Chapter 75: Challenge of the Ancient Courtyard

Brother Hao, you didn’t build an Ancient Building Courtyard either. You promised during your live stream that you’d build one to rival Zhang Chi’s.

After a while,

the live stream’s fans and viewers slowly came back to reality.

“I never said that what’s behind me was an Ancient Building Courtyard.”

Xu Hao spread his hands in resignation.

“So, Brother Hao, what exactly are you implying?”

The fans and viewers grew increasingly puzzled.

“The courtyard in Ning’an probably isn’t finished yet!”

Xu Hao asked again.

“It isn’t done—it should take about another half month.”

“Then it’s simple. As long as I finish building my Ancient Building Courtyard before they do, how can I be untrustworthy?”

Xu Hao turned his head toward the Desert Pavilion.

Exactly.

Xu Hao had originally planned to build his Ancient Building Courtyard on the old Fenced Courtyard site, but after Zhang Chi and Tianchen Culture began provoking him, he changed his mind.

“If we’re going to play, let’s play big. Tengwang Pavilion is just the prelude.”

Finishing Tengwang Pavilion and then building an Ancient Building Courtyard would be the ultimate retort to Tianchen Culture and Zhang Chi.

“Brother Hao, are you saying that you’ll now start on the Ancient Building Courtyard and finish it at the same time as them?”

At that moment, the livestream audience finally grasped Xu Hao’s plan.

They realized that if they weren’t there in person—because their jaws would be on the floor—completing the Ancient Building Courtyard in fifteen days would mean Xu Hao achieved a total victory.

Not only did he build the Ancient Building Courtyard, but he also managed to throw together a wooden Tengwang Pavilion on the side. The quality difference was clear! “That’s the idea. Tengwang Pavilion is nearly done; just a few finishing touches remain.”

Xu Hao nodded.

“Got it, got it! Brother Hao, I was rash earlier. I thought you weren’t brave enough to take on the challenge.”

“I apologize!”

“Brother Hao, I’m really sorry.”

“I’m too young—I got carried away by the hype. Is it too late now to admit my mistake?”

“I’ve always said we should listen to you first and not be so impulsive!”

Confirming Xu Hao’s meaning, the chat exploded with apologetic comments and a flurry of small gifts, occasionally interspersed with a couple of space projectiles.

Meanwhile, Xu Hao’s fan count surged again—many had re-followed after previously unfollowing him.

“So, Brother Hao, how many square meters will your Ancient Building Courtyard be?”

After about fifteen minutes, as the flood of apologetic gifts finally subsided, an audience member dared to ask.

“It’s hard to say—it will be as big as needed, but definitely not less than 9,000 square meters!”

After a moment’s thought, Xu Hao replied.

“Not less than 9,000 square meters? Perfect!”

“Hahaha, that’s the Brother Hao I know!”

“By the way, does anyone here follow Zhang Chi? If so, tell him that Brother Hao is starting on the Ancient Building Courtyard. When will he finish his wooden Tengwang Pavilion?”

“Exactly! If they’re in, they’re all in!”

When Xu Hao mentioned ‘not less than 9,000 square meters’, the livestream went into a frenzy. That number had become an obsession since Zhang Chi always used it to mock Xu Hao during his broadcasts.

Now was finally their moment to shine.

As the sun set and night fell, Xu Hao, having just finished dinner and returned to his room to rest, was unexpectedly interrupted by a knock on his door from Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng.

Worry was evident on both of their faces.

“What’s wrong? Qiang, Little Luo! You look troubled!”

Handing each of them a cup of tea, Xu Hao said warmly.

“Brother Hao, where exactly are we going to build the Ancient Building Courtyard? Completing it in fifteen days sounds nearly impossible, doesn’t it?”

After a brief pause, Zhu Qiang said with concern.

This afternoon, when Xu Hao started his livestream, he really had a heart-stopping moment, fearing a backlash from netizens. Yet in just a few words, he quelled the worries and even boosted the chat’s energy.

The booking hotline for Mingsha Tourism was flooded, and their official microblog gained nearly 50,000 new followers in an hour.

This was a tremendous boon, though the reality soon set in with new challenges.

While the viewers weren’t aware of Shadou’s situation, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng knew it all too well.

Three days ago, after the boardwalk connecting Oasis 1 and Oasis 2 was finished, Mingsha Tourism went silent—there were no further developments on leveling other desert lands or laying down the large grass lattice.

Now, to suddenly complete the Ancient Building Courtyard in fifteen days—could it really be done? Even if lumber and bricks weren’t an issue, what about the foundation? “It all comes down to this! Qiang, tomorrow morning, notify the vendors in the stall area to set up on the green brick pathway in front of Oasis 1’s guesthouses. Once our repairs are done, we’ll move everything back.”

Xu Hao couldn’t help but laugh.

“Stall area? Brother Hao, are you planning to build the courtyard in the stall area?”

Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng exchanged a look.

“Exactly. Our stall area is destined for an upgrade. We might as well transform it into an ancient-style commercial zone with guesthouses. This will boost the scenic area’s capacity and ensure that the new Ancient Building Courtyard seamlessly integrates into Oasis 1.”

Xu Hao nodded in agreement.

In fact, he had thought of this long ago but had been too busy to discuss it earlier.

“Understood. Brother Hao really thinks ahead! The stall area is just west of the Desert Pavilion, below Sand Slope. The land has already been leveled, it’s enormous, and the large grass lattice has been installed all around Shadou. Best of all, it’s only separated from Oasis 1 by a single dune!”

Zhu Qiang patted his thigh, applauding Xu Hao’s innovative idea.

The stall area in Shadou was designed for thousands of daily visitors. They’d even built a boardwalk linking Shaji and the Desert Pavilion. If the Ancient Building Courtyard rose here, this entire place could easily be called a small ancient town.

“Alright, I’ll plan it out over the next few days. Starting tomorrow, load up as much lumber and green bricks as possible! By the way, how’s our account balance looking?”

Xu Hao paused to think before asking.

For this project, he wasn’t planning anything overly complex—a model of an ancient small town, oriented north to south, with two archways at its ends and a long street in between. On both sides of the street, wooden two-story shops would line up, with various brick courtyard guesthouses behind them.

This type of construction was not overly difficult but did require a lot of materials.

“Brother Hao, the account currently holds over two million. That should cover the material costs—and even the grass lattice for the dune behind the courtyard.”

Zhu Qiang quickly reassured him.

“Over two million? That much money?”

Xu Hao was taken aback by the figure.

Recently, the expenses for Tengwang Pavilion had been astronomical. The labor alone cost tens of thousands daily, not to mention the extra lumber on top of that.

“Brother Hao, Mingsha Tourism’s daily income is substantial. Between the guesthouses, leasing of the grass lattice, and revenue from the directly managed stalls, even the caravan makes over two thousand a day.”

Zhu Qiang made a rough calculation.

Initially, he could report Shadou’s income accurately, but once Oasis 2’s guesthouses started operating, only the company accountant could tally all the revenue.