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

Chapter 34 Appearance
Without a doubt, when Li Younan pulled out that set of tools, everyone realized that things were not simple.

It was around 2 p.m., the time when the sun was at its strongest.

Even under the sky, you can feel the heat emanating from all directions.

The blazing sun hung high above Tongji Lake, the water steaming and making one dizzy. The shadows of the mountains, submerged in the scalding water, seemed withered.

The two families, all four adults, stood quietly beside Li Younan, watching intently as he did what he was doing.

The adorable little girl Yao Yao and her playmates stopped running around. The table was a bit too high for Yao Yao, and she couldn't understand what the handsome older boy was doing, so she lay down and fell asleep on the folding chair next to him.

At this point, Li Younan had already cut out the basic shapes of the two pieces of snowflake white marble.

Then, he switched to electric carving tools with different blades and worked on the stone little by little with precision.

This scene stunned the adults around them, especially the bearded man.

As someone who has been involved in the self-media industry for many years, he knows very well the core underlying logic of how someone becomes popular... to put it bluntly, it's about being awesome.

Some people say it's a contrast, but the premise of a contrast is also being awesome. Just like a chef who can do backflips, the contrast is the trigger for his popularity, but the fundamental reason is that he can do backflips... The backflip is essentially an awesome attribute.

Is Li Younan impressive? Before Li Younan took out this toolbox, the uncle thought that apart from the fact that this kid had a face comparable to a celebrity, there was nothing particularly impressive about him. Overall, he was just average.

But at this moment, he had to admire Li Younan's skills.

Since no one understands stone carving, there's no way to evaluate it professionally.

But in Li Younan's hands, it was as if the stone itself contained a lifelike image, like a mammoth frozen in ice, or a bee sealed in amber for tens of thousands of years. Li Younan simply used tools to gradually remove the outer shell that sealed the animal, revealing its original appearance.

As Li Younan put down his carving tools, a lifelike elephant, or more precisely, a winged elephant, stood there vividly.

This elephant has a round base under its feet, with only one foot on the ground and the other three chubby little legs raised. Its whole posture is clumsy yet light, as if it's about to take flight. The cutest part is its trunk, with a perfectly curved arc that is both playful and realistic.

It's hard to imagine that such a small stone could be carved into an animal with such perfect detail.

There's one last step to take: after polishing the entire sculpture, Li Younan added eyes to the elephant.

At this moment, the story of "dotting the eyes of a dragon" that I learned as a child seemed to come to life, allowing me to deeply and intuitively understand why the ancients said that adding the eyes gives life to a dragon.

Li Younan wiped his sweat and said, "Let's name this little thing Flying Elephant."

After a pause, Li Younan said, "Well, let's call this piece Yao Yao's Dream." Li Younan then gave the little elephant to the bearded man.

The man's first thought was, "This thing is really well-carved; my precious daughter will definitely love it." Damn, such a weird creature as a winged elephant, and they've made it so cute!

My second thought was that it was such a waste of this young man's talent. Yes, the older man felt it was a real shame. With his carving skills alone, if this young man learned from those video bloggers on short video platforms who make a living through carving, he could definitely become famous. It's often said that older people can't keep up with the times, and their thinking isn't as agile as younger people's. But why doesn't this young man know how to make the most of his strengths?

What made the uncle even happier was that he had just recorded the entire process of Li Younan carving this flying elephant on video. He had recently encountered a bottleneck in the viewership of his short videos. He knew very well that what he was doing, while technically challenging, wasn't actually that advanced. Many people watched his videos out of curiosity, because for ordinary people, collecting gold from discarded electronic components was simply too novel. But after watching a few times, they would experience some aesthetic fatigue.

So when filming videos, he would occasionally intersperse other videos. On one hand, it was to share his life, and on the other hand, it was also a way to attract followers. But when it comes to attracting followers, the videos still need to be engaging. He had already conceived the script structure for this video in his mind. After thinking for a moment, the uncle asked, "Young man, would you mind if I posted the video of you carving earlier to my account?"

Li Younan smiled and said, "It's okay, I can do it."

For Li Younan, creating a video account and publishing content in the future is something he will definitely do, so appearing in other people's videos is not something he finds unacceptable.

Receiving Li Younan's affirmative reply, the uncle's spirits lifted. He knew a viral video was about to be created. Once a man gets into work mode, he becomes extremely focused. At this moment, the bearded uncle even forgot his camping and leisurely mood. He simply took out his portable laptop under the nearby canopy and began editing the video.

At this point, no one bothered him. From afar, they could see the bearded man sometimes frowning, sometimes laughing heartily, and after a while, he picked up the microphone and started recording, as if he was about to edit the video out immediately. Li Younan found it somewhat amusing. To be honest, traveling and making money like this at the same time was truly a pleasant thing.

With one piece of raw material left, Li Younan began carving it into a large white rabbit and gave it to another child.

The heat didn't last into the evening. Not long after the man started editing the video, dark clouds began to roll in from the horizon. At the same time, a strong wind picked up nearby. The bearded man's friend, seemingly very experienced, frowned and said, "Looks like it's going to rain. Let's go back." He then began packing his things.

Li Younan felt a headache coming on when he saw the weather. After all, his task for this event was to photograph the starry sky. If the weather didn't clear up, how could he possibly take any pictures of the starry sky at night?

So Li Younan is now in a dilemma. If he retreats, he's already been here for so long; what if the rain stops as soon as he leaves? After all, nobody knows how long the rain will last. But if he doesn't retreat, what if the rain continues until tomorrow morning? Wouldn't he have to spend the night in his car?

While Li Younan was thinking about this, he wasn't idle either. He quickly started helping to dismantle the canopy and clean up the trash at the scene. Meanwhile, the bearded uncle over there finished editing the video and packed up his computer. Everyone sped up their work, quickly packed up their things, and got into the car.

By this time, the sun was completely obscured by dark clouds. Li Younan quickly returned to his car. The uncle and his companion, in two cars, stopped next to Li Younan's car. The window rolled down, and the uncle said with a smile, "Young man, let's say goodbye here. We've already exchanged contact information, so let's meet up again sometime."

Li Younan nodded. He was still hesitant about leaving, so he didn't start the engine immediately. At that moment, the uncle's car slowly drove away. The little girl in the back seat rolled down her window, waved goodbye to Li Younan, and sweetly called out, "Thank you, big brother!" while holding the flying elephant in her hand.

After the two cars drove away, Li Younan leaned back in his seat and played "Hotel California." Suddenly, the rain began to fall, obscuring everything dozens of meters away and making the lake surface indistinct; water splashed everywhere.

The melody of "Hotel California" mixed with the white noise of heavy rain made Li Younan feel sleepy.

(End of this chapter)