(Please don't compare the places to reality, since the author hasn't been there and there will definitely be differences. Just treat it as a fictional setting, my darlings.)
The plane was very quiet.
The seats are light gray and arranged neatly, with two seats in each row. The aisle is wide, the overhead luggage compartment is closed, and the air conditioning is on full blast.
Qiguan Yuan sat down by the window, fastened his seatbelt, and turned his head to look out the window.
Outside the window is a helipad, and in the distance, there's a row of buildings with large characters on top.
As the plane began to taxi, the scenery outside the window started to move. When the nose of the plane lifted up, Qiguan Yuan leaned back slightly, grabbed the armrest, and found the experience quite novel.
As I watched the ground outside the window recede into the distance, the houses shrink smaller and smaller, and the people become invisible dots.
He watched for a while, until the clouds obscured the ground, before turning his gaze away.
Pei Yubai sat next to him without disturbing him.
His Yuanyuan is Nine-Tailed Fox demon, who doesn't even have a cell phone, so he definitely hasn't been in contact with airplanes, which require ID cards.
Curiosity is perfectly normal.
It was already dark when the plane landed at an airport in a city in the northwest.
A row of black cars were parked outside the airport. The cars were new, and the production crew's logo was affixed to the windshields.
It was another car that Meng Xu had arrogantly procured.
The guests collected their luggage and boarded the car.
The car drove for over an hour.
The car stopped in front of a three-story residential homestay.
This was also something Meng Xu urgently contacted.
The house has earthen-colored walls, and the wooden door is painted dark green. A wooden sign hangs above the door frame, which reads "Sandbar Cottage " (Sandbar Cottage).
There are two short trees by the entrance, with small canopies and curled edges on their leaves, making them look somewhat wilted.
The courtyard wasn't very big, much smaller than Qiguan Yuan's mansion. It was paved with blue bricks, and there was a large water vat in the corner with several red fish swimming around on the surface, occasionally blowing out a few bubbles.
A long table stood in the middle of the courtyard, covered with a blue and white checkered tablecloth. The edges of the tablecloth were blown up slightly by the wind before settling back down.
On the left side of the courtyard was a kitchen with a light on in the window, where a local woman wearing an apron was busy at the stove.
There's a teahouse on the right, its door open, and you can see a calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall that reads, "Where my heart finds peace, there is my home."
It seems the guesthouse owner has taken decorating their house very seriously.
Meng Xu stood at the courtyard gate, holding a task card. After the guests entered the courtyard, he read out the tasks on the card, "There are no tasks today. Please settle into your accommodations first, and you are free to do as you please tonight. The Dunhuang Night Market is a 30-minute walk from here; feel free to go if you want. We'll meet at 10:00 AM tomorrow to go to the Dunhuang Bookstore Cultural and Creative Printing House."
Shen Yuzhou walked around the courtyard, glanced at the tea room, then at the kitchen, and decisively ran into the kitchen.
The guests then each selected their own rooms.
Pei Yubai and Qiguan Yuan settled into the innermost room on the second floor.
Everyone assumed they would live together.
The room is a standard size, with a double bed, a wardrobe, a table, and a south-facing window that offers a view of the distant desert skyline.
As dusk fell, the sand dunes undulated, bathed in the last rays of the setting sun, turning a dark gold that resembled a frozen wave stretching across the sky and earth.
Qiguan Yuan stood by the window for a while, looking at the sand line. It had been hundreds of years since he last saw the desert. Now, with Pei Yubai beside him, it was a different feeling.
Pei Yubai put the luggage down, walked over and stood next to him, following his gaze out the window. " Yuanyuan, are you going to the Dunhuang Night Market?"
Qiguan Yuan turned his gaze away. "Then let's go take a look."
Dinner was eaten in the yard.
The eldest sister brought out a table of Northwest dishes: big plate chicken, hand-pulled mutton, hand-pulled noodles, and baked naan bread, along with a pot of brick tea.
Food with a strong regional flavor.
After taking a bite of the braised chicken, Shen Yuzhou picked up another piece with his chopsticks, and then another. The cooking methods varied from place to place, but it was still exceptionally delicious.
The guests here are mostly people who need to control their weight, so they didn't eat much.
Qiguan Yuan also ate very little, only trying two pieces of mutton and drinking a few sips of tea.
Qiguan Yuan has strong senses, which means he has a sensitive sense of taste. Therefore, he can always taste the gamey smell of mutton and doesn't really like it.
Pei Yubai sat next to him and silently picked up the remaining mutton from his bowl and ate it himself.
We must not waste food.
Moreover, the food in Yuanyuan's bowl tastes exceptionally good, so it's naturally different.
Meng Xu, sitting at the other end of the table, tapped the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks, drawing the guests' attention. "No need to rush tomorrow, let's rest today."
After all, most of the day is spent in cars and planes, and there are many ladies among the guests and staff, so they should be taken care of.
Many of them don't have the same energy as the men; even Meng Xu felt tired, let alone them.
Of course, this excludes Pei Yubai and Qiguan Yuan.
The two of them acted as if nothing had happened.
Qiguan Yuan and finished his tea.
Although it's different from the Longtuan Shengxue he usually drinks, it has its own unique flavor.
After dinner, Shen Yuzhou suggested going to the Dunhuang Night Market, Cheng Yanqiu agreed. Lin Yanru also went, Su He'an naturally followed.
Ji Shiyu and Jiang Wantang went to the tea room for tea. The two sat across the tea table and chatted.
Meng Xu squatted beside the water tank in the yard, watching the fish.
Pei Yubai and Qiguan Yuan also went to the night market.
At the entrance to the Dunhuang Night Market, there is a wooden archway painted red, with lights on top illuminating the bustling street.
The street wasn't very wide, and both sides were lined with stalls selling grilled skewers, apricot juice, dried fruit, and handmade jewelry. The steam, mixed with the aroma of spices, drifted through the night.
Qiguan Yuan walked ahead. Finally, he stopped in front of a barbecue skewer stall and watched for a while as the stall owner flipped the lamb skewers over the charcoal fire. The grease dripped onto the charcoal, sizzled, and smoke rose, carrying a smoky aroma.
However, he did not show any interest in eating it; he doesn't like lamb.
He then stopped in front of a stall selling apricot juice.
This time, without Qiguan Yuan saying anything, Pei Yubai bought a cup and handed it to him. He took a sip and found it to be sweet and sour with a slightly astringent taste of herbs.
Finally, they stopped in front of a stall selling handmade jewelry. Qiguan Yuan picked up a carved wooden plaque with a camel carved on it.
The stall owner smiled and said that if you weren't satisfied, you could have it hand-carved yourself, which would be a very meaningful keepsake.
Qiguan Yuan, intrigued by this, bought a blank wooden plaque.
The huge night market was bustling with both locals and tourists.
However, everyone's attention was unconsciously drawn to Qiguan Yuan.
A voice came from a shop that looked like a clothing store in the distance. " Yuanyuan! Film Emperor Pei!!!"