Chapter 96: Bargaining with Miss Lin and Discovering She is Also a "Shrewd Person"
The next morning, Xiaolin and Xiaohu said good morning to me.
I didn't go to work, but sorted out my ideas for the renovation at home. At noon, I sent my ideas to Xiaolin and Xiaohu.
Three days later, Xiaolin called me and asked, "Mr. Wan, when are you free?"
"Have you finished your plan?"
Xiaolin had a pleasant voice. She said, "Our company adopts the principle of 'whoever's solution is approved by the customer will be used.' I have prepared a detailed plan and would like to meet with you."
I asked my master for leave, and he looked at me and said, "You have a lot to do these days. If you need anything, go back."
I sent a location map to Xiaolin, and about half an hour later, she arrived on a motorcycle.
She had just taken off her helmet when she entered the house. I said, "I have something to tell you. It's a complicated matter, and I don't want anyone to know I bought a house."
She nodded and said, "I know." Then she closed the door.
I made her a cup of nice tea.
She sat across from me and said, "Mr. Wan, let me first talk about my understanding of your decoration ideas. Is that okay?"
I nodded.
She smiled and continued, "I'll talk about taste, style, economy, and practicality. First of all, you are a cultural..."
"'You' is too unfamiliar."
She nodded again and continued, "Okay. You are a cultured person, and your taste for the house is elegant but not out of the ordinary. Therefore, the decoration style is simple but not simplistic, and lines are used to distinguish different areas.
This style is neither Western nor entirely Chinese. For example, painting orchids requires precise strokes. While an average artist might be able to paint a landscape, they might not be able to paint a single orchid. Therefore, my vision is to create a style like orchids, with clear and refined lines.
I knew that anyone working in interior design had studied art. The orchid metaphor was perfectly apt. And I felt like she understood my intention perfectly. So I said, "Very good. Go on."
Seeing that I agreed with the entire concept of her plan, she became more confident. "Consider the economics as well. Even if you can afford such a large duplex, it doesn't mean you're rich. Even if you are, you don't have to waste it. So, it has to be economical and practical, as well as beautiful and delicious."
I nodded quickly: "Yes, that's what I mean."
She looked up and smiled at me. "Decoration is a bottomless pit. My idea is to use average materials. If it's too bad, it's better not to decorate at all. If it's too good, I can't afford it. So, average materials can also create a high-end feel."
"Your understanding is correct."
She took a sip of tea and pointed at the blueprints. "I've divided the renovation into two areas. On the main floor, I'll use medium to high-quality materials. In two areas, the living room and the kitchen, I'll use high-quality materials. The bedrooms will be a bit less sophisticated, just comfortable."
For the second floor of a duplex, I think the materials should be as economical and practical as possible. Firstly, it's for the elderly or guests, so practicality is best. Secondly, it significantly reduces costs. Also, when you have more money, you can start with the second floor and then move on to the first floor.
I felt like this woman had completely read my mind. She understood me 100%.
She pointed to the first floor and said, “On the main floor, I made a ‘Tai Chi’ entrance based on your profession. It looks unique while avoiding visual frills.
On the second floor, I deliberately left a balcony, and it is quite large. It can be used as an activity venue, which avoids spending too much money at present, and it will be easy to renovate the balcony in the future.
In addition, when literati like you come to visit, you can sit on the balcony with the breeze blowing and the bright moon shining, which is very poetic.
I felt that this woman understood my intentions, now a thousand percent.
Finally, she quoted a price: "The total cost is about 450,000 yuan. This is the drawing I drew, take a close look at it."
I pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and puffed slowly. I asked her about things I didn't understand. She pointed with a pencil and answered each question. Perhaps because our heads were so close together, I could actually smell a faint scent of jasmine and milk on her.
This kind of scent can easily lead a man to make the mistake of "quickly" agreeing to something. So, I stood up and walked around the room, trying to find a flaw in her design. But after walking around, I couldn't find any.
You could say she's like a worm in my stomach, designing whatever I want. I can't help but praise her, but it's like buying clothes: the more you say you like something, the less likely the shopkeeper will lower the price.
I smiled and said, "Xiao Lin, your plan is more feasible. Let me take a look at Xiao Hu's plan first."
She didn't show any disgust at all, as if she was standing in my shoes, and said, "Of course, you must compare carefully. After all, you have to be most satisfied with yourself."
I sat down and poured her more tea. I said, "Xiao Lin, you're quite fast."
This time, she didn't smile, but rather frowned slightly. "I have a suggestion for you: please call me Lin Sainan, or Sainan. I really can't stand calling me Xiaolin."
I was slightly surprised and thought to myself, she's right. I can't treat her with disrespect just because I'm a client and she needs help from me. So I smiled apologetically and said, "Yes, you should call her Miss Lin."
She lowered her head and smiled.
I asked, "Your two sisters, right?"
She nodded and asked, "How do you know?"
I laughed out loud. "The first one was a girl. When we had the second one, our family hoped it would be a boy. But it turned out to be a girl again. Your mother didn't want to have a third child, so she named you 'Sai Nan'."
She asked playfully, "Is there a charge for this?"
"You'll definitely give me a discount, so I'll give you one too. This is a free gift."
She giggled non-stop and then said, "I'm starting to get a little scared of people like you, fortune tellers. What if you tell me I'm not a lucky person and you say you won't cooperate with me? Actually, you're quite humorous."
I deliberately asked, "Is there anyone who can tell from a person's face that he or she will not be wealthy?"
She said seriously, "Yes. Some actors have good looks, temperament, and fame, but they just don't bring money. Hiring such actors for commercial performances is always a loss. That's why some actors are famous but make little money."
I laughed and said, "Miss Lin, you know a lot of gossip."
She chuckled twice and asked, "Am I wrong? My cousin in Chengdu specializes in this. He said he won't accept solo performances from Yang XX, the ageless goddess. Every time he accepts one, he loses money."
I don't know much about the entertainment industry. So I changed the subject: "By the way, you have a sister. What does your sister do?"
She shook her head: "I won't tell you."
My scumbag habit came back: "Secret Service Female Agent No. 007?"
She doubled over with laughter, then glanced at me and said, "A lot of girls like you, right? You're so humorous."
I shook my head: "I don't know, no girl has ever confessed to me."
She curled her lips and said, "Oh, you still want a girl to confess her love to you?"
I said, "My best male classmate in high school, named Wu, taught me a trick: A good man should be like a lighthouse, attracting ships, rather than chasing masts like seagulls."
She winked at me and said in an ambiguous way, "Wow, so classy."
I said happily, "Just kidding."
She glanced at me quietly and said, "It's like looking at flowers in the fog and the moon in the water. I don't know which of your words are true and which are false."
By chatting like this, I was trying to close the distance between us. This is a technique my master taught me: when talking to strangers, you first need to close the distance, build their liking for you, and then negotiate the price.
At this point, I started to persuade her: "Give me a little bit of a scoop on how much you can get. Of course, this is your business secret, but I want you to tell me because I don't like haggling, and I can't win over Mr. Tan."
"Sister Tan is actually a straightforward person. She won't kill your Hei."
"Why?"
"Sister Tan told me privately that it had to be both beautiful and delicious, and reasonably priced."
"You are so cunning, you still haven't revealed the truth."
"I'll go back and ask Mr. Tan to lower the price for you. Then, you can bargain with her yourself."
When I heard that, I said, "Good comrade, you are completely on our side. On my own behalf, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you."
She gave me a sidelong look. "Oh, there you go again. Slippery as a slick idiot."
I said, "I really don't bargain. Just give me a bottom price."
She stretched out three fingers and chopped them down.
I asked, “Thirty thousand?”
She shook her head: "I didn't say anything."
I smiled and said, "Under Mr. Tan's leadership, you are also a smart person."
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