announced the results in front of him.

"Sister."

Li Ang was furious: "What do you mean by this?"

These seven children, except for Chen Xiang, are all his apprentices. Just before Lin Xiyu and her two companions entered the door, he was still proudly showing off to his apprentices that he had become an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage.

"Taking on apprentices?"

Lin Xiyu scoffed, "Isn't it obvious? You've been in the classroom the whole time, and you're only asking me now. Don't you think you're weird?"

"I know you take on apprentices."

Li Ang pointed to six of the children, his face ashen: "But these children clearly agreed to become my disciples while you were abroad for exchange."

"Is that right?"

Lin Xiyu ignored Li Ang's provocation and looked down at the six children.

"Uh."

The children's eyes trembled, too shy to meet her gaze.

Regardless of what happened before.

Lin Xiyu showed no sign of blame and, to everyone's surprise, announced in a high-profile manner: "As long as you want to become my disciples, I will agree."

"I think!"

"I want, too!"

The children's eyes lit up, and they all showed joy.

"Sister."

Just as Li Ang was about to rush over to question them, Wang Lei grabbed him and stood between the two of them.

Do you feel qualified to teach them?

Zhang Jiexin sided with her senior sister and spoke up for her: "As a teacher, character is more important than skills. Even if you are not a city-level inheritor, you are still more suitable to teach these children than you."

That makes sense.

Wang Lei and she worked together seamlessly, and he quickly added, "We can't let you lead the flowers of our motherland astray."

"you."

Li Ang was rendered speechless by the back-and-forth banter between his fellow apprentices.

"From now on, you shouldn't come to the Children's Palace anymore."

Seeing that the time was right, Wang Lei revealed the real purpose of his visit with his junior sister: "Senior sister is too embarrassed to kick you out because we're from the same sect. We'll play the bad guy. You should understand that some things have already happened and there's no going back. Senior sister has already given you a lot of face by not exposing you, so don't keep pestering me."

(End of this chapter)