Chapter 158: Buying a House (Happy Mid‑Autumn Festival, Everyone)

Wu An called Mai Hangyu over, letting him listen as well.

【2> He planned to develop this cultural tourism homestay business together with Mai Hangyu.

He planned to do this cultural tourism homestay business together with Mai Hangyu.

He would have liked to reap all the profits himself, but that's just a daydream—his own energy is limited.

Moreover, he knows his own capabilities well.

Compared to ordinary people, his biggest advantage is his clear vision of future development—he knows what will make money and what will lose money—but if you ask him exactly how to do it,

he's also at a loss.

Setting other things aside, he knows homestays can be profitable.

But how to run a homestay, down to the daily workflow—for example, once the homestay is up and running, it ends up with about seventeen or eighteen rooms.

How are the bedsheets and duvet covers for those seventeen or eighteen rooms cleaned?

Surely they aren't all washed by hand, one by one.

He actually knows nothing about this, so he'd need to learn, but he simply doesn't have the time or energy.

Most importantly, gathering seafood and fishing is the foundation.

This foundation cannot be abandoned; it must be expanded and strengthened.

Only then does he have the confidence to pursue other ventures.

After taking a sip of tea, he spoke up: "I won't hide it from you two—I actually didn't finish college; I dropped out and went back home."

"These days, by gathering seafood and fishing, I've made some money when luck's on my side."

"I really like the old houses in our town and want to invest in property, but after all I'm just one person scraping together what little I have—if the price is too high, I'll forget it."

Lao Chen and Lao Xie exchanged a glance, and the older Lao Chen asked, "Actually, we'd like to know what you plan to do with this house."

Wu An hesitated.

He also wasn't sure whether he could say it, or if it counted as a trade secret—after all, sometimes a single idea or thought is the key to making money.

Seeing Wu An silent, Lao Chen continued, "We mean no harm."

"These old houses—we've lived in them our whole lives, not to mention they've been passed down from our parents' generation; nowadays people don't pay much attention to them, but we still have strong feelings for them."

"Although we're selling the houses, we don't want the old houses to be torn down."

Wu An smiled: "Don't worry—I just like the appearance of old houses, and I can guarantee I won't change their appearance."

"We can put that in the contract, giving you supervisory rights."

"Of course, if force majeure occurs, there's nothing I can do."

Lao Chen and Lao Xie nodded repeatedly, producing all kinds of documents about the house—certificates, photos; the area and condition were basically clear at a glance.

Wu An took a look and said, "Lao Chen, your house—55,000."

"Lao Xie, your house—I can only offer 50,000."

"The furniture inside—you can handle it yourselves."

Lao Chen and Lao Xie asked in unison, "Really?"

Seeing their surprised, delighted expressions, Wu An smiled and nodded, "Really—if you think it's okay, we'll go to the Village Committee first thing tomorrow to finish the paperwork."

It's not that he's in a rush.

Rather, he's applying the lessons from buying a fishing boat, to avoid prolonged deliberation that could cause trouble.

Lao Chen and Lao Xie said, "Okay, okay, okay—no problem."

"We'll leave all the furniture."

"Don't think the tables and cabinets are useless just because they're old—they're still perfectly fine."

They were very happy.

Why are they so pleased? Because the village here only offered them 40,000 per house.

Even this village wasn't very eager to take them in; it only agreed to "lend a hand" after seeing their genuine difficulties.

They naturally wouldn't say these things aloud, lest Wu An find out and regret it.

They don't realize that Wu An actually knows.

Mai Hangyu told him—after encountering another house‑buyer at the Village Committee and overhearing the committee's quote, he panicked and hoped Wu An would snap up the bargain quickly.

Wu An's offer is actually a bit low, but compared to the village's price it's absolutely a "fair price."

If it were a street‑front house in town, you couldn't buy one even for 200,000.

Mainly because Lao Chen's and Lao Xie's houses aren't on the street and are in a rather remote spot—most people see no appreciation potential in them.

Buying these houses, aside from living in them yourself, they're basically "good for nothing."

No wonder the big shots say that even a pig can fly if you stand on the windfall.

Wu An thought that made perfect sense.

He was confident that the two houses could eventually bring him returns of more than tenfold, even a hundredfold.

Wu An looked at Lao Mai and said, "Please help write a receipt."

"I'll first give a 10,000 deposit."

"Specify that it's a deposit."

"A deposit and an advance payment are different—learn from mistakes, try to avoid trouble, so it's good for you, me, and everyone."

Lao Mai quickly wrote the receipt, both parties signed, and since Wu An didn't have enough cash on hand, fortunately Lao Chen had a payment app and transferred the money directly via phone.

After receiving the money, Lao Chen and Lao Xie looked wistful and said, "If we really sell this house, we'll actually be reluctant to let it go."

Wu An smiled.

That's just human nature.

He smiled and said, "Wait a year or two—if you want to come back, you can still live in your house."

The two looked astonished: "Really?"

Wu An said: "Really."

However, when the time comes, one must pay to move in.

Although the two people, though Wu An was just being polite, they were also happy inside, praising: "Handsome guy, you're really a genuine person."

Wu An laughed as he saw them to the gate.

Back inside the room, Mai Hangyu happily jumped up, waving his fists and shouting: "Done, it's done."

"That other unit can definitely be secured as well."

"I'll get in touch first thing tomorrow morning."

Wu An nodded.

Lao Mai interjected: "Actually, the price you offered can be lowered a bit; aside from the village, it's basically impossible to find buyers for these houses."

He was indirectly reminding Wu An that investment requires caution.

Wu An said: "No."

"The reason I can snag a bargain is precisely because Old Chen and them think the village's price is too low."

"For such a small amount of money, I've already gotten a great deal."

Seeing Wu An's mind set, Lao Mai didn't say more, took the seafood into the kitchen, and not long after, several large basins of seafood were served.

Everything went smoothly today; Wu An was in a good mood and couldn't help drinking a few more cups. When he felt a bit drunk, he called home to say he wouldn't be returning tonight.

Coincidentally, he also needs to handle the house paperwork tomorrow morning, saving himself the trouble.

He and A Qing squeezed in a little.

The night passed in silence.

Early the next morning, just as he stepped out to wash up, Lao Mai returned from outside, already having brought back breakfast.

While they were eating and drinking, Lao Chen and Lao Xie came together.

Wu An hadn't slept all night, fearing that Lao Chen and Lao Xie might change their minds; it seemed these two were also worried he might back out.

Actually.

He was overthinking.

The agreements have all been signed.

People, after all, are prone to gains and losses worries.

After exchanging greetings, Lao Chen and Lao Xie had already eaten on the street.

Wu An quickly finished, wiped his mouth, stood up and said: "Let's go, let's handle the paperwork."

The group headed straight for the Village Committee.