Due to being on duty at work, I was unable to access the internet and thus could not write a diary entry on the 2nd. My apologies for that. Below is a combined record of events from the 2nd and 3rd.
After handing over our new house in Zhongguan for renovation, I felt much more relaxed since they would take care of all the preliminary approvals, plumbing, and wall-breaking. Next, I thought the top priority was to purchase bathroom tiles, floor tiles, shower rooms, faucets, and toilets. Taking advantage of the weekend, my wife and I went straight to the Jia Hao Jia market. The main purpose of this trip was to explore the market and broaden our horizons. As expected, Jia Hao Jia had a wide variety of building materials, ranging from high-end to mid-range, which left me dazzled. However, the prices were quite challenging; the toilets and shower heads we liked were all priced around three to five thousand yuan.
Coincidentally, while browsing in the Dongjian showroom, we found out that Dongjian was celebrating its 12th anniversary with a 58% discount on brands like Arrow and TOTO. We carefully selected a type of tile, glossy and measuring 30*60 cm, priced at 19 yuan per piece or 105 yuan per square meter, intended for a poorly lit bathroom. Several toilet models we looked at started at 1999 yuan, and there were some visible rod shower heads costing over 2300 yuan. After some consideration, we decided not to make any purchases yet, planning to visit a few more decoration material centers for comparison, as our budget is limited. Sigh.
At the Dongjian showroom, we met an interesting auntie who was 52 years old. She independently bought a 130 square meter apartment in Jiubao's Red Apple for her 27-year-old son and was handling his renovations alone. On the spot, she ordered over ten thousand yuan worth of bathroom products for her son. She chatted with me about her house, showing off her renovation renderings and floor plans with pride. Indeed, commercial housing is different; her 130 square meter house felt much larger than our 137 square meter house. Seeing her plans, I couldn't help but wonder about the so-called genius who designed our house.