Chapter 118: Blueprints of Change

Bricklayers? Brother Hao, bricklayers won’t be a problem! Worst-case scenario, I’ll scout them from another county or prefecture! It’s the carpenters that are a different story.

Luo Peng hurriedly replied.

Recently, to repair Wudi City, all of Mingsha County’s stonemasons and bricklayers have been recruited by the labor company — over three hundred in total.

But carpenters are another matter! With modern machinery on the rise, skilled woodworkers are becoming increasingly rare.

Aside from the massive brick walls, the famed stronghold also boasts numerous pavilions and towers, making it incredibly hard to find carpenters.

“Don’t worry about the carpenters. In a few days, ancient-style guesthouses along both sides of Qing Brick Avenue will kick off construction. Despite the heavy workload, they shouldn’t be in short supply.”

Xu Hao nodded. As long as there are enough bricklayers, we’ll manage.

“Then it’s settled!”

“Also, could you arrange for some concrete mixer trucks? We plan to use Qing bricks on the outer walls and a reinforced concrete structure inside. This will not only speed up construction but also let us add more guesthouses.”

After a brief pause, Xu Hao spoke up again.

“Add guesthouses? This…”

Luo Peng grew increasingly puzzled, feeling completely outpaced by Xu Hao’s ideas.

We’re supposed to be fixing the main gate and walls, so how did guesthouses come into play?

“Well, with walls this massive, if we optimize the interior space, we can build a lot of extra facilities!”

Having said that,

Xu Hao once again began sketching out plans.

On Earth, within the ancient city walls of the renowned Thirteen Dynasties capital, hotels and even hot pot restaurants once flourished — until preservation regulations halted further development.

But on this site, that won’t be a problem.

Within one to two hundred meters of the city gate, construction is unnecessary; beyond that, we can develop some uniquely styled guesthouses.

“Just tell me what to do, and I’ll make it happen!”

Snapping back to reality, Luo Peng couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.

It turned out that

no one could ever keep pace with their boss’s vision. An ancient gate that once seemed unremarkable had transformed into a project rivaling the scale of Wudi City. One can only imagine what this entire area will become.

Day in and day out, before you knew it two days had passed. As excavators and bulldozers scooped up the first pile of sand at the entrance of Qing Brick Avenue, the desert became completely isolated from the outside world.

Since access is now restricted to construction vehicles only — even local villagers near Hongsha Gang Village must carry a work or credentials to enter.

Thus,

tourists eager to check into Qixia Town and post on social media became increasingly anxious. Mingsha Tourism’s official Weibo receives tens of thousands of messages daily asking when the guesthouses and ancient town redevelopment will begin.

It wasn’t that these tourists couldn’t wait,

but the buzz around Wulin Wai Chuan continued to soar in popularity and acclaim. The less access Mingsha Tourism grants, the more desperate people get! Many visitors want to be the first to check into Tongfu Inn when it reopens! Meanwhile, drama forums are overflowing with threads discussing everything from plot details to actors and Haofang Culture, with even Mingsha County thrown in.

“Have you seen the Weibo posts from the Wulin Wai Chuan leads? Seems like they’re already prepping for the next drama!”

“Yeah!”

“Honestly, I’m pretty optimistic about Haofang Culture. Judging by Wulin Wai Chuan, their creative team certainly knows their stuff!”

“I agree! Many online say that Haofang Culture rushed their next project just to support the local tourism festival, so quality might suffer,”

but I beg to differ! After all, wasn’t Wulin Wai Chuan produced with hardly anyone watching?

“I feel the same way. I’m really looking forward to it! I just wonder which TV station will air the second drama.”

“By the way, speaking of the tourism festival — when is it? I want to check it out! Even if the new drama falls flat, a stroll around Qixia Town sounds great! I’ve heard from some past visitors that Qixia Town is quite something, with even shop owners donning period costumes!

They even spotted the Wulin Wai Chuan leads, dressed in historical attire, roaming the streets and dining out.

“Really? The leads wore period costumes on the spot?”

The hot thread quickly amassed a flood of comments.

“Truly! I heard that Inspector Xing was leading the group. At the time, many tourists mistook them for historic shop owners and didn’t pay much attention — now they’re kicking themselves over it!”

“Haha, no wonder. A quick photo would have been priceless!”

“Exactly.”

“So, the travel experience there is bound to be impressive. These actors might even show up at the festival. It’s scheduled for around October 20, and I’m planning to head over on the 18th. Otherwise, I might not be able to book a guesthouse in Qixia Town.”

“Makes sense; you have to book in advance!”

“Yeah, we can’t be too late.”

“Right!”

Online, nearly everyone is fixated on Haofang Culture’s next drama and Qixia Town, with few paying attention to what’s happening at 256.

To these netizens, having Wulin Wai Chuan and Qixia Town is more than enough! In fact, Yan City TV’s director Han Lijun shares the same view.

Meanwhile,

inside the office of Yan City TV’s director,

Han Lijun frowned as he reviewed a document that had just arrived.

“It seems Haofang Culture really didn’t need to rush a drama just to boost a tourism festival. One Wulin Wai Chuan is enough.”

As Wulin Wai Chuan’s ratings continued to climb,

Yan City TV reaped massive profits, especially since integrated ads were selling for tens of millions per minute.

Plus, with subsequent reruns,

this time, Yan City TV really hit the jackpot! So when they heard Haofang Culture had started a new project, they immediately considered another collaboration.

However, when they learned that this latest drama was rushed as a tourism festival endorsement, they hesitated a bit. Pre-booking the film schedule raised concerns about the quality.

Yet if they didn’t pre-book, they risked another TV station seizing the project.

“Boss, just yesterday a vice president from the Long Kingdom Directors Association called me!”

After a moment’s thought,

Ren Long, the head of the editing department seated across the desk, suddenly recalled something and whispered.

“Hmm? What’s up?”

Han Lijun’s frown deepened.

“That vice president mentioned that because of Wulin Wai Chuan, a top comedy director in the association is upset, feeling that Haofang Culture is deliberately targeting him. As a result, he’ll indirectly oppose Haofang Culture’s new drama.

If our station continues collaborating with Haofang Culture—

Ren Long paused.

He knew his boss understood the underlying grudges. Even though the vice president was vague on the phone, anyone in the entertainment world would understand his meaning.

“So, what’s wrong with us continuing to work with Haofang Culture? Is the Directors Association trying to dictate our moves? Is it because of that costume light comedy, Chef Detective?”

He didn’t protest any further.

The moment Han Lijun heard this, his expression turned ice-cold.