Chapter 49: Unexpected Desert Visit

Director Li is coming to the Desert?

Xu Hao was a bit taken aback.

After joining the Ancient Architecture Research Institute, Bai Ming had introduced him to the leadership of the Ancient Architecture Institute, but they had never contacted him before—so why would Director Li suddenly show up in the Desert tomorrow?

“He wants to see you assembling the octagonal pavilion firsthand. By the way, his phone number is 189xxxxxxxx,”

Bai Ming said with a mix of helplessness and envy.

So far, only Xu Hao could attract attention from a Director like his own, which shows just how important he is in the eyes of the leaders. Xu Hao’s future in the Ancient Architecture Research Institute is looking promising.

“Alright, I’ll give him a call later,”

Xu Hao agreed while still feeling a good deal of doubt. It was just an octagonal pavilion—was it really worth a Director’s personal visit? The Long Kingdom Ancient Architecture Research Institute should be well used to such projects.

“But remember, prepare some tents and food first,”

Bai Ming reminded him once more. “Don’t worry, Section Chief Bai. Our accommodations and meals will be more than enough.”

“That works!”

After a few more exchanges, the call ended.

“Is the Director really coming just to see the pavilion? Or is there something else going on?”

Staring at his darkened phone screen, Xu Hao still couldn’t quite accept that reason. After a moment’s thought, he dialed Li Jue’s number.

Beep beep beep. Soon the call connected. “Hello, Director Li. This is Xu Hao. Is it a good time to talk?”

There was a brief pause on the other end before a voice replied, “Xu Hao? Little Xu?”

“Yes. I heard you’re coming to the Desert, so I thought I’d call you first,”

Xu Hao explained.

“Sigh, I already told everyone not to call you in advance so you wouldn’t be bothered, yet they still did,”

Li Jue sighed wearily.

“Director Li, as a member of the Ancient Architecture Institute, you’ll definitely want someone to pick you up when you arrive in the Desert,”

“No! No need! You just focus on your work!”

Hearing that Xu Hao intended to pick him up, Li Jue quickly interjected.

“It’s fine on my end, Director Li,”

“Absolutely not! I’ve already landed at Lanshi Airport. I have two old schoolmates here in Lanshi, and the three of us are together. When they heard about your project, they got very excited. Since they’re free these days, they accompanied me so we could catch up. Your arrival would cause too much fuss for us,”

Li Jue reiterated his stance and further explained.

“Also, don’t worry about food or drinks. Just concentrate on your pavilion. If these matters slow you down, I’d rather not come at all.”

“Okay, then I’ll wait for you in the Desert,”

Xu Hao, facing Li Jue’s resolute tone, didn’t push back further.

“Alright, Little Xu. Hurry back to your work. I’ll call you when I’m near the Shadou area tomorrow,”

“Okay, Director Li,”

“Forget it. Let’s discuss it when you get here tomorrow.”

Regaining his composure, Xu Hao texted Zhu Qiang before heading to the live streaming camera.

“Hao, you really took a long time on that call,”

“Yeah, I know,”

“You mentioned there are thirty guest rooms. Get the link up quickly—I need to book for the day after tomorrow.”

“I believe everyone is booking for the day after tomorrow,”

As Xu Hao appeared online, comments flooded the stream.

“Sorry, folks. The guesthouse actually has 27 rooms. I’ll give you a phone number so you can inquire for details.”

After checking the comments, Xu Hao continued,

“27 rooms? I thought there were 30?”

Many viewers were taken aback.

They had clearly heard there were 30 guest rooms; losing two now meant three fewer chances.

“Friends, because of last-minute adjustments, we’re down three rooms. But don’t worry—in time, we’ll certainly have more than just these 23 guesthouses,”

Xu Hao explained.

Although Li Jue had said during the call not to worry about his meals and accommodations, his later comments made it clear that he wouldn’t really leave everything unaddressed. It wouldn’t be proper for an elder like Li Jue to be stuck in a tent while other guests stayed in the guesthouse.

Besides, Li Jue had brought two old schoolmates along, so fairness was necessary—that’s why only a couple of rooms were kept aside.

“Will they continue constructing such ancient structures later?”

The viewers’ excitement surged again, quickly bypassing the issue of the missing two rooms.

“Yes!”

Xu Hao nodded in agreement.

Once you start, there’s no turning back. Operating a guesthouse in the Desert isn’t something you can halt midway. Once Mingsha Tourism sees a steady cash flow, further development will promptly follow—and it won’t be long before that happens.

“Alright, Hao, we’re counting on you!”

“By the way, Hao, what’s the booking phone number?”

“The number is…”

In Yan City, within the Second Ring, a traditional courtyard house adorned with lush greenery stood. At its entrance, a massive stone jar housed lively little goldfish swimming back and forth.

At that moment,

under a grape arbor lay a rocking chair occupied by a woman in a blue short-sleeved top and white three-quarter pants. With her shoulder-length hair and refined features, she was undeniably of that celebrated beauty type.

“Yes! Yes! Even I, Lady Niu, am having such a lucky day!”

In an instant, the woman abruptly ended her phone call and leaped off the rocking chair in excitement.

“What’s gotten into you? You’re a teacher at Yan City University now; no need to be so jumpy,”

Just then, the main door of the courtyard house swung open, and an elderly lady with a gentle yet distinguished air stepped out. She glared at the woman and said sharply,

“Grandma, I’m heading to the Great Northwest tomorrow.”

The woman forced a smile, quickly halting her celebration.

“Heading to the Great Northwest? Why? It’s not even summer break yet.”

“I need to unwind. My annual leave coincides with the weekend! Besides, I’ve told you all before how I long to experience those nights under a starry sky and sunsets over the Desert.”

“You’ll have to ask your grandfather about that.”

“My grandfather?”

The woman groaned, “My grandfather is so old-fashioned. No matter where I want to go, he always says no. What’s the point of living like this?”

“That won’t do. Anyway, if you’re leaving, you need to get your grandfather’s approval first.”

The elderly lady shot the woman a stern look before turning back into the house.

“I—”

Seeing this, the woman sighed in resignation and finally pulled out her phone.

“Hello, Grandpa? It’s Xiaoqing.”

Before she knew it,

at eight in the evening, Xu Hao wrapped up his live stream and headed to the second-floor restaurant of the Ancient Architecture Pavilion.

“Hao, this is fantastic! All 27 guest rooms have been booked, and some guests even reserved them for three days straight! The furthest booking is already ten days out.”

Seeing Xu Hao head upstairs, Zhu Qiang greeted him excitedly.

In one night, 27 rooms at 800 each brought in over 20,000. And with bookings scheduled ten days ahead, Mingsha Tourism was about to see an influx exceeding 200,000—the company’s nearly depleted accounts finally receiving a much-needed cash boost.