Chapter 227 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind
Xu Dongliang found Xu An's request a bit strange, but considering that Anzi had previously said the shop was too small to accommodate all the staff, he figured this furniture store must be the new shop Anzi had her eye on.
Investigating details was not difficult for Xu Dongliang, especially since Mr. He was a native of the area with a complex network of connections. With just a little inquiry, he could piece together the general picture.
Not to mention, Xu Dongliang knows plenty of shady friends. They might not be of much help with big matters, but for small things like asking for information, they're more than capable. Gather them together, treat them to a meal and drinks, and give them a couple of packs of cigarettes. As long as it's not illegal or criminal, they can handle it all perfectly.
After a hearty meal and drinks, each of them stuffed two packs of cigarettes into their pockets, their faces beaming with joy, and they all patted their chests and agreed to Xu Dongliang's request.
Seeing that everything was settled and all that was left was to wait for everyone's news to improve, Xu Dongliang wanted to leave. But he had barely lifted his buttocks 0.5 centimeters off the chair when a young man sitting opposite him scratched his head and spoke up somewhat embarrassedly.
"Brother Xu, are you talking about Mr. He from the furniture store on Zijing Road and Qianjin Street? The short, stocky guy who's always acting all high and mighty, right?"
"Hmm? It should be him." Xu Dongliang nodded, waiting for the young man to continue.
"My relative recently took a liking to a house owned by Mr. He. He said his son is going abroad, but he's a little short on proof of funds. He wouldn't have bought it so cheaply if he weren't trying to raise the money. He only accepts cash, and the price he offered was 100,000 yuan lower than the market price..."
"Monkey, where is that house your relative is interested in? Azure Ocean Garden?" A chubby young man suddenly interrupted the other young man.
"Hey, how did you know? I don't think I mentioned this to you guys!" The monkey looked at the chubby young man with some confusion, then said with a hint of smugness, "So you've got your eye on this house too? That night, my relative already put down a deposit and signed the contract!"
"No." Hearing the monkey's words, the chubby young man's expression turned ugly. He confirmed with the monkey again, "Apartment 1203 in Azure Ocean Garden, 107 square meters, two bedrooms, two living rooms, one kitchen, two bathrooms, two balconies... Is the information correct?"
"Hey, it's exactly the same, even the room number is identical!" At this moment, the monkey was still grinning foolishly.
"My brother also paid a deposit and signed the contract. The deposit was 50,000 yuan!" The chubby young man's face was as black as ink.
"Impossible!" the monkey exclaimed in shock. "I saw my relative sign the contract with Mr. He with my own eyes!"
"Wait, isn't Mr. He's son named He Shouwu?" Just as the two were arguing, another person at the dinner table joined their conversation.
"I think so..." The monkey pondered for a while and gave an ambiguous answer.
"He Shouwu, he went abroad two months ago!"
These words shocked everyone present, especially the monkey and the chubby young man.
After piecing together the information, everyone realized something was amiss. Both Monkey's and the chubby young man's families had put down deposits and signed contracts for the same apartment. Mr. He's reason for lowering the price was that his son was going abroad, but his son had already left two months prior!
If the group initially came hoping to get a free meal and drinks and a couple of packs of cigarettes, now that their own families' interests were at stake, they became serious and stopped talking nonsense, all dispersing with grim faces.
In Xu An's plan, Uncle Dongliang would at least receive the news about Mr. He by tomorrow morning. Unexpectedly, at eight o'clock that evening, Uncle Dongliang arrived at his door with a gloomy expression.
"Uncle Dongliang, what's wrong? Did you find out any relevant clues?" Xu An took a can of beer from the refrigerator in the kitchen, pulled open the tab with a 'rip' before handing it to Uncle Dongliang.
"Hmm." Uncle Dongliang nodded, took the beer, and gulped down a large mouthful before speaking, "I've found out. Mr. He, there's a problem..."
"You mean there are two other people besides me negotiating with Mr. He at this furniture store?" Xu An's eyes widened so much that his eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets.
After receiving Mr. He's call in the afternoon, Xu An sensed something was wrong, but he never expected that Mr. He wasn't just buying the same item from two different sellers, but from three different sellers...
"Not only that," Uncle Dongliang took another sip of beer and continued, "This Mr. He owns three properties in Haishi: two apartment buildings with elevators and one old house, all of which are currently for sale. And that old house, in particular, was even offered to two of my uncles in one go..."
They even lied to their own family members; they have no humanity whatsoever!
As Uncle Dongliang recounted his story, Xu An unearthed a vague fragment from his past life's memories.
It seems that it was during a Chinese New Year trip home sometime in the past year that the villagers gathered under the big banyan tree and chatted. They talked about how someone from Haishi had been released from prison.
The reason for the altercation was that the two brothers had bought the same house, and neither was willing to give way, leading to conflict. Later, while drinking, the brothers were egged on by their tablemates and went to confront their brother, wanting to settle things. The argument escalated, and in the ensuing heated exchange, the brother accidentally injured another brother, who later died a week later in the hospital.
After thinking about it carefully, it seems that the timing really matches up; it must have happened in September or October.
They even lie to their own relatives, they're really despicable!
Xu An sighed for a moment, then asked Uncle Dongliang for some details, and got a general understanding of the current situation of the furniture store.
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