Chapter 92: Renting the Old House, Source of Sentiment

As evening fell, Lin Shenlu finally brought Su Baor back to the small courtyard in Dagangtou Town.

The moment he entered the gate, he saw three or four people inside.

Just as Lin Shenlu had expected, the buildings on the other half of the courtyard had turned black.

Fortunately, the damage on his own side was not too severe.

It seemed the fire had been put out quickly, and in one corner of the yard the remnants of the self-service barbecue still lay untouched.

The male writer he had met that morning sat dazed to one side, his face smeared with streaks of soot.

“You’re back, Xiao Lin?” Uncle Wang in the courtyard seemed to notice him.

Lin Shenlu looked around and nodded.

The male writer said nothing. Instead, his young assistant hurried forward again and again to apologize.

“We’re truly sorry, Mr. Lin. Because of our improper handling, we’ve caused you some trouble. Please take stock and see whether anything was damaged... We’ll take responsibility for it,” the girl said as she stepped up to him.

“It’s fine. I don’t think my side was burned too badly. The room should be all right. As for you...” Lin Shenlu glanced at the girl’s face.

On the fair face of this girl, barely in her twenties, there were also several black smudges.

Especially the little patch of soot on the tip of her nose...

“This is my card. My name is Wu Heng. Rest assured, we’ll cover all losses. If anything needs to be compensated at market price, we won’t shirk it. As long as it hasn’t affected our teacher’s mood, that will be enough,” Wu Heng said, taking out a business card and handing it to Lin Shenlu.

Lin Shenlu casually slipped the card into his pocket to show he had understood.

Then he tilted his head to look at the male writer still sitting on the ground, head lowered, lost in thought.

“Oh, by the way, may I ask something impolitely? I heard your teacher is also a writer? Since I’m fortunate enough to be living in the same courtyard, would it be convenient to ask what major work he’s written, so I might have the chance to read it?” Lin Shenlu said with a smile.

He was rather interested in this male writer, who could even set a house on fire while searching for inspiration.

“You mean our Little-Hand Teacher? That’s easy. Just search on your phone for Liu Ershou. He’s a leading writer of domestic-fiction romances. Recently, his very popular work Love Me Harder, Darling, which is already preparing to be adapted into a television drama, is Brother Hand’s work...” Wu Heng said, pulling out her phone to search and show the results to Lin Shenlu.

“It’s just that our Little-Hand Teacher turns manuscripts in too slowly. Otherwise our boss wouldn’t have sent me here to keep an eye on him while he writes. Isn’t Lishui supposed to be a land of art? He’s here to seek inspiration too.” Wu Heng clearly held this Little-Hand Teacher in great admiration.

She was probably sweet enough on his fiction in everyday life.

“Given the chance, I’d certainly like to read your teacher’s work. You’re right, this place really can inspire people, but one must also be careful,” Lin Shenlu said with a smile to Wu Heng.

“Thank you. And sorry to trouble you. But you really should take a look at our Little-Hand Teacher’s work; we have a lot of fan-readers...” As she spoke, Wu Heng showed him on her screen the number of members in the fan group and the lively interactions in the comments section of Little-Hand Teacher’s work page.

On the screen, Lin Shenlu saw that Wu Heng was also one of the more active readers in the review section. Her alias was Ripples Without a Trace...

The latest comment was the one she had just left.

On closer inspection, it read: That trash writer, hurry up and update. Writing so little every day—are you useless or what...

So she was a professional flamethrower?

...

When Lin Shenlu returned to his room, he found that aside from a slight odor, there was no loss at all.

Not long after, Hai Lanjing also came back.

“Oh my god, Lin Shenlu, did you get bombed or something? How did it change so much in just two days without coming back?” Hai Lanjing asked curiously.

Lin Shenlu then recounted what had happened once more.

Hai Lanjing could not help but feel a little afraid.

An old house like this really did have such dangers.

If a fire broke out while people were sleeping at night, it could easily burn them to death outright...

It seemed that her success in signing the contract today, allowing them to start renovations as soon as possible, really had been important.

Hai Lanjing casually took a contract from her backpack and handed it to Lin Shenlu.

“Look. This is the result of my hard work these past two days!” she said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

Lin Shenlu took the contract and looked it over.

It was indeed a house lease agreement.

Just as Hai Lanjing had said over the phone during the day.

She had really secured the owner of the old house.

Buying it was definitely out of the question.

But Hai Lanjing had leased it for five years.

And the rent had been paid in a single lump sum.

“This old house has been sitting idle for a long time. Its original owner ran an art studio here more than ten years ago, but later he had to leave for other matters, and so the place was left to decay. If I hadn’t used a connection to find him, he might have forgotten he still owned such an old house...”

“Actually, the process went quite smoothly. Especially after he heard that I wanted to open a guesthouse with real sentiment. The original owner agreed at once. Though he couldn’t come in person, he immediately arranged for someone to sign the contract with me,” Hai Lanjing said with a smile.

Though she described the whole sequence very simply, Lin Shenlu knew that it must have taken favors and connections to accomplish it step by step.

Of course, it was enough that it had been done.

The location had been chosen, and the house secured.

What remained was renovation and opening.

Likewise, the soul of this inn now had to be decided.

What kind of guesthouse, exactly, should it be, with what sort of sentiment? That was the thing Lin Shenlu now needed to determine immediately.

Because time was pressing.

He tapped lightly on the table as he thought, his expression somewhat grave.

Hai Lanjing held out a hand and waved it in front of Lin Shenlu’s eyes.

“What are you thinking about? I’ve finished what I was supposed to do. Didn’t you say you still had follow-up things to tell me? As for the sentiment we’re supposed to build into the renovation, even if it’s a wishing pool, I’ll have to work it into the design plan!” Hai Lanjing asked.

This was what worried Hai Lanjing.

Only after Lin Shenlu produced the design plan could she formulate the renovation schedule.

Otherwise, today he would come up with one new thing, and tomorrow another new idea would appear, dragging down the renovation progress.

She still had great faith in Lin Shenlu’s thinking.

The Whale-Deer Hotel in Dali was living proof.

With nothing more than a drifting bottle and three pools, it had achieved the kind of traffic and atmosphere that countless inn owners only dreamed of.

By now, Lin Shenlu’s plan had already become a legend in Dali.

So here in Lishui, it would be the same.

To ensure everything reached the highest standard, any sentiment-based concept or design should be brought up directly.

It was best to settle everything before the renovation began.

Hai Lanjing’s words stirred something in Lin Shenlu’s expression.

He raised his head and looked at Hai Lanjing beside him.

“This time it’s very simple. You don’t need to wait for me, and you don’t need anything from me at all—no design plan, no sentimental draft. Just renovate it according to what you have in mind...” Lin Shenlu said seriously.

“Brother, are you joking? If I don’t ask you anything, then where’s the soul of my guesthouse?” Hai Lanjing asked, puzzled.

“When you’ve finished the renovation, my concept will emerge,” Lin Shenlu said mysteriously.