Now she remembered why it sounded familiar.

The Grand View Garden wasn’t just built for filming “Dream of the Red Chamber” – like the Prince Gong Mansion and Summer Palace, it was a tourist attraction that many Beijing visitors would check off their list.

Xia Xiaolan only knew of its existence and had eaten nearby but never toured inside.

Previously, she had disdained such artificial attractions and, lacking literary sensibility, wouldn’t visit the Grand View Garden just because of the novel or TV series. Though she had watched the TV show, her attention was on the actors and characters, not the garden serving as the backdrop.

“Today, our task is to be my grandfather’s assistant. We have Red Chamber scholars, classical architecture experts, garden scholars from the south, and Qing Dynasty historians here… this used to be an imperial vegetable garden.”

Ning Xue quickly briefed Xia Xiaolan on the situation.

If Ning Xue had mentioned earlier that they were coming to the Grand View Garden, Xia Xiaolan could have crammed by reading “Dream of the Red Chamber” at home.

With Red Chamber scholars present, the garden would surely be built according to the book’s descriptions. By referencing the original text, Xia Xiaolan could have appreciated it more carefully, but now she felt caught off guard.

The super-genius seemed emotional. Xia Xiaolan suspected her shameless behavior of first refusing and then trying to curry favor had made Ning Xue uncomfortable, though she doubted Ning Xue would be so petty.

Or perhaps Ning Xue hadn’t realized that she was a practical woman with no literary inclinations.

The Imperial Vegetable Garden, as its name suggested, was where vegetables were grown for the royal family. The Jiashu Department was built here during the Ming Dynasty, and the Grand View Garden was being reconstructed on its original site.

How to utilize the original Jiashu Department landscape and recreate the Grand View Garden from “Dream of the Red Chamber” with minimal expense was everyone’s concern.

As for whether the experts’ time was valuable?

Red Chamber scholars would probably rush here even without pay – the field was divided into several schools, each claiming legitimacy.

What was the point of arguing in newspapers and magazines when no one would concede?

Being invited to work on the Grand View Garden was like official recognition, giving them ammunition in arguments: “If you’re so great, why weren’t you invited to work on the Grand View Garden?”

This was what experience meant.

As for other Qing Dynasty scholars, garden artists, and master architects like Ning Yanfan, their involvement was insignificant – human resources were the cheapest in 1985. Even Ning Yanfan, though running his studio now, hadn’t earned much monthly salary when working for an organization.

All these experts and masters together cost less than the garden’s construction materials.

Part of the Grand View Garden was already built. Xia Xiaolan remembered two places most clearly: the “Xiaoxiang Pavilion” and the “Yihong Court” – the residences of the novel’s male and female protagonists had left deep impressions on her.

Running behind Ning Xue, they joined the main group.

Two young girls stood out conspicuously among the elderly and middle-aged men.

Xia Xiaolan intended to be a quiet assistant, just experiencing the atmosphere of working alongside masters, but when Old Master Ning turned his head, everyone followed his gaze.

“Miss Xia?!”

Among the crowd was a familiar face – Tour Guide Wang Linshu, whom she’d met at Editor Cui’s home.

Guide Wang pushed through the crowd, “Miss Xia, have you changed your mind? If you don’t want to play Qingwen, there are other roles… we can find one suitable for you…”

Guide Wang was being quite willful.

Others were displeased.

What nonsense was this – young girls nowadays being so bold, wanting to act, and even sneaking into the Grand View Garden? On this rare occasion when so many scholars and experts were gathered, how could an actress disrupt the rhythm?

Guide Wang’s enthusiasm was genuine, and Xia Xiaolan’s embarrassment was real:

“Guide Wang, you misunderstand. I didn’t know you were here – I’m here as an assistant today.”

Ning Yanfan chuckled, “Miss Xia is here at my request as an assistant. Guide Wang, perhaps you’ve misunderstood something?”

Why would an architecture student act in films? Actors could be found everywhere in the country, but how many minds could get into Huaqing?

If Ning Yanfan hadn’t spoken up, Wang Linshu’s persuasion might have swayed the young girl’s resolve, making her abandon architecture for the screen. Ning Yanfan felt he couldn’t face Grandmother Yu if that happened.

Wang Linshu slapped his forehead:

“I forgot – you’re an architecture student. How admirable, so young and already assisting Old Master Ning.”

One couldn’t blame Wang Linshu – they were standing in Yihong Court when he suddenly saw Xia Xiaolan and thought his ‘Qingwen’ had arrived, causing his outburst.

Not just Wang Linshu – two Red Chamber scholars present also thought her appearance was excellent. If Director Wang was looking for ‘Qingwen’, wasn’t she perfect? The only awkward point was that having Xia Xiaolan play ‘Qingwen’ might overshadow the actress playing ‘Daiyu’.

However, the scholars’ concerns were needless – Xia Xiaolan was here as Ning Yanfan’s assistant, so they had to keep their thoughts to themselves.

Xia Xiaolan obediently followed Ning Yanfan, while Ning Xue looked curious. Xia Xiaolan whispered:

“I’ll tell you later.”

This small incident didn’t affect the previous discussion. Director Wang glanced at Xia Xiaolan, pointing at the bare courtyard: “We need to plant some banana trees here, and Chinese flowering crab apple trees on the other side – ‘green lush, red thin,’ as Cao wrote himself…”

Director Wang was discussing scenery – as a director, he thought about how shots would look.

Ning Yanfan wasn’t a garden artist. As someone who built houses, what could he discuss with Red Chamber scholars? He hadn’t brought Xia Xiaolan and Ning Xue as assistants to attend a Red Chamber lecture.

“Come, let me show you something.”

Xia Xiaolan followed Ning Yanfan as he led her and Ning Xue to a nearby space covered by a waterproof tent. Various items were scattered on the ground: broken stone stools, blackened window frames, whole transported beams, and pillars. Some craftsmen were cleaning wood with planes and others clearing broken stone stools with chisels.

“Projects like the Grand View Garden are called historical architectural replications. Half the materials are authentic, half are replicas. We use modern techniques to restore ancient architecture…”

Xia Xiaolan clutched her notebook tightly.

This wasn’t just being an assistant – it was attending a master’s private lesson with field instruction!

Their Architecture department had offered Classical Architecture Appreciation last semester, but classroom lectures couldn’t compare to this engaging on-site teaching. Ning Yanfan was using the Grand View Garden’s construction to give his granddaughter Ning Xue extra tutoring and had included Xia Xiaolan – no wonder Su Jing had pinched her.

After lecturing for a while, Ning Yanfan gave Xia Xiaolan and Ning Xue two small brushes to clean dust from the carved window frames. Squatting on the ground and brushing, Xia Xiaolan forgot all about Qingwen and TV shows – hearing more from Ning Yanfan was what mattered!