I was chased by my sickly junior brother who had two lives

The morning light shines through the carved windows of "Jinxiuxuan", casting a fine shadow on the ground, and the store is filled with the fragrance of paper and bamboo. Chen Jia and Chen Jue sit around a table piled with bamboo materials, on which are placed various tools, and on the shelves around them are displayed the exquisite paper toys they have made in the past. But today, their eyes are attracted by the bamboo in front of them, and an innovative exploration of bamboo toys is about to begin.

Chen Jia was wearing a lilac-colored silk skirt with delicate gold-thread patterns embroidered on the hem, and a moon-white gauze cape. Her smooth hair was tied into an elegant bun with a jade hairpin inserted in it, and she looked gentle and demure. Her slender fingers gently stroked a slender bamboo, frowned slightly, and said to Chen Jue thoughtfully: "Xiao Jue, look at this bamboo, it has a tough texture, beautiful texture, and is taken from nature. If we can make it into toys, it will surely be interesting and may open up a new market."

Chen Jue was wearing a navy blue brocade robe, with an upright posture, a heroic spirit and wisdom between his sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes. He wore a warm jade pendant around his waist, which made him look even more extraordinary. He put down the bamboo joint he was examining, nodded slightly, and replied, "Sister, you are right. I heard that children in the south often use bamboo as a material to make various toys. We might as well learn from it, incorporate our own creativity, and create unique bamboo toys. For example, bamboo tube rice can be played with and eaten, and children will definitely like it; and the bamboo dragonfly is simple but full of fun. If it is improved, it may become a hit."

Chen Jia's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She said, "That's a good idea. For the bamboo tube rice, we can work hard on the carving and decoration of the bamboo tube to make it more exquisite. As for the bamboo dragonfly, we can try to change the shape and material of the blades to make it fly higher and more steadily. In addition, we can also design some other bamboo toys, such as small houses built of bamboo, bamboo slingshots, etc., to enrich the variety of toys."

Chen Jue stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked slowly in the room, thinking and saying: "Well, for bamboo tube rice, we can choose bamboo tubes with uniform thickness and good texture, carve some interesting patterns on the surface, such as small animals, fairy tale scenes, etc., and then put in carefully prepared rice and ingredients. After steaming, the rice will not only be fragrant, but the bamboo tube can also be used as a unique toy container. Sister, do you think this is a good idea?"

Chen Jia nodded slightly and said, "Very good. As for the production of bamboo dragonflies, we can use thin and resilient bamboo pieces to make the blades, and try to design the shape of the blades into a streamlined shape, which may reduce air resistance and make it fly farther. On the handle of the bamboo dragonfly, we can carve some non-slip textures to make it easier for children to hold."

Chen Jue walked to the table, picked up a knife, and gently cut the bamboo strips. He said, "I heard that there is a bamboo forest outside the city. The bamboo there is of various varieties and high quality. Sister, I will go and pick some suitable bamboos as the raw materials for making our toys."

Chen Jia nodded slightly and said, "Okay, go and have a look. Remember to choose straight bamboo without cracks. By the way, when purchasing some auxiliary materials, such as colored ropes and paints for decoration, you should also choose those with bright colors and safe and non-toxic. After all, the safety of children is of utmost importance."

Just as the two were discussing heatedly, the accountant came in with an account book in his hand. He bowed slightly and said, "Sir, Miss, this is the account for this month. At present, the paper toy business in the store is relatively stable, but as you two said, if we can successfully launch bamboo toys, I believe the revenue will be even higher."

Chen Jue took the account book, flipped through a few pages, and said, "Mr. Accountant, can you estimate whether the capital flow can support it if we put all our efforts into producing these new bamboo toys?"

The accountant pushed his glasses and said after thinking for a moment, "Sir, if it is just a small-scale production and trial sales in the early stage, the funds can still be turned over. But if it is large-scale production and market promotion, additional capital injection may be needed, or we can consider establishing long-term cooperative relations with some bamboo farmers to reduce the cost of raw materials and ensure a stable supply of bamboo."

Chen Jia listened and said, "I think we can make some samples first, invite some children to the store to try them out, collect their feedback, and then make further improvements and optimizations. This will not only control costs, but also ensure that our products are more in line with children's preferences."

Chen Jue nodded in agreement and said, "Sister, you have thought it through. Then we will select a few craftsmen who are skilled and familiar with the characteristics of bamboo to start making samples. By the way, we can also use some bamboo-related elements in the toy packaging design, such as weaving bamboo leaves into small bags to package toys, or printing bamboo patterns on paper boxes, so that children can feel the strong bamboo charm at the first sight of the toys."

Chen Jia smiled and said, "Great! This way, the toy will be more attractive overall. After the samples are made, we can hold a small tasting session and invite some children and their parents to attend and listen to their ideas and suggestions."

After the two of them had made up their minds, they immediately took action. Chen Jue personally went to the bamboo forest outside the city and carefully selected a batch of high-quality bamboo with the farmers, and purchased some necessary auxiliary materials. After returning to "Jinxiuxuan", he selected several craftsmen who were good at bamboo art and creative, and conveyed the design concept and production requirements of the new toys to them in detail.

After hearing this, the craftsmen were eager to try and show their skills. When making bamboo tube rice toys, they first sawed the bamboo into suitable lengths, and then carefully polished the surface of the bamboo tube to make it smooth and delicate. Then, they used a sharp carving knife to carve lifelike patterns on the bamboo tube, including lively and cute little rabbits, birds spreading their wings and ready to fly, and classic fairy tale scenes, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. After the carving was completed, the craftsmen put the prepared rice and various delicious ingredients, such as bacon, mushrooms, peas, etc., into the bamboo tube, and then sealed it with lotus leaves and prepared it for steaming.

When making bamboo dragonflies, craftsmen choose thin and tough bamboo pieces, and carefully polish the edges of the leaves according to the streamlined shape designed by Chen Jue to make them smoother. Then, the leaves are fixed on the bamboo handle, and a beautiful anti-slip texture is carved on the bottom of the bamboo handle, and a colorful silk thread is tied as decoration.

While the craftsmen were busy making samples, Chen Jia began to prepare for the tasting. She personally wrote some beautiful invitations and invited some children and their parents who often came to the store to buy toys. At the same time, she also asked the staff to prepare some snacks and tea to entertain the guests at the tasting.

After several days of meticulous production, a batch of brand new bamboo toy samples were finally completed. These toys are finely crafted and full of creativity. The bamboo rice toys are beautifully carved and fragrant, and the bamboo dragonflies are brightly colored and stable in flight.

On the day of the tasting, the "Jinxiu Pavilion" was decorated with childlike fun, with decorations woven with bamboo leaves hanging around and pots of emerald green bamboo bonsai placed on the table. When the children saw those exquisite bamboo toys, they cheered and surrounded them, with surprise and love in their eyes.

They couldn't wait to pick up the bamboo dragonfly and ran to the open space outside the store to release it. Seeing the bamboo dragonfly flying high in the sky, the children screamed and chased it excitedly. The bamboo tube rice toy made the children salivate. They carefully opened the bamboo tube, and a rich rice aroma came to their noses. Tasting the delicious bamboo tube rice, the children's faces were filled with satisfied smiles.