Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 137 Renovation Plan

After the banquet, He Zhijun had become sworn brothers with the leaders of the meat processing plant. Jing Yan had seen He Zhijun's gentleness in life, his diligence at work, and his strictness in educating his children, but this was the first time she had seen him so adept at drinking culture. It was an eye-opening experience for her. In her mind, this moment was a moment of divine transformation for He Zhijun.

After agreeing that He Zhijun would contact Section Chief Shen of the meat processing plant directly to discuss the specifics once all the necessary procedures on the island were completed and the business was ready to open, everyone left satisfied.

When Jingyan got home, she repeatedly told her grandmother about He Zhijun's shrewd and eloquent speech at the dinner table, which amused her grandmother greatly. "You like Zhijun so much, huh?"

Grandma meant it as a joke, but Jingyan readily admitted, "Yes, I used to just think he was very outstanding, and that marrying him was my blessing."

Now I feel like he's my god. Things I can't do or handle are no problem for him. Oh my god, how can there be such a perfect man? I've really struck gold!

Jing Yan's straightforward praise made He Zhijun blush, and he stammered, "Well, it's not as good as you say."

Jingyan couldn't resist any longer. She hugged his face and pecked him on the lips. This time, not only He Zhijun, but even his grandmother blushed. "Hmm, people are so easily embarrassed at this time," Jingyan thought to herself after the kiss.

Grandma couldn't bear to watch Jingyan's high spirits any longer, so she had to avoid her and take the three children back to their room to sleep. Sister Wang followed closely behind, leaving the rest of the house for the young couple to process their emotions.

Jing Yan happily followed He Zhijun to wash up, and after getting on the kang (a heated brick bed), she snuggled into his arms. He Zhijun was helpless, but still pulled her into his arms and patted her reassuringly: "You've been busy all day, aren't you tired? Go to sleep."

Jingyan looked up into his eyes and said coquettishly, "Zhijun, you are so adorable today, you are shining." After saying that, she kissed his lips. The two of them rarely kissed even when they were being intimate before, let alone today when Jingyan was in a good mood and very proactive. He Zhijun naturally would not waste this rare treat. Although it was late at night, their passion was hard to extinguish, and they had a wild night.

In mid-October, He Zhijun took Liu Qiang and his wife, along with Jing Yan, to Changxing Island during the weekend to see the houses in the family compound. Yuan Xiaoling ran around the house, unable to hide her envy: "Jing Yan, this house is really nice. How much did it cost?"

"It cost over 20,000 yuan. This amount also deducted from the 60 square meters that Zhijun should have received. Otherwise, it would have cost even more. By the way, Sister Yuan, I'm thinking of opening a shop later. I want to do something after I move here. This house I bought has emptied my in-laws' and my own family's coffers. I can't just sit at home and live off our savings. I still need to find some income. I'll need your help with the interior decoration of the shop I rent." Jingyan got straight to the point.

Getting a job is always a good thing, and Yuan Xiaoling would never refuse. Liu Qiang was the main person in charge. "How should we prepare the basement? Any ideas for the first, second, and third floors?"

He Zhijun looked at Jing Yan, who smiled back at him and said, "You can decide."

He Zhijun smiled back at her. The interaction between the two gave Yuan Xiaoling and her husband goosebumps. "We just plan to store some odds and ends in the basement. We'll just put up some shelves along the wall. If we need anything else later, we'll do that."

We plan to install heated brick beds in the two bedrooms on the first floor, but I don't want to put a stove in the living room. I prefer to have a heated brick bed. The temperature here isn't too low in winter, and burning coal once a night is enough to keep us warm all night. Plus, it looks nicer.

The kitchen is on the first floor. The living room is spacious enough to fit the dining table in a corner. It would be best to install a clothes rack on the balcony for drying clothes. I've looked at the building plans; each floor has a room with water pipes and drainage, so a toilet and bathtub can be installed.

Two study rooms need to be set aside on the second and third floors. My daughter and Sister Wang's room will be on the second floor, and the bedroom on the third floor will be for the boys. There will be one bathroom on each floor, so that there won't be any fighting over bathrooms when there are many people. That's all I can think of.

Liu Qiang has visited many homes in the past two years, and his perspective and knowledge are vastly different from what they were back then. He picked up his measuring tape and began taking measurements. "I'll go back and draw a design."

We've clearly marked each room area, including the locations of the wardrobe and dressing table in the bedroom. This way, once everything is finished, you can easily place the furniture according to the plans.

Jing Yan looked at Yuan Xiaoling: "Was this your idea?"

Yuan Xiaoling smiled and nodded: "The idea was mine, but drawing up the blueprints and arranging the layout were all planned by Brother Qiang. He is very talented in this area. He once helped a family renovate a small Western-style house from the Republican era, and the homeowner was very satisfied. If your house is handled by him, it will probably copy that style."

Jingyan didn't care about these things: "I just want to live comfortably and conveniently. Aesthetics are secondary. I'll calculate all the materials later. It's not easy to come all this way. We might have to charter a boat to send the renovation materials over. It would be best to get everything done at once, otherwise it would be quite troublesome to buy them later."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xiaoling sighed repeatedly: "Yes, transportation is inconvenient, and renting a boat is probably not cheap. I will try my best to calculate the materials accurately, and buy a little more of each item to account for losses, so as to avoid secondary purchases."

“In that case, let’s go to that shop I’ve been eyeing again. We’ll buy all the materials together, and once the house is renovated, we can set up the shop for me. I’m thinking it would be best if it could be done in the first half of next year, so that it won’t delay Xiaoli’s enrollment in fourth grade,” Jingyan said, expressing her concerns.

Yuan Xiaoling calculated the time: "We can give you a plan by the end of this month at the earliest. I will estimate the materials and purchase time after you agree. That means we can start construction at the earliest in mid-November. If we do it in the first half of the year, your house renovation should be finished without much problem, but your shop renovation probably won't be completed."

Jingyan nodded: "We're not in a hurry for the shop. As long as we have a place to live, that's fine. We'll move here first. Otherwise, it'll be too tiring for Zhijun to travel back and forth every week. I don't want to be separated from him all the time."

Yuan Xiaoling smiled ambiguously: "Sister, no need to say more, I understand."

Jingyan... what do you know? You can tell from that expression that you're not thinking about anything serious.

After Liu Qiang measured all four floors, the group went to the detached shop building. Although they hadn't bought the house yet, it wouldn't stop them from going to the street office to conduct an on-site inspection together.

When He Zhijun introduced himself to the clerk, he mentioned that he was there to help renovate the house. So the clerk only introduced the house and didn't mention whether it was for rent or purchase. Looking at the clerk's attitude, He Zhijun leaned close to Jing Yan's ear and said, "This guy is a real character. He has a good eye for things. He'll be a good match in the future."

Jingyan smiled and agreed, "Yes, my husband is right."

A simple compliment made He Zhijun blush again. It's unclear whether he blushed because of the compliment or because of the compliment: "My husband."

After measuring the dimensions, the group went to a state-run restaurant for a meal that was neither lunch nor dinner. After saying goodbye to the clerk, they took the last boat and left Changxing Island.

After returning home, Jingyan gave He Zhijun the savings book with 50,000 yuan that her grandmother had given her: "You can take care of the money for buying the shop, the materials, and the labor costs."

Actually, it would be best to outsource everything, from materials to boat rental, to Sister Yuan and her group. We know them well, and we should give them the trust they deserve, as they are family. This would save us time and effort, and they could also earn a profit from bulk material purchases. It's a win-win situation, don't you think?

He Zhijun thought this was a good idea. "I'll talk to them after they give us the renovation plan. Don't worry."

Jingyan was happy to be a hands-off manager, focusing on preparing the braised meat every day and enjoying a leisurely life.

When Yuan Xiaoling and her husband returned home, they shared their progress with their family. Aunt Yuan sighed, "Jingyan's family has really improved these past few years. The kind of small buildings Xiaoling mentioned, apart from those built in the city during the Republic of China era, are only found on Changxing Island."

Although it emptied their savings, if Jingyan continues her braised meat business there, her life will still be prosperous in a few years. But Xiaoling, if Jingyan and her family move away in the first half of next year, do you know what will happen to their current house?

Yuan Xiaoling shook her head: "I don't know what will happen to the house then, but I'm sure he doesn't intend to sell it."

Aunt Yuan nodded in agreement: "If it were me, I wouldn't be willing to sell either. Her house has a heated kang bed, a bathroom, and a flush toilet. You really can't find another house like that around here."

Go back and ask her if she's planning to leave her house vacant. See if she can rent it to us. We can rent out our old, run-down house and move there. It would be so comfortable in the winter; we wouldn't even have to leave the house to use the toilet. Just thinking about it is wonderful.

Yuan Xiaoling also thought about how comfortable it was to visit their home before. They had their own toilet, so they didn't have to go to a public toilet to freeze in the winter, or endure the smell and mosquitoes in the summer. It would be really nice to live there. She nodded and agreed: "I'll ask them when I go to see them after we come out with our renovation plan."

It was said to take half a month, but in reality, the plans for the residential and commercial properties were completed in just one week. The couple worked overtime every night to finish them, just so that they could finalize the matter during the two days that He Zhijun was home.

When He Zhijun came back this week, he brought back the land deed and property certificate for the detached shop in the inner area. "The full price was 23,000 yuan. We are the first people to buy such a large shop. We negotiated the price with them and finally got it at an 83% discount. The total price was 20,000 yuan, and we spent another 200 yuan on various handling fees. The property is in the names of my husband and me. Keep the documents safe."

Jing Yan happily put it away, and even fell asleep with a smile on her face that night. This must be the deep-seated love that Chinese people have for their houses.

The next morning, Yuan Xiaoling and her husband brought a stack of blueprints to their home. Jingyan lacked sensitivity to blueprints, mainly because she had little spatial awareness and couldn't quite sketch out the spaces that required imagination. But He Zhijun was capable. He flipped through the blueprints, asking questions from time to time, while Jingyan only needed to serve tea and water.

They discussed for a long time before finalizing a plan. Once it was settled, Yuan Xiaoling asked them what they planned to do with the house afterward—whether to rent it out or leave it vacant.

Jingyan naturally wanted to rent it out. Judging from Yuan Xiaoling's attitude, she guessed that Yuan Xiaoling had some ideas about her house, so she went straight to the point: "After we move out, this house will be rented out, but I don't want to rent it out room by room. You know, it cost a lot to renovate this house, and I don't want to ruin it for the tenants. It would be best if a family rented the whole house."

"Have you discussed the rent? How much do you want to rent it out?" Yuan Xiaoling looked at Jing Yan with bright eyes and asked expectantly.

Jing Yan didn't quote an inflated price: "The whole place is twenty yuan a month. It's not cheap, but it's definitely not expensive."

Yuan Xiaoling knew that this price was already quite cheap. If the house weren't so big, she wouldn't have any trouble renting it out. She also confided in Jing Yan: "My mom's idea is that if your house is available for rent, my family wants it. My other house can be rented out piecemeal."

Our whole family moved here. Your place has a flush toilet and a bathtub, making life much more convenient. The heated kang bed is also very warm in winter. You won't find another house more comfortable around here.

Jingyan was also pleasantly surprised to hear the news: "That's great! I'll feel so relieved if your family comes to stay. Please tell Aunt Yuan that you can move in after our house is ready and we move out."

After seeing Yuan Xiaoling and her husband off, Jingyan asked He Zhijun, "Did you talk to them about giving them the materials package today?"

He Zhijun nodded: "I did say that, Liu Qiang is still very interested. They'll go back and calculate the materials first, then inquire about prices, car rentals, boat charters, and so on, and then give us a quote together."

Liu Qiang is an honest man. He said he would list the actual price of the materials, plus wastage and a handling fee, so the accounts would be clear. We would both know exactly how much they made and how much material we had. I felt this was more beneficial for us, so I agreed.

"You can discuss these things with them. However, this kind of transparent pricing is feasible here, but it's not suitable for clients who don't know each other well. Next time, you should suggest that they break down the service fee into each material expense when quoting other clients."

To prevent customers from squeezing their profit margins during price negotiations, which would result in them not making much money in the end, but instead giving the impression that they're making a huge profit – a thankless task.