Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 418 Good things take time

For the next two weeks after Lin Yan issued the order, several suites in the Wangfujing Hotel became sleepless war rooms.

The air was thick with the aroma of coffee and strong tea, blueprints covered every inch of the floor, and the ringing of telephones and heated discussions in multiple languages ​​never ceased, day or night.

Foreman Lao Zhou, along with his team and experts from the Department of Architecture at Tsinghua University, who were hired at great expense, scrapped and redid the stage structure three times based on the geological data and meteorological records of the Meridian Gate Square.

Ultimately, they abandoned some of the "ultra-thin" visual effects and added more stable triangular supports and more than 50% more counterweights to the steel frame of the "floating jade steps".

Each counterweight has three layers of specially made cushioning and anti-slip rubber pads on the contact surface between it and the brickwork of the square.

With red eyes, Old Zhou assured Tang Liuqian, "President Tang, this platform won't budge even in a Force 8 gale. It could withstand a tank driving onto it!"

Tang Liuqian and Zheng Jiaming, carrying a 200-page detailed plan for the protection and security of cultural relics during activities, held three closed-door meetings with an expert group from the Palace Museum.

The contingency plan covers every detail: overhead cable routing diagrams, material certificates for ground protective panels, training records for construction workers to work without metal tools, and procedures for evacuating the site within ten minutes in case of emergency weather...

They abandoned any physical droplet effects initially envisioned and changed the grand finale to a pure light and shadow scheme—using several high-power imported lasers, which were rare in the world at the time, to weave a dazzling and absolutely harmless "golden net of light" in the night sky.

The chief expert of the Palace Museum, an elderly gentleman with gray hair and a serious expression, remained silent for a long time after reviewing the contingency plan and the team's on-site demonstration of some of the protective measures, before finally signing his name on the meeting minutes.

He took off his glasses and said to Tang Liuqian:

"I've seen far too many people who just want to use the Forbidden City as a backdrop."

"You are the first to value protecting it more than showing off yourselves. This courtyard is six hundred years old, and it can feel the sincerity."

The lighting team built a partial runway and lighting rig in a warehouse in the suburbs at a 1:1 scale.

Frank, a lighting technician from Paris, and his Chinese and foreign apprentices practiced again and again, like rehearsing a symphony.

Without automation, every switch of color paper and every movement of the tracking spot depends on the precise coordination of human eyes, ears and hands.

They broke down the music into hundreds of time points, marking them on a huge storyboard until it became a conditioned reflex.

Frank said in a hoarse voice, "This will be a 'handcrafted haute couture' lighting art, with an error margin of less than 0.5 seconds. No one in the world has ever done show lighting like this before!"

Logistics manager Sister Zhang has become the "logistics commander".

She coordinated with military supply channels and ordered hundreds of military overcoats and foot patches.

An efficient "changing-warm-up" flow was planned backstage, ensuring that each model was wrapped in a warm military coat and hot drinks within three seconds of leaving the stage.

Just as the team was working hard to overcome the challenges, Lin Yan returned alone to his study in the courtyard house on Dongxinglong Street.

He slipped into the space.

In the alchemy room, I selected a small amount of Red Yang ginseng rootlets, a few Vermilion Fruits, and a few slices of Warm Jade Poria.

Using the spiritual spring as a guide, he carefully controlled the fire with his divine sense and refined a pill that he called "Warmth Powder".

Once formed, the elixir was only the size of a pearl, pale amber in color, and emitted a faint warmth.

Its sole function is to gently promote blood circulation within a few hours after ingestion, generating a warm current from the inside out to resist the cold, with absolutely no side effects.

Lin Yan refined a sufficient quantity of "Warmth Powder" and handed it to Lin Xiao, instructing him: "On the night of the show, add a tiny amount of this to the hot drinks served to each guest and staff member upon entry. Do not specify; simply say it is a specially prepared warming and nourishing drink."

Another afternoon, Lin Yan drove Tang Liuqian, Li Wenbin, and Zheng Jiaming through several alleys and stopped in front of a vermilion gate.

The lintel is understated, but its design is quite elaborate.

Lin Yan took out his key and opened the door, revealing a well-maintained, grand and spacious four-courtyard house.

Although the carved beams and painted rafters show some signs of age, the courtyard is clean and tidy, with towering ancient trees, creating a tranquil and elegant atmosphere.

"Brother Liu, Wenbin, Jiaming!"

"This courtyard will be your place to stay in Beijing from now on. It's not far from the Forbidden City, so it'll be convenient for you to handle things. We'll transfer the ownership to your names sometime."

The three of them were stunned for a moment, speechless with astonishment at this generous gift. This was no ordinary property; it was a well-maintained courtyard house located near the capital, a place that money could hardly buy.

Tang Liuqian was the first to come to his senses. A warm feeling welled up inside him, but he firmly shook his head:

"Xiao Yan, this sentiment is more valuable than this courtyard. You've made us realize that we really need a base, and we appreciate that. But we can't accept the house."

He patted Lin Yan on the shoulder.

"We'll shamelessly take the key for now. There's so much to do with the preparations, we really need a safe place like this to hold meetings. Once the show is over, we'll find our own spot. You can keep your 'treasury' for Chenchen and Xixi."

Li Wenbin and Zheng Jiaming nodded emphatically.

Li Wenbin was unusually serious: "Ayan, brothers are brothers, business is business. We're already doing you a huge favor by borrowing this yard. If we take it back, we won't be able to hold our heads high in front of you anymore!"

Seeing their resolute attitude, devoid of any pretense or evasion, and only displaying open friendship and self-respect, Lin Yan stopped insisting. He smiled and tossed the keychain to Tang Liuqian: "Alright, then this will serve as the company's temporary command center for now. But you'd better keep it exactly as it is; many of the old pieces of furniture inside were sourced by my men."

"Don't worry! I promise I'll take better care of it than my own home!" Li Wenbin quickly assured them, and the group looked at each other and burst into laughter.