"It's just something I made casually."
Facing the praise from the two women, Jiang Fan glanced at them lazily.
Perhaps it was due to irregular sleep, or the constant rain outside, but he felt an unusual sense of leisure and a peculiar interest.
Looking at the leftover bamboo strips in his hand, he fiddled with them for a moment before starting again, skillfully weaving a small object.
Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei, having not received a response from Jiang Fan, turned their heads to find that the extra bamboo strips in his hand had, at some unknown point, transformed into a leopard!
The leopard woven from bamboo strips, from its head to its gracefully curved body, appeared incredibly lifelike.
If not for the material itself, they might have believed it was a real black panther.
In mere seconds, its four limbs also took shape in his hands.
Judging by its appearance, Zhou Niannian immediately recognized it as the black panther they had encountered a few days prior!
This was not the end. Jiang Fan picked up another bamboo strip and began to intertwine it in his hands.
His slender fingers weaved and connected through the strips, forming a new shape.
A long body, a triangular head, a gaping maw with its tongue flicking out.
Yet, the snake's body was tangled and knotted, its tail drooping listlessly.
Dai Xiaomei and Zhou Niannian had already returned to sit by the bonfire, on the small, low stools that Jiang Fan had woven.
Impressed by the stools' sturdiness, they watched Jiang Fan's movements, not daring to breathe too loudly.
They even felt that if they exhaled, these animals would come to life and run away.
So realistic!
So lifelike!
Dai Xiaomei hadn't seen these animals before, but Zhou Niannian had directly faced the black panther.
The woven bamboo leopard lying on the ground was identical to that majestic creature!
The same indolence, the same disdain.
Their journey from surprise to simply exclaiming 'wow' took less than a minute.
The two girls were utterly captivated by these two animals.
Even though one of the models was a soft-bodied creature, they couldn't resist reaching out to touch them, muttering.
"It's so similar, incredibly similar."
"This is amazing, what kind of crafting master is this!"
They could at least touch them.
But the viewers, only seeing the scene, couldn't!
"Is Jiang Shen a craftsman from some remote mountain village? Wow, this is too skillful!"
"Seeing that stool and table reminds me of the ones from my hometown, but they weren't this intricate. Memories of a bygone era..."
"An expert here! This is bamboo weaving, a national intangible cultural heritage!"
"Ahhhhh! This snake! This leopard! How can they be so alike! I'm truly impressed!"
"Did this guy max out his skill tree on survival? Wilderness skills are insane! Is he even human anymore!!!"
The barrage of comments was immense. After some explanations, people began to understand the preciousness of this craft.
Due to the impact of modern industry, bamboo weaving was largely sustained by older generations.
If not for Jiang Fan starting to create various furniture from bamboo in the competition, it's unlikely that younger generations would even know about bamboo weaving.
Precisely because of this, noticing this phenomenon, many self-media creators intuitively sensed an opportunity. They found a niche by creating unique content within the wild survival genre.
They specifically selected Jiang Fan's works, featuring his bamboo furniture and animal creations, and accompanied them with explanations of bamboo weaving techniques. Many also drew inspiration from documentaries showcasing bamboo weaving culture.
Especially in the videos, illuminated by the campfire's glow, the seemingly delicate youth, with his calm and aloof demeanor, watched silently as the objects took shape in his hands.
With his own hands, he wove the dreams of countless artisans –
Inheritance.
This was something many elderly artisans longed for in contemporary society.
When their crafts became less competitive and only retained their artistic value, continuation depended on fate.
They deeply wished that the traditions passed down through generations could endure in the modern era.
Videos like these immediately became a sensation.
They appealed to a wide audience, from the young to the old!
Whether it was reminiscing about the past or exclaiming in awe,
Under the videos, it felt like a generational handover, carrying profound significance.
The trending topics #JiangFanCraftsman# and #PayAttentionToBambooWeavingCraft# quickly dominated the charts.
Discussions about these two topics filled Weibo and the Shaky platform's dynamic feed.
Jiang Fan, initially known as 'Jiang Shen,' even evolved into 'Immortal Jiang' in the comment sections, with many young people vocally expressing their admiration.
Even passersby who didn't normally watch wild survival shows were drawn in by these videos and became Jiang Fan's fans.
"I just want to know if Jiang Shen's works will be available for sale after the competition. I'll pay a hefty sum for one!"
"Merchandise is also an option. Shaky, I've given you a way to make money, don't be ungrateful!"
"I'm not really interested in wild survival, but Jiang Shen truly sparked my interest. I'm going to donate 1000 yuan as a welcome gift!"
The account without a profile picture or any personal information, after this video went viral, instantly surpassed a million followers.
Related videos spread widely; anyone with even a slight interest in the Shaky competition would see related recommendations for Jiang Fan.
This became something that smaller streamers dreamed of but couldn't achieve.
Whether it was those who previously impersonated Jiang Fan or small streamers from the same guild, they were consumed by envy seeing this online phenomenon.
But there was nothing they could do.
Once the truth was revealed and their identities as fakes were exposed, no one cared about the plight of the minor streamers; they were fortunate not to be criticized.
Their previous boastfulness backfired.
Their follower count plummeted, and no matter what content they broadcast, their popularity remained low, with their live streams often having only a handful of viewers.
If they tried to piggyback on Jiang Fan's popularity, they would be warned by the platform, or even have their stream banned.
They had become accustomed to leveraging Jiang Fan's fame, driven by greed, and even without his popularity, they didn't know what else to stream.
After the official clarification, some even speculated that their accounts were being targeted by the platform, leading to resentment.
However, they wouldn't dare to confront the Shaky platform.
But just as they were consumed by envy and jealousy, an unsigned email appeared in the guild owner's inbox.
It automatically popped up as soon as he opened his computer.
"The Shaky platform didn't give you face, and their announcement publicly embarrassed you. Do you hate them?"
These lines appeared before the guild owner's eyes, his expression shifting rapidly.
He recalled the fate of the HR guild from Shaky, where involved streamers and owners were taken for investigation – this was almost common knowledge.
Shaky platform was backed by the state, a fact the guild owner knew and dared not disregard.
He wouldn't be foolish enough to oppose the state.
He intended to ignore the message, but the sender seemed to sense his hesitation. One line disappeared, and new words appeared:
"Just entrust us, and we will help you achieve your desires."
"Traffic is blocked, no popularity? All can be resolved, without future worries."