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

Chapter 96 Hardcore Transformation: Fans Surge! [6.5 words!]

(Bonus chapter... Please vote! P.S.: Anchuan County is a fictional place name for the sake of plot development. Please do not take it personally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.)
Lu Xiaolan was holding a plastic bag containing tea eggs she had just bought. She applied the broken-shelled tea eggs to her forehead where she had bumped it.

As Li Younan drove, he turned his head to glance at Lu Xiaolan and couldn't help but chuckle again.

Lu Xiaolan said with a wronged expression, "Oh, cousin, stop laughing, it's annoying!"

After a while, the pain in my forehead subsided.

Lu Xiaolan took out the phone she used for live streaming again and watched the video. As she watched, Lu Xiaolan exclaimed in amazement, "You're amazing, cousin! When did you learn to do somersaults like that?!"

She flipped to the video of her cooking in Xiamen again, watched it several times, and then looked up and asked, "Cousin, who is this person who filmed you? Is it your girlfriend? Isn't your ex-girlfriend in Binhai...?"

Li Younan calmly replied, "Your cousin has girlfriends all over the country."

Lu Xiaolan immediately showed a look of disgust, but what came out of her mouth was not "scumbag!", but "braggart!".

Compared to Li Younan, who barely reads comments, Lu Xiaolan takes them much more seriously.

As the video played, she opened the comments section and carefully read each and every one of them.

Apart from the recent video co-created with Nanchang officials, which had comment restrictions, all other videos have defamatory and malicious comments.

Whether you're a video creator or a web novelist, you can never please everyone. There will always be some people who will jump out and criticize you or maliciously slander you.

After watching for a while, Lu Xiaolan looked up and said angrily, "Cousin, cousin, this guy is really annoying! He said your videos are all staged. And this guy said you're not doing your job properly and are setting a bad example for young people. And he's so persistent, he's left comments under several of your videos in a row."

Li Younan casually turned the steering wheel and nodded: "Mm."

"However, many people below were cursing him."

"Oh?"

"Really! Cousin, and this guy too, in the comments section of your first-person parkour video, he said the camera you used was terrible, and that a GoPro is much better!"

Li Younan blinked, turned to Lu Xiaolan and said, "Delete it."

Lu Xiaolan was taken aback: "Huh?"

Li Younan nodded: "Delete it, then ban him from speaking."

Lu Xiaolan responded with an "Oh".

Overall, Li Younan's videos are quite positive, and those who nitpick and slander him are a minority; you might even have to search for a very long time to find just one or two.

Lu Xiaolan searched everywhere but didn't find much.

After this, Lu Xiaolan excitedly said, "Cousin, your followers are growing so fast! I gained several hundred more followers just by watching a video."

"Cousin, cousin, hurry! Several more private messages have arrived. Cousin, cousin..."

Li Younan rested one hand on the edge of the window and smiled helplessly: "You're really in good spirits."

Lu Xiaolan stuck out her tongue shyly: "I'm working, cousin!"

Lu Xiaolan finally calmed down for a while, but by then she was already full of excitement for the work ahead.

When Li Younan and Lu Xiaolan arrived at their grandparents' house, it was still quite early.

The excavator operator hadn't arrived yet, so Li Younan made several phone calls to the building material suppliers he had previously ordered from, urging them to expedite the delivery of the first batch of materials needed.

There's no need to buy sand, gravel, cement, etc., from other places; you can buy them locally.

As expected, Brother Long worked through the night again and finished editing the video before morning, then sent it over.

This video is the first episode of a series, and it tells the story of Li Younan's plan to renovate the old house.

The video shows in great detail the original appearance of Grandpa's old house, the surrounding environment, the dilapidated house, the cooking environment in the main room, and the chilling outhouse outside, and so on...

As soon as the video was posted, it received a lot of comments and private messages.

At this moment, Li Younan was observing the slope, silently calculating how much cement would be needed. After leveling the entire area, how much turf or black soil would need to be moved to create the garden, and even an artificial waterfall…

His gaze fell on the two large stone slabs that the excavator had dug out yesterday. These slabs were several tens of centimeters thick and about one or two square meters in area. With a little cutting, grinding, and polishing, they could be made into a large stone table.

Lu Xiaolan, who was standing not far away, held up her phone and said to Li Younan, "Cousin, the video you posted this morning already has hundreds of likes! That's fast! And people are commenting too. Cousin, let me read the comments to you!"

Li Younan nodded casually, his gaze continuing to sweep across the slope: "Hmm."

"This comment says, 'Wow! The streamer is going to start renovating the old house. I can't wait!'"

"And another thing...wasn't it supposed to be a travel blogger? Why did the track change?"

"The video says the streamer wants to renovate it himself, which is unlikely. It's better to hire some workers to renovate an old house. Plumbing, electrical work, and masonry are all very complicated!"

Lu Xiaolan suddenly frowned and said, "Cousin, um, should we delete this comment? Let me read it to you. It says: 'The streamer is obviously a naive young person. If you spend money to renovate an old house, I might believe you, but to dare to say you've done it yourself is pure hype. He doesn't understand how deep the water is in the renovation business! I'm waiting for the streamer to crash and burn!'"

Lu Xiaolan said angrily, "So many people liked this comment, and many more commented, all mocking you, cousin!"

Li Younan was completely focused on planning in his mind at the moment. Hearing Lu Xiaolan chattering on and on, he glanced at her and smiled indifferently: "It's okay, just leave these comments there. Oh, right, take a screenshot and save all these sarcastic negative comments."

"Ah? Is that all?"

"Hmm, don't worry about it."

"Oh," Lu Xiaolan responded, sounding somewhat annoyed.

It was almost time, and the excavator operator arrived on time.

Subsequently, under Li Younan's command, the engineering work resumed.

Because I had already done a rough draft yesterday, I only spent less than two hours this morning to finish everything.

Afterwards, Li Younan directed the deliveryman to dig waterways, including water purification, water outlet, sewage, and drainage systems, all of which Li Younan redesigned. Of course, he also filmed the entire process.

Using excavators to dig waterways is much more efficient than using manpower. What would take manpower at least a week to complete can be done in a day at most with an excavator.

After lunch, Li Younan finally decided to start his live stream.

He sat on the threshold of the main room, and Lu Xiaolan set up her phone on a stand, turned on the live stream, and pointed the camera at Li Younan.

This was Li Younan's first live stream. To be honest, he was a little nervous and excited, but he was relatively calm. After all, the content of the live stream was just so-so, and there was no need to deliberately perform or show anything.

Perhaps because it was his first time live streaming, the system pushed him with unexpectedly fast and large amounts of traffic.

Within minutes of the broadcast starting, dozens of people flooded in, all of whom were users who had liked Li Younan's videos, and the barrage of comments instantly started.

"Hey, Li Younan, what are you doing in the countryside?"

Li Younan couldn't see the comments on the screen, but Lu Xiaolan shouted excitedly, "Cousin, cousin, so many people have come in! Do you want me to read the comments for you?"

Li Younan shook his head and said, "No need."

Then I took out my phone and entered the live stream with a new account so I could see the comments.

This first wave of traffic was huge, and they were all his true fans. He briefly explained what he was going to do to the camera, and the comments were full of praise for his voice.

However, this situation did not last long.

With the initial wave of traffic retaining well, the algorithm likely increased recommended traffic, attracting even more people to the live stream. In no time, the number of viewers in the live stream exceeded several hundred.

Reality is different from online novels. In online novels, a live stream can easily attract thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands or millions of viewers. But in reality, if a live stream can get a few hundred people online at the same time, that's already considered pretty good.

This might be negligible traffic for a game streamer, but it's quite remarkable for outdoor live streaming.

As more and more people joined, they gradually figured out what kind of live stream it was, and some inappropriate comments started appearing.

"What? You modified it yourself? I thought the streamer was going to do it himself, but it turns out he hired workers!"

"I understand the streamer's logic; he makes money by creating hype."

Li Younan roughly understood that most of these viewers genuinely wanted to see him work as a bricklayer.

Of course, most people don't care whether Li Younan does it himself or hires workers; they are more interested in what the final product looks like.

Watching videos of old house renovations like these is really relaxing.

He smiled, remaining calm and unaffected by the comments, and patiently explained, "Today is the first day. We need to use heavy machinery to level the slope behind, and it will definitely be better to use machinery to dig the waterway."

The comments kept popping up, and some people were clearly there to nitpick, which made Lu Xiaolan angry. She said, "Cousin, I want to ban all these people!"

Subsequently, some comments began to turn their criticism towards Lu Xiaolan.

"Who is this? How can this assistant be so unprofessional?"

"What's the assistant making all that noise about?"

The angry rebuke immediately made Lu Xiaolan stiffen her neck, too frightened to speak again.

This surge in traffic did not last long.

After all, live streaming should primarily be entertaining. In the afternoon, after work began, Li Younan stood beside the excavator in the video, slowly directing the deliveryman, only occasionally replying to questions in the comments.

After a while, it lost its novelty, and only about 10 loyal fans remained in the live stream for extended periods.

Li Younan didn't care. After all, for him, the most important thing was to do a good job of broadcasting the entire transformation process live. The traffic wasn't the most important thing.

JK Long, who usually stays out at night, even entered the live stream room and remained online without saying a word. The busy first day passed quickly.

In the evening, the sand, gravel, cement, and other materials that Li Younan had requested were delivered and piled up directly on the open ground in front of his grandfather's house.

The young man successfully completed all his tasks, digging the sewers, drainage channels, and inlet/outlet waterways, and connecting them directly to the village's main road.

If further adjustments are needed later, you can dig with a hoe.

Li Younan paid the deliveryman his wages for the past two days right away.

Grandpa and Grandma had prepared dinner, and Li Younan and Lu Xiaolan sat in the main room eating slowly.

Halfway through the meal, Grandpa strolled around the yard again.

He looked at the courtyard and felt a mix of emotions.

Compared to before, the past two days have turned the entire yard and the slope behind it into a complete mess.

Although Li Younan had planned it very reasonably, the several obvious ditches made the whole yard look very messy before they were filled in.

Just then, Li Younan slowly slipped out and patiently explained the purpose of these ditches to his grandfather: "Grandpa, look, this one will connect directly to the bedroom. The toilet will be built in the room, and the sewage will all flow out through here and into the village's drainage ditch."

"Then it branches off here and connects to the main room. From now on, Grandma can use tap water directly for washing vegetables and cooking. She won't have to throw the sewage outside anymore; she can just pour it into the sink and it will be disposed of."

Li Younan explained very patiently, and Grandpa understood it carefully. He then said something similar to what he said yesterday, roughly meaning that there was no need to make things so complicated.

Li Younan said earnestly, "It's a bit troublesome now, but it will be more convenient for you and Grandma in the future."

Although Grandpa said that, a warm smile appeared on his face.

He's not the stubborn old man; he's very thoughtful.

There was no need for the grandson to go through all this trouble for the two old folks... Even if the grandson really messes things up, as long as there's still a bed and a stove left, it doesn't matter much! We survived such a terrible famine back then, didn't we?
Grandpa kept these emotions buried deep in his heart, but when he looked at Li Younan, his eyes were slightly moist.

I miss my son a little.

……

Today was a very fulfilling day, but I wouldn't say I was too tired.

Li Younan drove back, and Lu Xiaolan sat in the passenger seat, carefully reading the comments on today's video.

She has now fully embraced her role as the assistant to a major online influencer.

Lu Xiaolan asked with a grin, "Cousin, how much salary will you pay me then?"

Li Younan glanced at Lu Xiaolan and said, "That depends on how many bricks you move tomorrow."

"Heh, I don't believe you'd make me do manual labor, cousin!"

From today onwards, Li Younan's transformation has truly entered the right track.

As the sand, gravel, cement, and various masonry and plumbing tools he had previously purchased were gradually delivered to his grandfather's house, the renovation work became increasingly fulfilling and busy.

However, something went wrong. Just three days after Li Younan buried the sewer pipes and the water inlet and outlet pipes, backfilled them, and hardened them, it started raining heavily.

Fortunately, the hardened cement dried considerably in three days. Laying a waterproof tarpaulin on top prevents it from getting damaged by rain. Although we can't work outside, we can still do some work indoors.

We need to tidy up some of the clutter in the house, especially the cutting board table and cupboards, which should all be replaced.

My grandparents' house was originally a cement house, so there was no paint or plastering, which saved them the trouble of applying plaster.

The bedroom house is over 100 square meters, quite large, with four rooms. Li Younan and Lu Xiaolan moved all the belongings from two rooms into an empty room; the interior renovation will have to be done room by room later. The grandparents' bedroom remained untouched.

The weekend arrived, and the weather finally cleared up, allowing my mother to rest for two days. At her insistence, she also came to help.

The water system renovation had been completed by then, with sewage pipes and tap water pipes being connected into the main room.

Li Younan spent a morning knocking down and moving the decades-old cutting board and wooden cupboard out, creating a large space.

A stainless steel sink was then temporarily installed so that vegetables and dishes could be washed directly in the kitchen.

I bought another induction cooker. I don't need to touch the traditional earthen stove. These rural earthen stoves are very practical. They can burn coal or firewood, and the pot is also very large. It's more than enough to cook a large meal for dozens of people.

Under Li Younan's planning, all construction steps are progressing rapidly and in an orderly manner.

A week passed quickly after Li Younan started construction.

Li Younan ignored the doubts raised by the people in the video he posted on the first day and simply used his abilities to carry out the transformation work step by step.

The slightly more troublesome part is dealing with the cleared area in the backyard. It can no longer be called a slope; it has been almost completely leveled.

Li Younan planned to turn that location into a relaxing little backyard, build a grape trellis, add some camping equipment, and plant some beautiful flowers.

When the weather isn't too hot, you can even fish directly in the Baishui River... Actually, thinking about it this way, Grandpa's house is in a pretty good location, but this plan needs to be put on hold for a while.

The most important water and electrical systems have been upgraded.

Among them, the simplest is actually the circuit, which requires relatively less work. After all, grandparents' house has few electrical appliances, so the circuit diagram is not complicated.

Li Younan bought a new airlock, put all the electrical wires into conduits, buried them in the wall, and covered them with cement.

He reserved electrical outlets in every possible place where electricity might be needed.

While doing this, he already had a clear idea in mind what appliances would be installed in the final house, including washing machines, water dispensers, and air conditioners.

The wiring is very neat and aesthetically pleasing, and the design structure is also very reasonable.

While electrical and plumbing skills are largely based on experience, Li Younan was, after all, a genuine science whiz with a solid foundation in electrical engineering from junior and senior high school. This combination of factors allowed him to design circuits that incorporated more safety considerations, taking into account the potential load on each power strip.

As for the water supply, the main water pipes branched off in three main directions. One extended into the main hall, another naturally went into the bedrooms, and the third was directly connected by Li Younan to the small courtyard by the river. A tap would be installed there, making everything more convenient, whether planting trees and flowers or camping and barbecuing. He made sure he hadn't overlooked anything.

Being a plumber isn't always smooth sailing. Of course, the obstacle isn't the job itself; after all, with his current skills, modifying his grandfather's plumbing and electrical systems would be as simple as 1 + 1 = 2.

The main obstacle came from the concerns of relatives. For example, on the first day my mother arrived at my grandfather's house, she saw Li Younan reaching out to pull on the old electrical wires. She was so frightened that she quickly stopped him, complaining, "Nonsense!"

Li Younan felt somewhat helpless yet touched. He patiently explained the situation to his mother, which allowed the construction to proceed slowly.

In fact, before this, Li Younan had already racked his brains to explain to his grandparents that what he was doing was absolutely safe.

Only Lu Xiaolan was relatively at ease with him, because the little girl simply did not understand what it meant for a Gen Z youth to be so skilled at doing these things.

However, she held up her equipment and livestreamed Li Younan's construction process the entire time.

From those comments, she gradually began to understand just how amazing her cousin was.

The initial barrage of skeptical and disparaging comments gradually disappeared as Li Younan became more skilled at using plumbing and electrical tools. They were replaced by a flood of praise and admiration.

"Wow, such a handsome young man is actually working as a plumber!"

A 20-year veteran plumber commented: "This guy is absolutely professional!"

"I'm not a professional, but I think there's a strange kind of beauty in his wiring!"

"Sichuan Fire Department commented: The wiring is very standard and compliant, with no safety hazards. Thumbs up!"

One comment below reads: "Wow, so the official editor upstairs is slacking off during work hours, watching videos and live streams, huh?"

Watching Li Younan answer the phone is really a very comfortable feeling.

For several days in a row, JK Long stayed in the live stream room but didn't say a word. During this time, he spent three to five hundred yuan on gifts for Li Younan every day. Li Younan hadn't paid JK Long yet; the red envelopes he'd sent him earlier were quickly returned with these gifts, leaving a surplus.

After the live stream ended, Li Younan sent a message to JK Long with a hint of helplessness: "Brother Long, why did you send me gifts?"

JK Long simply said indifferently, "One thing at a time."

Li Younan then brought up the same old question: "By the way, when are you going to send me that contract?"

JK Long coldly replied: "Are you in such a hurry? It's like the emperor isn't worried but the eunuch is. You're not losing anything, so why are you in such a rush? I'll send it to you when I'm free. I'm busy these next few days!"

Brother Long's temper was still as fiery as ever, but Li Younan no longer cared about his sharp tongue. He even had a thought of deliberately provoking him, but he held back this time.

Because Brother Long has been working very hard these past few days, Li Younan would film a video of himself working from various angles and showing his daily progress before each live stream. After handing it over to Brother Long, Brother Long would painstakingly edit it together.

I don't edit every day; I only make a video episode after the results have shown a significant improvement.

This video series about the renovation of the old house has been updated with three episodes.

The original scenery of the first episode has already garnered tens of thousands of likes.

The water system in the second episode and the electrical system in the third episode, which have been renovated, have received fewer likes, currently only a few thousand.

Actually, Li Younan didn't care. But Brother Long comforted him: "These old house renovation videos usually get the most views when the final result is shown. The renovation process has been recorded all along, and there are live streams every day. I've even saved your live stream clips. When the renovation is finally completed, we'll make a long video. That video will definitely get a lot of views, possibly hundreds of thousands or even millions of likes! Right now, there's no need to rush."

Although Li Younan was calm, he still praised Brother Long, saying, "Brother Long, you have a great mindset. Thank you for your guidance. I stopped feeling so conflicted all of a sudden."

Brother Long simply replied with a faint "hmm," seemingly very satisfied that his words had helped to smooth things over with Li Younan.

The renovation was progressing rapidly. He completed the basic water and electricity renovation. Next, Li Younan planned to open up a doorway in each of the four bedrooms from the outside and make a separate bathroom in each room. While he was planning this, his fans began to grow rapidly, and in just one week, they increased by more than 100,000!

The number of fans has reached 20!
At the same time, a series of business orders came his way.

(End of this chapter)