When I arrived at the two-story private house, I saw their small workshop, which was really simple.
However, there are various handicrafts displayed in the room, including wood carvings, clay ones, rubber ones and various jade ones.
It looks quite nice, with all kinds of weird gadgets, and they are very exquisite, unlike those rough ones made by machines.
I immediately fell in love with a 1:1 restored violin made of pure wood. It is so beautiful, the workmanship is very exquisite, and it looks very complicated. It cannot be completed in a day or two.
Tang Ling saw me staring at the violin, so she picked it up and said to me: "Brother Chen, this is actually a music box."
As she spoke, she twisted a button on the violin, and the violin instantly produced crisp notes.
"Is it difficult to do this?" I asked.
"It's not difficult. It's mainly a hobby. I remember doing this for three days."
"It's amazing! Such a complicated thing was completed in three days."
Tang Ling smiled and then introduced me to several other friends in their studio.
Besides her, there was a girl and three boys, making them five people in total.
They are all young, the youngest has just turned 19, and Tang Ling is still the eldest among them.
Looking at their faces full of hope for the future, I was really infected by them.
I haven't seen such a spirited appearance in a long time. I have seen it in Gao Sheng and Chen Dajiang before.
But now, they are gradually losing their energy as before, as if their edges have been smoothed away by the trivialities of life.
Tang Ling continued to take me around their small studio. There were all kinds of figures, big and small, and they were all purely handmade.
People who like these things will like them very much, but people who don't like them will only take a look at them.
I asked Tang Ling: "How is the current sales volume of your online store?"
Tang Ling curled her lips and said: "No, after a few months, there are less than thirty orders, and they are all small orders."
"Are your prices expensive? For example, how much does the violin I just looked at cost?"
"2800 is a bit expensive, but I think it's worth it. After all, we are all handmade, so it's very collectible."
I nodded and said: "Of course these things are not expensive for people who really like them, but they are dispensable for people who don't love them so much."
"Yes, so we are quite troubled too."
Tang Ling sighed softly and suddenly asked me: "By the way, Brother Chen, I heard from my brother that you are in business. Can you give us some advice?"
I was stunned for a moment. I didn't expect that she would ask me that. I didn't have any idea, and I was suddenly speechless.
I touched my chin and said a little embarrassedly: "I really don't know what to say. What I do is just a small business, and I am a middleman."
Tang Ling looked a little disappointed and said: "To be honest, I really don't know what to do now. If I can't make any more money, I probably won't be able to continue working."
"Want to give up?"
"It's not like giving up! The main thing is that this house doesn't belong to me. Erba's brother has told us several times that he wants us to move out, and I can't hold it anymore."
Seeing how distressed she was, I really wanted to help her.
What I originally thought was that I would just come here to live a simple life and not think about anything. As for business matters, I didn't even want to think about it.
However, looking at the energetic faces of these friends and Tang Ling's great ambition, I was a little moved.
But I'm not a god, and I can't just say a word to help them change their reality.
After being silent for a while, I said to Tang Ling: "It's okay, take your time, I think you are just short of money and opportunities now."
Tang Ling nodded thoughtfully: "Yes, no matter what, I will persevere even if I am the only one in the end."
I was really moved by this girl's persistence, and at the same time I also had some thoughts in my mind.
I turned to her and said, "Then you go about your business first, I'm going back to the inn."
"Okay, then Brother Chen, I'll find someone to take you back on a bicycle."
I waved my hand towards her and said, "No, I'll just walk back. There's nothing to do anyway, you guys are busy."
Several friends came out to see me off, and they were all very enthusiastic.
On the way back, I started thinking about how I could make their situation better.
The only way I can think of is publicity, no matter what industry the advertising effect is, it is necessary.
Handmade products like theirs need to be vigorously promoted so that those who like them can see them. Only in this way can sales be guaranteed at least for a period of time.
However, this method of publicity is also a big problem. Either they throw a lot of money into it, but it is obvious that this road will not work for them.
On the way back to the inn, I randomly found a small restaurant and ate a portion of the famous local bean curd rice, dipped in charcoal-roasted green peppers. It was so delicious.
The most important thing is that it's cheap. It only costs 8 yuan per serving. It's so filling.
After dinner, I continued walking around the ancient town for a while before returning to the inn.
Boss Tang greeted me as soon as he saw me: "Brother Chen, have you bought the medicine?"
I picked up the Chinese medicine in my hand and said with a smile: "I bought it, but Boss Tang, I may need to borrow your kitchen to fry the Chinese medicine. Don't worry, I won't do it when there are customers in your store. I will do it at night."
Boss Tang replied with a smile: "It's okay, you are cooking medicine in the kitchen inside, and you can't smell it in the store."
I smiled and thanked him, but still planned to wait until his cafe closed before making the medicine.
I went back to the room, divided the medicine, and cleaned the casserole I bought.
After finishing these things, I made myself another cup of tea, and then sat at the stone table in the yard to bask in the sun.
I enjoy living like this, but I can't help but miss my children. I don't know if they will get used to it after going to London. I don't know how Yangyang's illness is going.
Thinking of these things, I realized that I simply cannot forget everything and live here, because no matter what, the bloodline cannot be cut off, and I will always miss my children.
So I forced myself not to think about these uncomfortable things, and started thinking about how to help Tang Ling and the others.
After thinking about it, there is only one most direct way, which is to find a famous person to promote it to them.
All I can think of is Sun Xiaoxiao. Although she is not particularly popular now, she can be regarded as one of the few rising stars in the film and television industry in recent years.
I remember the last time I saw his Weibo, he seemed to have more than 10 million fans.
If you ask her for help, she will definitely help, but I don't know if it will embarrass her.
I still planned to contact her, so I asked Boss Tang to borrow her mobile phone.
I didn't bring my cell phone, but I wrote down the numbers of some friends in my address book in a small notebook.
After finding Sun Xiaoxiao's phone number, I called her immediately.