How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

The wind at the scene seemed to have suddenly stopped.

All eyes were focused on the old man sitting in a wheelchair, holding a tattered rabbit doll in his arms.

Grandma Flower can't see it.

Her greyish-white eyes were unfocused; she was relying solely on her hearing, her head slightly tilted, as if awaiting judgment.

"White Rabbit?"

Second Uncle Xu Qiang was stunned for a moment, then touched his buzz cut, looking puzzled.

"Aunt Hua, this is the most impressive canteen in the whole village."

"Name it something like 'Fierce Tiger' or 'Flying Dragon,' which would be much more exciting. If all else fails, 'Taihang's Number One Pot' would also be fine."

"White Rabbit...isn't this a bit too much? People who don't know better might think this is a kindergarten."

A few whispers could be heard from the crowd.

indeed.

To a group of elderly rural residents who value "grandeur" and "prestige," this name seemed overly childlike, even a bit soft and weak.

Xu An didn't speak; he only felt the letter inside the tin box on his chest suddenly become scalding hot.

"Because...it's sweet."

Grandma Flower gently stroked the doll in her arms. Her voice was so soft that it was easily blown away by the wind, but everyone present could hear it.

"Was that in the 1940s... or the 1950s?"

"I can't remember."

"Life was tough back then, and our mouths tasted bland."

"When Anzi's mother first married into the family, she gave me a piece of candy."

"The candy wrapper had a big white rabbit drawn on it, it was so pretty, but unfortunately I went blind later and never saw it again."

"But I'll remember that taste for the rest of my life."

"It's so sweet it warms my heart."

Grandma Hua smiled, and the deep wrinkles on her face seemed to be smoothed out by that memory at that moment.

"Didn't we build this canteen so that everyone could have a better life in their later years?"

The entire room fell silent.

My second uncle had just lit a cigarette, but forgot to smoke it. The ash fell onto his leather jacket, which cost tens of thousands of yuan, burning a hole in it, but he didn't even notice.

Grandpa took two puffs of his pipe, and his eyes reddened.

Xu An felt as if a wad of cotton was stuffed into his throat.

original.

That piece of candy buried under the osmanthus tree not only sweetened his childhood that he had never met, but also sweetened the decades of bitter years in this village.

"middle!"

Grandpa suddenly slammed his pipe against the sole of his shoe, making a crisp sound.

"Let's call it White Rabbit!"

"If anyone dares to say this is a kindergarten, I'll smash them with my shoe!"

"This is a memento left behind by Anzi's mother, and it's a memento for our entire village!"

Xu Qiang didn't waste any more words. With a wave of his hand, he shouted to Li Daguo beside him:

"Dean Li!"

"Did you hear that!"

"Redesign the storefront!"

"Stop with those gilded characters, they're tacky!"

"Just give me a White Rabbit logo! The most classic one!"

"I want that blue and white striped color scheme! Paint the entire exterior walls that!"

In the live stream, the barrage of comments was like a flood bursting its banks.

[ID: Crybaby]: Waaaaah, so that's how it is! Granny Hua remembers Anzi's mother's kindness, and she's remembered it her whole life!

[ID White Rabbit Official]: Um... do we need to pay a fee? If you don't mind, we'd like to sponsor the cafeteria's candy supply for a year!

[ID Designer]: Blue and white color scheme? If designed well, this would definitely be a classic Chinese trend! Uncle's aesthetic sense is on point!

The name has been decided.

The atmosphere became lively again.

Since it's called "White Rabbit Canteen," the decor style naturally has to change.

Everyone was chattering about what to hang on the wall.

Some people say to hang that big red "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character.

Some people say to hang a painting of ten thousand horses galloping.

While they were arguing, Third Master—the "hairdresser" who was holding the scissors for trimming donkey hooves—who hadn't said a word, suddenly sighed.

He took off his reading glasses and wiped them with the corner of his clothes.

"It works no matter what you hang up."

"It would be even better if we could hang up a group photo of us in front of Tiananmen Square."

The moment those words were spoken, the once bustling construction site instantly cooled down.

It was even colder than when we were naming the child.

Seeing everyone staring at him, Third Master waved his hand somewhat awkwardly.

"I just... said it offhand."

"I'm almost eighty years old, and the farthest I've ever been in my life is Huixian County."

"They showed the flag-raising ceremony on TV every day, and I thought to myself, if only I could go to Beijing to see Tiananmen Square and walk on the Jinshui Bridge..."

"Even if I die, I can close my eyes in peace."

Third Master's words were like a needle, puncturing the balloon in everyone's heart.

This is in the remote Taihang Mountains.

"Beijing".

For these elderly people who toil in the fields, it's more than just a place name.

That was a sacred place, a place they dreamed of visiting in their entire lives, but could never reach.

"yes……"

Second Uncle also put down the wine pot.

I want to go too.

"Back when we were fighting, the troops were on the other side of the Yalu River, which wasn't actually that far from Beijing."

"But then I injured my leg, went home, and before I knew it..."

Seventy years have passed.

"I also want to see what the country we've protected is really like."

Several elderly women also wiped away tears.

In the live stream, countless netizens broke down in tears.

[ID wants to take grandpa on a trip]: So true! When my grandpa passed away, his only regret was that he had never been to Beijing.

[ID Crowdfunding]: Hey streamer! Let's start a crowdfunding campaign! We'll pay for it! We'll charter a plane to take the grandparents there!

[ID Wake Up]: Calm down, upstairs! These elderly people are almost eighty years old on average! Some even use wheelchairs! Traveling all that way to Beijing? Their bodies simply can't handle it!

Xu An looked at the comments and felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

Yes, the money, we have it now.

My second uncle is rich, and he also makes money from live-streaming rewards.

But fate cannot be bought.

With Third Master's physique, he'd be shaken to pieces even riding a tractor, let alone taking a plane or high-speed train to Beijing.

This is like a dead knot.

It can't be solved.

Xu Qiang stood to one side, scratching his hair in frustration, making his newly styled mess even more disheveled.

"What's so difficult about that!"

"I'm going to the county to buy the biggest projector ever!"

"Make it 8K high definition!"

"Let's raise the national flag in the White Rabbit canteen every day! Let them see it to their heart's content!"

Third Master gave a wry smile and shook his head.

"Qiangzi, that's watching TV, it's different."

"What we want is... that feeling of standing right in front of them."

"Even if it's fake, as long as it gives us something to remember us by and allows us to take a picture, I'll be content."

Fake... a thought... taking a picture...

A thought suddenly flashed through Xu An's mind.

He suddenly turned his head and looked at the wall on the east side of the cafeteria.

It was a cement wall that had just been plastered and hadn't yet had insulation boards installed.

It is six meters high and ten meters wide.

Flat, huge, and empty, it's like a gray canvas spread out on the ground.

Xu An's heart began to race, and the crazy thoughts that arose when social anxiety was pushed to the limit grew wildly like weeds.

"Second Uncle!"

Xu An suddenly shouted, his voice so loud it startled even himself.

"What's wrong? Why are you so startled!"

Xu Qiang was so startled that he almost dropped the rebar in his hand.

Xu An pointed to the wall, his finger trembling slightly, but his eyes were brighter than ever before.

"No need to buy a projector."

"There's no need to go to Beijing."

"Dean Li!"

"Please have your people leave that wall open! Don't put rock wool panels on it!"

Li Daguo pushed up his glasses, looking completely bewildered.

"Leave it out? Without insulation? Won't it be cold?"

"It's not cold!"

Xu An took a deep breath, and gave a bright smile to the camera and to all the villagers, young and old.

"Because of that place."

"There must be sunshine."

"Second Uncle, don't you have paint in your car? The kind you use to paint railings!"

"There's also red, yellow, and blue paint!"

"Move them all down!"

Xu Qiang stared wide-eyed at his nephew who had suddenly gone mad.

"What are you going to do?"

"Painting the walls?"

"What do you want the walls painted like?"

Xu An reached out from his sleeve and gestured a huge rectangle in the air.

"Since we can't go to Beijing..."

"Then I'll take Beijing..."

"Move in!"

"I want it on this wall."

"Draw a Tiananmen Square!"

"The 1:1 scale kind!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

The scissors in Third Master's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".

Second Uncle spilled his wine all over his crotch.

Even the viewers in the live stream were stunned by this imaginative idea.

[ID Magic Paintbrush Ma Liang]: Holy crap? Hand-drawn Tiananmen Square? Streamer, you have this skill too?

[ID Art Student]: This is no small project! And it requires extremely strong control over perspective and light and shadow! Are you an art major, host?

[ID This is so romantic]: If it could really be drawn... then this would definitely be the most hardcore "cloud tourism" on the entire internet!

"Nonsense!"

Xu Qiang frowned.

"What's the point of just drawing a picture? Isn't it the same as a New Year's picture?"

"Besides, can you even draw? Don't draw a City God Temple!"

Xu An ignored his second uncle's questioning.

He walked straight to the wall, looked up, and gazed at the massive gray wall.

He wasn't an art student, but he studied landscape design in college, so he has some basic sketching skills.

More importantly, he has a sincere heart.

As long as he wants to do it, as long as it's for these elderly people.

He believed that this pen and this wall had a soul.

"Third Master."

Xu An turned around and looked at the old man whose eyes had regained a glimmer of light.

Give me two days.

"Before the Chinese New Year."

"I will let you... see the Jinshui Bridge from Xujia Village."

"Our whole village."

"Right under this wall."

"Let's take a family photo!"

The wind picked up.

The wind messed up Xu An's freshly cut buzz cut.

It also stirred the hearts of everyone present.

The young man standing under the gray wall was thin and frail.

But in the eyes of netizens.

Behind him, it seemed as if a red sun had already risen.

That's even more breathtaking than movies with hundreds of millions in box office revenue... Chinese-style romance.

[ID with tears in my eyes]: Stop talking! Do you have enough paint? If not, I'll send you more!

[Dean of ID Art Academy]: This isn't just painting; it's painting the heart!

[ID Waiting]: Two days! I'm not sleeping! I'll stay here in this live stream! I want to see Tiananmen Square rise over the Taihang Mountains!

Xu Qiang watched his nephew's resolute back as he pulled out his phone, cursing under his breath.

"Feed? You there, Old Zhang!"

"Don't paint the railings anymore!"

"Send me all the red and yellow paint!"

"not enough?"

"If it's not enough, go buy it in the county! Go buy it in the city!"

"Even if you have to empty all the paint shops in Huixian!"

"You'd better collect them all for me!"

My nephew wants to paint!

"If this delays my plan to bring Tiananmen Square home..."

"I'll paint your name all over the wall!"