Chapter 9.1

Su Ying and her father took a 10-meter measuring tape and carefully measured every corner of the room. With how advanced software is nowadays, there was no need to know professional drawing skills. All they had to do was input the measurements, and the software could automatically generate the floor plan and elevation drawings. With powerful AI features, they could even input their desired style, and the AI would “draw” the corresponding design renderings based on the dimensions of the house.

It wasn’t like before when you had to first draw 2D floor and elevation plans in C4D and then render them in 3D Max to see the final effect. Technology truly had transformed life. Su Ying entered the measurements on her tablet app, took several photos of the house interior, and instantly, a 360° panoramic view was generated.

Su Ying preferred a wood-toned design. Although the village climate was dry and had little rainfall, she still wanted to design the house so it could accommodate a sweeping robot in various areas to make cleaning easier.

The second home makeover video did not begin with tearing down or repainting walls. Instead, it captured Su Ying’s thought process as she sketched and wrote down ideas, eventually finalizing the design draft. The style was simple and elegant: wooden-textured flooring. She decided to use wood-grain tiles instead of real wooden floors because they wouldn’t be damaged if wet. Today’s wood-grain tiles were extremely realistic. With large tiles laid in a neat pattern and grout filling the seams, they could perfectly recreate the effect of wooden floors.

Next, Su Ying planned out functional zones. Her room was about 30 square meters. The main structure of the old house was made of red bricks and very solid. The outer layer of yellow clay had started to deteriorate and would need reworking, but the brick structure itself didn’t have to be changed. The interior walls had been waterproofed and painted white by Su Ying’s father when she was born, more than twenty years ago. The old latex paint had now yellowed with age.

Because the outer yellow clay had started to flake away, rainwater had seeped through cracks, leaving some areas moldy. Su Ying planned to add a layer of cement to the exterior walls, then apply wall sealant and waterproofing, and finally hire workers to finish with a microcement texture for a smoother, gray-toned look that would match the design.

Inside, the original plaster had to be stripped away. After applying wall sealant, putty would be added, followed by fresh latex paint. Su Ying chose a vintage yellow shade—light enough to keep the room bright and to match the wooden furniture.

The roof beams were wooden, so Su Ying decided to ask an experienced village carpenter to inspect and repair them if necessary. These were the two most pressing issues to tackle first.

Once those were settled, the rest was all about soft furnishing. Su Ying focused on dividing the space into functional zones: a sleeping area, a storage area, and a work area.

The sleeping area was, of course, essential. People spend most of their time in the bedroom sleeping. A comfortable sleep space needed more than just a bed; the mattress, bedding, and dimensions all needed to be carefully considered.

The storage area was basically Su Ying’s dream wardrobe space. What girl didn’t want a wall full of clothes, a large floor-to-ceiling mirror, and enough room to store daily items?

Finally, the work area was also important, especially for someone working from home. She needed a quiet and focused space to work.

Su Ying mapped the functional zones onto the actual layout. Her bedroom door was on the far-right side of the room. Along the wall near the yard, there were two windows, and on the wall directly opposite the door were another two windows overlooking the vegetable garden behind the house.

She set up the sleeping area at the far end of the room, in the same position where her bed used to be, next to one of the windows for better ventilation. The storage area was near the main hall side, which had full wall space to install wardrobes and storage cabinets. The work area was separated from the sleeping area by a row of bookshelves, which could hold Su Ying’s books and leave room for more in the future.

The work area was by the windows, where the sunlight was best. Late at night, she could hear spring rain, summer cicadas, autumn leaves, or winter snow while working.

The app’s powerful features quickly brought Su Ying’s design to life, and the result was almost exactly how she had imagined it.

The second video was released and continued the popularity of the first. Su Ying added subtitles and shared her ideas and insights during the design process. Her slender fingers gliding over the tablet attracted many viewers who had a fondness for hands.

Riding on the momentum, Su Ying wanted to complete her dream room makeover even faster. That afternoon, she started working with her father. For the exterior walls, her father contacted a renovation worker from town. The worker was in his thirties and had prior experience with microcement finishes. He quoted a price close to Su Ying’s expectations, so she paid a deposit and scheduled work to start the next day.

As for the interior walls, Su Ying wanted to do the work herself, and her father was skilled enough to help. After all, village men usually knew how to handle household tasks. He used the garden hose to soak the interior walls, making it easier to scrape off the old plaster.

Su Ying had already bought wall-scraping tools. Wearing a hat, swimming goggles, and a mask, she started scraping. Stripping away long sections of wall was strangely satisfying. With the walls wet, there was also much less dust. Her mother wore old clothes and swept away the wall plaster that Su Ying and her father scraped off.

The entire afternoon was spent scraping walls. That night, the family had a simple noodle dinner. The next morning, the worker arrived early. His professional tools made an immediate difference.

Su Ying continued scraping the interior walls until noon, when she finally finished. They brushed on the first coat of wall sealant, which needed several hours to dry before the second coat could be applied. In total, three coats would be needed.

They also prepared lunch for the workers. Su Ying’s mother took out preserved pork from last year, boiled it for fifteen minutes, scraped off the smoked black layer, and revealed shiny, glistening meat with translucent fat. It looked delicious.

She cooked a large pot of rice and stir-fried garlic shoots with the sliced pork, making a dish perfect for eating with rice. Another dish was stir-fried tofu skin with green chilies in a thick sauce, also a great rice companion.

Both dishes were quick and easy to prepare, and once ready, everyone ate heartily. The workers were used to physical labor and ate generously. Su Ying’s mother didn’t skimp on oil or salt, so the dishes were rich and flavorful. Soon the workers finished their meal and returned to work.

After clearing the dishes, Su Ying applied the second coat of wall sealant inside. The workers, working at their faster pace, scraped off the exterior wall surface in just half a day. By the afternoon, they had mixed a truckload of sand and cement and started plastering the exterior walls. In a single afternoon, the cement was applied, and they would need to wait for it to dry completely before moving to the next step.

Su Ying scheduled the workers to return three days later, once the cement had cured, for the second stage of work. The workers packed up their tools and headed off to their next job.

Su Ying and her father then started applying the third coat of wall sealant inside the house.