Chapter 28 contains 2000 units of nutrient solution...
Qinghe City is a purely modern city. Originally, the old town of Qinghe City had a beautiful collection of ancient buildings, but in the early days of reform and opening up, in order to develop the economy, there was little awareness of preservation at that time, so the entire area was demolished and high-rise buildings were built in its place.
Modern cities are all pretty much the same, except for metropolises like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Therefore, Qinghe City holds little appeal for tourists. It doesn't even have a single decent 5A-level scenic spot. Its only somewhat respectable attraction is Jianshan Mountain in Dingnan County, which is only a 4A-level. However, its fame is limited to attracting tourists from within the city and a few neighboring cities; it's virtually unknown nationwide.
Qinghe City is aware of its strengths and weaknesses, and therefore has focused its efforts on developing light industry, achieving remarkable economic success in recent years while paying little attention to cultural tourism. However, things are different now. In the new era of the "traffic economy," various provinces and cities are employing all sorts of methods to promote their cultural tourism, and Qinghe City is beginning to feel the urge to join in.
This can't go on any longer.
Therefore, developing cultural tourism has become a task that everyone, from top to bottom, is paying close attention to, but the seasoned veterans are trying to avoid it. There's no way around it; the higher-ups have only expressed this intention, but haven't allocated any resources yet. Moreover, Qinghe City has very few tourism resources, so even the most skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients!
Ren Zhijiao came to the Qinghe City Culture and Tourism Bureau against this backdrop.
She wasn't from Qinghe, but her husband, Guo Wengang, was. They originally lived in another city, but Guo Wengang transferred to Qinghe University to teach a couple of years ago, so Ren Zhijiao also applied for a transfer. After a lot of effort, she got the transfer, but ended up in the obscure Culture and Tourism Bureau. She was originally supposed to go to the Cultural Arts Management Section, which mainly handled the cultural performance market and was considered quite good, but someone interfered and she was assigned to the Tourism Management Section instead.
The tourism management section has two section chiefs. One is a veteran local who is in charge of the other three counties, including established scenic spots like Jianshan and the Confucius Temple in the city. Ren Zhijiao was assigned to Anping County and another county. She searched high and low but could only find Qinghe Ancient Town as a scenic spot.
The bad news is that Qinghe Ancient Town is no longer open for business.
The good news is that it seems someone has taken over Qinghe Ancient Town and they are planning to reopen it.
Ren Zhijiao didn't know whether she was lucky or unlucky.
Guo Wengang asked her curiously, "Didn't you say before that Qinghe Ancient Town is just a man-made scenic spot and has no appeal at all?"
What Ren Zhijiao didn't tell Lu Xiaoqi today was that she had actually visited Qinghe Ancient Town when it was still open, and her impression of it wasn't very good. The scenic area felt very artificial, poorly managed, and lacked any unique experiences. If she were a tourist, she would never go back after one visit, and would probably even post a warning online.
But now her views have changed a bit: "Thoughts are different now. Even if it's a man-made scenic spot, as long as it has its own style, characteristics, and projects, it can still get a good reputation. Look at the neighboring provinces, isn't Hengdian man-made? And look further afield at the ancient capital, isn't that 'city that never sleeps' man-made?"
Guo Wengang exclaimed in surprise: "You have such high expectations for Qinghe Ancient Town? That's impressive, Comrade Xiao Ren."
Both of these are nationally renowned tourist attractions.
"..." Ren Zhijiao suddenly deflated. "I don't have such high expectations, but the situation isn't that bad, so it's still worth a try."
She met Lu Xiaoqi today and chatted with her. She found that although the girl seemed inexperienced and very young, she had her own thoughts on the future development of Qinghe Ancient Town.
Moreover, being young is not necessarily a disadvantage.
"You can tell she's doing something she's really interested in, and she's full of love and passion for it."
Guo Wengang chimed in: "Completely unlike us, who are forced to work like cattle and horses, right?"
Ren Zhijiao laughed: "She's not exactly a beast of burden, but she is the boss. I just feel that after seeing so many slippery old hands and people who only talk about money, it's rare to see a young person like her. Besides, who says young people are bad? In this internet age, people like us are outdated. Only young people understand young people. Maybe she can really make a name for herself in Qinghe Ancient Town."
Guo Wengang said seriously, "Comrade Ren, you are only thirty-two, in the prime of your life."
He leaned closer: "In my heart, you'll always be young..."
"You're such a chatterbox!" Ren Zhijiao glanced at him, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart.
“Beibei isn’t coming back today, let’s go out to eat. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a proper meal together as a couple,” Guo Wengang said enthusiastically. “I heard from a colleague that a new restaurant opened on Wuliu Road that makes really good fish. It’s not far from here, how about we try it?”
Guo Wengang doesn't have any other hobbies except for cooking, and he often cooks for himself.
Ren Zhijiao nodded: "Okay."
The two packed their things and headed out. Just before leaving, Guo Wengang remembered something else: "By the way, if you go to Qinghe Ancient Town next time, take Lao Lin with you. Lao Lin's current project is researching antique-style architecture."
Lao Lin is Guo Wengang's colleague and serves as a master's supervisor in the Department of Architecture at Qinghe University.
Ren Zhijiao was a little surprised: "Why did he suddenly start researching this?"
"It wasn't sudden, it started a long time ago. You know, working in construction now is like joining the National Revolutionary Army in 1949, it's a sunset industry, especially since the architecture department at Qinghe University isn't very well-known. On the other hand, the field of ancient-style architecture and ancient building repair in China is developing quite well now, and several universities have added related majors. Old Lin is trying to find more career paths for his students."
Ren Zhijiao nodded: "Okay, I'll go next Tuesday. If Lao Lin has time, we can go together."
The two went out and headed straight for Song Sao's Fish Restaurant.
When they arrived, they discovered it was just a tiny roadside shop with only four tables, but it was doing brisk business. It was only a little past six o'clock, and there were already over a dozen people queuing in front of the fish restaurant. In contrast, the neighboring restaurants were deserted.
Guo Wengang nodded in satisfaction: "These kinds of small restaurants are usually the most authentic. And this one is very clean too."
As a result, the two waited forty minutes before they could eat. Their initial irritation was immediately soothed after taking the first bite of Song Sao's fish soup, more effective than a strong iron.
"Wow, this chef is quite skilled," Guo Wengang praised. "No wonder there's still a queue outside."
Although the shop is small, the taste is really better than what he would spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on in some high-end restaurants.
Ren Zhijiao also gave it high praise: "Next time, you can bring Beibei to eat here."
......
"Congratulations, player! Your weekly mission is complete, and 10,000 cash has been credited to your account. Please check your account."
"You have completed two weekly tasks and can draw one character card."
Lu Xiaoqi was having lunch in Qinghe Ancient Town when she heard the system's announcement and beamed with joy, going to get another bowl of rice. Although the cooks in Xiangjia Village weren't as skilled as Sister-in-law Song, anyone who had worked hard all morning could eat heartily. Surrounded by people eating heartily, Lu Xiaoqi inexplicably wanted to eat more as well.
"So much meat and vegetables, eggs are practically free. We never had such a good life before, so of course we have to eat a lot of rice," said cook Du Fang with a smile.
The old lady beside him smiled and said, "I'd be laughing in my sleep if I could live like this."
Everyone present nodded in agreement.
"I'm afraid that when I wake up, this life will be over."
Lu Xiaoqi had spent a lot of time with the people of Xiangjia Village lately, and hearing their stories made her feel a pang of sadness. She waved her hand and said, "Don't be stingy, eat when you should, eat more."
Previously, the villagers were quite anxious, feeling that the food was too good and that Lu Xiaoqi was spending too much money. So they came to Lu Xiaoqi and said that they only needed to prepare some vegetables each day, and that they didn't need to eat meat and eggs every day. Even the cooks were hesitant when cooking, being reluctant to use oil or eggs when frying eggs for so many people. After seeing this, Lu Xiaoqi simply cracked thirty eggs into a bowl and told them to follow that standard.
For her, the food expenses here were a small matter compared to the major expenses she had to worry about.
Xiang Ming shook his head in disapproval: "That won't do. We should save where we can. Even landlords don't spend money like that."
Lu Xiaoqi laughed: "Don't worry, there are plenty of supplies now, so food alone won't cost me much. I'll still save money where I can."
For example, she wasn't generous enough to provide each person in Xiangjia Village with a mobile phone and pocket money; she only provided basic necessities.
Seeing that she said that, everyone stopped talking and were naturally very happy and grateful.
After dinner, Yuwen Kai and Xiang Ming told Lu Xiaoqi about the groundbreaking ceremony they had come up with. They planned to follow ancient customs and hold a groundbreaking ceremony and a ritual to honor Lu Ban.
Xiang Ming: "Lu Ban is the ancestor of us craftsmen. In the past, we would worship him every New Year and test the younger generation to see if their skills had improved. Later, war broke out and the situation became unstable, so we haven't held the ceremony for a long time. This is a good opportunity to reopen the ceremony."
Lu Xiaoqi was already quite satisfied when she heard about the groundbreaking ceremony. Young people these days increasingly appreciate lively ancient folk customs, and this groundbreaking ceremony and the Lu Ban worship ceremony sounded very retro and interesting. But the subsequent mention of testing the younger generation gave her an even bigger surprise.
"This is great!" she blurted out, her eyes lighting up.
She asked for more details, then couldn't help but scratch her head, feeling as if the situation was slipping out of her control. What was originally just a performance for the evaluators seemed to have escalated into something much bigger.
This should be a good thing... Lu Xiaoqi suddenly had high expectations for this.
Moreover, she felt that the plan could be even better.
She mentally tapped the system: "How about it? Should I offer some assistance to your esteemed gamer?"
The system is alert: "If players want to activate the basic maintenance function of the ancient town, there are still six weekly tasks to complete."
Lu Xiaoqi smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you with functions beyond your permissions. If I say ten, I mean ten, not one less! But you can still provide a little bit of technical assistance, I promise, it won't be excessive."
Her tone was very gentle, which made the system very uncomfortable: "What do you mean by 'player'?"
Lu Xiaoqi chuckled.
She was drawn to the system's holographic virtual technology.
When she first stepped into Qinghe Ancient Town, the system used holographic virtual technology to show her the restored town. It was so lifelike that it made her feel as if she were actually in a magnificent scene.
This is something that current virtual reality (VR) simply cannot achieve, and Lu Xiaoqi still remembers that feeling.
"This doesn't count as part of the basic maintenance of the ancient town, does it?" she said to the system. "Besides, I didn't ask you to get the Heart of Architecture for me in advance. I just asked you to use your abilities to help me out. Why can't that be allowed?"
"If you were able to show me what you've got, then you can certainly show others what you've got."
System: "...Player, this does not comply with the rules."
"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. How can people be confined by rules?" Lu Xiaoqi uttered a classic quote.
System: "Player, let me remind you, I am not human."
“Yes, you are a higher life form, so you should be more flexible and better at weighing pros and cons than humans.” Lu Xiaoqi answered without hesitation. In her eyes, the system always had its own thoughts; it wasn’t so rote. At this moment, she was as sweet-talking as if she had eaten a jar of honey. The person who used to argue with the system from time to time was clearly a thing of the past.
"You can do it. Think about it, wasn't it a privilege you specifically fought for for me to draw three character cards in a row at the beginning? Now try to get it again, maybe it's possible? I don't need much time, just two minutes, it should be a piece of cake for you."
The system did not answer immediately, clearly lost in thought.
Lu Xiaoqi pressed on, her voice full of enticement: "Look, the evaluators and the people from the Culture and Tourism Bureau will be here that day. If we can let them see our capabilities beforehand, our priority will definitely be moved up. Then the loan will come through quickly, all the construction projects can be expedited, Qinghe Ancient Town can open sooner, and your plans can be completed earlier. It's clearly a win-win situation!"
The system remained silent.
Lu Xiaoqi blinked, deciding to use both soft and hard tactics: "Anyway, if my loan doesn't come through, then I'll just have to drag it out, and it's hard to say when construction can start. Besides, it's a bug in your system to not provide some initial funding to operate such a large ancient town, and I don't care. I'm lying down and giving up!"
System: "...half a minute."
Lu Xiaoqi hadn't reacted yet: "Huh?"
System: "My freedom of movement is limited to half a minute, and the radius cannot exceed two hundred meters."
Lu Xiaoqi was overjoyed and almost jumped up: "That's enough! That's enough! I knew you wouldn't leave me to die. You are the best system in the world."
The system chuckled, enjoying her rare compliment: "Player, you should open Qinghe Ancient Town as soon as possible. Friendly reminder, you still have one character card to draw."
Lu Xiaoqi waved her hand: "Let's put that aside for now. The most important thing right now is the groundbreaking ceremony."
After set up the system, she went over the details with Yuwen Kai, Xiang Ming, and others. Before starting her own media business, she worked as a planner, and now she was starting to feel a bit like she used to have a regular job.
Thinking of self-media, she immediately posted a message in the groups she had previously joined:
"Is anyone willing to come to Qinghe City next Tuesday? There's an ancient town project here that's about to open, and there will be a groundbreaking ceremony next Tuesday. I've seen their project proposal, and it's quite interesting. We're looking for a few people to film videos or do live streams. They need to be from within the province. We'll reimburse their travel and accommodation expenses and provide some compensation. There are only five spots available."
Someone quickly chimed in the group:
How is the compensation calculated?
Lu Xiaoqi: "Based on past fan counts, if the number of reads is very high, we will calculate it separately according to the tiers. Those who are interested can contact me."
Other people in the group also joined in:
Are there any ancient towns or newly opened scenic spots in Qinghe City?
Never heard of it.
[I'm from Qinghe. I think I know which ancient town Xiaoqi is talking about. It's an old tourist attraction that closed down, but I heard from friends in the countryside that there seems to be some activity going on; they say it's going to reopen.]
It went bankrupt?
Lu Xiaoqi quickly replied, "A new operator has taken over, don't worry, they're not scammers."
Someone even messaged her privately: "Xiaoqi, you're not doing self-media anymore? Which scenic spot are you working for now?"
Lu Xiaoqi: "Yes, I'm currently doing self-media planning for them."
She thought the position sounded good and planned to use it to meet people in the future.
Soon, people contacted her, but they were all small content creators with only a few thousand followers, not even someone like Liao Yunyun with tens of thousands. Lu Xiaoqi wasn't bothered; with her current budget, she couldn't afford a big-name influencer. She'd already exhausted her own connections with Qin Yue before, but thankfully the results were good; otherwise, there wouldn't have been a next time.
Moreover, platforms are now quite willing to give traffic to videos with good content, and it doesn't necessarily have to be big accounts.
Qin Yue also contacted her: "Ahhh, why didn't you say so earlier? Otherwise, I would definitely have gone to join in the fun."
She set off yesterday to explore shops in another city.
Lu Xiaoqi smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's just a groundbreaking ceremony. I'll invite you to come and play when there's something more fun."
Qin Yue agreed. She now felt that her friend had become somewhat mysterious, a female classmate with a lot of stories to tell. For someone working in social media, such a person was a treasure trove of material. Qin Yue's intuition told her that she should keep in touch with Lu Xiaoqi more often.
Lu Xiaoqi selected five people from those who had contacted her, whose videos had a slightly different style and whose communication with her was smooth and comfortable. She sent them detailed addresses and times and made appointments.
After calculating, the expense was less than 10,000 yuan, which was extremely cost-effective.
Everything is ready, just waiting for Thursday.
Her weekly tasks arrived before Thursday.
System: "Player, you have a new weekly mission: Please hold a satisfactory groundbreaking ceremony. Mission reward: Experience holographic virtual technology for thirty seconds."
Lu Xiaoqi: ......
She suddenly realized that this was how they planned to make their transactions public. It had to be said, this approach was truly impeccable. It also gave her a renewed understanding of the system's flexibility.
She couldn't help but exclaim, "You're such a cunning system!"
System: "This doesn't sound like a compliment."
Lu Xiaoqi smiled, her eyes crinkling: "For a life form like you, this is the highest praise."
The system stopped arguing and seemed to acquiesce to her statement.
......
The weather was fine and sunny.
Late April weather is perfect for Qinghe City – not too hot, not too humid, but occasionally drizzling. Today, the weather cooperated; after a rainstorm on Wednesday, it quickly stopped, resulting in sunny skies and a pleasantly cool atmosphere.
It is advisable to start construction.
Ren Zhijiao had already received Lu Xiaoqi's notification, and early in the morning, she went to the family area of Qinghe University to pick up her husband's colleague, Lao Lin, and they drove together towards Qinghe Ancient Town. Lao Lin was a student of a leading figure in the domestic architectural field, and he himself was also quite well-known in the architectural education community.
However, he complained to Ren Zhijiao the whole way: "In the current state of the construction industry, most large projects have stopped. If you want to survive, you either have to go overseas or change careers. Moreover, I think this industry downturn will last for a long time."
The reason is simple: the era of large-scale infrastructure construction in Chinese cities has come to an end; what follows is nothing more than patching up what was already there.
Ren Zhijiao: "On the contrary, from what I understand, the imitation ancient buildings are quite prosperous and are growing."
Old Lin: "This is thanks to the boom in cultural tourism in recent years. Several of my graduate students are working on projects related to this, which is why I thought I'd take a look today. As for Qinghe Ancient Town... I've been there quite a few times. They didn't hire a good design company, so they demolished the original old houses and ended up with a hodgepodge. But, in Qinghe City, this is where we have the most imitation ancient buildings."
The car stopped at the scenic area.
When Lu Xiaoqi came to pick them up, she overheard him saying to Ren Zhijiao, "...It's styled like the Tang Dynasty, but many of the details are actually from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, which makes it somewhat incongruous. However, this isn't a big problem; ordinary tourists won't care as long as it looks nice. The key issue is that the details aren't well done, and many parts have obvious Japanese influences, which is a common problem with antique-style buildings in domestic scenic spots these days..."
Both of them saw Lu Xiaoqi, so Lao Lin stopped talking.
Ren Zhijiao greeted Lu Xiaoqi with a smile, and only then did Lao Lin realize that this young woman was the behind-the-scenes boss of Qinghe Ancient Town. He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, wondering if this Boss Lu had heard his criticism just now.
Lu Xiaoqi didn't care about the 't', and instead frankly admitted: "What Professor Lin said is all correct. You must have a lot in common with one of our teachers here. He said exactly the same thing as you."
Old Lin became interested: "Oh? You're also in construction? Maybe I know you."
Lu Xiaoqi gave a vague answer: "He comes from a family with a long tradition of learning, but he is only particularly knowledgeable about ancient architecture."
Ren Zhijiao looked at the gate that had been wide open all day: "Is Boss Lu planning to open the door to customers today?"
Lu Xiaoqi smiled and said, "It's a groundbreaking ceremony after all, so it's good to make it lively. Anyone who wants to come can join us."
She had announced a couple of days ago that there would be a groundbreaking ceremony at Qinghe Ancient Town today, inviting residents from nearby counties who wanted to visit to come without paying. The more people there were, the easier it would be to generate buzz. However, she also arranged for other areas to be cordoned off, limiting visitors to only area one.
Lu Xiaoqi led the two onto the sightseeing bus. There are currently three sightseeing buses in Qinghe Ancient Town, all salvaged from a warehouse by villagers during a cleanup. She found a mechanic in town to tinker with them, and they're still usable. These three sightseeing buses, along with the tricycle she bought earlier, are now considered important assets of the ancient town, used daily for transporting rice, vegetables, and various daily necessities.
As they spoke, the group arrived at the venue for today's ceremony, an open space not far below Qinghe Tower in Zone 1.
There used to be an unremarkable wooden building on this open space, which was originally a shop selling various souvenirs. In the past few days, Yuwen Kai directed the villagers to tear it all down, and the timber they dragged back can be used to make furniture.
In his plan, this open space could be expanded further to house the virtual experience hall that Lu Xiaoqi mentioned. It would be a small hall in the style of the Tang Dynasty, which would complement the style of Qinghe Tower and serve as the main building complex that anchors the entire Zone One.
The altar and offering table have already been set up and cordoned off with red rope. Several people have gathered in the open space, including residents who came after hearing the news, as well as the online celebrities Lu Xiaoqi invited. She also brought in community volunteers from the county, mainly to maintain order.
The community is very cooperative with this; if the scenic area is developed, it will greatly benefit them.
A little while later, Lu Xiaoqi received a call. People from the bank and the appraisal company had arrived, and she quickly went out to greet them.
The three people on the other end were all very amicable. After all, in their eyes, Lu Xiaoqi was a "big spender" with a large plot of land and tangible assets. Their main purpose for coming today was to verify the actual condition of the land, the collateral for Qinghe Ancient Town, and to see if there were any discrepancies with the information she had provided. In addition, the bank had also hired a third-party appraisal company to assess the future development prospects and potential of Qinghe Ancient Town as a tourist attraction.
They naturally saw Ren Zhijiao as well, and became even more amiable after learning that she worked for the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.
This indicates that Qinghe Ancient Town and the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism have an agreement, but it's unclear whether a framework agreement has been signed... If there were preferential resources and policies, its development potential would be greatly increased.
Ren Zhijiao glanced thoughtfully at Lu Xiaoqi, who was smiling, her mind clear as day. She knew that she had been slightly used by this young boss, who had deliberately made her appear at the bank to create the "illusion" of cooperation between the scenic area and the cultural and tourism bureau.
Lu Xiaoqi raised an eyebrow slightly when she was looked at like that, turned her head away, and coughed lightly. She was still young and couldn't maintain her composure.
Ren Zhijiao smiled gently.
She wasn't bothered; in fact, this was part of her job. If it was a key cultural tourism project favored by the government, the Bureau of Culture and Tourism would even proactively organize bank-enterprise matchmaking meetings to facilitate financing and provide certain subsidies for interest rates. However, Qinghe Ancient Town doesn't yet meet this standard.
This Mr. Lu is genuinely unfamiliar with these procedures or rather, these routines, unlike those seasoned veterans who deliberately try to cheat the government out of subsidies.
Ren Zhijiao was very satisfied.
For young entrepreneurs like this, her job is to provide them with thorough support. Perhaps Qinghe Ancient Town will give her a pleasant surprise someday?
Having made up her mind and figured out her follow-up plans, she became even more friendly towards Lu Xiaoqi, and even took the initiative to introduce relevant cultural and tourism policies to the bank. For a time, all three parties had a very pleasant conversation.
Lu Xiaoqi was flattered.
Is this the benefit of aligning oneself with an organization? I just wish I had discovered it sooner.
After chatting for about half an hour, the auspicious time arrived.
......
"Nuannuanfeng" is a small content creator on YouTube, whose real name is Li Nuan. She is a recent college graduate who was not satisfied with several jobs, so she wanted to start her own media business. Unfortunately, media creation is not easy. She is not particularly good-looking and has no special talents. After trying several different platforms, she has not achieved any success. Her current few thousand followers have not made any waves online.
She told herself to persevere for another three months, and if there was still no improvement after three months, then she would have no choice but to give up. She would return to her hometown, which seemed frozen in time, listen to her parents, find a decent job, and then go on blind dates arranged by them until she found a suitable marriage partner.
Like your parents say, isn't this how everyone goes through it? What are you dissatisfied with?
However, two and a half months have passed, and she still hasn't achieved anything.
Just as she was feeling disheartened and about to pack her bags, Li Nuan saw a message from Lu Xiaoqi in the group chat. She thought for a moment and immediately contacted her. She'd never been to Qinghe City before, so she'd treat it as a free trip.
She asked him, "Why did you choose me?"
The other party quickly replied, "Of course it's because your videos are so well-made, clean and refreshing. Don't worry, if you keep doing this, you'll definitely become famous."
Li Nuan's eyes reddened at these words. She made up her mind that she must film and edit the video of Qinghe Ancient Town well this time, and she must not let down the other party's kindness.
She arrived at the ancient town early, filmed a lot of other footage, and chatted with several other content creators who had come as well. Unlike her satisfaction, the others were not very pleased.
"If I had known it would be this shabby, I wouldn't have come. I wasted two or three days of my time."
"Yeah, I thought it would be some kind of grand ceremony, but it's just this?"
"Maybe things will look better later?"
"Hmph, I'm not too optimistic. Look at this town, it's so dilapidated, I don't think anyone will come even if it opens for business."
Li Nuan frowned.
Everyone has such a small number of followers, and the money's already in hand, so what's this about wasting time? However, she didn't like getting into conflicts on the spot, so she ultimately didn't say it aloud, only weakly saying from the sidelines:
"Aren't they planning to start repairs?"
"It's tough. This artificial ancient town is so unoriginal..." a male content creator said casually while holding up his phone. "But it doesn't matter. We're already here, so let's just shoot some footage. Anyway, with a filter, we can edit it so much that even our mothers wouldn't recognize us."
Everyone else laughed: "You take a picture, I take a picture, we're all totally confused when we get there."
Someone started a live stream: "Babies, did you see that? This is Qinghe Ancient Town, a very beautiful town. There will be a spectacular groundbreaking ceremony here today. Let me show you around..."
However, Li Nuan glanced at it and saw that there were hardly any interactions or bullet comments.
Suddenly, the sound of drums rang out.
Boom, boom, boom, boom... The deep sound of drums rang out from the four corners, and everyone then realized that the objects covered by red cloth in the four corners were four large red drums. Now, four young men dressed in ancient-style narrow-sleeved hemp clothes and wearing headscarves were standing in front of the drums, holding drumsticks and striking the drumheads.
Their hands were extremely steady, their arm muscles were bulging, and their expressions were solemn.
The drumbeats came one after another, the heavy notes hanging in the air, deep and tinged with a sense of vicissitude. As they spread in all directions, the atmosphere in the entire arena suddenly changed.
"It's starting, it's starting..." The person doing the live stream couldn't help but whisper.
Community volunteers led the crowd aside, clearing a passageway and a central open space.
The drumbeats quickened, stirring a sense of excitement and passion. At the far end, an elderly man with an extraordinary bearing, wearing a jade crown and wide-sleeved robe, led a group of people dressed in hempen clothes and short shirts. They included both the old and the young, but all wore their hair up, clearly dressed in ancient attire.
"Wow, where did they find such a group of people?" the person doing the live stream whispered to the camera. "Their makeup and costumes must have cost money; they look like they were just unearthed."
It's not just the makeup and styling; it's the subtle aura these people exude that makes it seem like they were born to be dressed like this.
Several people gradually entered the live stream room.
[It looks pretty good, but it lacks a bit of presence; there should be more people.]
Are they carrying something in their hands?
The livestream host glanced at them and chuckled: "Hey, they're holding carpenter's tools. Let me see, there are planes, saws, and chisels... I don't know why they're carrying these things."
Li Nuan, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but whisper, "This groundbreaking ceremony is a ritual to honor Lu Ban. Didn't you see the planning document Miss Lu gave you?"
The content creator froze. He didn't have time to look at those things. It was just a groundbreaking ceremony, wasn't it?
A comment drifted across the screen: "Put down your phone and let the girl next to you do it."
The content creator, known as "The Cicada That Hibernates for Sixteen Years," coughed lightly and pointed the camera at the altar: "Of course I know it's a ceremony to honor Lu Ban. Look at that shrine, it says 'Shrine of Gongshu Ban' on it, and the couplet, 'Rules and regulations for a thousand autumns, a foundation for ten thousand generations,' who else but our great Lu Ban deserves this?"
Although the altar was simple, it was fully decorated. There were statues of gods, memorial tablets, couplets, and on the offering table were incense burners and candlesticks, as well as a Lu Ban ruler and an ink line as ritual objects.
"Why are there five-colored silk threads wrapped around this ruler?" Sixteen-year-old cicada muttered curiously.
At this moment, a comment flashed across the live stream screen: "[Those are five-colored silk threads, corresponding to the five elements. Also, look at that new saw and plane wrapped in red cloth next to it; those are new tools used for the sacrifice, representing 'sharp tools and skillful craftsmanship.' Passing through them before the ancestral master is equivalent to consecration. This ritual is quite elaborate, isn't it? Interesting.]"
The cicada, which had been hibernating for sixteen years, let out a "yo!" and exclaimed, "Brother, how do you know so much?"
He almost thought this was a shill arranged by the organizers to be in his live stream.
Comment: [Because I happen to be a carpenter too.]
[Hahaha, streamer, what's wrong with your eyes? This guy's ID is 'I'm just a carpenter'.]
Carpentry is great! Learn a skill, and you'll never have to worry about finding a job.
I'm just a carpenter: [It's alright, but it's very difficult to become a master carpenter, and fewer and fewer young people are learning this skill these days.]
Three or four more people joined the live stream and started discussing the topic.
At this moment, Yuwen Kai had already led the craftsmen to bow down before the altar. His demeanor was noble, and every movement he made was as graceful as flowing clouds. Although the craftsmen behind him did not have such good looks or manners, the piety that was ingrained in their bones was conveyed through their every gesture, which was moving.
Old Lin quietly asked Lu Xiaoqi, "Boss Lu, is this an actor you invited?"
That's quite an immersion in the role.
Lu Xiaoqi smiled: "No, they are real craftsmen. The restoration of Qinghe Ancient Town will depend on them."
Old Lin was surprised. He hadn’t expected these people to be craftsmen. No wonder they were so devout!
However, he was a little confused. Why do craftsmen who repair ancient buildings now need to follow ancient etiquette in their clothing and hair?
Yuwen Kai leisurely said in a long voice: "Wash your hands after purifying the altar, firstly to wash away the dust, secondly to clear your mind and eyes, and thirdly to attain divine skill!"
Xiang Ming held a cypress leaf, dipped it in water from a porcelain basin, and gently swiped it three times in the hands of the craftsman who had come forward.
Everyone present was completely engrossed in watching.
Emotions are contagious; they could feel the inexplicable solemnity of the scene. What they initially thought was just a promotional event for the scenic area now felt like a real sacrificial ceremony.
Yuwen Kai, acting as the chief priest, cleansed Xiang Ming's hands with cypress leaf water, then waved his sleeves and announced loudly, "Beidou Illumination Workshop, light the lamps!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the onlookers couldn't help but hold their breath. Although the entire ceremony wasn't extravagant, it inexplicably gave them a sense of antiquity, leaving them feeling both awe and awe.
Old Lin secretly asked Lu Xiaoqi, "What kind of lamp do you want to light?"
Lu Xiaoqi whispered, "Seven Star Lamp."
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