At the start, I had to choose one of four options, and I immediately picked the Brahmin from the cou

"I'm not selling! Not even for 350,000!"

Old Wang's roar was full of energy, as if he had just drunk two kilograms of strong liquor, which startled the group of old neighbors by the flower bed.

Without even glancing at the punctured contract on the hood, he snatched the birdcage from his neighbor, shoved Old Zhou aside, and turned to walk into the stairwell of Unit 2.

"Hey! Uncle Wang! How can you go back on your word like this!" The man with the gold-rimmed glasses became anxious, quickly stepping forward and grabbing Old Wang's arm. "If you're not satisfied with the price, we can discuss it again. How about I add another five thousand?"

"I wouldn't sell even if you offered 50,000 more!" Old Wang suddenly shook off his hand, glaring at him like a fiercely protective ox.

"Old Zhou told me that the county is going to build some kind of high-tech zone here, and this area will be demolished! They're going to build wide roads and big factories! This house will be worth a lot of money in the future! You bunch of heartless scoundrels, you think you can swindle an old man like me out of 300,000 yuan? No way!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the elderly men and women who were squatting by the flower bed eating sunflower seeds and watching the commotion were instantly thrown into an uproar, as if a bomb had been dropped on them. The entire Hongqi Machinery Factory residential compound was in an uproar.

"What? Demolition and relocation?"

"Build a high-tech zone? Old Zhou, is your son really saying that?!"

"Oh my goodness! No wonder so many people are coming to buy houses today! They're here to snag a bargain!"

"No way! I'd rather die than sell! Go home right now and hide the property certificate!"

The neighbors who were still hesitating about whether to sell their houses now looked at the man with gold-rimmed glasses and Xu Qiang and the others as if they were chicken thieves. They all clutched their keys and property deeds and scattered like birds and beasts, running back to their own building stairwells.

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses instantly turned ashen. This was exactly the kind of situation he feared most before he arrived. For these lower-class residents, information asymmetry was their only weapon. Once someone broke through this barrier, no amount of money from the Wenzhou real estate speculators could pry open the stubbornness of these elderly people.

Xu Qiang sneered from the side. Although he had also been humiliated, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction seeing this arrogant Zhejiang C guy get his comeuppance.

"Brother Qiang, what... what do we do now?" Monkey was sweating profusely with anxiety. "Old Zhou's shout has cut off our entire source of income!"

"Don't panic."

Xu Qiang squinted at Old Wang, who had already reached the steps of the building entrance. "Although this old man knows about the High-tech Zone, he doesn't understand the ins and outs. The High-tech Zone is built on those two thousand acres of land in the core of the south of the city. This area is just a radiation zone, and there's no way they'll be demolished here. This old man is obsessed with money; he really thinks a pie will fall from the sky and land on his head."

Xu Qiang and the man with the gold-rimmed glasses exchanged a glance. In that instant, these two groups of hungry wolves, who had been locked in a fierce confrontation, somehow reached a strange understanding. Since these old men and women had become suspicious, they couldn't be coaxed anymore; they had to use money, and they had to use it on the right people!

Just as Old Wang stepped onto the stairs of the building entrance, he suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps in the hallway.

"Dad! What are you doing downstairs? I just heard someone on the balcony saying they want to buy our house!"

A man in his early thirties, wearing a wrinkled shirt, rushed out of the stairwell. His name was Wang Jianguo, Old Wang's only son. Wang Jianguo had a girlfriend, but her family insisted that they would only get married if he bought a new house in the county town and made the down payment. These past few days, Wang Jianguo had been extremely worried about this, borrowing money everywhere, and even losing sleep.

As soon as he rushed out of the building, he saw two Audi A6s parked downstairs, and two canvas bags on the flower bed with most of their bright red banknotes sticking out.

Wang Jianguo's eyes widened instantly.

"Jianguo, why did you come down?" Old Wang rushed over to greet him, pulling his son into the stairwell. "Don't pay attention to these people, they're trying to scam us out of our house! Old Zhou said they're building a high-tech zone here, and it'll be demolished soon. This house will be worth a fortune!"

"What demolition or anything!" Wang Jianguo didn't listen to his father at all; his mind was completely captivated by the mountain of cash piled up on the flowerbed. He shook off Old Wang's hand, rushed to the Audi A6, swallowed hard, and looked at the man with the gold-rimmed glasses: "Boss...you, you want to buy our house? How much?"

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses' eyes lit up, and the tightness in his chest from Old Wang's words instantly eased. The old man was hard to fool, but young men eager to get married were much easier to manipulate.

"Three hundred and fifty thousand." The man with the gold-rimmed glasses pointed to the contract on the hood of the car. "Full payment, cash. As long as you and your father sign and put your fingerprints on it now, this fifty thousand yuan deposit is yours immediately. The remaining three hundred thousand will be credited to your account within four hours."

"Three...three hundred and fifty thousand?!" Wang Jianguo gasped. He had gone to the real estate agent yesterday, who said the dilapidated house was worth at most two hundred thousand, and he would have to wait for the buyer to get a loan. Now someone was actually willing to pay three hundred and fifty thousand, in cash, in full!

Overwhelmed with joy, Wang Jianguo was momentarily stunned. With this 350,000 yuan, he had enough for the down payment, the bride price, and could even afford a new car!

"Boss, you...you mean what you say?" Wang Jianguo's hand had already reached uncontrollably for the pen on the table.

"Jianguo! You little brat, have you gone mad!"

Old Wang rushed up and slapped his son's hand. "Your Uncle Zhou said this area is going to be demolished! This house will at least get you a large three-bedroom apartment, plus hundreds of thousands in compensation! You're selling it for 350,000 now? Are you stupid?!"

"dad!"

Wang Jianguo shoved Old Wang away, his face flushed with anxiety. "Uncle Zhou's son, who works at the Land Bureau, is just a temporary worker. Can you trust what he says?! Everyone's saying they're going to build a high-tech zone, but that's definitely going to be built outside the city. Why would they demolish our old, dilapidated place? Besides, even if they do demolish it, when will we get the compensation? Xiaoli's mother said if we don't pay the down payment next month, the wedding won't happen! Do you want me to be a bachelor for the rest of my life?!"

Old Wang was rendered speechless by his son's barrage of words; his lips trembled and his eyes reddened.

Wang Jianguo didn't even glance at his father, turning instead to the man with the gold-rimmed glasses. He wasn't stupid; his eyes darted around, and a plan immediately formed in his mind. He had clearly heard from upstairs that another group was vying for his family's apartment.

Since there is competition, there is room for price increases!

He puffed out his chest and waved five fingers in front of the man with the gold-rimmed glasses and Xu Qiang.

"Both of you big bosses, since you both want this house, let's be frank. I heard you say this area will be part of the High-Tech Zone! Since this house is so sought after, 350,000 is definitely not enough. One price, 500,000! Cash only! Whoever offers 500,000, I'll have my dad sign the papers right away!"

Five hundred thousand!

Upon hearing this, not only Xu Qiang and Monkey, but even the man with the gold-rimmed glasses who was used to big scenes, turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

They're really treating them like suckers!