sinovels Chapter 24 Program
Chapter 24 Program
The notebook was spread out on the outside of the counter.
Luo Qiming didn't rush to let people move forward; he raised his hand to signal the staff member with the camera.
"First, take photos of the spatial relationships: one at the entrance, one along the outer edge of the counter, and one against the back wall."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Wu Ling.
"Mr. Wu, today we are only checking the submitted clues about immovable cultural relics. The items in the counter are not within the scope of our appraisal."
Qin Xiaowan stood to the side of the counter, holding a teapot in her hand.
"Aren't you taking pictures inside the counter?"
"No close-up shots."
Luo Qiming's gaze fell on the camera screen.
"But it needs to be in the shot, to show its relationship with the house."
Qin Xiaowan stared at the camera.
"Then stand back and take the picture, don't shoot it directly at the bowl."
The staff member glanced at Luo Qiming.
Luo Qiming nodded.
"Stand at the door."
The staff stepped back to the threshold and first took photos of the entrance hall and the outside of the counter.
Then I changed positions and took more photos of the storyteller's platform and the back wall along the outside of the counter.
The two photos are numbered consecutively, and the edges of the frames are intentionally left to overlap slightly.
Qin Xiaowan leaned closer to the screen.
"That's fine."
The staff member tilted the camera screen towards her.
"Both of them were brought to this corner of the counter so they can be joined together later."
Qin Xiaowan didn't understand the serial number, but she recognized the edge of the countertop.
"So, it'll be clear later that these two photos are from the same house?"
The staff member smiled.
"Yes, the position is correct."
Luo Qiming added, "Today's photos show the current situation on site. To go further back, we need to rely on old photos and source materials."
Qin Xiaowan took a breath.
"This job is really not suitable for people with a short temper."
Luo Qiming handed the pen to the recorder.
"That's why I did it for many years."
Qin Xiaowan was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.
The staff put away the camera and took out a measuring tape from their bag.
Instead of reaching into the counter, he stopped the ruler at the outer edge of the counter.
"Mr. Wu, is it alright to measure the outer edge to the front edge of the storytelling stage?"
"Can."
Qin Xiaowan moved the teapot back half a palm's width.
The staff member said, "Thank you, we don't touch the inside of the counter."
"I know," Qin Xiaowan said. "I'll make some room for you."
The measuring tape was pulled back, and a thin yellow line ran from the outer edge of the counter to the front of the storyteller's platform.
Wu Ling stood behind the counter, his gaze fixed on that line.
He usually takes this route when serving tea and refilling water for guests.
Now this road has become a number, recorded in the logbook.
Xu Chengyuan stood by the table near the door, the document in his hand already closed.
This time, he didn't interrupt.
The old brass bells at the door hadn't completely stopped ringing; they were still swaying gently.
There were so many people coming in just now that the chairs by the door were tilted a little.
Qin Xiaowan walked over, straightened the chair, and wiped the table.
Luo Qiming turned to the next column.
"Mr. Wu, are you the property owner and the actual user of the property?"
"Yes."
"Is it still operating normally?"
"open."
Qin Xiaowan immediately added, "It's open every day, and there's a storytelling performance at 3 PM. The tea and snacks are limited; for example, the glutinous rice cakes were sold out this morning."
Luo Qiming did not answer.
Qin Xiaowan thought she had said too much, so she added, "I was just explaining the business situation."
Luo Qiming told the recorder, "Write this down. It's still being used in the teahouse's operations, preserving the storytelling activities. We'll add photos of daily operations and original activity records later."
Su Wangqing immediately said, "I have photos of the customer flow over the past few days, as well as videos of the storytelling sessions."
"Remember to keep the original video file, clearly label the shooting time and the person who filmed it, and upload it to the application system."
"clear."
"In addition, platform booking records and screenshots of WeChat Moments can serve as supporting evidence, but don't put them at the very beginning."
Qin Xiaowan pressed her phone into her apron pocket.
"I know, I'll send it to Teacher Su."
Luo Qiming then looked at Wu Ling.
"During the on-site inspection, if the furniture needs to be moved, we will ask for your opinion first."
Wu Ling nodded.
"Okay, tell me what you need to do."
Su Wangqing took out the local gazetteer photo from 1935 and placed it on the outside of the counter.
"This is a scanned copy from the local history archives."
Luo Qiming first checked the number in the lower right corner.
"Can the original be adjusted?"
"You can apply."
"The application record, accession number, and source of the scanned copy have all been added. Before verifying the original document, we will proceed according to the clues."
Qin Xiaowan frowned.
"The photos are right here, are they even considered clues?"
"According to the procedure, we can only write down clues now. If we write down conclusions, the materials will have to be returned."
Luo Qiming pushed the photo back to Su Wangqing.
"Let's set aside the value of the artifacts and proceed with the verification based on the main thread in your materials."
Su Wangqing nodded.
Jiang Wenhe sat to the side drinking tea.
He glanced at the 1935 photograph on the outside of the counter and put the teacup back on the table.
"I have one more here."
Su Wangqing turned his head.
"Grandpa?"
Jiang Wenhe took out a kraft paper envelope from the inside pocket of his coat.
The envelope was frayed, and the edges were shiny from being rubbed by fingers.
He didn't immediately take out the photo; instead, he pressed the opening with his fingertip to seal it.
"From the 1980s."
Luo Qiming looked up.
"Did you take this picture back then?"
"My teacher took this picture."
Jiang Wenhe slowly pulled out the photo.
"I'm inside."
The photo was placed on the outside of the counter.
The edges are yellowed, and a crease runs diagonally down the upper left corner, covering half of the old signboard.
The young Jiang Wenhe stood at the entrance of Wu's Teahouse, his hair jet black, his clothes buttoned up to the top, looking even more reserved than Su Wangqing was now.
Next to him was a middle-aged man.
Wearing a short-sleeved shirt and carrying a teapot.
His eyebrows and eyes bear a resemblance to Wu Ling's.
It's just heavier.
Wu Ling reached out, his fingertips hovering beside the photo, but he didn't touch it.
"Is this him?"
Jiang Wenhe turned the photo over.
"The name is on the back."
The pencil writing is faint.
Tea Horse Lane.
Wu's Teahouse.
Wu Houde.
Wu Ling stared at those three words.
His grandfather was already old when he was born.
The grandfather he had seen always sat in a bamboo chair, brewing tea. He was a man of few words, and occasionally he would cough, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.
The person in the photo is standing at the door, holding a teapot, ready to greet the next guest at any moment.
Jiang Wenhe said, "In the early 1980s, I came to Chama Lane with my teacher. At that time, the stalls selling coal briquettes at the entrance took up half of the road."
He pointed to a dark shadow next to the photo.
"Here, do you see it?"
Wu Ling lowered his head.
The dark shadow in the photo is blurry.
If you didn't say it was a coal briquette stall, he would just think of it as a dirty shadow.
Jiang Wenhe continued, "When we came in for tea, your grandfather asked, 'San Hua or Tuo Cha?'"
Wu Ling asked, "What did you answer?"
"The teacher said, drink whichever is the cheapest."
Qin Xiaowan couldn't help but laugh when she heard this.
Jiang Wenhe also laughed.
"We were poor back then, truly poor."
Wu Ling, however, did not laugh.
He looked at Wu Houde in the photo.
It turns out that Grandpa didn't always sit when he was young.
They would stand behind the counter, holding a teapot, and ask others what they wanted to drink.
Luo Qiming finished reading the back of the photo but didn't speak immediately.
He put the photo back on the outside of the counter.
"Teacher Jiang, this photo can fill in the spatial relationships from the 1980s, but you need to specify the preservation condition."
Jiang Wenhe walked back to the tea table, picked up the teacup, and blew on the floating leaves.
"I'll only write down what I remember; I'd like to come back to this old place more often."
"No problem, this experience of yours is crucial. Procedurally, we'll include it in the supporting materials."
Jiang Wenhe smiled and said nothing more.
Luo Qiming walked up to the mural, but instead of commenting on its quality, he asked Wu Ling, "Has the wall undergone any major repairs recently?"
Wu Ling stood beside him and shook his head.
"No major repairs were done; the leak was only patched once."
"When?"
Wu Ling thought for a moment.
"The summer before last, water seeped into the back wall. We had a contractor repair the tiles and repaint it."
Qin Xiaowan added, "I can find the order form; I paid for it myself first."
She glanced at Wu Ling.
"Later, it was twenty less."
Wu Ling paused for a moment.
"I paid it back."
You returned an integer.
Luo Qiming lowered his head and wrote a sentence.
"The maintenance records need to be completed so that they can explain how the equipment has been maintained over the years."
Then he said to the recorder:
"The items inside the counter are only used to introduce the environment and are not photographed individually."
Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaowan whispered to Wu Ling, "This sounds much better than what President Xu said."
Wu Ling did not respond.
Luo Qiming stopped outside the counter, not in a hurry to turn to the next page.
His gaze moved from the bamboo chairs to the edge of the counter, where his elbows had worn a shine.
The water on the stove was still hot, and the aroma of the three-flower tea wafted around the counter.
Jiang Wenhe, holding his teacup, asked, "What are you looking at?"
"The usual place you mentioned."
Jiang Wenhe scraped the lid off the teapot.
"The old spot isn't something you can spot by looking at it, it's something you develop by sitting there."
Luo Qiming lowered his head and smiled.
"Let's just get a basic understanding of it today."
"Is it uncomfortable to sit during work hours?"
"Um."
He closed the notebook and then opened it again.
"Let's get down to business first."
Xu Chengyuan stood at the door the whole time and didn't leave.
He didn't interrupt when Luo Qiming was discussing nuclear materials.
Only then did he speak.
"Director Luo, the project team will submit the construction impact materials according to the procedures."
Luo Qiming glanced at him.
He couldn't stop her from saying that.
"Submit as required."
"clear."
The less eager he was to leave, the more Qin Xiaowan felt that this matter was not over.
Xu Chengyuan turned to Wu Ling.
"Mr. Wu, we will proceed with the project procedures step by step from now on."
Qin Xiaowan was furious when she heard this.
"If we follow the procedure, will we be able to fence off the entrance?"
"If construction requires it, a passageway will be left in accordance with regulations."
"Is it raining?"
"It will be made non-slip."
"Where is the old man?"
"Traffic safety will be taken into consideration."
"What if the guests find it too troublesome and don't come?"
Xu Chengyuan did not answer immediately.
Qin Xiaowan smiled.
"This isn't under your jurisdiction, right?"
"Ms. Qin, each project has its own milestones. What we can do is ensure that the access roads, water and electricity systems, and fire safety measures are handled according to regulations."
Wu Ling spoke.
"Mr. Xu."
Xu Chengyuan stopped.
Wu Ling looked towards the doorway.
"Even if the passage is narrow and the path is winding, people who like this place will still come in and sit."
Wu Ling didn't stop, and continued, "You can connect the water, electricity, and fire protection according to regulations. We'll still brew the tea and read the book as usual."
Qin Xiaowan raised her head.
She rarely saw Wu Ling speak so frankly in this kind of setting.
Wu Ling took his hands out of his pockets.
The gavel was still in my pocket.
"As long as the teahouse is still operating, it's not just an empty house on your blueprints."
The teahouse fell silent for a moment.
"Then I wish Mr. Wu's business great success."
Xu Chengyuan walked to the door, paused, and scanned the payment code on the table.
A payment notification sounded.
Fifteen yuan has been credited to your account.
Not a penny more.
Not a penny less.
Then he left with the other two.
Luo Qiming flipped back to the notebook.
"You will need to provide four additional items: original photos of local chronicles, high-resolution scans of photos from the 1980s, a diagram showing the location of the counter, storytelling platform, and murals, and original records of daily operations. Once you have all of these, we will formulate a final on-site verification opinion."
Su Wangqing nodded.
"Okay, Director Luo."
People started walking out one after another.
Wu Ling picked up the teapot.
"Director Luo, would you like a bowl of tea before you leave?"
"I'm not drinking anymore, it's during work hours."
Luo Qiming put the notebook back into the document bag.
"Next time I'm on vacation, I'll make up for today's tea myself."
Jiang Wenhe smiled to himself.
The copper bell at the door rang one last time, and the teahouse was suddenly empty.
Wu Ling did not go on stage at 3 p.m.
Qin Xiaowan collected the empty plates on the table and put them into the tray.
"Are you going to talk or not?"
Wu Ling shook his head.
"I won't talk about it today."
"I'll take that sign."
"Um."
Qin Xiaowan took the small wooden sign that read "Three O'Clock Storytelling" back from the doorway, wiped off the dust, and leaned it against the counter.
As soon as the wooden sign was placed down, my phone vibrated on the counter.
She looked down and tapped the screen.
A new notice was posted in the neighborhood group chat.
Construction barriers have been erected around Cha Ma Lane; work will commence in three days.