37: Chapter 37: Two houses snagged for $4,000, but rivals block the door.

Lin Chen's eyes lit up, and he immediately had Li Wei lead the way to see The Homeowner.

Li Wei didn't dare delay and led the way quickly. The two walked along the potholed dirt roads of the Slum District. Old-style brick houses lined the path, their plaster peeling off in large chunks and window frames rusted. Piles of discarded junk sat outside many doorways, and a gust of wind would kick up a cloud of dust.

Within two minutes, an old house with a small yard appeared before them.

The crooked wooden fence let out a sharp creak when pushed. Weeds in the yard grew knee-high, and broken stools and old wooden crates were piled in the corners. The ground was parched and cracked, clearly neglected for years.

A white-haired old man was sitting on a small stool smoking. Seeing Li Wei approach, he immediately stubbed out his cigarette and stood up tremulously, bracing his hands on his knees.

"Mr. Wang, this is the Brother Chen I told you about. He's sincere about buying the house and is very straightforward to deal with." Li Wei stepped aside to let Lin Chen to the front.

Lin Chen stepped forward and said crisply, "Grandpa, I'm Lin Chen. I heard you're in a hurry to sell this house?"

Mr. Wang sized Lin Chen up. Seeing that he dressed simply but had a steady gaze, he didn't look like someone who was there to mess around. The old man sighed immediately.

"Sigh, my son bought a new house in the city and keeps nagging me to move there to enjoy my retirement." Mr. Wang patted the door behind him. "I can't take this old house with me. Recently, there have been rumors that this area might be redeveloped. Once the news is official, no one will dare take it off my hands. I just want to sell it early and have some peace of mind."

Lin Chen didn't beat around the bush. "Grandpa, just give me a firm price. If we can agree, I'll sign today."

Mr. Wang gritted his teeth and held up four fingers. "$4,000, firm! Given this location and size, it would normally go for at least five thousand. I'm only setting it this low because I'm in a hurry to leave."

Anyone else might have haggled, but Lin Chen didn't even blink.

"I'll take it. We'll sign the agreement now, and I'll transfer the money on the spot without any delay."

Mr. Wang was stunned. He had been prepared to be lowballed, so he didn't expect Lin Chen to agree so readily. His cloudy eyes instantly brightened.

"Young man, don't you... don't you want to think about it?"

"There's nothing to think about. You're being honest, Grandpa, so I won't waste time either." Lin Chen turned to look at Li Wei.

Li Wei immediately pulled a pre-prepared sales agreement and a pen from his canvas bag and handed them to the old man. "Mr. Wang, you just need to sign and leave a thumbprint. Brother Chen will pay as soon as you're done. We won't delay your move at all."

The old man's hand trembled as he took the pen, signed his name on the agreement, and pressed his thumbprint.

Lin Chen took out his phone and transferred $4,000 to the old man on the spot.

The notification sound for the incoming payment rang. Looking at the numbers on the screen, Mr. Wang's wrinkled face broke into a wide smile, and he nodded repeatedly at Lin Chen.

"Good lad, you're a real straight shooter! A hundred times better than those Punks who tried to lowball me before!"

Lin Chen folded the agreement and handed it to Li Wei. Just as he was about to speak, Mr. Wang pulled his arm and whispered, "Young man, I trust you, so I'll tell you something."

"Mr. Li next door is in the same situation as me. His son is also taking him to the city, and he's in a hurry to sell. His place is about the same size as mine, and he wants to sell quickly too. If you want another one, I'll take you over to ask right now. I'll make sure he gives you an honest price."

Lin Chen was delighted. He had already made a profit by securing one house, and he hadn't expected to get another. He immediately nodded. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Grandpa."

The three of them turned and entered the neighboring yard. The environment was similar to Mr. Wang's—peeling walls and a weed-choked yard—except there were a few more old clothes drying by the door.

Mr. Li had already heard the commotion and was waiting at the door. Seeing Mr. Wang bring someone over, he got straight to the point.

"Old Wang told me everything. Young man, you're straightforward with your purchases, so I won't beat around the bush either." Mr. Li rubbed his hands. "I'm selling mine too. Same price as Old Wang, $4,000. What do you think?"

Before Lin Chen could speak, Mr. Li added another sentence, his tone laced with dissatisfaction.

"A few days ago, David's people also came to see me. They opened their mouths and immediately lowballed me to $3,000. That price is practically robbery! I kicked them out on the spot. If you can give me 4,000, I'll sign with you right now!"

Lin Chen's gaze turned slightly cold. David was indeed still trying to buy up houses everywhere, but his methods were too ugly, focusing solely on swindling the elderly.

He nodded immediately. "Alright, same as before. Sign now, transfer now."

Mr. Li was overjoyed and hurriedly signed the agreement and pressed his thumbprint. The whole process took less than three minutes, and the second house successfully fell into Lin Chen's hands.

Li Wei tucked the two agreements away, his face full of excitement. "Brother Chen, we got two in one go, and at a low price too! Now, even if David wants to snatch them, he won't be able to get such good properties!"

Lin Chen was about to speak and instruct Li Wei on coordinating the handovers with the two old men.

Suddenly, there was a loud "Clang!"

The wooden fence of the neighboring yard was kicked open. Four or five burly men in floral shirts, looking like hoodlums, charged in aggressively and blocked the entrance to the yard.