NOVEL WEB Chapter 049 – Tang Style Mansion
The next day, after settling matters in Chonghai, Zhao Zhao returned to Jinshi Island with Gun Gun.
The first thing she did upon returning was to hand over Baxian Mountain to her Second Aunt. The animals on the mountain were left to roam freely, and she didn’t plan on feeding them any extra fodder during this season. She trusted that the animals, having stayed in Yaoguang's realm, wouldn’t wander beyond the boundaries of Baxian Mountain. Xiong Haitao would help patrol the mountain regularly, and if any of the animals wandered into the village, he would take care of them.
This gave him something to do. With Da Linzi now earning more, the family’s financial burden wasn’t as heavy, but Xiong Haitao couldn't sit idle. He often took the small tin boat out to fish, which worried everyone since it wasn’t safe for him to go to sea alone.
Her Tang style mansion was already halfway through its renovation and the walls were being constructed. Zhao Zhao snuck in at night to bury the earth vein cores in the front and back yards, superstitiously planting nine in total, following the principle of nine being the ultimate number. Four in the front yard, five in the back yard, and then she surrounded the two plots with a semi-finished isolation array she created. Yes, she still hadn’t mastered the isolation array.
The small inn was also scheduled for demolition. She spent a day filming a commemorative video of the old building, ensuring it would forever remain in her memories.
With nowhere to stay, she decided to fully commit to sailing south with Yaoguang, venturing further into the deep sea. On the return trips, they didn’t dock in Chonghai, unloading their catches directly in Shanghai. They would rest there for a few days before heading out again. After over a month at sea, not only had her wallet swelled, but everyone on the boat also enjoyed significant earnings. Despite the exhaustion, the crew was always cheerful and reluctant to leave the sea.
On their third return trip, she received another call from Mr. Wang, the boss of the construction company. "What is it? Over budget again?"
Mr. Wang quickly denied, "No, not this time. I have good news. Your house is officially complete, made with the finest materials. You can move in right away! If there are any issues, feel free to contact me."
Zhao Zhao was overjoyed. She could go home! "That’s indeed great news. I’ll return in the next few days."
Then Mr. Wang added, "There’s one more thing I’d like to ask. The landscape trees you sent, especially that large one with the black trunk—can you tell me where you bought it? You know my business, and I’ve never seen such a rare and beautiful tree."
Zhao Zhao smiled, "That's a special tree, not something you can easily find in the market. I’ll look into it and let you know if there's any chance of getting more."
Relieved and happy, she made plans to return and finally see her new home.
The first time he saw a tree with a black jade-like trunk, it looked grand and luxurious. He couldn't find any information online, nor did he know if it was available for sale.
He had a keen eye for beauty and had taken a liking to the Lorik.
"This tree is indeed rare and very expensive. There are no available stocks currently. If you really like it, I can have my friend keep an eye out for it and let you know if any become available."
After repeatedly thanking her, he hung up the phone.
Zhao Zhao was excited to finally be able to live in her own home. She immediately informed Xiong Quan to return at full speed, heading back to Chonghai this time.
Tang Style Mansion
Eager to return home, Zhao Zhao made her way back to the island after a four-day journey.
As soon as the ship docked, she hurried towards her home. Yes, home—not the makeshift inn where her father and grandfather had run their business.
On the quiet eastern coast of Jinshi Island, a Tang-style mansion now stood proudly.
The first sight was a gatehouse with drooping flowers, three steps leading up to two thick red-brown wooden doors, grand and imposing. The surrounding courtyard walls were three meters high, with white walls and black tiles. Flanking the entrance were two stone drum pillars.
Opening the door, the foyer was designed with a framed view. Through it, one could see unique rockery and lush greenery in the courtyard, symbolizing the essence of an open view. Turning right from the front courtyard led into the covered walkway, entirely built with mortise and tenon joints using high-quality wood. Just this walkway and the three rooms behind it had cost over two million.
The winding covered walkway traversed the entire front courtyard, even crossing an artificial water feature. Zhao Zhao had dug a water landscape area over three meters deep, covering a third of the front courtyard. As a water spirit root, her courtyard design perfectly matched her nature.
While other large courtyards had koi ponds, Zhao Zhao planned to fill hers with seawater to raise sea fish. She could cheat, as the water purification system installed in the rocks along the shore likely wouldn't be necessary. An extended half-pavilion in the covered walkway hung over the water. Furnished with a few tatami mats, it was a perfect spot for tea and reading, adding a touch of elegance.
On the left side of the front courtyard, several green landscape features were created using mountain plants dug from Yaoguang's realm. Directly facing her bedroom's courtyard, she planted her beloved Lorik, leaving ample space around it. The unique rock seen through the framed view was also collected from Yaoguang's mountain stream. Rocks from outside also cost money, after all.
The design concept for her courtyard was that the backyard's plants were for sustenance, all edible, while the front yard's were for aesthetics, all pleasing to the eye.
The main residence, based on Tang-style architecture with modern modifications, had two above-ground floors and one underground floor. The first floor extended into a large sunroom with floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides.
The main building featured gentle eaves and large chiwen (dragon-shaped ridge ornaments) on the roof. The mansion had black tiles and white walls, with lifelike beast-face tiles on each block, exuding an imposing presence. The wind bells hanging under the eaves swayed gently in the wind, their clear chimes adding a touch of ancient charm to the Tang-style mansion.
The main residence was elevated, with three steps leading up to the main entrance. Turning left from the foyer was an exceptionally large reception hall with panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, decorated in a warm-toned New Chinese style. The first floor had a ceiling height of over five meters, making it spacious and bright.
The first floor included a kitchen, a dining room connected to the sunroom, a public restroom, and two bedrooms, with flexible uses to be determined later. The sunroom, connected to the dining room, covered over seventy square meters.
The second floor was her private area. The largest room was her master bedroom, facing the sea with a huge balcony, an ensuite bathroom, and a walk-in closet. The large floor-to-ceiling windows offered an unobstructed view of the sea, allowing her to truly live facing the ocean, with flowers blooming in spring.
The central reception room connected to a massive terrace with white stone pillars carved with auspicious clouds, both beautiful and symbolic.
On the west side were a study and a secondary bedroom, both furnished.
The underground floor also took considerable effort. To avoid feeling cramped, it was designed with large light wells and an elevated ceiling height.
The entire floor was over five meters high, currently housing only a wine cellar and a storage room, with plenty of space left to be utilized.
Climbing up to the first floor, she pushed open the back door, revealing the backyard.
The entire courtyard was surrounded in a square, with flower-paved ground in the front yard and blue stone slabs temporarily covering the side yard. The backyard was divided by a blue stone pathway into two sections: an octagonal pavilion with a vegetable plot on the east side and a sunroom of about a hundred square meters, a lawn, and a circle of fruit trees under the courtyard wall, interspersed with insect-repellent shrubs she had planted.
The backyard also had a large gate, slightly smaller than the main gate in the front yard but matching in design.
This was her perfect home, scoring a full hundred points.
After exploring and admiring her new home for a while, she was joined by Da Linzi, whose eyes couldn't take it all in.
He was truly amazed. Who knew houses could be like this?
"Zhao Zhao, this must be the best courtyard in the world! I've only seen such things on TV, and even then, they weren't this good!" he exclaimed.
"Do you like it?"
"Who wouldn't like it?" Da Linzi was incredulous.
"Well then, practice hard and work diligently. Someday, you'll have one too."
Da Linzi scratched his head and said honestly, "That's a bit far-fetched."
Zhao Zhao laughed, "If you like it, you can live here. There are two spare rooms on the first floor."
Da Linzi's eyes lit up, "Really? I can crash here? Whenever I want to live in a big house, I can just come here. That way, I won't need to build one myself." He clapped his hands in delight.
"Have some ambition! What about when you get married? Are you going to stay at your sister's house?"
"I won't get married. Look at Brother Da Shan; after he got married, his life got worse. He has another person bossing him around and always bumming cigarettes off people. Having just my mom nag me is already tough enough! Now is perfect. Even if you get married later, this house is big enough for me to come over, haha..."
He seemed to be quite content.
That night, Zhao Zhao enjoyed the spacious new mansion all to herself, while Da Linzi was taken away by Xiong Haitao. After all, the silly boy hadn't been home for over a month and should at least visit his own family.
