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

"Anzi, how's it going?"

"Was it captured in the shot?"

Did I just blink?

Third Master didn't care about formalities anymore; he ran over with small, quick steps and approached the camera.

Because of presbyopia, he almost had to press his face against the screen.

"It's in the shot."

Xu An handed over the camera, his voice a little strained.

"Third Master, you look so energetic, just like when you got married."

Third Master squinted at it for a long time, then suddenly sighed.

"oops."

"Half of this front tooth is missing, so it looks a bit drafty."

"Anzi, you're... high-tech."

"Could you fix Third Master's tooth?"

"It needs to be white and neat."

The elderly people around them burst into laughter.

"Old man, you're almost in your grave and you still want to be a gigolo?"

"Exactly, the draft makes you seem like such a smooth talker!"

The chat messages in the live stream were scrolling even faster than before.

[ID Cloud Grandson]: Grandpa, don't fix it! These are the marks of time! This is what makes you the most handsome!

[ID Photo Editor]: I also want to edit my grandpa's photo, but I can't bear to touch a single detail. This face tells a story.

[ID Family Photo]: Looking at this photo, I suddenly felt like calling my parents.

Xu An looked at the comments on the screen, then glanced at the cafeteria in the distance, which was already taking shape.

The steel structure has been erected, resembling a giant skeleton.

Li Daguo is leading workers in laying the insulation layer on the roof.

Although it has the name "White Rabbit" and a hand-drawn Tiananmen Square.

But it was still empty inside, just cold steel bars and cement.

A thought suddenly popped into Xu An's mind.

Since it's a canteen built for the elderly, why hang those store-bought, generic decorative paintings?

All that talk of grand ambitions and family harmony is just for show.

This is home, and home should be like home.

"Second Uncle."

Xu An called out to Xu Qiang, who was directing the unloading.

"What's wrong?"

Xu Qiang was really not used to wearing a suit today, and he was awkwardly tugging at his tie, looking like a bulldog on a leash.

"Don't decorate all the walls inside the cafeteria."

Xu An pointed to the photos on his phone.

"Leave one side open."

"I want to print this photo out, enlarge it, and hang it in the very center."

Xu Qiang paused for a moment, then leaned over to take a look.

"Hang this thing up?"

"Isn't that like an ancestral hall?"

Xu An shook his head, his eyes resolute.

"It's not an ancestral hall."

"It's... a family tree."

"But what's written on this family tree isn't names, it's smiley faces."

"Not just this one."

"I'm thinking of taking advantage of the fact that the cafeteria isn't finished yet."

"Take a picture of every elderly person in the village."

"Film them working, film them sunbathing, film them swearing."

"Then they were all hung on the wall."

"So that when they enter the cafeteria, they can see themselves and their neighbors."

"This is better than any renovation."

Xu Qiang stopped what he was doing as he listened.

He looked at his nephew, who usually avoided people, but now his eyes were shining with a light that even he found dazzling.

"OK."

Xu Qiang loosened his tie, as if breaking a seal.

"I'll listen to you."

"This idea... is brilliant!"

"This isn't just renovation, it's like giving the cafeteria a soul."

"Let's see who dares to waste food in the cafeteria from now on!"

"Dozens of eyes are staring at you from the wall!"

[ID Top-Tier Understanding]: Hahahaha! Uncle's explanation is brilliant! Is this the legendary "death stare" cafeteria version?

[ID laughing and crying]: I was quite touched at first, but my second uncle's words completely broke me down. But this is a great idea; this is what their cafeteria should be like.

[ID Photographer]: Hey streamer, I'll take this job! Free photo editing! No, I'm going to make a photo frame for every grandpa and grandma!

Xu An smiled, feeling relieved. He turned around and looked at Li Daguo.

"Dean Li."

"How long until this cafeteria is completed?"

Li Daguo pushed up his glasses, glanced at the blueprints in his hand, and then looked at the group of workers behind him who seemed to be on steroids.

The elite team from Huixian Construction Group is all here, along with logistical support from the villagers.

In Xujia Village today, let alone building a canteen, even a rocket launch silo could probably be completed ahead of schedule.

"Seven days."

Li Daguo stretched out one hand, made the number eight, and then withdrew one finger.

"The main body is actually finished."

"The rest is just interior decoration and getting the water and electricity connected."

"With the environmentally friendly materials that my second uncle brought in, there's no need to air out the smell."

"Seven days later."

That is, the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month.

"It can definitely fire!"

Xu An considered it in his mind.

The 29th day of the twelfth lunar month happens to be New Year's Eve.

In other words, this year, the whole village can really eat together for the New Year's Eve dinner.

This was Grandpa's wish, and it was also Second Uncle's wish. Now, it has become the wish of millions of people across the internet.

"middle!"

Xu An nodded, his Henan native confidence returning.

"Then it's settled."

"We'll have our New Year's Eve dinner at the 'White Rabbit Canteen' in seven days!"

"These seven days."

"I'm going to fill this wall."

Xu An raised his phone and pointed it at the camera in the live stream.

Although I still find it a little hard to look directly at those hundreds of thousands of online users.

But he learned to see the scenery behind the camera.

"Family members."

"The mission is complete."

"For the next few days, I'm going to be a...paparazzo."

"Specializing in taking photos secretly."

"Capture the deepest folds in the Taihang Mountains, capture the most genuine smiles."

Would you like to come shopping with me?

The screen was instantly flooded with comments.

[ID Willing]: I'm willing! I want to see Third Master fix donkey hooves!

[ID Want to See]: I want to see Granny Flower sewing a rabbit!

[ID Cloud Supervisor]: As long as it's Xujiacun, I love watching videos of ants moving house!

Xu An breathed a sigh of relief.

The feeling of being "protected" by millions of people in the cloud isn't actually that scary.

Just think of them as the geese at the village entrance who love to eavesdrop.

The crowd slowly dispersed.

The elderly need to go home to start fires and cook, while the workers need to continue rushing to meet the deadline.

Xu An packed up the tripod and carried it on his shoulder.

He looked like a soldier carrying a gun, or a farmer who had just finished work.

He first took the tripod home, then held his phone in his hand and had a camera hanging around his neck.

Walk along the newly repaired bluestone path towards the west end of the village.

There lives a strange old man there.

That was the first goal he had just thought of.

Uncle Blackie, the blacksmith in the village.

I heard that he worked as a blacksmith his whole life, and even the earrings he made for pigs were made of stainless steel.

Xu An wanted to see what this old man, who had been hard his whole life, looked like when he smiled.

When I passed by my fifth aunt's house.

The mother cat "Er Gouzi," who had just given birth, was sunbathing on the wall.

The three kittens, named by netizens, were lying nearby.

Green onions, potatoes, and dumplings.

They were all fast asleep.

Xu An couldn't resist bringing the camera lens closer.

They gave a close-up shot of these "Three Lucky Treasures".

"Family members, look."

"They can be considered original inhabitants of our village."

"Once the cafeteria is built..."

"We need to reserve a special seat for them, regardless of their height."

[ID Dumpling Mom]: Ahhh! My cloud son has grown up! Dumpling seems to have gotten fatter!

[ID Cat Lover]: This is the life I yearn for! Petting cats, basking in the sun, and waiting for the New Year!

[ID Detail Freak]: Streamer, did you notice that the cat named Da Cong has chive leaves stuck to its whiskers?

Upon closer inspection, Xu An realized it was true.

I couldn't help but laugh at these trivial, minute, and even somewhat ridiculous everyday moments.

That's the most comforting thing to do during these seven days of countdown.

The wind has risen again, but this time, it carries more than just chill.

The aroma of stewed meat wafted from afar, along with the hissing sound of a chainsaw cutting steel.

That's the taste of the New Year, and also the taste of hope.

Xu An tightened his military overcoat and put his hands into the sleeves.

They walked toward the clanging sound of blacksmithing.

Since we're going to hang the spirit of Xujia Village on the wall...

That's the hardest bone.

We have to get it done.