There is a happy inn in the capital.

Li Wanbai huffed and puffed as she ate, not even glancing at Li Shuchen.

Li Shuchen's inner monologue: This guy is really craving it.

"Fine, I'll indulge a little. Eating more will help me grow taller," Li Shuchen comforted himself. It wasn't an adult yet; it was still growing.

Seeing that the hay in its trough was running low, Li Shuchen added some more. Wanbai, despite its young age, had quite a good appetite.

Wanbai had eaten all the hay. Full, it started looking around the stable, sniffing here and there, shaking its hooves, and finally found a favorite spot to lie down.

Then my eyelids started to droop; I was sleepy.

Li Shuchen looked at it and scoffed, "Eat your fill and then sleep. You've really figured out how to live life."

After it fell asleep, Li Shuchen left the stable and went to the accounting office.

After deducting wages and operating funds for the month, there are approximately eight hundred taels of silver left.

Li Shuchen took out three hundred taels of silver to renovate his residence, taking advantage of the small amount of money he had now to quickly fix it up.

She and her family couldn't live in a drafty, leaky house that also rattles when it rains.

She was even embarrassed to invite people over to that house.

Li Shuchen slept in the Sanbao Hall for one night, and the next morning, he took Grape and left the inn.

Li Shuchen: "Grape, do you know where the artisans have the best craftsmanship?"

Grape replied confidently and quickly, "I know, I know."

Li Shuchen raised an eyebrow. She had only asked Grape out of habit, but she was surprised that Grape even knew this.

Li Shuchen laughed and said, "How do you know everything?"

Grape replied with a proud look, "Miss earns so much money, she will definitely renovate the mansion in the future. I took advantage of my free time to inquire about the craftsmen, and I even know their prices."

I was thinking that if the young lady ever wanted to renovate her residence, I could immediately find someone to do it, so as not to waste her time.

Li Shuchen nodded with satisfaction: "Grape, you've improved a lot."

Grape: "That's right, even a pig can become smarter if it follows Miss."

Li Shuchen was amused; she certainly didn't have that ability.

Grape began to recount the information she had gathered: "Craftsman Kong is widely recognized as the best and most outstanding craftsman in the capital, but he doesn't charge cheap prices."

If it's just painting a house, the cost ranges from one to twenty taels of silver, depending on the size of the place.

If it is necessary to repair tiles or build walls, the cost will range from ten to one hundred taels of silver.

Landscaping is even more expensive, usually costing anywhere from one hundred to several thousand taels of silver.

I heard that he also considers the wealth of the client's family. If they are poor, he will ask for less money; if they are rich, he will quote the normal price. He is a good man, and everyone likes to hire him for house repairs.

Li Shuchen nodded. This craftsman Kong seemed to be a kind person, and the price was roughly within her budget.

He then said, "Let's go to Craftsman Kong's place."

Grape: "Yes, miss."

With Grape leading the way, Li Shuchen only needed to follow.

After walking for about 30 minutes, we finally arrived.

It was an unassuming shop. Inside, people were carving objects, some made of wood, others of jade.

Grape asked, "Excuse me, is Craftsman Kong here?"

A man carving jade replied, "I am Kong the Craftsman. Repair? Or maintenance?"

Repair and maintenance: maintenance of buildings or cultural relics, large-scale projects.

Repair: To work on damaged items; minor projects.

Li Shuchen replied, "Repair."

It seems this craftsman Kong is worldly-wise; he's done all sorts of repairs.

The craftsman, Kong, continued, "How big is the house?"

Li Shuchen: "Ankang Lane, a two-courtyard house, first the houses were painted."

She didn't know the exact size of the land, so this was all she could say.

The craftsman, Kong, looked up at Li Shuchen and said, "Painting the house will cost six taels of silver and will take about two days to complete."

Li Shuchen: "I want to finish it today."

Kong the craftsman: "Ten taels of silver"

Li Shuchen found the price acceptable and nodded without hesitation, "Okay."

Upon hearing this, craftsman Kong went inside and brought out five men, saying to Li Shuchen, "These five men will help you paint the house."

Li Shuchen looked at the five young men in front of him; they were probably apprentices.

Li Shuchen nodded and paid a deposit of five taels of silver. If he was satisfied with the result, he would pay another five taels of silver.

After the five of them had collected the tools and materials, Li Shuchen led them back to the Li residence.

Upon entering the house, Mr. and Mrs. Li were already out; no matter how much Li Shuchen called out to them, they did not respond.

Li Shuchen first asked them to clean her own room. She had nothing of value in her room, and her belongings were pitifully few.

After they started painting, Li Shuchen went to his parents' room, while Grape stayed behind to supervise.

Li Shuchen looked around the house, but there was nothing of value; there wasn't much to see.

They then went to Li Lingxiao's room, only to find it completely empty—utterly poor.

Li Shuchen was thinking that he would need to buy some new items for the house during the renovation.

In the evening, Li Shuchen looked at his newly painted home, which looked brand new, and felt very pleased. Their workmanship was excellent. Li Shuchen paid the remaining amount of silver, and they went home.

Li Lingxiao came in after school. Looking at the bright, red-lacquered house with its red wood trim, she thought she had entered the wrong house. She wondered, "Is this my house? Could I have gone to the wrong place?"

I went outside and looked up at the plaque. It was indeed the Li residence; it was his home.

The house has changed like this in just one day; it must be my sister's fault.

Li Lingxiao found Li Shuchen, who was considering the set design. She wanted to add some artificial mountains, small waterfalls, and beautiful trees, and also a swing.

These are not cheap.

Li Lingxiao exclaimed happily, "Sister, the house looks so beautiful after it's been painted!"

Li Shuchen looked at Li Lingxiao: "Xiao'er is out of school. Seeing how nice the house is will make us feel better."

Li Lingxiao: "That's true. I have something I'd like to ask for your opinion, sister."

Li Shuchen: What is it?

Li Lingxiao: "I have the fifth day off. I'd like to invite Brother Xiao over as a guest, is that alright, Sister? I'll help you out and make sure you don't get too tired."

Li Shuchen: "The fifth day of the lunar month?"

Li Lingxiao: "Yes"

Li Shuchen calculated the time. Today was the second day of the Lunar New Year, and there were still two days until the fifth. Could the house be repaired in two days? Five people alone certainly wouldn't have enough time.

It seems she'll need to add more staff tomorrow.

After considering it, Li Shuchen said, "Okay."

Li Lingxiao was overjoyed: "Thank you, sister!"

The next morning, Li Shuchen went to see Craftsman Kong again.

Li Shuchen got straight to the point: "Today I plan to repair the roof tiles and build the walls, completing the task within a single day."

The craftsman was still carving the jade, shaping it into the likeness of an animal.

Craftsman Kong: "Fifty taels of silver, excluding materials; eighty taels of silver, including materials. Which would you prefer, Miss Li?"

Li Shuchen had nothing in his hands, so of course he needed something that included materials.

Li Shuchen: "I want the kind that costs eighty taels of silver."

Craftsman Kong: "Blue bricks, red bricks? Blue tiles, red tiles?"

Li Shuchen: "We need blue bricks and red tiles."

After listening, Craftsman Kong went inside again, this time bringing out a group of older people.

Li Shuchen counted them carefully; there were a total of sixteen people, but the five from yesterday were not among them.

It seems everyone is doing their own thing.

Li Shuchen nodded to the craftsman Kong; he and his workers were all highly skilled.