Chapter 79: Renovating the Clothing Store

The moment Xu Yan returned, he went straight to Xu Jiaojiao’s courtyard. He knocked on the door, and only after getting his sister’s permission did he enter, holding something like a paper bag in his hand.

The bag was stuffed full. Xu Yan smiled and placed it on the table. “Jiaojiao, it’s done.”

Xu Jiaojiao excitedly opened the paper bag, revealing a contract and a new property ownership certificate. She gently ran her fingers over the documents, cherishing the moment.

Finally, under her brother’s encouraging gaze, she opened the property certificate. It had both Xie Zhi and Xu Jiaojiao’s names written on it, side by side, looking almost like a marriage certificate.

“Thanks, bro.”

“As long as you and Ah Zhi live a good life together, I won’t say anything else.”

Xu Jiaojiao gave him a look and muttered a little grievance, “I know. I’m very obedient.”

Now that the property certificate was in hand, it was time to think about renovations. But it was the busy farming season, and everyone was occupied with harvesting rice. Ideally, she’d ask her father for help, but there simply wasn’t any time.

So it was just Xu Jiaojiao and Xie Zhi heading out together, planning to first buy materials for the wooden flooring and then hire someone to install it.

They arrived at the largest local lumber market, entering through a semi-arched building. Inside, it was filled with vendors selling wood, but most seemed to be in the furniture business.

“Comrade, here to buy furniture?”

“Comrade, come take a look at our place!”

“Comrade, come with us!”

The vendors were enthusiastic as the two walked through hand in hand. If it weren’t for Xie Zhi’s cold expression—one that clearly warned strangers to stay away—they probably would’ve been dragged into several shops already.

“Let’s check out that one,” Xu Jiaojiao said, pointing to a store that clearly had a renovation vibe to it.

Xie Zhi nodded. Inside, a middle-aged man was lying back in a recliner wearing a tank top, swaying slightly. Next to him stood a large sign: Call the boss if you see something you like.

“This guy’s kind of funny.”

Xu Jiaojiao walked further in. The shop was filled with tables, stools, beds, and even tiles. Toward the back were the wooden floorboards.

The colors were decent. The price tags read: one yuan per square meter for the cheapest, two for the mid-range, and five for the most expensive. After roughly memorizing the prices, she took Xie Zhi to check out other stores and compare.

Xie Zhi didn’t know much about it, but he completely respected Jiaojiao’s opinions—what she liked mattered most.

After checking out the entire market, Xu Jiaojiao still felt the first store was the best. Returning there, she picked up a board and inspected it—it was beechwood. The quality was average, but since the area was relatively dry, it would be fine with proper moisture protection.

“How about this one?” Xie Zhi handed her a board with a vintage wood grain pattern. It was indeed the best quality but cost five yuan per square meter. With around fifty square meters to cover, that would be 250 yuan—not including labor.

“Boss, can you give us a discount on this one?”

The chubby man put down his fan and glanced at them. “You’re buying wooden flooring?”

“How much do you need?”

“Around fifty square meters.”

Back then, there weren’t really shared areas, and sometimes the usable area was even larger than what was listed, so fifty was actually considered quite a lot.

“How much are you offering?”

Xu Jiaojiao hesitated and looked at Xie Zhi. Oh no, she wasn’t great at bargaining. Still, she took a confident shot: “Three-fifty.”

The chubby man gave a fake smile. “Little comrade, you drive a hard bargain. Alright, deal.”

He agreed, but somehow that made the girl feel worse—like she had still overpaid.

Xie Zhi watched as the boss started packing up the selected floorboards. “Can you help us find someone to install it?”

“Sure, three yuan a day.”

“Sounds good.”

At that time, manual labor like this was fairly costly, which was normal. Given the heat, three yuan was actually a good deal.

Soon, they arrived at the clothing store. Xu Jiaojiao pulled out the keys from her small bag and opened the door. Inside, everything was clean and tidy—completely different from the chaos of the other day. Even the tattered scraps of fabric had been neatly packed into plastic bags.

Xu Jiaojiao felt a wave of emotions. She could guess right away that her brother had cleaned the place.

“When will the flooring start?”

“Right now,” the boss replied, then stepped outside to call in a worker. The man he brought in was dressed in patched clothes and had sun-darkened skin from years of exposure, but he looked honest and sincere.

Standing by the entrance watching them talk, Xu Jiaojiao couldn’t help but wonder if she was easily fooled. She clearly looked like a novice. Thankfully, people were still pretty decent these days—if this had been the future, she’d probably have been ripped off badly.

Xie Zhi gently pinched her thumb, signaling her to relax.

White moisture-proof cloth was laid down, revealing the concrete floor underneath. Xu Jiaojiao took Xie Zhi to a nearby dumpling shop for a meal.

They sat outside, watching the fat boss come and go, carrying materials into the store. At first, Xu Jiaojiao had wanted to repaint the walls, but thinking it over, she decided to just patch up the damaged areas at the bottom instead.

With white walls, wooden floors, a few vases, ornaments, and curtains, the place would feel warm and secure. She was even planning to add a swing inside the store.

From the start, Xu Jiaojiao had envisioned making this the county’s first boutique women’s clothing store. Most stores currently sold a wide range of styles and catered to all ages.

She imagined the scene: a bunch of pretty young girls trying on clothes and playing on the swing. That thought alone made her happy.

“Not eating anymore?”

“I’m full.”

Xie Zhi nodded, saying nothing. He just thought Jiaojiao looked especially cute right now—excitedly explaining her ideas like a child, gesturing animatedly, one cheek puffed slightly.

Seeing her like this made his love for her deepen even more. Especially her slightly parted red lips and sparkling eyes—he swallowed hard and said, “Jiaojiao, the sun’s really strong here. Let’s go inside.”

Xu Jiaojiao was briefly stunned, but nodded obediently. “Okay.”

What he didn’t say was how much he hated the way those other men were looking at her. It was like his most precious treasure was being ogled by others—it made his skin crawl.

When they returned to the store, the wooden flooring had started to take shape. Xu Jiaojiao looked up at the bright white fluorescent lights—totally ruining the vibe. She definitely wanted warm yellow lighting instead.

She also hated the curtains. She’d change them to vintage green with an inner layer of white lace. Add a small round table for coffee—perfect.

“Little boss, how is it? Step on this flooring—solid, right? No way it’ll warp or pop up,” the fat boss boasted.