si-mexico Chapter 39: Making small moves
Chapter 39: Making small moves
Hou Jie took out his carefully designed drawings with great expectation, which carried all his ideas and expectations for his ideal home. He handed the drawings to two experienced decoration masters respectfully, and the two craftsmen took the drawings, carefully examined them and started a discussion.
"Master Lei, you see, my idea is this. First of all, I hope to open up the interior space of the main house, the east wing, and the west wing as a whole to form three spaces that are interconnected but independent of each other. Each room will only have one entrance and exit to facilitate daily entry and exit. In addition, I plan to build these three buildings into two-story buildings to increase space utilization and enhance the overall aesthetic." Hou Jie pointed to the layout on the drawing and explained in detail to Master Lei and Master Niu.
He further elaborated on his design concept: "I hope that each room can have an independent bathroom, and the entire yard has a unified sewage system to ensure a clean environment; at the same time, a special room for bathing should be set up in the yard, and tiles or solid wood floors should be laid to improve living comfort."
Hou Jie added: "As for the appearance of the house, I hope it can reflect the ancient charm, drawing on the traditional architectural style and making innovations. For materials, I choose high-quality wood, such as wenge, red sandalwood, golden nanmu, etc., and use special technology for finishing, so that the surface of the furniture looks like the effect of years, but in fact it is made of high-quality wood."
Finally, Hou Jie pointed out: "It is particularly important to note that the main room, east wing and west wing should be equipped with large wardrobes. It is best to design the entire wall as wardrobe space to meet the family's storage needs."
After the two masters digested Hou Jie's design plan, he asked with concern: "Master Lei, Master Niu, I wonder if you can carry out the construction according to this design? If you encounter any problems or difficulties during the implementation process?"
The two men lowered their heads and whispered, looking up at Hou Jie from time to time. They held paper and pen in their hands, carefully calculating the various expenses required for Hou Jie's yard renovation. Hou Jie also silently estimated in his mind. Although he didn't have much idea about it, the serious expressions of the two old men made him feel a little pressured.
Niu Ye sighed softly and broke the silence: "My friend, I discussed with Lao Lei. According to your requirements, it will cost a lot to renovate this yard." He paused slightly to give Hou Jie some time to digest this information, and then said: "Generally speaking, once you enter the yard, you can simply clean it up and use some ordinary materials, and 200 yuan will be enough. According to your blueprint, the renovation is comparable to rebuilding. And you need so many good materials."
When Hou Jie heard this, he secretly compared the area and complexity of his own second courtyard, and felt that even if measured by the lowest standards, the cost of renovation would definitely not be low. He hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice: "Then...what if I want to rebuild and add to the house, and add good materials?"
Hearing this, Niu Ye frowned and said, "That's difficult. Good wood is not easy to find, especially when you need so much and it has to be of high quality. However, if you are willing to pay a high price and someone can help you make connections, cement is not a big deal, at least you can get it. But wood..." He paused, "I can find a way to get some new ones for you, but it's very difficult to use all the good old wood that matches the specifications."
Seeing Hou Jie's embarrassment, Niu Ye added: "If you really can't find suitable new wood, I have a suggestion: you can consider using some old furniture made of good materials. I have some old items at home that I am about to discard. If you don't mind, you can use them."
Hearing this, Hou Jie's eyes lit up. To him, these things that were troublesome for others were easy for him. He quickly thought about the pros and cons, and then nodded: "Then I'll trouble you, Master Niu! Regarding the reconstruction and extension, I'll figure it out. Just follow the plan on the blueprint."
So, after the two agreed on the details, they left and began to prepare for the renovation of the yard.
Here I want to emphasize my thanks to the Japanese, who are very visionary and have made a great contribution to my comfortable home life. I have stored a lot of good things in the temporary warehouse in the mountains. I can't work in vain, I should keep some for myself!
I'll get some back later, so I can do some patrol and check the situation of the supplies.
With an idea in mind, Hou Jie said to the two men, "I'll find a way to deal with cement, steel bars, and wood. Any other problems?"
The two nodded in understanding, "That's fine, leave the rest to us."
Hou Jie said, "That's good. When will the work start? I hope it can be finished before the snow falls."
Lei Ye said, "If you are in a hurry, we can start the work tomorrow. The construction period is half a month. But we have to charge half of the material fee so that we can buy the materials. It's about 2000 yuan from me. You only need to pay 900 yuan. Niu Ye has already paid the remaining 100 yuan. You can talk to Niu Ye alone later."
When Hou Jie heard this number, he had an idea in his mind. He knew his parents would not forgive him if they found out. But in order to have a comfortable life in the future, the suffering was worth it.
Hou Jie thought about it and asked again, "Uncle Niu, where should we put the wood? There should be no space here to put anything else."
Niu Ye said, "Send the wood to my house, I have space there."
Hou Jie said happily, "Okay, it's settled. Please wait a moment."
Hou Jie stood up, walked through the living room, and came to the east wing. He walked quickly to a corner, gently opened the space door, and took out a simple wooden box. The wooden box looked ordinary, but it contained "two thousand dollars". He carefully handed the wooden box full of silver to Lei Ye.
Master Lei took the wooden box with a satisfied smile on his face. Hou Jie also said considerately: "Master Lei, if you feel that the money is not enough, just tell me, I have more." His words revealed deep care and consideration, as if he was afraid that the other party did not have enough money.
Afterwards, Hou Jie turned around and took out two red envelopes from his pocket, stuffing 100 yuan into each of them. He stuffed the two red envelopes into the pockets of the other two people present, promising to reward them handsomely after the matter was completed. The two men could not refuse, so they had to accept it. Knowing that his family was not short of money, they did not feel sorry for him. If it was his own son, he would have beaten him to a pulp.
In order to increase credibility, Hou Jie pretended to shout loudly to the outside: "Uncle Niu, Uncle Lei, here are 200 dollars prepared for you. I'll take care of the house!" His voice was loud and powerful, as if showing his generosity to the outside world.
Hou Jie was very careful in deceiving his mother. He knew his mother was concerned about the house, so he tried to delay the exposure of the problem. When it was discovered after the construction started, it was too late. His mother heard these words outside, and she was very happy to praise her son for his ability and his good way of dealing with people. She felt relieved to leave the family affairs to him.
These two people are both smart and capable people. From their conversation, we can see the tacit understanding and trust between them. There was a smile in their eyes, as if they fully recognized and had confidence in each other's abilities. Among them, Lei Ye laughed and shouted loudly to the outside: "300 yuan, this price is absolutely fair. We will definitely arrange the house for you properly, so don't worry."
The three of them smiled at each other and cooperated tacitly.
After sending them out of the hospital, Hou Jie closed the door and went home.
The two continued to talk on the road. Master Lei expressed his deep gratitude to Master Niu: "Master Niu, I really want to thank you. You found such a good partner for me. After this work, I can live a peaceful life for the whole year without worrying about life." After hearing this, Master Niu waved his hand and said: "Master Lei, you are too polite. In fact, I was also confused. I didn't expect this little kid to be so courageous and generous. Today I have broadened my horizons."
After chatting and laughing for a while, the two of them went to prepare their own things. Lei Ye went to recruit people, while Niu Ye was busy packing up his stuff and preparing other matters. They were full of expectations and confidence, believing that this cooperation would be very successful.