Decoration

"What materials are included in the full-package service?" Zhang Han asked casually.

Zhang Han had looked into renovations back then. Although he did not know much, he was not completely clueless and would not be easily deceived.

"Our company has a storefront in Xilong Decoration Market and cooperates with many international brands. So whatever price range of decorative materials you want, we have it. The price will also be more affordable than if you bought them yourself," Zhao Kai answered honestly.

Generally, this kind of arrangement benefited both sides. Their company obtained materials at wholesale prices, took a cut, and sold them to the buyer, while the buyer could also save some money.

Of course, it also depended on the company's standards. If they used counterfeit materials, the buyer would have nowhere to cry.

"Then let's go with the full package." Zhang Han nodded.

Hearing this, Zhao Kai's smile grew even more enthusiastic. He took an iPad from the young man beside him, opened the photo album, and said, "I wonder what style of renovation you want, Mr. Zhang. These are examples of our company's work. You can take a look first. When we return today, we'll draw some designs according to your preferences for you to choose from."

Zhang Han began looking through the pictures on the tablet, while Manager Ma answered a phone call and excused himself.

After looking for a while, Zhang Han had formed his own ideas. He planned to make the first floor feel more warm and homey, rather than like a commercial storefront.

The layout of the first floor was simple. There was only a staircase to the second floor on the left at the back and a bathroom on the right. The rest was a square hall. The entrance was in the center of the south side, with wide floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides.

Zhang Han pondered for a moment before explaining his ideas.

Slightly toward the back from the center, he wanted a television wall built on the eastern wall, with a sofa and coffee table in front of it.

This would let Mengmeng watch television while waiting for her father to cook. The kitchen would be against the western wall, toward the center and back. He wanted an open, rectangular kitchen, with the stove along the horizontal side, so he could cook while keeping an eye on Mengmeng.

In front of the television, toward the entrance, he wanted a small stage. Zhang Han planned to place a piano there; teaching Mengmeng to play when he had nothing else to do would be nice. Beside the piano, closer to the door, he wanted a small counter with a laptop on it. High-quality speakers would be installed around it, so music could be played during meals.

A small round table and four spherical chairs would be placed beside the sofa, near the window, for sitting and enjoying drinks and snacks. Farther outward, he planned to put a dining table. The area around it would have decorative elements, and a large crystal chandelier would hang above it.

"The amount of work you've described isn't large, Mr. Zhang, and the modifications won't be too troublesome."

Zhao Kai opened the calculator on his phone and spoke while calculating:

"Let me go over the specific work. Floor tiles, wall tiles for the kitchen, a small area of integrated suspended ceiling on one side of the kitchen, decorative ceiling designs elsewhere, one television wall, other decorative wall designs, one small stage, decorative cabinets for the other furnishings, the cost of removing the existing renovation, and the renovation costs for the second floor. Excluding materials, the labor cost will be one hundred and fifty thousand."

"How long will it take to finish?" Zhang Han asked.

"Around twenty days," Zhao Kai replied after thinking.

"One week!" Zhang Han raised a finger and said flatly, "Finish it in one week, and I'll give you three hundred thousand in labor fees!"

"What?"

Zhao Kai thought he had misheard. He froze for a moment, then was overjoyed and hurriedly nodded. "All right, all right. We'll finish within a week. In that case, Mr. Zhang, would you like to pay a deposit? It's three o'clock now. I'll have people come dismantle the existing renovation. They should be nearly finished before dark."

"Mm."

Zhang Han signed a contract with him and directly transferred three hundred thousand yuan.

Zhao Kai called to contact people. In less than half an hour, five workers arrived at the entrance in two small trucks.

"Mr. Zhang, what should we do with these tables and chairs and such?" Zhao Kai asked hesitantly.

"Deal with them however you like." Zhang Han waved his hand.

Zhao Kai smiled faintly. These tables, chairs, and other miscellaneous items could still be sold for two or three thousand yuan. It counted as a little extra profit.

"Mr. Zhang, I'll have someone draw the designs now. You can choose the 3D plans tonight, and we can begin work tomorrow," Zhao Kai said with a smile.

"I'll draw a simple plan for you first. You can refine it according to my intentions."

Zhang Han knew exactly how he wanted the place decorated. He took the paper and pen Zhao Kai handed over and began drawing the design in his mind. His drawing was mediocre, but the specific shapes and details could still be made out.

After seeing Zhang Han's drawing, the corner of Zhao Kai's mouth twitched slightly.

It seemed the carpenters would have a difficult time. He had no idea how Zhang Han had come up with these intricate patterns. They looked very harmonious and beautiful, especially the ceiling and the three-dimensional low walls around the dining table. They were rather complicated.

"Oh, right. I want the television background wall decorated with a jade lotus. The petals should alternate between pink and white," Zhang Han added.

"A jade... lotus... television background wall?" Zhao Kai's eyes widened as he struggled to get the words out.

He had originally thought the workload was small, but things had clearly not gone as planned. According to Zhang Han's ideas, the workload was rising sharply. It was truly far more than ordinary!

That single background wall alone was enough to give him a headache. Judging from its appearance, it would cost more than one million yuan just to make it!

"Th-this, Mr. Zhang." Zhao Kai smiled bitterly. "If we follow your ideas, seven days probably won't be enough!"

"Oh?" Zhang Han's expression did not change. He said lightly, "Then I'll give you five hundred thousand in labor fees."

Not enough time? Then he would just add more money.

Zhao Kai's expression froze when he heard this. He was delighted, but he also felt somewhat emotional. This was the first time he had encountered such an... unconventional customer.

Some customers gave tips, but they never gave very much. A customer like Zhang Han, who doubled the labor fees after only a few sentences, was truly a first for him!

"All right. I guarantee it'll be finished within seven days." Zhao Kai took a deep breath and gave his assurance. He had already decided to double the workforce and renovate the place twenty-four hours a day for this generous boss.

"Mr. Zhang, time is tight. Do you have any preferences for the floor tiles, wall tiles, ceiling materials, and other auxiliary materials? How about coming with me to Xilong Decoration Market to choose them?" After instructing the young man beside him to hurry and draw the plans, Zhao Kai turned to Zhang Han.

Zhang Han nodded and went with him to Xilong Decoration Market. Their first stop was the tile shop of the international high-end brand Delacanca. After seeing some tiles he liked, Zhang Han immediately placed the order.

He chose the antique-style tiles from the Mocha Palace series for the floor. They cost two thousand five hundred yuan per square meter. Including the wall tiles, baseboards, and so on, the total came to more than four hundred and ninety thousand yuan. The ceiling materials, cement, sand, and all the other auxiliary materials cost nearly three hundred thousand. The price was high because Zhang Han had chosen high-end, formaldehyde-free environmentally friendly materials. The place could be lived in immediately after the renovation was finished.

They bought everything in less than an hour. Seeing that there was still time, Zhao Kai asked:

"Mr. Zhang, it's still early. Should we go to the furniture market to look at a range hood, sofas, and other furniture? We can install them directly for you later."

"That works too." Zhang Han nodded.

The two headed straight for a nearby furniture market and began another round of spending.

The sofa in front of the television was a high-end white top-grain cowhide sofa in the shape of a crescent moon. It was four meters long and, at just over forty thousand yuan, was not expensive at all. Not expensive!

The television, coffee table, tables, and chairs were easier to choose. Altogether, the furniture for both floors cost five hundred thousand yuan, including a bathtub, smart toilet, fully automatic washing machine, large four-door refrigerator, air conditioners, air purifiers, and so on.

Just as they finished buying everything and were about to leave, Zhao Kai suddenly remembered something. His expression was somewhat stunned as he asked:

"Mr. Zhang, isn't this a restaurant? There doesn't seem to be any space left for customers."

"Customers?"

Zhang Han froze. He had forgotten about that too. After thinking for a moment, he said, "There's still a small space by the windows on the right. Just put three small tables there."

Hearing this, the corner of Zhao Kai's mouth twitched several times. This did not look like opening a restaurant at all. It was practically a joke!

Thus, Zhang Han bought three small tables and six chairs, spending... one thousand yuan.

After all, they were for outsiders to use. As long as they looked clean, that was enough.

Zhao Kai left his phone number for all the items they bought. He seriously photographed every piece of furniture from every angle so he could use the pictures to draw the plans that evening. At the same time, he promised to give Zhang Han a brand-new restaurant within a week.

After going downstairs, Zhao Kai went over the details with Zhang Han in the car.

Then he suddenly remembered that they had not bought a piano, so Zhao Kai asked:

"Mr. Zhang, what kind of piano would you like? I have a friend who works at a piano showroom. I can ask him."

"A piano..."

Zhang Han pondered. He knew quite a bit about pianos. He had learned to play when he was young, and after embarking on the path of cultivation, he had even made a piano himself out of boredom. During those five hundred years, he occasionally played it. After such a long period of immersion, his understanding of the piano was already extremely profound—or rather, his understanding of piano music was.

As for the piano brand, Zhang Han did not intend to buy a cheap one. Some people said that a piano's quality did not lie in its price, but in its tone. In Zhang Han's view, that was complete nonsense. Setting aside the principle that you got what you paid for, expensive pianos were far superior in material quality. For a quality life, how could the things one used be inferior?

For example, the Seven-Colored Jade Qin he had used while cultivating. It had been made from top-grade materials from the Cultivation World. Zhang Han still remembered playing the Canon Variations on a planet. Its sound had intoxicated everyone on the entire planet. If Zhang Han had wanted, that music could even have transformed into killing sounds and instantly slaughtered every living being on the planet.

...That was getting off topic.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Han said directly:

"Buy a Steinway Model O grand piano."

"All right." Zhao Kai did not know much about pianos. He nodded and immediately called his friend. A minute later—

"Pfft... how much?" Zhao Kai's voice rose. He then looked at Zhang Han in a daze, his lips moving as he forced out a sentence:

"Mr. Zhang, the piano you mentioned costs one million one hundred thousand yuan. I guarantee it's an original imported product."

"Fine." Zhang Han nodded.

One million one hundred thousand yuan was the market price, so Zhang Han immediately placed the order. After handing the restaurant keys to Zhao Kai, Zhang Han found a hotel to stay in.