Chapter 122: Countdown to the Festival

“Little Yang, has Haofang Culture made any moves these past few days?”

After a long silence,

Peng Yuan gathered his scattered thoughts and looked up at the staff.

The situation was already as it was—regrets were useless. Now he only hoped that the commotion coming from Mingsha County would stop. No more extra boosts; he truly couldn’t take it anymore! Ever since he learned that Haofang Culture planned to rush their drama to promote the new tourism district ahead of the Cultural Tourism Festival, his first thought was that it would be best if Yan City TV stirred up something uncontrollable to delay the airing until after the festival.

But he also knew that such an event was extremely unlikely.

“Leader, ever since Yan City TV issued their notice over a month ago, there’s been no further update. Now, we’re in the dark about what’s happening with Haofang Culture.”

The staff member shook his head.

“But don’t worry, Leader. Knowing Mingsha County’s way of doing things, I’m sure the new drama will premiere on schedule before the festival. If you’re still concerned, I can contact them to see if they’re facing any difficulties and help resolve them promptly!”

Not sure what his superior was really thinking, Peng Yuan assumed the staff was just worried and offered a word of reassurance.

“Ahem! Let’s not disturb Haofang Culture. If we interfere, we might throw off their timing.”

At those words,

Peng Yuan nearly coughed up a mouthful of phlegm.

He longed for Mingsha County to make a mistake, yet here they were, rushing to solve problems for others.

“Oh!”

“Alright, get back to your work. We still have over twenty days until the festival. If any issues come up, Mingsha County will call. Our main task now is to receive the officials.”

He paused, then waved his hand, signaling the staff to return to their duties.

This time, the frontliners were high-ranking officials from the Long Kingdom’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. But who knew if provincial leaders might also show up? Already confirmed were the representatives from the Ancient Architecture Research Institute and other Long-branded entities—these were no small fry! Seating at the opening ceremony was critical, with front or back seats assigned with care. It was no small task at all.

“Understood, Director!”

Little did they know that at the very moment Peng Yuan mentioned Haofang Culture, atop the city wall of 256 Hongsha Gang Village in Mingsha County, a snap echoed as enthusiastic applause broke out.

“Everyone, thank you for your hard work these past two months. Director Fang has prepared red envelopes for everyone—please, don’t refuse them!”

Moments later,

a middle-aged man wearing an Assistant Director’s name tag appeared before the actors, carrying a huge stack of red envelopes.

“Director Fang, you’re too kind. This is all we owe you!”

Noticing this, a man in his fifties hurriedly waved his hand.

His name was Yang Haoyu, the head of the Mingsha County Troupe. This time he had come over to organize the troupe’s staff on set—and he even played the role of Jian Jiuhuang.

Sometimes, parallel worlds are truly extraordinary. Yang Haoyu bore an uncanny resemblance to the Jian Jiuhuang actor from Earth—especially his smile, which was virtually identical.

“Old Yang, just accept it. For one, it’s a courtesy; and two, with the hard work ahead for the festival’s opening ceremony, this is just a bonus!”

At that moment,

seeing Yang Haoyu hesitate, Xu Hao stepped forward and said,

“Leader, it’s really our duty. Our troupe never dreamed we’d be making a TV drama! In many ways, we owe Haofang Culture for giving us this opportunity.”

Hearing Xu Hao’s words, Yang Haoyu’s expression turned serious, and his resolve strengthened.

It was clear that although both Xu Hao and Fang Hou directed this drama, Yang Haoyu’s attitude differed completely—he treated Fang Hou with courtesy but showed deep respect for Xu Hao.

After all, Xu Hao’s rank and position were well established.

“Accept them! Technically, you should have fees like the actors from Haofang Culture, but local regulations forbid that. Yet, the allowances must not be cut!”

Xu Hao waved his hand dismissively.

If it weren’t for the dedication and collaboration of these troupe actors, ‘Snowy Blade Chronicles’ wouldn’t have finished filming a few days early. Sometimes shooting isn’t as time-consuming as people think—as long as the actors are committed, humble, and not divas, it goes quickly! “Leader, really no need,” one of them protested.

“It’s fine. I’ll explain everything to Secretary Wang at the county office.”

“Then, thank you, Leader!”

When Xu Hao mentioned he would personally explain to the county officials, Yang Haoyu stopped resisting. But as soon as he received the red envelopes, he couldn’t help but be astonished by their weight.

The thick stack seemed more than a year’s salary.

“Leader, this… this is way too much.”

Snapping back to reality, he quickly looked at Xu Hao.

“Old Yang, consider this as your hardship pay. Most importantly, you all need to prepare for the opening ceremony—it might be even tougher than filming the drama!”

Xu Hao waved his hand, telling Yang Haoyu not to overthink it.

Although the opening ceremony would still feature a song and dance performance, he wasn’t planning to invite additional stars. Besides the actors from Wulin Wai Chuan, only those from ‘Snowbound’ would appear.

Consequently, the quality expectations for the event were very high.

To that end,

he had prepared several songs about the desert on Earth—such as ‘Song of the Western Sea,’ ‘Passionate Desert,’ and ‘Desert Camel’—along with one about the ancient city, ‘The Drunken Beauty.’ He also selected an uplifting song celebrating the majestic landscapes of the motherland, ‘Boundless Territories.’

Although the troupe actors all had some singing talent, whether they could flawlessly perform these songs in the remaining twenty-something days was uncertain.

So, the coming days would demand even more hard work from them.

Without sufficient incentives, anyone could easily slack off!

“Well, thank you, Leader, for your care and support,” they said.

“Old Yang, as always, aim to nail the opening ceremony!”

“Alright, I’ll get right on arranging things for the troupe.”

A few minutes later,

Xu Hao and Fang Hou stepped down from the city wall of Wudi City.

“Monkey, start editing tonight. Get the rough cut over to Yan City TV as early as you can; they’re probably anxious these days,” Xu Hao instructed.

The two walked while chatting.

“Hmm, Yan City TV has already phoned to say that once they get the rough cut, they’ll handle everything from there!”

Fang Hou nodded.

“We won’t even have to worry about screening it?”

Xu Hao was taken aback.

If Yan City TV were directly involved, the screening process would be lightning fast.

“Yeah, although Yan City TV and the Director Association have been silent lately, their tone has grown increasingly assertive. Anyway, that grudge is fully settled.”

At the mention of Yan City TV, Fang Hou felt a twinge of embarrassment.

If it weren’t for Haofang Culture, the two parties might not have clashed so badly. Now, it seemed they owed Yan City TV a big favor.

“We can repay that favor to Yan City TV after the festival. For now, let’s focus on getting ‘Snowbound’ online as soon as possible,” he added.

After a brief pause, Xu Hao continued,

Although the final cut hadn’t been completed yet, he had already seen Fang Hou’s rough cut. It captured the essence of Earth almost perfectly, and the martial arts director they hired was outstanding—watching the fight scenes evoked the feel of a classic Hong Kong wuxia film from the last century.

In short,

the production was definitely in good shape.

“Mm!”

Ring-ring. Just as Xu Hao was about to add something, his phone suddenly rang. He picked it up—it was Zhu Qiang.

“What’s up, Qiangzi!”

After giving Fang Hou a nod, Xu Hao answered.

“Brother Hao, our Ancient Guesthouses on Qing Brick Avenue are now fully complete. Do you think we can start welcoming tourists? Our website and phone lines have nearly crashed these past few days—they’re really overwhelmed!”

Zhu Qiang’s voice was thick with exhaustion.

No one knew how he had managed over these two months. Although the five-kilometer-long guesthouses on Qing Brick Avenue looked simple, their construction was far more challenging than anyone imagined.

This project employed over three hundred carpenters—not to mention the bricklayers.

Moreover, once the external construction was finished, the interior decoration was another enormous task. Just cleaning and clearing debris required a two-hundred-strong team.

Finally,

just in time for today, the guesthouses on Qing Brick Avenue had reached a state where they could welcome guests.

Most importantly, even if the Cultural Tourism Festival were held, attractions open well in advance—no scenic spot waits until the festival day to officially open.

“How’s the situation at the main gate?”

After a moment’s thought, Xu Hao asked again.

He had been at Wudi City and hadn’t checked the gate area.

“Brother Hao, I called President Luo. He said that while the main structure of the gate is complete, the side walls have only been built about two hundred meters each.”

He continued, “However, further work on the city wall and extensions on both sides won’t affect the normal flow of visitors.”

Zhu Qiang hurried to add, knowing what Xu Hao was concerned about.

With the completion of Wudi City and the Ancient Guesthouses on Qing Brick Avenue, construction vehicles had long vacated the area, and thorough cleaning had been done. The site was now ready to welcome tourists.

“What’s today’s date?”

Xu Hao thought for a moment and replied,

aware of the immense pressure Mingsha Tourism had been under recently.

“Today’s the 27th of September.”

“27th? Alright, that means four days from now—right on National Day—we’ll officially open to guests. Make sure you coordinate and prepare for visitors over there!”

Xu Hao set a time.