Chapter 186: Chapter 186: High Expenses
Gu Chi was about to wrap things up when the usually quiet Gu Jiujiu suddenly spoke, "What about the basement?"
The adults paused.
They had almost forgotten about the basement.
"That space is large," Yi Heng chuckled, "We could open a bar."
Gu Chi was speechless.
Ai Jie, being straightforward, said directly, "The other renovations follow the existing layout, with minimal changes and costs. Opening a bar in the basement is like building a bar from scratch, and we don’t have the money."
Gu Ran tactfully added, "The community center can’t provide a bartender, nor do we have the supply channels, and besides, bars aren’t really suitable for kids to be around."
Yi Heng’s face darkened.
[What the hell, are these people teaming up to bully Yi Heng?]
[Yeah, whatever Yi Heng suggests, they oppose it. Why?]
[It’s not really opposition; mainly, Yi Heng’s suggestions are quite unrealistic.]
[I’m a bar owner myself, and honestly, setting up a bar really takes a lot of money and effort. The guests can’t raise that much money.]
[Plus, people who get drunk easily cause trouble, and I don’t think the community center staff can handle it well.]
[I have a feeling Yi Heng is being marginalized.]
Gu Chi simply asked the kids.
"What do you guys think? For the restaurant renovation, you’ll have to pitch in too."
The kids scratched their heads.
Gu Jiujiu, tangled, said, "Save money, we need to save money. What doesn’t cost much?"
Everyone scratched their heads, discussing everything from a children’s playroom to a teahouse, until Yi Kai quietly suggested, "A billiard room, we just need a few pool tables and charge by the hour. My older brother often plays pool."
Yi Heng tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Good pool tables cost over ten thousand, and even the cheaper ones are a few thousand."
"Are there cheaper balls?" Tuanzi still wasn’t aware of how many kinds of balls there were these days.
Yi Kai whispered, "Ping pong, badminton both work."
Gu Chi pondered, "Are ping pong tables expensive?"
He also thought having a recreational room was more convenient; three floors and a courtyard were enough to run it. If the basement also turned into a restaurant, the four groups of guests plus the community center staff wouldn’t suffice.
They could start with a rec room and gradually renovate as the community center made more money. So, it was best to simply put some tables down without going overboard.
Nobody knew the price of a ping pong table.
Tuanzi stood up and ran over to Miao Mu, "Uncle, can you check how expensive a ping pong table is?"
Miao Mu could only pull out his phone to search, "Hmm, cheap ones are only a few hundred."
Tuanzi’s eyes lit up, "What about second-hand ones?"
Miao Mu hesitated, "They’d definitely be cheaper, but where would you find second-hand ones?"
Some of the adults had an idea, "We could try schools or elderly activity centers, they might have second-hand ping pong tables exchanged out, and the price would be very low."
They might not even charge for the rec room; everyone could come in and play, set up a small drink stand nearby, and earn money. When people got hungry, they’d surely go upstairs to eat.
As for the moldy, cracked walls and floors, they all decided to simply paint the walls white, since they’d only need a few days of ventilation.
As for the floors, Yi Heng wanted to replace them, but the idea was rejected; they decided to fill the gaps themselves, and for places the filling couldn’t fix, they’d just cover them with a suitably styled carpet.
A carpet could hide many flaws.
Once everything was tidied up, Gu Chi summarized, "Tables, chairs, tablecloths, parasols, carpets, painting and filling, ping pong tables, and a few sets of paddles for the three floors and courtyard... No wait, we also need to buy cookware, tableware, and a fridge!"
Everyone had already gotten the layout plan of the villa, calculated the area, and the spacing between tables and chairs, then decided on the quantities of tables, chairs, and parasols.
They then asked the production team to help estimate the cost, and they ended up with a range.
The cheapest option was close to a hundred thousand. Using better materials, the price was terrifying, reaching hundreds of thousands.
The guests with zero funds fell silent.
The audience also fell silent.
[This price is a bit scary]
[My family runs a restaurant, and honestly, this price is already very low. The initial setup for my small restaurant was almost this much.]
[Don’t forget, they’re setting up three floors and a courtyard]
[And this is while retaining the original layout, with minimal decoration on walls and wooden panels]
[Decorative items like paintings are free, and sunshades chosen are ugly but cheap]
[But some materials used are way too inferior]
[Yeah, with such inferior materials, I wouldn’t dare to dine there]
Miao Mu, fearing these guests might back out, was about to speak when he saw Tuanzi jump three feet high.
"Sitting here thinking is useless; let’s get moving!"
She cheered everyone on, "Let’s earn some money first. For certain things, buy second-hand. For cookware and tableware, buy new."
Stretching out her small hand, she made a sweeping gesture, "Plus, there are many things at home that, with slight modifications, can become the restaurant’s tables, chairs, and sofas, which are free!"
Gu Chi couldn’t help but smile.
"Yes, let’s go earn some money first."
Yi Heng hurriedly said, "Actually, we can go to the furniture market or kitchen supplies market and explain to the owners that we’re helping the community center. Maybe they’d be willing to support us and not charge us."
He added, "If it doesn’t sit well with us, we can leave our autographs and exchange them for these things."
The adults immediately looked at him speechless.
[Uh, that’s not good, is it? Those owners have families to feed, isn’t this forcing them to donate?]
[Selling autographs would lead to a bad impression, indirectly encouraging people to buy and sell autographs]
[Before, when Gu Miaomiao had Gu Chi’s students give away paintings for free, why didn’t you say that? Now everyone’s attacking Yi Heng]
[Gu Miaomiao didn’t ask people to give for free; she said to offer discounts, and the students themselves volunteered to donate]
[There’s still a difference; on one side are art exam students giving away works that might not sell, and on the other, business owners supporting families]
[I feel like you guys are just excluding Yi Heng]
The director quickly said, "We can’t sell autographs. We can’t lead by bad example."
Maybe Yi Heng’s fans would support selling autographs, but if he allowed the guests to do this, the show could stop airing right then.
Tuanzi then earnestly said, "We can’t gain without working for it. We must rely on our hands—no, our talents to make money."
She gave an example, "Miaomiao could perform street performances!"
Previously while recording "Travel with Parents 2", Gu Jiujiu had watched the show, "I know, I know, we perform to get tips from everyone."
He seriously emphasized, "We’re entertaining everyone, not taking tips for nothing."
Tuanzi high-fived him, "Jiujiu, what can you do?"
"I can sing!"
The twins said they could sing too.
Yi Kai said he could recite poetry.
The five kids looked up at the adults, "What can you guys do?"
Gu Chi thought about it, "I can sketch quick portraits of pedestrians and sell my drawings."
Ai Jie: "I can dance, I’ve learned many kinds of dance over the years."
Gu Ran: "I can do sugar paintings."
She laughed, ruffling her son’s hair, "Your grandpa used to be a sugar painting artisan."
Yi Heng couldn’t understand their enthusiasm; street performing—wasn’t that embarrassing?