Chapter 102 Eliminating the Weeds at the Root

"Yes." Mu Xin took a document out of the drawer and pushed it in front of Henry. "This is my appraisal report for those two properties."

"The one in the town center has a market valuation of 550,000 to 600,000. The one at the east end of town is valued at 250,000 to 300,000, totaling 800,000 to 900,000."

Henry picked up the report, flipped through it, and then set it down.

"Mr. Mu, the valuation you provided is very fair, but I have heard that you never pay market price when doing business; you always pay a price higher than the market value."

"Because I want speed." Mu Xin smiled. "Normal transactions require listing, waiting for buyers, negotiating prices, and going through procedures, which takes at least three to six months. I cannot wait that long."

"So you are willing to pay more to buy time?" Henry asked.

"Yes." Mu Xin did not deny it.

Henry was silent for a few seconds, then asked a question that Mu Xin did not expect.

"Mr. Mu, how much longer does my brother have?"

Mu Xin was stunned for a moment, then understood what Henry was asking.

"I don't know," he said. "But he is already eighty-seven years old and in poor health. According to his private doctor's assessment, he doesn't have much time left."

Henry nodded, his expression unchanged.

"What about Jimmy?" Henry continued to ask.

"Jimmy's case goes to trial next week, and the bail hearing is the day after tomorrow. If the judge approves bail, he might be out for a while, but I don't think Judge Hayes will approve it." Mu Xin did not hide anything.

"And Bruce?"

"For Bruce's tax fraud case, the evidence is conclusive. If he doesn't plead guilty, three to five years; if he pleads guilty, one to two years."

Henry was silent for a few more seconds, then picked up his coffee and took a large gulp.

"Mr. Mu, let me be honest with you." He put down the cup and looked into Mu Xin's eyes.

"The biggest mistake my brother has made in his life was not monopolizing the Water Plant or exploiting the residents; it was not treating Tobias like a human being."

"Tobias was the most capable person in the Williams Family, yet he was used like a slave for over twenty years."

"If Harlan had been a little better to Tobias back then, giving him the status and respect he deserved, the Williams Family wouldn't have ended up in this state today."

"But it's too late to say these things now."

Mu Xin did not speak, just listened quietly.

"So, Mr. Mu, you want to buy my properties, I will sell." Henry's tone was calm.

"But I don't need you to pay more. Just pay the market price."

"Eight hundred thousand to nine hundred thousand is enough for me to buy a small apartment in Cincinnati and spend my old age in peace."

"I don't want your premium, because I don't want to owe you any favors."

Mu Xin looked at him, silent for a few seconds.

"Mr. Williams, you are a smart man."

"Not smart," Henry shook his head. "It's just that I'm old. When you're old, you know that some things you can't take with you, and some debts you can't pay off."

"I can't help my brother, nor can I help Jimmy or Bruce, but at least I can leave with a clean slate."

He picked up a pen from the table and wrote his name on the signature line of the document.

"Mr. Mu, it's a pleasure doing business with you."

Mu Xin stood up and extended his hand.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Williams."

Henry shook his hand; his grip was not strong, but it was firm.

"Mr. Mu, I have only one request."

"Go ahead." Mu Xin probably knew what he was going to say.

"If my brother dies, please allow him to be buried in the Williams Family cemetery; don't kick him out."

Mu Xin looked at him and nodded slowly. "I promise you."

Henry let go of his hand, turned, and walked out of the office.

His back gradually faded into the distance in the hallway; his steps were still steady, but Mu Xin felt that this seventy-nine-year-old man was carrying much more weight than he appeared to.

After Henry left, Jessica pushed the door open and came in.

"Did he sell?" she asked.

"He did." Mu Xin sat back in his chair. "Market price, no premium."

Jessica was stunned for a moment. "No premium? Isn't he the most pragmatic one?"

"He is the most pragmatic." Mu Xin picked up the coffee, which had already gone cold, and took a sip. "But he is also an old man."

"A seventy-nine-year-old man watching his family crumble within a few months."

"He knows he can't do anything, but at least he can ensure he doesn't become the person who kicks someone while they're down."

"He isn't helping me; he is preserving his own final shred of dignity."

Jessica was silent for a few seconds, then sat on the sofa. "What's next?"

"Next..." Mu Xin put down the coffee cup. "Wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for Jimmy's bail hearing, wait for Bruce's trial, wait for Old Williams to take his final breath."

"And then?" Jessica asked.

"Then there will be no more Williams Family in Oxford Town."

Jessica looked at him with complex eyes. "Mr. Mu, don't you feel… it's a pity?"

"Pity for what?" Mu Xin was stunned for a moment.

"It's a pity that a family that has operated in Oxford Town for over half a century is just gone like this."

Mu Xin smiled. "Jessica, do you know how the Williams Family got its start?"

"I know. Withholding workers' wages, watering down gasoline, embezzling federal funds, and forcing residents to donate money to build the Water Plant."

"Correct." Mu Xin stood up and walked to the window. "Every cent they have is stained with the blood and sweat of the residents of Oxford Town."

"They monopolized the water supply, raised water rates, and delivered toxic water to every household."

"They engaged in usury, seizing the houses and farms of those who couldn't pay back their debts."

"They bribed judges and witnesses to let Jimmy, who killed someone in a hit-and-run, go free."

"What is there to pity about such a family?"

Jessica did not speak.

"I am not destroying a family," Mu Xin turned around. "I am removing a malignant tumor."

"Oxford Town will be better off without them."

Jessica took a deep breath and then nodded.

"Then I'll go prepare the property transfer documents."

"Go ahead."

Jessica stood up, and when she reached the door, she stopped.

"Mr. Mu."

"Hmm?"

"You just said that you promised Henry Williams that you would let Old Williams be buried in the family cemetery."

"Yes."

"Aren't you afraid that after Old Williams dies, his supporters will use this to make trouble?"

"What kind of trouble?" Mu Xin smiled. "An eighty-seven-year-old man dying in his own bed and being buried in his own family cemetery. What is there to make trouble about?"

"Do you want me to throw his corpse into the street to feed the dogs?"

Jessica opened her mouth, then shook her head, pushed the door open, and walked out.

Mu Xin stood at the window, looking at the streets of Oxford Town. The sun was bright, and there were not many people on the street.

He was thinking about something, something he had been thinking about before Henry Williams even walked in.

Root and branch; the phrase is easy to say, but not easy to do.

It's not difficult technically, but psychologically.

An eighty-seven-year-old man watching his two biological sons—one in prison, one facing criminal charges—his adopted son betray him, his nephew betray him, his niece betray him, and even his youngest brother selling his last property to his enemy.

How must Old Williams feel right now?

Mu Xin didn't know, and didn't want to know.

He only knew that if he didn't do this, one day, the Williams Family would make a comeback.

Not Old Williams, but his grandsons, his great-grandsons, people he didn't even know.

They would come back, they would seek revenge, and they would make Mu Xin pay for everything he did today.

So he had no choice.

It wasn't that he was heartless; it was just that the rules of this game were like that.

If you win, you must win to the end.

If you lose, you have nothing left.