Chapter 52: The Dawn of a New Scenic Vision

Li Jue couldn’t help but feel excited!

Since the establishment of the Ancient Architecture Institute in the Long Kingdom, countless ancient texts and rare mortise-and-tenon designs have been unearthed. Yet, perfecting their seamless integration has remained elusive.

A row of ancient guesthouses poses far greater challenges than a simple log cabin, with even more intricate wooden joints. The Ancient Architecture Research Institute was in need of exactly this expertise—hence, when Xu Hao assembled a log cabin on a live stream, he was promptly promoted to Level-3 Ancient Architecture Researcher.

“Come on, Xiao Xu, take us to have a look.”

Nearby, two others were equally eager.

To the left stood Dong Liping, a senior official from the Su Province Housing and Urban-Rural Development Department, while on the right was Feng Wancheng, a top leader from the Su Province Cultural Heritage Bureau.

“Director Li, please welcome our two officials.”

Seeing this, Xu Hao nodded to the trio and signaled the remaining staff before gesturing for them to follow.

Though Xu Hao was a bit surprised to see four extra staff members, he accepted it readily; after all, when Li Jue introduced his colleagues, it was natural for provincial leaders to be accompanied by aides—even during private visits.

“Old Dong, Old Feng, let’s go!”

“Let’s go!”

Xu Hao met Li Jue’s group not far from the dunes near Shadou. Ten minutes later, the party of eight arrived at the boardwalk entrance, which offered an unobstructed view of everything within the Shadou area.

Unsurprisingly, Li Jue and his companions were taken aback by the scene in Shadou.

After about half a minute, Dong Liping mused, “Xiao Xu, this isn’t merely a guesthouse—it’s a miniature scenic spot. No wonder you insisted there was no need for tents or food. Clearly, those extras would have been superfluous.”

Dong Liping’s praise was unmistakably high; the term ‘scenic spot’ said it all.

“Don’t flatter us. These guesthouses are still far from a proper scenic area.”

Xu Hao replied with a smile.

He knew Dong Liping’s words were a roundabout compliment. In truth, Shadou was hardly comparable to a scenic spot, not even rivaling some of the Long Kingdom’s unique tourist towns.

To truly become a scenic area, 256 still had a long way to go.

“I’m very optimistic about this!”

Glancing at the foundations for the octagonal pavilion—already leveled by excavators and bulldozers at the peak of Shaji—Dong Liping looked intently at Xu Hao and said, “Xiao Xu, let’s exchange numbers. If anything comes up here, just give me a call.”

“Yes, Xiao Xu, let’s swap numbers. Who knows what questions might pop up later?”

After Dong Liping spoke, Feng Wancheng, the Cultural Heritage Bureau leader, added his agreement.

“Hold on—I’m all for exchanging numbers, but don’t you dare poach my team!”

At that, Li Jue turned around and laughed.

“Relax, Director Li—we wouldn’t dare snatch your people.”

Both Dong Liping and Feng Wancheng shot Li Jue a sharp look.

“Hehe, just joking. Xiao Xu, from now on, feel free to contact any of them—they’re as good as calling me.”

Only then did Li Jue finally turn his attention to Xu Hao.

“Thank you, Director Li, and thank you both.”

Not missing a beat, Xu Hao immediately pulled out his phone.

The wooden boardwalk, after being reworked by machinery and workers, now resembled a park pathway.

In less than five minutes, Xu Hao led Li Jue and his group to the edge of the ancient guesthouses.

“Tsk tsk.”

Before Xu Hao could introduce the site, Li Jue’s group eagerly began examining every detail, their excitement so consuming that they seemed to forget Xu Hao and the rest of the staff—even signaling for them to keep their distance.

“This employs the traditional beam-lifting structure described in ancient texts.”

“Mm!”

“Here, they’ve also used groove mortise and tenon joints along with dovetail joints.”

“Come over here—there’s an even more complex bracket mortise and shoulder mortise system!”

“If the wood and brick walls were original, it would be the epitome of a truly authentic ancient structure.”

With that, they toured both the first and second floors of all the guesthouses until the trio finally paused.

“So, what do you think? Was it worth the trip?”

In high spirits, Li Jue looked at his two longtime friends.

“Honestly, I was initially drawn by the promise of a purely wooden, colorfully painted octagonal pavilion by Xu Hao. But even without that, seeing these guesthouses makes the journey rewarding.”

Old Feng expressed his admiration with heartfelt emotion.

While casual onlookers might simply enjoy the spectacle, those familiar with the craft could appreciate the details. In under an hour, they’d already gathered plenty of insights.

“How’s my team doing?”

Li Jue straightened proudly and pointed to Xu Hao, who was busily coordinating in the distance.

“Impressive!”

“It’s hard to believe a young man like him could achieve so much—he even knows more than we old-timers do.”

Both nearly gave him a thumbs-up in unison.

“Yeah, who would have thought Xu Hao could pull this off?”

“If you ask me, calling him a Level-3 researcher is too modest. With this talent, he should easily be at Level-1 or even higher.”

“No rush. Let him complete the restoration of the Wanchun Pavilion behind 49 City first. Otherwise, some might start criticizing—especially given that he isn’t required to work in Yan City and only gets involved when there’s work to be done!”

“Exactly—you know that without tangible results, none of us would risk it.”

“True that!”

After a while, as the trio planned to head over to Hu Yang Forest, Xu Hao approached and said, “Director Li, officials, lunch is ready. How about we eat first and then continue the tour?”

Xu Hao added.

He hadn’t joined the guesthouse tour earlier because he was busy preparing lunch for them.

“Lunch?”

Li Jue glanced at his watch. It really was noon.

“Yes, we’ve prepared some specialties from Mingsha County.”

“Great, let’s sample Mingsha’s local delights. If they’re good, we’ll promote them back in the provincial capital.”

Dong Liping remarked without hesitation.

“Let’s go.”

Meanwhile,

At the entrance of Hongsha Gang Village, ten farm carts built from wheat straw were already fully bundled. “Xiao Peng, is this much straw enough?”

Village Chief Wang Jianhuan wiped the sweat from his brow as he approached to inquire.

Although the work had been grueling these days, every villager in Hongsha Gang Village wore an excited, joyful smile.

Simply put,

they had caught sight of hope—hope for escaping poverty and achieving prosperity—as people advanced and the desert receded.

Xu Hao and Mingsha Tourism had, in the villagers’ eyes, reached a whole new level of significance.

“General Zhu, I think we’re still short. How about adding fifty more carts?”

After a moment’s thought, Luo Peng glanced at Zhu Qiang.

Their plan this time was to cover the area within a 500-meter radius of Shadou with a full layer of grass lattice to counteract the drifting sand.

“Fifty carts? Mm, that sounds about right.”

Zhu Qiang nodded.

“By the way, Uncle Wang, can the village supply extra straw?”

Turning, Zhu Qiang looked at Wang Jianhuan.

“Yes, yes. Not just fifty carts—if needed, we can even arrange five hundred.”

Wang Jianhuan quickly replied.

“Really? That many?”

Zhu Qiang paused in surprise.

“Mm, with increasing environmental concerns, straw can’t be burned anymore and is instead stockpiled in the village. Now, not only have we solved the burning issue, but villagers also earn extra income. Everyone is scrambling to supply it—

they even received phone calls this morning from neighboring villages asking if they wanted some wheat straw!”

Wang Jianhuan laughed heartily.