“We’ve handled so many projects and never seen anything like this. If our quality wasn’t up to par, why is it that no one else has issues and only your house does?” A man in his thirties, his hair slicked back with pomade and an LV monogram clutch tucked under his arm, spoke with an air of arrogance.
Two young women stood opposite him, both looking visibly agitated. The thinner of the two snapped first, “What exactly are you implying? That’s not what you said back then! You—”
The other woman grabbed her arm, cutting her off. “Don’t waste your breath on him. The floor is in this state now; just give us a solution.”
Ignoring their frustration, the man continued at a leisurely pace, “You can’t look at it that way. Our construction followed the proper procedures, but there are many variables in the later stages. Are you saying you bear no responsibility? You lot definitely didn’t keep the windows closed for the required number of days…”
At this, even the calmer woman lost her cool. “What do you mean by that? On what grounds are you claiming we didn’t follow maintenance requirements? Either produce evidence or take responsibility yourselves.”
Qi Lian stood a few paces away, wearing a black T-shirt and beige cargo pants. The Feiyue sneakers on his feet had been washed so many times the color had faded to a pale white.
He kept a slight distance, listening to them argue for over ten minutes. The construction site was sweltering without air conditioning, and a patch of his black shirt was soaked through with sweat. The micro-cement floor he stood on was covered in a network of fine cracks of varying lengths, resembling a giant spider web.
Of the two women, the thin one was the designer, and the more mature-looking one was the homeowner, Xiao Tian. Within a few exchanges, both their faces had flushed red with anger. They were being led by the nose by the man from the micro-cement company, trapped in a circular argument.
This was a fight they weren't going to win. It was a classic case of the scholar meeting the soldier—no matter how much sense they made, he wasn't listening.
This house had been under renovation for nearly a year, enduring a metaphorical eighty-one tribulations. They had finally finished the hard renovations and were just waiting for the furniture to arrive to call it a success, but this final hurdle had proven insurmountable. The floor was completely ruined. This was a job that required a total tear-out and restart, which would take at least another month. Anyone would have a breakdown.
Qi Lian felt irritable, though he didn't let it show on his face. This matter didn't strictly involve him; the homeowner had found the micro-cement company herself. But now that a problem had arisen, as the general contractor, he couldn't simply ignore it. This job had been introduced to him by his master, who said the client was the niece of some official. She wanted to install "some Japanese style," and in all of Jinning, they couldn't find a single craftsman brave enough to take it on. After searching high and low, they had landed on him. Even knowing it was a time-consuming and low-profit job, he couldn't say no.
Just then, the phone in his hand buzzed. The three arguing people all looked over at him. He made a gesture for them to continue and walked quickly to the window to answer.
“Brother,” Qi Shuai’s voice came through the line. Hearing the shouting in the background, he immediately asked, “Where are you? Is there trouble?”
“It’s nothing, I’m at the site. What’s up?”
“Just wanted to ask if we can head out tomorrow? I need to know the plan.”
The mention of the trip gave Qi Lian a headache, but his tone remained steady. “Tomorrow won’t work. I’ve been delayed here; there’s still some stuff to finish. Let’s make it the day after. Tell Jiang Yuan.”
He hung up and reflexively opened WeChat. His pinned chat showed no new messages since his reply at noon: *Not eating, thanks.* That had been in response to his morning message asking if she wanted rice noodles from that shop again. Later, he had asked, *What do you want for dinner? I’ll cook.* There had been no reply. He ground his back teeth slightly, a flicker of annoyance rising. He had no idea what that woman was doing all day.
Putting his phone away, he strode back from the window.
From the corner of her eye, Xiao Tian saw Qi Lian’s tall silhouette approaching. He was backlit, making his expression unreadable.
She had worked with this contractor for a year, but she still couldn't figure him out. She didn't know what kind of person he truly was.
However, she trusted him from the bottom of her heart, even though he never said a single sweet or unnecessary word.
The wabi-sabi style she wanted had encountered countless technical hurdles. No one had dared to take the job initially. During the process, whether it was the stone suppliers or the wooden door manufacturers, they all said the same thing: "This can't be done." In the end, it was always Qi Lian who came up with the plan, refining every detail until the others were willing to proceed. No one in Jinning knew how to make an integrated sink, so he had built one himself. It seemed he had never once said, "This can't be done."
She couldn't remember how many times she and Tina had whispered to each other, "Master Qi is a badass."
Tina had once told her, "I can't take it, I think I'm falling for him. Strong body, smart brain, skillful hands, and he doesn't talk much—he just quietly solves everything for you. This kind of man is an extinct species. I want to open a studio with him. I'll handle the design, he'll handle the execution. We'd run this city."
Xiao Tian had teased Tina for being boy-crazy, and the two had dissolved into laughter.
There was something about Master Qi that made people feel inexplicably secure. She turned her gaze toward him now, filled with a certain hope.
Opposite her, "LV Clutch" was still droning on, “Besides, aren't there other workers on this site? Did they perform some improper operation? You can't pin it all on us…”
Hearing this, Qi Lian took two steps forward, shedding his relaxed, bystander demeanor. He locked eyes with "LV Clutch," his lips curling into a contemptuous smirk. “Say that again. I suggest you think carefully before you speak. We’re practically in the same trade, and I wasn't planning on ruining your livelihood, but you don't seem to understand the situation.”
As he drew near, his height and tone were incredibly oppressive. "LV Clutch" realized instantly that this man was different from the two women; he had provoked someone he shouldn't have. He felt a pang of regret, realizing he had hit a steel wall. Before he could think of a way to smooth things over, Qi Lian—who had clearly decided he didn't like the look of the man—continued ruthlessly, “There is only one reason for such extensive cracking: the moisture in the floor slab is too high. You couldn't control the expansion and contraction rate of your product, so it cracked during the subsequent thermal cycles.”
He then turned to Xiao Tian. “Even if you make them scrape it off and redo it, the result will be the same. It’s only a matter of time. You chose a cheap product; this is the risk that comes with being cheap.”
Xiao Tian’s face burned with embarrassment. She had planned everything so well, determined to overcome all obstacles to create her dream home. Who knew that every element of wabi-sabi style would burn through money? Even after doubling her budget, it wasn't enough. Feeling the strain, she had sought out a domestic micro-cement company. Qi Lian had explicitly advised her against using micro-cement for the flooring, warning her it was expensive, hard to maintain, and prone to wear, but she hadn't taken him seriously.
Now, she was filled with both anger and regret. She looked at Qi Lian imploringly.
"LV Clutch," unable to lose face but afraid to lose his temper, said sheepishly, “You can't put it like that. It's not that our product is bad just because it's cheaper. You're an insider, you know that no one can control thermal expansion and contraction. This really is an unsolvable problem!”
Xiao Tian grew frantic, her voice rising. “What do you mean unsolvable? Am I supposed to just leave my floor like this? Are you joking?”
Xiao Tian’s face was flushed red, and her inability to win the argument somehow reminded Qi Lian of Yu Mo. The moment the thought surfaced, a wave of compassion hit him, and his heart softened.
He interrupted Xiao Tian. “There is one way. I’ll just throw it out there for your consideration. Scrape the floor clean and lay a layer of tiles—the cheapest ones will do. Then, apply the micro-cement over the tiles. Tiles have a very low expansion rate, which will solve the cracking issue.”
Xiao Tian’s eyes lit up. She turned to exchange a look with Tina, and they saw the same two words in each other's eyes: *Total badass.*
Before the other three could respond, Qi Lian added, “I won't be involved in any of the follow-up. You all can negotiate the resolution yourselves. Miss Tian, contact me if anything else comes up. I’m heading out.” He nodded, gripped his phone, and walked away with long strides.
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Echoes of Lotus District | Chapter 30 | Master Qi’s Expertise | Novela.app | Novela.app
