Morning Market
It was still dark, and a thin layer of morning mist shrouded the ancient town like a veil, transforming the black tiles and white walls into a freehand ink painting. The damp stone pavement reflected the dim light of lanterns, and the air was filled with the freshness of green grass and the fragrance of earth after the rain.
Lu Yu's biological clock was always punctual. He rose quietly, washed, and walked to Shi Guang's door. He raised his hand, then gently lowered it. After hesitating for a few seconds, he used his knuckles to tap three times with great measured precision.
The door opened quickly, and it was clear the person inside had woken up. Shi Guang was wearing a loose gray T-shirt, his hair a little messy, with a hint of the softness of someone just waking up. He looked at the energetic Lu Yu with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"Come on, I'll take you to a good place." Lu Yu didn't say anything, pulled his wrist and walked downstairs, lowering his voice for fear of waking up the team members who were still sleeping.
The two walked through the quiet courtyard of the inn and into the morning mist of the ancient town. Unlike the tranquility of the night, the early morning in Qingwa Town was already brimming with vibrant life. Steam billowed from the breakfast steamers, tinging the mist with the sweet aroma of food. Vegetable farmers carrying loads crossed the stone bridge, their poles trembling with their footsteps. A few elderly men, rising early, gathered at the entrance of the alley, teacups in hand, chatting in their local dialect.
Lu Yu dragged Shi Guang along and turned into an alleyway with familiarity. In front of a simple stall, an old woman was tending a large pot filled with snow-white, boiling hot tofu pudding.
"Mother-in-law, give me two bowls of tofu pudding, one sweet and one salty." Lu Yu said with a smile.
The steaming hot tofu pudding was quickly served in a simple earthenware bowl. Lu Yu pushed the bowl of sweet tofu pudding with brown sugar and ginger juice in front of Shi Guang, then picked up his own bowl of salty tofu, scooped a mouthful with a spoon, blew on it, and tasted it himself first.
"It's not hot, just right." He reached his spoon into his bowl, scooped a spoonful, and handed it to Shi Guang's mouth.
Shi Guang's body stiffened. This overly intimate and natural gesture made his heart skip a beat. The surroundings were noisy, but at that moment, he could only hear his own drumming heartbeat. He looked into Lu Yu's smiling eyes and, for some unknown reason, opened his mouth.
The warm and sweet tofu pudding slid into my throat, dispelling the last bit of coolness in the early morning.
"Is it delicious?" Lu Yu asked proudly.
Shi Guang didn't say anything, but just lowered his head, picked up his spoon, and imitated him, scooping a spoonful of tofu pudding from his bowl, and handed it to his mouth in front of Lu Yu's somewhat surprised gaze.
A smile so bright it could melt the morning mist spread across Lu Yu's face. Without hesitation, he leaned forward and ate the spoonful of tofu pudding, then said contentedly, "It's delicious. It's even better when you feed it to me."
After finishing their tofu pudding, the two of them walked slowly along the stream. The morning market was getting more and more crowded, and Lu Yu, fearing they'd get separated, stopped holding onto his wrist and instead took his hand directly. Shi Guang symbolically struggled for a moment, then let him go.
They passed a small bamboo weaving stall. The owner, an elderly man wearing reading glasses, was bent over, weaving something. The stall was filled with all sorts of lifelike trinkets: dragonflies, grasshoppers, even an eagle with outstretched wings. Time unconsciously slowed down, and their eyes fell on an exquisitely woven little tiger. The tiger was adorable, its tail playfully raised.
Lu Yu followed his gaze and without saying a word, he took out some change from his pocket and handed it to the old man.
"Boss, we want this little tiger."
He stuffed the little bamboo tiger into Shi Guang's hand, like a child seeking credit, and said with a smile, "A gift for the start of work. I wish us a vigorous and powerful first battle today."
As Shi Guang pinched the light little tiger, his fingertips could clearly feel the texture of the bamboo strips.
Just as Lu Yu and Shi Guang were enjoying their rare time alone together, two figures poked their heads out stealthily at the other end of the morning market.
"Oh my God..." Fat Jiang clutched his pounding heart and angrily complained to Zhao Teng beside him, "I was wondering why I couldn't sleep. Turns out someone was secretly setting off flashbangs outside early this morning! Look at Brother Lu, feeding him tofu pudding and giving him gifts!"
Zhao Teng, clutching his precious camera, quietly zoomed out, capturing the two people in the distance in his viewfinder. The morning mist, the stone bridge, the holding hands, the bamboo tiger passed between them... every scene was filled with storytelling.
"The material! These are all the most precious and exclusive materials!" Zhao Teng lowered his voice and excitedly gave a live commentary. "See? This is called contrast! Normally at school, Shi Guang is the aloof academic genius, and Lu is the sunny school idol. But here, they become... uh, a gentle and considerate top and a shy, academically gifted bottom! If this vlog gets released, won't the girls in the super topic go crazy?"
"Stop filming, stop filming," Fatty Jiang grabbed his camera and held it down. "Be careful, Brother Lu might find out and throw your camera into the river to feed the fish. Let's go, let's pretend we ran into each other by chance."
The two of them pretended to walk out of the alley and ran into Lu Yu and Shi Guang who were walking back.
"Oh, what a coincidence, Brother Lu, boss!" Jiang Xiaopang's acting was very exaggerated. "Are you guys here at the morning market too? We're here to collect folk songs, yes, folk songs!"
Lu Yu glanced at Zhao Teng's flashing red camera, too lazy to expose them. Without changing his expression, he handed over a bag of freshly fried dough sticks. "Thank you for your hard work collecting folk songs. Want some?"
"Eat!" Fat Jiang took it immediately.
When the group returned to the inn, Lin Xiyue and Sun Rui had already packed up and were checking the equipment in the courtyard. Seeing Lu Yu and Shi Guang returning with breakfast, and looking at Jiang Xiaopang and Zhao Teng, who were munching on fried dough sticks in the back, they exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.
"Are you all ready?" Lu Yu immediately switched to captain mode as if nothing had happened.
"No problem." Sun Rui nodded, speaking concisely.
"Okay then," Lu Yu put down what he was holding and clapped his hands, attracting everyone's attention. "After this meal, we'll get ready to set off. At nine o'clock sharp, in front of the Chen Family Ancestral Hall, we'll fire the first shot!"
At nine o'clock in the morning, all members of the Yuguang team arrived at the Chen Family Ancestral Hall on time.
This ancestral hall was even more majestic than they had seen in the literature. The tall gatehouse, the cascading eaves and corners, and the pair of stone lions at the entrance, polished smooth and gentle by time, all betrayed its former glory. The heavy door of the ancestral hall was indeed open inward, like the great mouth of history, silently inviting them in.
Following the plan from last night, the team quickly split into two groups. Sun Rui, Lin Xiyue, and Jiang Xiaopang remained on the periphery, conducting environmental mapping. Lu Yu, Shi Guang, and Zhao Teng, the core team, equipped with the most sophisticated equipment, were the first to enter the ancestral hall.
Upon entering the ancestral hall, a whiff of aged wood and a faint aroma of incense greets you. Sunlight streams down from the lofty ceiling, casting clear beams of light through the air, within which countless motes of dust dance quietly. The entire space is grand and serene, imbued with a solemn and dignified atmosphere.
"Holy crap..." Even the knowledgeable Zhao Teng couldn't help but utter a low exclamation, "This... This is simply a work of art."
Lu Yu didn't hesitate. He quickly surveyed the terrain, selected an optimal takeoff point, and began assembling the drone. Shi Guang, on the other hand, opened his tablet, called up the pre-set mapping plan, and performed the final parameter calibration.
Soon, accompanied by a slight buzzing sound, the drone slowly rose into the air.
"Ten meters in height, keep steady." Lu Yu's voice was calm and steady, his eyes fixed on the screen of the remote control in his hand.
"Got it." Shi Guang stood beside him, his eyes fixed on the real-time data stream on his tablet. He clearly read out a series of instructions, "There's a hanging light three meters to the right, ahead. Avoid it. Increase the pan/tilt angle by five degrees, aim at the caisson structure directly above, and prepare for surround data collection."
"clear."
The complex interior of the ancestral hall, with numerous obstacles, posed a significant challenge to the pilot's skills. However, Lu Yu's control was as steady as a textbook example. Under his control, the drone darted between the beams and pillars like a nimble swift, with pinpoint accuracy.
Time is the swift's most reliable eyes and brain. Every instruction he issues is based on a deep understanding of architectural structure and surveying principles. There's no unnecessary communication between the two; a glance, a gesture, and they instantly understand each other's intentions.
Zhao Teng carried the camera and moved carefully behind them.
The surveying and mapping of the ancestral hall's outer hall proceeded exceptionally smoothly. After the drone collected large-scale spatial data, Shi Guang used a handheld scanner to perform close-up, detailed scans of key wooden components such as brackets and corbels.
Seeing that the most important part was about to be completed, Lu Yu felt a lot more relaxed. He walked over to Shi Guang and saw him concentrating on scanning a pillar carved with a Qilin. He couldn't help but whispered, "You're really good. You're even better than I thought."
Shi Guang didn't look up, but just said lightly: "It's not over yet."
He was right. When they finished all the work in the outer hall and were about to pass through an exquisite moon gate to enter the inner courtyard of the temple, which held the most core value, an unexpected obstacle blocked their way.
The small vermilion lacquered door leading to the inner courtyard was locked.
"Huh? Why can't I get through here?" Zhao Teng stepped forward and pushed the door, but it didn't move at all.
Just then, an old and hoarse voice came from behind them.
"This is where our ancestors rest in peace. It's not a place for you youngsters to mess around."
The three turned around and saw an old man wearing a dark blue double-breasted shirt, thin and with a wrinkled face, standing not far away, leaning on a cane. His eyes were cloudy, but revealed an unquestionable majesty.
Lu Yu immediately recognized the man who had opened the ancestral hall that morning. He hurried forward, his warmest smile plastered on his face. "Hello, old sir. We are students from Jiangcheng University. We are here to conduct research on the preservation of ancient buildings. We have the town's approval."
"Approval?" The old man snorted coldly and tapped the ground twice with his cane. "I only follow the clan rules of our Chen family. The clan rules state that the ancestral hall must be ventilated monthly, and only the outer hall is open. The Xiantang is a family forbidden area. Not to mention you, even if the mayor comes, you can't even think of setting foot there without the clan leader's approval."
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