By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 33 A Winged Elephant is a Must
"Take my advice, brother. Don't think that being a self-media creator is just about shooting videos and writing articles, and that you can easily make money while lying down! This industry is very complex. If you're not prepared and jump in headfirst, you'll be lucky to get a bruised and battered nose!"

The bearded man certainly had a lot to say on this topic. He smiled slightly and pulled up a chair to sit down next to Li Younan.

"Do you think that those online celebrities and bloggers can easily get millions of likes and be overwhelmed with advertising offers just by posting a video? Let me tell you, that's all on the surface! You haven't seen how much they've put in behind the scenes! They stay up all night to come up with a good topic; they shoot a few minutes of video dozens of times; they sit in front of the editing software all day long to create a viral piece of content!"

Li Younan blinked. He could sense the kindness in the uncle's words, but he also felt a little helpless. Without a doubt, this uncle had already defined himself.

A young man whose mind is filled with unrealistic ideals, detached from reality, and blindly pursuing poetry and distant places.

It's not fair to blame others for viewing you with prejudice.

Honestly, before acquiring the system, if Li Younan had encountered a young person who had lost their source of income, had tens of thousands of yuan in savings, and drove around the world in a car, he would have found it hard not to label them as unrealistic.

The older man got more and more excited as he talked, and the older man next to him joined in.

"Exactly! A lot of people dream of getting rich overnight, but the odds are even lower than winning the lottery! Being a self-media creator relies on real skills! What are your special talents? What knowledge do you have? Can you consistently produce valuable and engaging content? Today's audiences are very discerning. Without substance and creativity, why would they follow you or like you?"

"It also depends on your mindset. Building a successful self-media platform isn't something that happens overnight! It's normal to have no traffic, no followers, and no income in the early stages. Can you handle that kind of frustration? Many people persist for a few months, but then give up when they don't see results, and all their previous efforts are wasted..."

Li Younan chimed in, "Brother, what kind of content do you make in your short videos?"

Upon hearing this, the uncle immediately became interested, took out his phone, scrolled to his profile page, and said to Li Younan, "This is my number."

To Li Younan's surprise, this bearded man, who looked quite rugged, was actually a craftsman with a technical background. His videos mostly involved collecting discarded electronic components from various places and then using chemical methods to extract the gold from them.

Li Younan himself is an engineering student, and he knows that gold is a strategic reserve resource because it plays an irreplaceable role in high-precision electronic components.

Circuit boards and chips, these high-precision electronic components, contain a significant amount of gold. The man filmed the gold refining process, and he has gained many fans online.

Li Younan was somewhat impressed; this uncle already earned a good living with his main job, and he could earn a second income by making short videos.

During their conversation, the uncle's wife brought a pot of stir-fried snails to the table and said, "Dinner is ready." There were no other side dishes, just a large portion of stir-fried snails. The two families sat around a small table, and Li Younan also joined them at the table.

Two children refused the spicy stir-fried snails, each grabbing a bag of potato chips. After finishing them, they ran around wildly nearby. Their silvery laughter rang out intermittently. Under the sky, it wasn't too hot anymore, and a cool breeze blew across the lake.

Under the warm hospitality of the two families, Li Younan picked up a toothpick, extracted the snail meat, and savored the juice. So far, he felt the journey had been very pleasant, allowing him to meet different people from different professions and experience different scenery.

The bearded man said somewhat sincerely, "Young man, don't blame me for talking nonsense, I've been there. To be honest, if you want to start a self-media business, you still need to think carefully about how to produce content. There are too many travel bloggers on various video platforms. To stand out, what is your selling point? You need a precise category to attract traffic."

The older man didn't say anything more. Some things are best left unsaid. He was a warm and outgoing person, and seeing that Li Younan wasn't the kind of arrogant young man, he added a few words. His reminders to a stranger could easily turn into annoying lectures. When you're out and about, pursuing a pleasant mood is unnecessary.

Li Younan did not refute the uncle, but instead seriously considered what the uncle had said.

After lunch, the two families chatted under the canopy. Fishing wasn't allowed here, otherwise it would have been even more fun.

Two children ran over from the lake, having collected many pretty stones. The older sister praised the little girl, "Yaoyao, you're so clever! Are all these stones for your mom?"

The little girl who had just given Li Younan a watermelon was very endearing, with a round face and a dimple when she smiled. She nodded earnestly, "Yes, Mom, it's for you!" Li Younan's gaze was drawn to the small stones.

On the riverbank, you can often see many colorful stones, some of which are even crystal clear, like jade. The most common ones are crystal, marble, and quartz.

Among the stones the little girl brought were two pieces of marble of good quality.

Li Younan's carving skills were essentially about processing stone, so he had a complete knowledge of stone materials. He immediately recognized that both marble stones were of the Snowflake White variety. These two stones were only about the size of goose eggs, both milky white, with high whiteness and uniform color, appearing very pure and elegant.

Li Younan smiled and asked the little girl, "Can I take a look, brother?"

The little girl nodded earnestly, then shyly hid behind her mother. The older woman laughed and said, "My daughter gets shy whenever she sees a handsome guy."

Li Younan reached out, picked up a piece, and touched it. The texture was delicate, the surface was smooth and glossy, and it felt good to the touch.

Marble is an excellent material for carving because it has a relatively low hardness and a fine texture, making it comparable to some types of jade.

Li Younan suddenly had an idea. He asked the little girl, "Yaoyao, right? What's your favorite animal?"

Yao Yao thought for a moment and said, "I like elephants with wings."

The bearded man laughed heartily: "My dear daughter, there are no elephants with wings in this world."

Yao Yao's expression was a mix of sadness and disappointment. She liked big elephants because they could protect her, but she also liked wings that could fly so she could ride a cute elephant and go anywhere.

Therefore, in her world, there must be elephants with wings.

Li Younan smiled slightly, stood up and said, "Wait for me a moment."

After saying that, Li Younan ran towards his car.

Everyone watched with some confusion as Li Younan ran away.

After a while, Li Younan brought over a briefcase, placed it on the folding table, and opened it. Inside was a set of portable jade carving tools, including electric cutting tools, polishing tools, carving tools, and so on.

Huang Xiaoyang saw me off when I left last time.

Li Younan asked the little girl for the snowflake white again, saying, "An elephant with wings, right?"

Everyone present was captivated by Li Younan's set of tools.

After a brief moment of surprise, the bearded man realized what was happening and immediately took out his phone, pointing the camera at Li Younan.

(End of this chapter)