Renovation

Chapter 41: Decoration

In the afternoon, though the sun was absent, the air outside still carried a high temperature, making the air conditioning induce drowsiness.

Cheng Yun dozed off behind the counter, bored. One computer screen displayed security footage, while the other was frozen at the end of an episode of a TV drama. He didn't feel like continuing to watch.

The delivery driver, rain or shine, brought him two packages during lunch break.

This time, there were two boxes, one large and one small.

Cheng Yun, with nothing better to do, opened them to take a look. The large box contained wall-mounted shelves, nearly twenty of them. The small box held decorative ornaments bought from the same shop. These decorations could be placed on coffee tables, cabinets, or the shelves themselves. Some could even go in the bathroom to add a cozy feel.

He was only buying a few for now, having asked Cheng Yan to purchase them for four of the hostel's dorm rooms to see how they looked and test the waters. If the decorative effect was good, he might consider buying more for other rooms.

They weren't expensive anyway.

Cheng Yun surveyed the scene. The front desk had piled up quite a few things again today. Among them were several boxes containing a pile of throw pillows, and a few large boxes holding online purchases: bedding sets, duvet inserts, duvet covers, bedsheets, pillow inserts, pillowcases, and mosquito nets – dozens of sets in total.

"Might as well take these upstairs and install them!" Cheng Yun yawned, scratching the back of his head with a lazy expression. He quickly made up his mind. "That's settled. No one's coming in anyway, so I'll just use the extra time. Besides, it'll probably be busy today. Old Mage is back, and Heroine will definitely be pestering me more than usual."

He convinced himself in a few short sentences.

No sooner said than done. He picked up the heavier box of wall shelves and headed upstairs.

Next, he carried the boxes containing the three-piece bedding sets.

The rest were much lighter.

Once the front desk was tidy again, Cheng Yun returned to his seat behind the counter. He installed a remote monitoring software on his phone and the computer, allowing him to view the computer's screen from his phone. This way, he wouldn't be caught unaware if someone came downstairs while he was busy upstairs.

Then, he went upstairs and knocked on Cheng Yan's door.

After knocking for about two minutes, the door finally creaked open.

Cheng Yan held the doorknob, her hair slightly messy, with strands clinging to her fair, oval face and neck. She looked at Cheng Yun with sleepy eyes, but also with a hint of annoyance.

"Cheng Yun, are you crazy? Don't you know I have a terrible temper when I first wake up?" she snapped angrily.

Cheng Yun, unfazed by her attitude, calmly replied, "Quite a few packages arrived today, plus what came last night. So, I want to go up and get these things sorted out – install what needs installing, and figure out placement for what needs arranging. Also, I'll take the duvet inserts and pillow inserts to the rooftop to air out, and wash the duvet covers and sheets."

Cheng Yan let out a long sigh, still annoyed. "So you want me to go down and cover the front desk for you?"

"No. I want you to come with me."

"Then what about the front desk? Are you going to bully Yu Dian again?"

"...Do you really see me as that kind of person?" Cheng Yun rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, showing it to Cheng Yan. The screen displayed the front desk computer's monitoring feed, even showing them themselves, and naturally, the front desk.

"...I need to sleep a bit longer," Cheng Yan said, turning back towards her room and attempting to close the door.

As quick as a flash, Cheng Yun stuck his foot in the doorway, blocking it. "Thirty minutes of a nap is enough to restore your energy. You've already slept for an hour! Besides... I haven't even taken my nap yet."

"I'm a girl! I need my beauty sleep!"

Cheng Yun nodded in agreement. "Hurry up and wash your face. I'll wait for you here."

Cheng Yan: "..."

Three minutes later, Cheng Yan stood at the end of the third-floor corridor, head down, holding her phone. She compared the orders on her Taobao app to the pile of boxes and packages on the floor. After a while, she walked back into the room, muttering to herself, "A little over half the stuff has arrived. Still waiting for the window cushion, minimalist table frame, hanging chair, and the framed modern art... Some accessories haven't arrived yet, and none of the books have."

"Wait, modern art I get, but what photos?" Cheng Yun asked blankly. "Like, photos put in frames and hung on the wall?"

"Yeah. The ones you took."

"The ones I took?"

"I found them on the camera you keep at home." Cheng Yan said calmly. "Then I found a shop on Taobao to print and mount them. They'll be hung on the walls like little stars, or placed on the shelves. They'll be nice decorations."

"The camera I keep at home!?" Cheng Yun was stunned. "How did you even think to look for photos there?"

"What else? Google? Speaking of which, the scenery you photographed turned out pretty well, although I think it's because the places themselves were already beautiful," Cheng Yan said nonchalantly.

"Nonsense! My photography skills are at least decent," Cheng Yun said, his face suddenly flushing. He quickly waved his hand. "No, wait! How could you go through my camera without my permission? It has, it has..."

"Your ex-girlfriend's photoshoot, right?" Cheng Yan said, walking into the bathroom of one of the dorm rooms to take a look. She then muttered to herself, "I'll need to hire someone to do the bathroom. That alone will probably cost thousands in labor..."

"Hey, don't you think this is a serious issue? Pay attention!" Cheng Yun shouted.

Cheng Yan completely ignored him.

"..." Cheng Yun had no choice but to dismiss the issue. "You bought quite a few books too?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you already have a lot of books? The ones you've finished reading," Cheng Yun said. He remembered Cheng Yan being a voracious reader, buying many books in middle school and high school, piling them up at home. "You could have just used those. They're just gathering dust at home anyway. Why buy new ones, they're so expensive!"

"You want to put my books in your inn?" Cheng Yan gave him a look as if he were an idiot. "For guests to read, or as decorations? Is that appropriate?"

"Why wouldn't it be appropriate?" Cheng Yun was a bit embarrassed.

"..." Cheng Yan shook her head helplessly. "How did I end up with such a stupid brother."

Cheng Yun twitched the corner of his mouth and didn't argue with her.

"Let's install the shelves here. There's some space by the entrance. The eight-person rooms are a bit cramped, so let's just install three," Cheng Yan said, pointing to the wall to the left of the entrance. "But how should we place them? In a staggered pattern, or a straight line down, or just randomly?"

"There are two eight-person rooms, why overthink it? If you can't decide, just do one of each," Cheng Yun said, measuring and marking the wall with a ruler and a ballpoint pen. This thing required drilling holes and using expansion screws to secure it to the wall, so it was crucial to avoid mistakes, otherwise, it would look very ugly.

After installing the wall shelves in the four rooms, the rest of the work was much easier, mainly involving placement.

They discussed how to arrange them. Meanwhile, the ornaments Cheng Yan bought were all different. They debated how to combine these ornaments and decorations to create a style that would make a strong first impression.

Occasionally, someone would arrive at the front desk downstairs, and Cheng Yun had to go down, delaying them for ten minutes or so.

The afternoon passed just like that.