Chapter 1188 Talking about blind date, apprentice wants to run away
The phone rang, Zhou Chen put down the pancake in his hand and answered the call.
"Say, okay, I understand. Since there is no problem, let's follow the normal process."
"Charity gala? You can go there for me. I'm taking a rest. If you don't have anything important to do recently, don't call me. Hang up."
Xu Hongdou gently stirred the coffee in the cup and said, "You are quite busy."
Zhou Chen said: "It's not too busy, just a phone call or two occasionally. But you, now that you have resigned, you are relaxed and at ease."
"But I have no money. I feel comfortable now, but I will still have to work hard to find a job and make money in the future."
"Then why do you have to find a tiring position? You can find a relaxing position."
Xu Hongdou sighed: "But I can't make any money in an easy job. The consumption in the capital is so high. I have to eat, drink, and rent a house. The salary is so low that I can't even support myself."
Zhou Chen asked: "Then you haven't thought about changing places or going back to your hometown. There must be less pressure in life there, right?"
Xu Hongdou looked at the cake on the plate: "I really haven't thought about going back to my hometown. The main reason is that I have been working in the capital after graduation and I am used to it. If I go back to my hometown, I don't know what I can do."
"There is another reason why you are not willing to go back. When you are young, you always want to conquer the world with your own hands. Even if you fail, you are not willing to go back to the past. Is this the truth?"
"What you said makes sense. Maybe I also have this mentality. Alas."
Xu Hongdou sighed heavily. After all these years of work, she certainly felt tired and tired, but she saw that the people around her were also similar, so she had long been used to it.
This visit to Yunmiao Village was entirely because of Chen Nanxing. If nothing had happened to Chen Nanxing, she would still be working hard in the hotel.
"What are you talking about, you guys?"
Xie Zhiyao suddenly sat down next to Zhou Chen and asked curiously.
Zhou Chen looked at him and asked: "Mr. Xie just had a blind date, how do you feel? I think that girl is quite beautiful, and she is a perfect match for you."
"What a good match. In my current situation, I'm heavily in debt, so I'd better not burden others with it."
Xie Zhiyao shook his head: "That means Xiaochun has to ask me to come, otherwise I won't come at all."
"These are all excuses. I think you just don't like her. If you did, I guarantee you wouldn't consider all these things and just lick your face and get close to her."
Zhou Chen looked disdainful. He was here and could see Xie Zhiyao's thoughts at a glance.
Xie Zhiyao said with the same disdain: "What qualifications do you have to say to me? We are the same age. You are not married and have no girlfriend. I can still excuse myself by saying that I am poor. As for you, you have everything you want. Why don't you?
marry?"
When Xu Hongdou heard this, there was a ripple in her heart. She also raised her head and looked at Zhou Chen curiously. She was also curious about the reason.
Zhou Chen said: "I'm not married because I haven't met the right one. I'm different from you. I'm a loner with no father, mother or relatives. I have higher requirements for my girlfriend and marriage partner. I don't want to be married again."
I lost my loved one, so I want to find someone who can spend the rest of my life with me and never leave me, instead of marrying just anyone, do you understand?"
Zhou Chen shrugged and said indifferently: "It's okay. Over the years, I have long been accustomed to being alone, but when it comes to marriage, I really want to find a partner who is willing to spend the rest of my life with me."
While saying this, his eyes swept over Xu Hongdou inadvertently, and happened to meet Xu Hongdou's eyes. Xu Hongdou was so shocked that he turned his eyes away in panic.
Xie Zhiyao chuckled and said, "How about I help you talk to Xiaochun and ask her to help you find someone to go on a blind date?"
"You should still care about yourself." Zhou Chen said angrily.
Xie Zhiyao said a few words and then stood up: "I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
Zhou Chen asked Xu Hongdou: "Have you decided where to go this afternoon?"
"No, I'm just going to walk around and see the scenery here."
"Do you need me to be your tour guide?"
"No need, I'll just walk around and see wherever I go."
"Okay, then you can go shopping by yourself. I'll go to the wood carving workshop in the afternoon."
After lunch, Zhou Chen left the tavern and went to the woodcarving workshop. Xu Hongdou did not leave immediately, but chatted with Nana.
When we arrived at the wood carving workshop, it was another deserted day, and only Xie Xiaoxia was left practicing carving there.
Xie Heshun originally had several apprentices, but these apprentices have become fewer and fewer. In recent days, one after another has stopped coming.
Xie Heshun was anxious and angry every day, but there was nothing he could do. He was just his apprentice, not his worker. If he didn't want to learn, he couldn't control him, so he could only be sulking at himself.
Zhou Chen studied wood carving with Xie Heshun for more than half a month, and also understood this person's character, which is stubborn, old-fashioned and strong.
He has nothing to say to his apprentices, and he will teach them all the skills that need to be taught. But when he encounters dissatisfaction, he will really yell at them and even get violent. However, if he meets a genius apprentice, he is very kind.
Just like Zhou Chen, after studying with him for more than half a month, he was almost never scolded by Xie Heshun. Instead, he was very valued by Xie Heshun.
"Xiaoxia, master is not here?"
"Brother Zhou, master has gone back to eat and rest."
Zhou Chen walked behind Xie Xiaoxia and looked at the live broadcast on his mobile phone. There were only a few people chatting with him.
"Why are you so listless?"
Xie Xiaoxia put down the tools in her hands and turned off the live broadcast, her face slumped.
"Brother Zhou, do you think I can make money in the future if I learn woodcarving every day? You see, the business of our woodcarving workshop is getting worse day by day. Sometimes we can't sell one piece for a week, and there aren't many tourists. So
If we go down, does the woodcarving workshop still have a future?"
"So, you want to give up wood carving?"
"Brother Zhou, you can see that I don't want to give up wood carving. I just feel that if I stay in the village and learn wood carving, I have no future at all and I can't make any money. I'm not young anymore, I'm twenty-two years old.
, I can’t always stay at home and grow old.”
Zhou Chen patted Xie Xiaoxia on the shoulder and said: "I understand what you are thinking. I can also see the business of the wood carving shop. It is not easy for you to persist until now. However, the craft of wood carving relies on technology.
and qualifications, it is really difficult to make money in the early stage, and machine carving is everywhere now. Most people rarely choose artificial wood carving. It is time-consuming and expensive. Even if someone chooses artificial wood carving, they will choose those masters. Young people
It’s hard for an apprentice to get ahead.”
"Today's life is too fast-paced, and it is a money-oriented society. Even if you insist on inheriting craftsmanship, you still need financial support."
Hearing what Zhou Chen said, Xie Xiaoxia suddenly became interested.
"Brother Zhou, I heard Brother Ayao and my sister say that you are a big business person. You are different from us. You learn wood carving for fun, but we do it for life. Your vision must be extraordinary, even
Now that you've said that, doesn't it mean that there is no future for wood carving?"
Zhou Chen said: "Whether wood carving has a future is another matter for us to decide. Since you have such an idea, tell me what you think you will do if you don't learn wood carving?"
Xie Xiaoxia said weakly: "I haven't thought about it either. I just feel that there is no future in learning wood carving in the village. If I go out and try my luck, there might be a way out."
Zhou Chen knew why Xie Xiaoxia had such thoughts, and also knew that he would be defrauded of money when he left the village to go to the magic city, but he did not attack Xie Xiaoxia. Who doesn't encounter setbacks in life?
"Xiao Xia, let me tell you this, if you stay in the village, you may not be able to make a lot of money, but with your master here, food and clothing will definitely be no problem; but if you want to go out and have a try, everything will have to be
It’s not easy to work alone in a different place on your own.”
But Xie Xiaoxia, who had never left the village, was a simple person and could not hear Zhou Chen's warning at all. Instead, she became more curious about the outside world.
"Brother Zhou, you and Nana are both from Magic City. What is Magic City like? Is it like on TV? It's very prosperous and there are many rich people."
"Compared to other cities in the country, Magic City is indeed one of the most prosperous big cities, and there are many rich people. However, there are many rich people, which does not mean that anyone who goes to Magic City can make money."
Xie Xiaoxia asked: "Brother Zhou, do you think I can make money if I go to Shanghai?"
Zhou Chen smiled and gave him an answer.
"I won't starve to death anyway."
After saying that, he stopped talking and walked aside to start carving on his own.
Xie Xiaoxia scratched his head and felt very dissatisfied. What did he mean by not starving to death anyway? He felt that he was not that bad.
Xu Hongdou found that her phone was broken when she came yesterday and she had no money on her, but she still managed to survive two days smoothly. One meal was invited by Zhou Chen, one meal was free, and both meals were eaten in the small courtyard.
, I feel a little ashamed just thinking about it.
"I have to go to the ancient city tomorrow to find a place to repair my mobile phone."
The afternoon passed quickly. Xu Hongdou walked around Yunmiao Village for a while in the afternoon, and then went back to the room to rest in the evening.
After Zhou Chen had dinner, he used the computer to search for the latest domestic and foreign news, and then looked at stock funds.
Chenxing Capital is a profitable company under him with many employees. Three years have passed and now, although Zhou Chen is not needed in most cases, he still needs to personally handle some important investments and so on.
When he finished everything and walked out of the room, he heard the voices of Xu Hongdou and the three girls from the restaurant downstairs. The three of them were eating and chatting.
He didn't go down to disturb him. Instead, he moved around for a while and then went back to his room to rest.
Early the next morning, Zhou Chen meditated, had breakfast, and continued wood carving. This had become his daily routine, and others were no longer surprised.
Xu Hongdou walked out of the room and saw Zhou Chen who was carving wood downstairs, and ran down.
"Zhou Chen, I'm going to visit the ancient city today and fix my phone. Are you free today? If not, I will go alone."
Zhou Chen stopped what he was doing and said, "I'm free. I came here to play. I'm free at any time. Today is already the third day. I thought you weren't going to repair your phone."
Xu Hongdou smiled sheepishly: "It's really inconvenient not to have a mobile phone. If you hadn't lent me a few hundred yuan yesterday at noon, I wouldn't have had anything to eat last night or this morning."
"It's a small matter, are you ready to leave now, or wait a moment?"
"Go now and fix the phone. I'll treat you to dinner at noon."
"Okay, no problem. I'll take my things back to the room and change clothes."
Zhou Chen took the wood and carving knife upstairs, changed his clothes, and came down soon.
"Let's go."
When Xu Hongdou followed Zhou Chen to the entrance of the village and saw Zhou Chen's Range Rover, she looked shocked.
She knew that Zhou Chen might be rich, but when she saw this luxury car worth at least one million yuan, she was still surprised by Zhou Chen's net worth.
"boarding."
Yunmiao Village is still quite far away from the ancient city. This is not Zhou Chen’s first time there, so he is familiar with it.
Xu Hongdou said to Zhou Chen: "Go to the bank first, and I'll withdraw the money."
"good."
After withdrawing the money, Xu Hongdou returned the money to Zhou Chen, and then went to the mobile phone store together.
On the way, Zhou Chen said: "I looked at your mobile phone and it seems that the screen must be replaced. However, I guess this place may not be able to replace it for you on the spot. If there is no ready-made screen, it may take two or three days."
"Two or three days? It doesn't matter much. Anyway, I haven't used my phone for two days. It doesn't matter if I wait another two or three days." Xu Hongdou said nonchalantly.
When we arrived at the mobile phone store, it was true as Zhou Chen said. There was no ready-made screen and it was difficult to replace it immediately. It would take three days to wait. So Xu Hongdou could only keep the mobile phone and left Zhou Chen's mobile phone number with the repair shop.
, you can call Zhou Chen to notify him after it is repaired.
After walking out of the mobile phone store, Zhou Chen asked: "Come to the ancient city, do you want to go shopping?"
"Forget it, wait until I get my phone in two days before shopping again."
Xu Hongdou thought for a while and then refused. She was not the kind of person who particularly liked shopping. What she wanted to do most now was to find a place to lie down. She felt that the windy courtyard was the best place.
Zhou Chen nodded: "Okay, but before I go back, I have to go to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities and snacks."
Xu Hongdou's eyes lit up and she said, "This is good, I'll buy some too."
So, the two of them drove to the largest supermarket in the ancient city, bought a shopping cart, and returned home fully loaded.
In the afternoon, Zhou Chen went to the wood carving workshop, but was surprised to find that the wood carving workshop was not open today.
"what's the situation?"
After thinking about it, he didn't go back, but went to Xie Heshun's house. As soon as he reached the corner of Xie Heshun's house, he saw Xie Xiaoxia coming towards him carrying a gift with his head downcast.
Xie Xiaoxia was also shocked when she saw Zhou Chen.
"Brother Zhou, come find Master."
"Um."
Zhou Chen nodded, and when he saw the gift in Xie Xiaoxia's hand and his expression, he immediately understood what happened.
"What, are you having a showdown with Master Xie? Are you really ready to go out and try your luck?"
Xie Xiaoxia nodded slightly: "Brother Zhou, please help me persuade the master. He is in a very bad mood now. He values you the most. Your words will definitely work."
Zhou Chen patted his shoulder and comforted him: "Okay, I will persuade you, but I still advise you, even if you want to go out, it is best to go with someone you trust, and never trust strangers.
You can’t go with strangers either, do you understand?”
"Brother Zhou, thank you for reminding me, I will remember it."
"Okay, then I'll go find Master Xie now."
Zhou Chen came to Xie Heshun's house and knocked on the door: "Master Xie, it's me, Zhou Chen."
Although he learned wood carving from Xie Heshun, Xie Heshun did not allow him to formally become his apprentice, and he usually called him Master Xie.
"Ah, it's Xiao Zhou, why are you here?"
Xie Heshun walked out of the room and opened the door for Zhou Chen.
Looking at his expression, Zhou Chen knew that he was in a bad mood now.
"Didn't I go to the ancient city today? I bought a few bottles by the way. I couldn't find anyone for a long time. Why don't I find Master Xie and you're here? Master Xie, would you like to have a couple of drinks?"
Xie Heshun saw the wine in Zhou Chen's hand and nodded silently.
"Okay, two drinks, come in."
Walking into the house, Xie Heshun took out two wine glasses, some peanuts and a pile of cold vegetables.
"Make do with it, don't give it up."
"Don't dislike it, don't dislike it."
After two glasses of wine, Zhou Chen took the initiative and said: "I just met Xiaoxia at the door, and I also know about him. As a young man, I have never seen the intrigues outside. I always think that I can make a lot of money after I go out.
,This is normal."
Xie Heshun placed the wine glass heavily on the table and snorted: "You're right, these kids are nothing. They really think that the money outside is easy to make. They are so restless all day long. It's strange that they can learn wood carving well."
, all want to go out, okay, let them go out, I want to see if they can really make a lot of money after they go out."
He sincerely wanted to teach several apprentices, and even used all his own resources. Unfortunately, the skills of a few apprentices were limited. Others only wanted what he did, and they didn't want the works of a few apprentices.
"If they had your talent and concentration, their future achievements would definitely be better than mine. It's a pity."
Xie Heshun was very disappointed. Zhou Chen's talent was something he had never seen before in his life. Several apprentices combined could not match it, so he had stricter requirements on several apprentices, because he knew that if the talent was not enough, he would not be able to match it.
I just have to work hard to make it happen.
It's a pity that the last few apprentices still didn't understand him, and they were all ready to leave.
Zhou Chen could understand Xie Heshun's distress, but he knew better that this was not entirely Xie Heshun's problem, nor was it the problem of those apprentices. It was just that society was developing. If a wood carving workshop like Xie Heshun did not have suitable sales and reforms,
Bankruptcy is a matter of time.
"Master Xie, I dare not say anything about others, but I believe that Xiaoxia will come back sooner or later, because he is too simple, and his roots are here, so he can't go far."
It can be seen from the TV plot that Xie Xiaoxia is a good kid, but he is really too simple. If there is no one to take care of him, he will never be able to survive alone outside.
Zhou Chen was comforting Xie Heshun when suddenly the cell phone in his pocket rang.
"Hello, hello, who are you?"
"Xu Hongdou's mother, oh, oh, I know, I know, she is aunt, yes, okay, I will go back to find Hongdou right away, okay..."