I Can Stock Up in the Game

Chapter 90: Chapter 80: Subtle Influence of Attributes! Boss Zhang Has Them All Handled

”Heh, your family learned everything you know from the Guo Family!”

”Boss, my craft is a family tradition too!”

One by one, the master craftsmen, each heir to a traditional bamboo-working art, scrambled to show off and introduce themselves. It was obvious. Seeing how many tourists flocked to Li Yuan Farm, anyone who wasn’t a fool would want to stay.

Anything was better than staying at home, just tending to their small plots of land, right?

But the farm was only choosing five people to be masters, and they all wanted to be one of them. Everyone knew that if they were selected, their bamboo products would surely sell better in the future.

Zhang Lin smiled at the scene. ”Masters,” he said, ”I know you are all skilled craftsmen. These ladies here are my invited guests. In a moment, you will all enter the Bamboo Culture Park and each make a bamboo fan for them. We’ll see who makes the best one. Let your skills decide!”

Hearing this, the bamboo craftsmen were eager to get started.

Zhang Lin then led the group into the Bamboo Culture Park.

Zhao Han and Wang Yu from the tourism bureau, as well as Lin Muxue and her friends, watched with curiosity. They sensed Zhang Lin must have a deeper purpose for this, so they all followed along.

Because the entire Bamboo Culture Park was designed for making tourist souvenirs, the inside was divided into individual workstations.

These workstations were designated for the bamboo craftsmen. Furthermore, each station came fully equipped with all sorts of tools for bamboo crafting, as well as some specialized machinery.

For example, to bend bamboo, craftsmen typically use fire, which requires a dedicated fire pit and various kinds of stabilizing frames.

Simply put, the range of equipment was exhaustive. It was likely that these craftsmen had never seen such a complete set of tools, not even in their own homes.

Of the five million yuan budget, the actual construction of the park—the bricks, cement, and main structure—didn’t cost nearly that much. A significant portion of the money went into these tools.

”These tools are so complete.”

”I saw a collection this extensive at my grandfather’s workshop once, but I haven’t seen a full set this complete since.”

”Amazing. Are all of these for us to use?”

”...”

It wasn’t just the masters of traditional arts; even the craftsmen in the back who could work with bamboo were staring in disbelief. Many of them had probably never even seen some of these tools before, yet here they were.

Seeing the craftsmen’s astonishment, Zhao Han, Lin Muxue, and their companions were also extremely surprised.

It seemed Li Yuan Farm was truly well-prepared.

To elicit such gasps of awe from professional craftsmen truly proved how comprehensive the tool collection was. Accomplishing this demonstrated immense dedication.

”Masters, please choose a workstation,” Zhang Lin instructed the crowd.

Old Guo and the other craftsmen didn’t hesitate, each picking a workstation. And then, they froze.

”There’s no bamboo!”

”Yeah, Boss Zhang! The bamboo!”

”No bamboo!”

Zhang Lin slapped his forehead. He’d forgotten that detail. He immediately pulled out his phone, called Liu De, and ordered, ”Go chop down some bamboo and bring it to the Bamboo Culture Park!”

After hanging up, he felt genuinely embarrassed. After all that preparation, he had forgotten the most crucial component.

Seeing this, Zhao Han quickly turned to Wang Yu. ”As soon as we get back, contact the Mao Bamboo suppliers. We must ensure the Bamboo Culture Park has enough Mao Bamboo for at least the next two days. This project is very important to us!”

”Don’t worry, Director Zhao. I understand!” Wang Yu nodded immediately.

Before long, Liu De and his men arrived with several freshly cut bamboo stalks. There were plenty of them over in the Bamboo Maze.

Once the bamboo arrived, Old Guo and the other craftsmen rushed up to claim the pieces they needed before returning to their workstations.

Zhang Lin then turned to Lin Muxue and her friends. ”Senior Sister Lin, each of you please pick a craftsman and tell them what kind of bamboo fan you’d like!”

Lin Muxue and her friends had assumed this was just a test for the craftsmen and hadn’t thought much of it. But when they approached the masters to discuss their requests, things suddenly felt different.

Lin Muxue approached Old Guo. ”Master, what types of bamboo fans can you make?”

Old Guo simply pulled out his phone and showed her a nine-image photo grid. ”Miss, I can make any of these fans. Just pick the one you want!”

Lin Muxue’s eyes lit up. The fans in the photos were all so exquisite. ’Can this master really make these?’

Her interest was instantly piqued, and she quickly selected a design for Old Guo.

As her excitement grew, she found herself captivated by the process. She watched intently as the master crafted the fan, afraid of missing a single detail, especially as he assembled the handle. She even felt a sudden urge to try it herself.

Clearly, the ”Participation Fun +1” attribute was taking effect.

Game system attributes had a way of influencing people without them even realizing it.

Zhao Han and Wang Yu, watching from the sidelines, also sensed that something was unusual.

It would be one thing if only one girl showed an interest in bamboo crafts, but all the young women Boss Zhang had invited were behaving this way. After choosing their designs, they watched with growing excitement, eventually starting to hand strips of bamboo to the craftsmen and even curiously picking up whittling knives to try shaving the wood themselves.

It was a magical sight.

’Is making bamboo crafts really this interactive?’

Zhao Han even wondered, ’Maybe it’s just because these girls have never seen or done anything like this before? Is that why they’re so fascinated?’

’After all, a single glance told you they were the sophisticated, urban type you read about online. So maybe they were just intrigued because this was a completely new experience for them?’

As this thought crossed his mind, his eyes lit up. ’Many tourists are probably just like these young women—they’ve never tried making bamboo crafts before. When they see it for the first time, there’s a high chance they’ll be just as fascinated!’

’It’s just like that video I saw online, where a group of city folks visited a farmer’s home and had the time of their lives wading in the paddies, catching river snails, treating it like the most novel experience in the world.’

The more Zhao Han thought about it, the brighter his eyes shone. ’Boss Zhang is brilliant! He actually thought to leverage this psychological effect.’

’Right now, it’s only a handful of girls. But once the crowds of tourists arrive, the bandwagon effect will kick in, and this fascination will be amplified exponentially.’

’It’s simple, really. Take something boring. When you’re alone, you wouldn’t dream of doing it.’

’When there are two of you and the other person starts doing it, you think they’re incredibly dull.’

’When there are three of you and two start doing it, you think they’re fools.’

’But when there are four of you and three are doing it, you’ll happily join in, thinking, ’Hey, this is fun!’’

Zhao Han was beginning to understand why Boss Zhang had managed Li Yuan Farm so successfully. There was a reason for everything.

As time passed, Old Guo and the other craftsmen finished their bamboo fans one by one.

But as they looked at the finished fans, Old Guo and the other masters were stunned. They discovered that the fans they had just created seemed far more beautiful than their usual work—they were true objects of art.

These were, without a doubt, the most satisfying pieces they had ever created. ℯℯ𝘭.

’Could it be because the tools were so good?’

’That’s probably it. After all, our tools at home are practically rusted through.’

It wasn’t just the craftsmen; Zhao Han and Wang Yu noticed it too.

After all, they were the ones who had invited these craftsmen, so they knew the usual quality of their work. What they had seen before was nothing compared to what was being made now. The new pieces even had a strange aura about them, as if being crafted here imbued them with a special significance.

The feeling was very strange.

Another thought occurred to Zhao Han, and he smiled at Old Guo and the other craftsmen. ”Masters, it seems you’re all taking this work at the Bamboo Culture Park very seriously, putting your full effort into making these fans.”

’That must be it,’ he thought. ’Back in their own workshops, these craftsmen were probably more casual, not too concerned with the final quality. But now, it’s different. They’re all competing for a top spot, they all want recognition, so naturally they’re pouring their hearts and souls into their work.’

Wanting to make their intentions clear, Master Guo and the others quickly chimed in:

”Now that we’re working for the Culture Park, of course we have to give it our all!”

”That’s right! With so many tourists coming in the future, we can’t bring shame to the farm, and we certainly can’t bring shame to Boss Zhang!”

”Director Zhao, I’m not just boasting, but the Guo Family’s techniques go far beyond this. My grandfather was a true master of the bamboo arts; his work was leagues better than what I can do now.”

”My ancestors used to be the exclusive craftsmen for the Prefect! This is nothing compared to that!”

”...”

Hearing this, Zhang Lin thought to himself, ’Brag away. Lay it on as thick as you want!’

Zhao Han, on the other hand, was overjoyed. ’Incredible! Absolutely incredible!’

’These craftsmen are producing such exquisite work without even using their full abilities. And now, all their passion has been ignited. This must be one of the true purposes of the Bamboo Culture Park, isn’t it?’

’Boss Zhang doesn’t just understand the psychology of the tourists; he even has a perfect read on the minds of these craftsmen.’

’What a genius! An absolute genius!’