622. The Wedding House
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Wu Guodong just made a double exit – he quit his job again.
Earlier, when his great-grandmother passed away, his boss wouldn’t let him take leave. Enter the ever-sentimental Uncle, who didn’t hesitate to launch a full-blown WeChat rant against the boss, ripping into him like a dog that just got doused in cold water. Wu Guodong then packed his bags and was back the very next day.
He pulled an all-nighter, helping his grandfather arrange the funeral and the wake, and after burying his great-grandmother, he temporarily left his grandfather’s house.
Today, when his mother brought him to Chen Yao’s house, Lin Nan was somewhat baffled.
You see, Wu Guodong had been off working in Shanghai and had been in a long-distance relationship with Liu Xuefei, which had turned quite awkward. And now…
Seated next to Wu Guodong, Lin Nan caught a hint of perfume in the air and, with a more scrutinizing glance, noticed a few strands of long hair on his shoulder.
Today, his mother was here to discuss the decor of the wedding house with Chen Yao’s parents.
For her, this was a big deal – the wedding house would soon be her daughter’s home! The renovation had to be top-notch, but she didn’t know much about it. Fortunately, Wu Guodong had experience buying and decorating homes, at least more than her, so she dragged her freshly-returned son into the fray.
“Uncle, you and Liu Xuefei…” Lin Nan said, a quirky look on her face.
There were signs of a girl on Wu Guodong. It could’ve been Liu Xuefei’s or perhaps Uncle had been gallivanting around with someone else.
Tsk.
“Liu Xuefei is waiting for me downstairs. I’m bringing her back to meet your grandfather tomorrow.”
“Eh?” Even though she could guess the possibility, the thought of Liu Xuefei becoming her aunt was just… bizarre.
Thinking back, Liu Xuefei had been one of the accomplices urging her to dress in girl’s clothes, and now she was actually going to be her aunt.
Who knows, by summer break, she might be calling Liu Xuefei “Aunt” too… what a way to lose face!
“Aren’t you going to think about it some more?”
Wu Guodong flushed slightly; he may have a girlfriend, but deep down, he was still a gaming nerd, “It’s just to meet the parents.”
Meeting the parents doesn’t mean Liu Xuefei will instantly become his aunt, which is a relief.
Lin Nan frowned; but if Liu Xuefei and Uncle split, that wouldn’t be good either.
Soon, Aunt emerged from the bedroom, beaming with a wedding house floor plan in hand. She sat beside Wu Guodong’s mother, whispering and pointing at the plan, wrapping up crucial discussions about the renovations, and Wu Guodong sidled up to join the chitchat.
Once that was done, they would head to the provincial city to check out the house in person.
At this moment, Chen Yao yawned his way out of the bedroom.
“Mom, aren’t you going to ask for our opinions on the wedding house?”
“You two kids don’t know anything!” Aunt shot him a glare. “Go take Lin Nan out to play, then we’ll all go to the provincial city to see the house.”
Chen Yao plopped down next to Lin Nan, completely ignoring his mom’s words, while Lin Nan peeked at the floor plan and was surprised to find out their wedding house was a two-story number.
However, looking at the layout, the upper floor wasn’t overly spacious—most of the living area was downstairs, totaling around 150 square meters.
But being on the top floor, there was a huge-looking terrace up there.
At least from the blueprint, Lin Nan was quite pleased.
“The top floor is hot in summer and cold in winter, and it might leak; why would your in-laws choose the top floor?” Mother said anxiously.
“Just waterproof it when decorating, right?” Wu Guodong chimed in. “What’s the problem with summer heat when you have air conditioning? Sure, the electric bill is a bit steep, but I think it’s great! Plus, a terrace means I can keep fish or throw barbecues there.”
Chen Yao nodded in agreement, “Yeah, yeah! That terrace is pretty awesome, like an extra backyard!”
When this place was bought, Uncle and Aunt handled everything, meaning it wasn’t until now that Chen Yao finally saw what the wedding house looked like.
The house was fully furnished, costing quite a bit more, but the so-called “high-end decor” by developers was well-known. They claimed it was move-in ready, but in reality, it felt like a last-minute setup. Taking everything down and redoing it seemed wasteful, yet living there as-is wasn’t ideal either.
Having some home renovation experience, Wu Guodong was still juggling the mortgage for that house, so when talk of decorating arose, he was definitely thinking about it more than Lin Nan’s mom.
“If Lin Nan gets a parrot, we better seal up the balcony on the first floor.”
“The second-floor bedroom will be the master bedroom, while the small room next door can be used as a closet or later for the kid’s room. This area can be a study.”
“There are two other rooms on the first floor aside from the living room and kitchen; it seems a waste to make them guest rooms…”
Hearing this, Chen Yao immediately proposed, “How about we install a gaming console and VR stuff in there, make it a game room?”
Wu Guodong’s eyes lit up. As a big boy who loved gaming, his dream was, of course, a dedicated gaming room! Ideally, it would have surround sound, a massive screen, and a big comfy couch, maybe even a glass cabinet for game discs and figurines.
Perfect.
“Are you all adults just thinking about gaming every day?!” Aunt shot a glare at Chen Yao.
But Chen Yao pointed to another neighboring room, “That one can be the mahjong room! You guys can play mahjong when you visit and we can even put a TV and a sofa in there for breaks!”
Aunt nodded approvingly, “I think that’s a great idea.”
Great on your leg, as if you’re planning on living with us forever.
Chen Yao shot her a silent glare and turned to Lin Nan, who considered for a moment and then suggested, “I want a pet room for Cola and Lemon. And who knows, we might even get a dog, and they can all stay in that room together.”
She really loved pets, especially with magic to make them smarter. She could imagine having hamsters and chinchillas rooming in there too.
“And don’t forget, we need a girlfriend for Lemon! If they breed, we can keep them all in that room, no more chaos everywhere!”
Lemon, perched on her shoulder, shook its head rapidly at this suggestion. Chen Yao swiftly grabbed it from Lin Nan’s shoulder and playfully poked its cheeks.
“Lin Nan, are you trying to build a zoo?” Wu Guodong chuckled.
While it was technically Lin Nan and Chen Yao’s wedding house, both mothers totally disagreed with their ideas, aside from the mahjong room.
Infuriated, Chen Yao leaned back on the sofa to play with his phone, cursing under his breath while considering getting another place with Lin Nan later, where they could decorate as they pleased.
Meanwhile, Lin Nan had no qualms; after all, it was Uncle and Aunt footing the bill, and really, it was a gift to them.
After some floor plan chatter, the group hopped in their car, preparing to hit the provincial city to check out this house for real.
