"Boss, what do you think of this place?" Sitting in the cab, Robbins Garcia asked with a wide smile on his face.
"I've been watching them build it from the start. I specifically asked them to add the roof, the gate, and those pillars. We spent 1.2 million on this place, so we couldn't just focus on decorating the inside. Everything needed to be upgraded. Tsk-tsk, to be honest, if you hadn't already paid the money, I wouldn't have let them make that 1.2 million so easily." As he spoke, Jiang Hai glanced at the villa and noticed the corners of Robbins's mouth unconsciously curling up into a smug expression.
Jiang Hai's lips twitched slightly. He leaned back in the passenger seat, looking at the building in front of him. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Originally, the villa was a very simple, Western-style, two-and-a-half-story home. The attic on top wasn't included in the main living space, making it essentially a two-story, pointed-roof, Western-style structure. The villa covered a large area, and with the vast grassland and beach behind it, the setting was picturesque and harmonious.
So, when he had planned the renovations, he had intended to keep it simple. The interior upgrades had to be high-quality, but there was no need to drastically change the exterior.
However, it seemed Robbins had his own ideas.
At this moment, Jiang Hai stared at the "finished product" before him, feeling completely dumbfounded.
The villa still retained the original structure—a two-story base—but somehow, the roof had been significantly altered. Not only had the top been raised, but it had also been painted in bright red and green hues, reminiscent of ancient Chinese architecture. Several eaves had been added, extending outward with upturned corners that resembled those of traditional pagodas.
But the most striking change was the addition of red pillars outside the house, supporting an extended roof structure. Even more surprising, there was a rain tower and corridor built along the sides, giving the entire villa an exaggerated, temple-like appearance.
The transformation made it look more like a school building with Chinese-inspired architecture than a cozy countryside villa.
If you've ever seen schools with ancient-style designs in some neighborhoods, you'd have a good idea of what Jiang Hai's villa now looked like. It had that same institutional feel, except it was shorter and wider, with an extra corridor added to the exterior.
"I specifically went to check out Chinese architecture," Robbins explained proudly, as if he'd done something extraordinary. "I even asked the construction team to follow traditional designs. I've got to say, the architectural style of China is really beautiful."
Jiang Hai was at a loss for words. His face burned with embarrassment, and his heart sank. The house looked completely out of place in this part of the world.
The worst part? It reminded him of his old school days.
He'd spent years trying to forget those experiences, yet here he was, about to live in a house that looked exactly like a teaching building from his past.
"Damn it," Jiang Hai muttered under his breath, feeling his heart thump a little harder at the thought.
The irony of the situation wasn't lost on him. He'd tried so hard to move past his school days, yet fate had thrown him right back into the classroom—except this time, it was his own home.
Still, it wasn't like Robbins had done it on purpose. The man had clearly gone out of his way to impress his boss, even if the result was far from what Jiang Hai had expected.
Seeing Jiang Hai's silence, Robbins's excitement dimmed a little. He had thought his boss would be thrilled by the unique design, but now he wasn't so sure.
"Hah... Forget it," Jiang Hai finally sighed. "Let's go in and take a look."
Hearing this, Robbins immediately perked up again. With a grin on his face, he stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped toward the villa.
When the car came to a stop in front of the house, Jiang Hai noticed that Robbins had been quite thorough with the renovations.
There was originally a driveway leading from the main gate to the front door of the villa, but it had fallen into disrepair over the years and had become overgrown with weeds. Now, Robbins had asked the construction team to restore the driveway, making it neat and smooth again.
Additionally, leftover materials from the renovation had been used to build a small open-air parking lot in front of the villa.
The parking lot had space for sixteen cars, which seemed more than enough. After all, Jiang Hai wasn't running a business or hosting large events—where would he even find that many guests?
After parking the car, the two of them got out and walked toward the house.
As soon as Jiang Hai stepped inside, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
The interior hadn't been altered in the same dramatic way as the exterior.
The main hall was illuminated by a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The floors were covered in polished hardwood, with plush carpets adding a touch of warmth. The sofa set, wine cabinet, and coat rack were all arranged just as Jiang Hai had envisioned when he first designed the renovations.
Fortunately, Robbins hadn't gone overboard inside the house. The design was still largely Western-style, with only a few Chinese-inspired decorations scattered throughout.
The kitchen, bathrooms, and second-floor bedrooms all matched Jiang Hai's original plans.
Seeing this, Jiang Hai let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Well, the teaching building look on the outside is... unfortunate. But at least the inside is exactly how I wanted it."
Satisfied with the interior, Jiang Hai nodded to himself. There was no point in dwelling on the exterior now—it was already done.
After confirming that he was happy with the house, Robbins beamed with pride.
"Boss, I'm glad you like it!" he said enthusiastically. "I'm going to head back to my place and prepare dinner. You've just moved in, and there's not much to eat here yet. Let me take care of the meals for the next few days."
Jiang Hai smiled faintly and gave him a nod of approval.
Before leaving, Jiang Hai handed Robbins four weeks' salary in advance.
Their agreed weekly pay was $800, but Jiang Hai gave him $4,000 instead of $3,200. The extra $800 was to cover the cost of food and groceries during this transitional period.
After Robbins left, Jiang Hai continued to explore his new home. His master bedroom was more like a self-contained apartment.
The room featured a large bed, a TV, and a desk for a computer. The TV wasn't just any TV—it was a state-of-the-art laser projector capable of projecting 2D and 3D images at 100 inches without the need for glasses. The setup had cost Jiang Hai nearly $10,000.
In addition to the bed and TV, the room also had a walk-in wardrobe, decorative tapestries, and a mini-fridge stocked with drinks.
There were two additional guest bedrooms, each furnished with beds, cabinets, TVs, and internet access.
The upstairs living room, though smaller than the main hall downstairs, was just as cozy. A 70-inch TV was mounted on the wall, making it a perfect space for casual lounging. The bathroom upstairs had been fully upgraded with modern fixtures, including a European-brand bathtub and toilet.
Looking around, Jiang Hai couldn't help but feel that his new home was as luxurious as the presidential suite of a five-star hotel.
"Honestly, it's a bit too much," Jiang Hai thought to himself. "But… this is home now."
Just as he was finishing his inspection, the phone on his bedside table rang.
When he picked it up, it was Robbins, calling to let him know that dinner was ready.
Jiang Hai made his way downstairs and over to Robbins's smaller villa.
Dinner that night was hearty—grilled steak, fresh fish, and a pot of thick cheddar clam chowder.
Boston, being part of New England, still retained many British culinary influences. The local cuisine was heavy on potatoes, grilled fish, and fried chicken.
Jiang Hai enjoyed the meal. The steak was especially delicious, and he thought to himself that even if he ate it every day for a month, he wouldn't get tired of it.
After the meal, Robbins pulled out a list and handed it to Jiang Hai.
"Boss, it's already late autumn," Robbins said. "If we don't buy cattle soon, we'll miss the window. But before we do that, we need to hire some cowboys. What day do you think we should start recruiting?"
Jiang Hai glanced at the list in front of him, lost in thought. There was still a lot to do—but at least things were starting to fall into place.