Renovation

Renovation

In the afternoon, although there was no sun, the air outside still carried scorching heat, and the air conditioner made people drowsy.

Cheng Yun dozed boredly behind the counter. One of the two computers displayed the surveillance feed, while the other was frozen at the end of an episode of a TV drama. He did not feel like continuing to watch it.

The delivery guy worked through wind and rain, and even during the lunch break, he delivered two packages to Cheng Yun.

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

Cheng Yun was bored anyway, so he opened them and took a glance. The large box contained wall-mounted shelves, nearly twenty of them in total. The small box contained decorative ornaments bought from the same store. They could be placed on coffee tables, desks, and cabinets, as well as on the shelves. Some could even be put in the bathrooms to make them feel cozier.

He had only bought a small number for now, asking Cheng Yan to purchase enough for the beds in four hostel rooms. He wanted to see the results first and use those four rooms as a trial. If the decorations turned out well, he could consider buying more for the other rooms.

They were not expensive anyway.

Cheng Yun looked around. Quite a few things had piled up at the front desk again today. Several boxes contained heaps of throw pillows, while several large boxes held the bedding he had ordered online: quilt fillings, duvet covers, sheets, pillow fillings, pillowcases, and mosquito nets—dozens of sets in all.

"Might as well take these upstairs and install them all!" Cheng Yun yawned and scratched the back of his head, his face slack with laziness. He quickly made up his mind. "That settles it. No one's coming right now anyway, so I'll just make use of the extra time. Besides, it'll probably be busier today. Old Mage is back, and Heroine will definitely keep me busy longer than usual."

He convinced himself in just a few words.

Once he had decided, he immediately lifted the heavier box of wall shelves and carried it upstairs.

Next came the box containing the three-piece sets.

The rest was much lighter.

Once the front desk was neat again, Cheng Yun returned behind it and installed a remote-monitoring program on his phone and the surveillance computer. That way, he could use his phone to monitor the computer's screen and avoid failing to notice anyone arriving downstairs while he was busy upstairs.

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

It took about two minutes before the door suddenly opened.

Cheng Yan had one hand on the doorknob. Her hair was slightly messy, with many strands clinging to her fair, oval face and neck. She looked bleary-eyed at Cheng Yun, yet somewhat annoyed.

"Cheng Yun, have you gone crazy? Don't you know I get terrible morning temper?" she shouted angrily.

Cheng Yun was completely unfazed by her attitude. He calmly said, "A lot more packages arrived today. Including the ones that came last night, there are already quite a few. So I want to go upstairs and get everything sorted out first—install what needs installing and figure out where to put the rest. I'll also take the quilt and pillow fillings up to the rooftop to sun them, and wash the duvet covers and sheets."

Cheng Yan let out a long breath, still furious. "So you want me to go downstairs and watch the front desk for you?"

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

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

"...Is that really what you think of me?" Cheng Yun rolled his eyes, pulled his phone from his pocket, and showed it to Cheng Yan. The screen clearly displayed the surveillance feed from the front-desk computer. They could even see themselves on it, which naturally meant they could see the front desk as well.

"...I'm going to lie down for a little longer." Cheng Yan turned and walked back inside, intending to close the door behind her.

Quick as a flash, Cheng Yun hurriedly stuck out a foot and blocked the door. "A half-hour nap is enough to restore your energy. You've already slept for an hour! Besides... I haven't even had my lunch nap yet."

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

Cheng Yun nodded in agreement. "Go wash your face. I'll wait here."

Cheng Yan: "..."

Three minutes later, Cheng Yan stood at the end of the third-floor corridor with her head lowered, phone in hand. Comparing the Taobao orders on her phone, she sorted through the heap of boxes and packages on the floor. After a while, she walked toward the rooms and muttered to herself, "More than half of the things have arrived. What's left are the bay-window cushion, minimalist table frame, hanging chair, and the photographs and modern paintings for the walls... Some ornaments haven't arrived yet either, and none of the books have arrived."

"Wait, I know what the modern paintings are, but what photographs?" Cheng Yun asked blankly. "The kind that are framed and hung on the walls?"

"Yeah. Ones you took."

"I took them?"

"I found them in the cameras at your place," Cheng Yan said indifferently. "Then I found a shop on Taobao to print and frame them. They can be hung here and there on the walls or placed on the shelves. They'll make pretty good decorations."

"The cameras I left at home!?" Cheng Yun was stunned. "How did you think to look for photographs there?"

"Where else? Baidu? Speaking of which, those landscapes you took are actually pretty good-looking, though I think that's because the scenery in those places was already beautiful." Cheng Yan's tone remained indifferent.

"Nonsense! I do have at least some photography skills." Cheng Yun suddenly flushed and hurriedly waved his hands. "No, that's not the point. How could you look through my cameras without my permission? There are, there are..."

"Photographs of your ex-girlfriend, right?" Cheng Yan said as she entered a hostel room's bathroom and looked around. Then she muttered to herself, "We'll have to hire someone to work on the bathrooms too. The labor alone will probably cost several thousand..."

"Hey! Do you think this issue isn't serious at all? Take me seriously!" Cheng Yun shouted.

Cheng Yan ignored him completely.

"..." Cheng Yun could only set the issue aside and say, "You bought quite a few books too?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you already have lots of books? The kind you've finished reading." In Cheng Yun's memory, Cheng Yan loved reading. She had bought many books in junior high and high school, and a huge pile had accumulated at home. "Just bring those over. They're only growing mold at home anyway, and buying new ones is expensive!"

"You want to put my books in your hotel?" Cheng Yan looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Are they for the guests to read, or just for decoration? Would that be appropriate?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Cheng Yun was slightly 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 but did not argue with her.

"The shelves can go here. There's a bit of space to the left when you enter. The eight-person room is a little cramped, so installing three should be enough." Cheng Yan pointed at the wall to the left of the entrance. "But how should we arrange them? In a stepped pattern, in a straight line, or just randomly?"

"There are two eight-person rooms. Why agonize over it? If you can't decide, make each room different." Cheng Yun held a ruler and ballpoint pen against the wall, measuring and marking. The shelves had to be installed by drilling holes with an electric drill and securing them with expansion screws, so they had to avoid mistakes as much as possible. Otherwise, it would look awful.

Once they had installed the wall shelves in all four rooms, the remaining work became much easier. It was basically just a matter of arranging things.

They discussed how everything should be arranged. At the same time, the ornaments Cheng Yan had bought were all different, so they had to figure out how to combine the decorations and create a style that would leave a strong first impression.

Occasionally, someone came to the front desk downstairs, and Cheng Yun had to run down there, losing ten or so minutes each time.

The entire afternoon passed just like that.