America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 242 Green Manor

"The price I offered is already very fair," old George argued.

"At least $70000! The dials and delicate parts inside are all intact."

"$50000! I'm going to sell it even if I'm keeping it as a collection. I can't afford to lose money," old George said.

"You'll have to give me at least $68000, right?"

"Absolutely impossible!!"

The two argued endlessly, but in the end, old George prevailed. They each compromised, and the old customer sold the private jet to George Pawnshop for $65000.

Zhang Ailun watched them haggle with great interest.

The regular customer, also looking disgruntled, took the money and receipt, complaining, "You really made a killing this time! You heartless George!"

Old George was all smiles, completely unaffected. "Give my regards to your wife."

"I will, you heartless Texan." The customer cursed, unable to understand why the least noticeable person in school was actually the most successful among them.

Old George, faced with the choice between robbing and simply robbing, chose to open a pawnshop for a more civilized form of robbery. A conscience can make money, but a lack of conscience can make even more.

Old George shrugged, unconcerned. "Look at you, getting anxious."

All the customers in front of him had finished their transactions, and it was finally Zhang Ailun's turn to sell his items. Old George beamed and said cheerfully, "Sir, do you have anything good to sell me? As long as it's not an Indian scalp or some other strange stuff, I'll buy it to the best of my ability."

"Really? You've definitely never seen anything like what I'm selling before." Zhang Ailun chuckled.

Old George immediately had a bad feeling. "I don't accept human tissue."

"Look how scared you are! This is the diamond and gold ball mask that Elizabeth Taylor wore. How much are you willing to pay for it?" Zhang Ailun was amused and took out the glittering diamond and gold mask.

"Elizabeth Taylor? Oh! It's so beautiful!"

Old George immediately became interested, his eyes lighting up. He took the mask and examined it carefully, praising, "It's truly a fine piece; even the craftsmanship is masterful. Elizabeth Taylor's fame in the last century was second only to Marilyn Monroe! Back then, someone consigned a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe at auction, and it eventually sold for a staggering $100 million!"

He exclaimed, "This kind of collectible is very valuable, and many wealthy people would be willing to collect it. Generally speaking, it would be a top-quality collectible that appears at auctions! It's just a pity that Elizabeth Taylor probably only wore it to private balls and never wore it in public or in front of the media, so this piece is not very well-known."

After thinking it over, he gave his price: "I can offer $30."

"That's too little, I want $75," Zhang Ailun said irritably.

"How much? $75?"

Old George was momentarily stunned, his face contorted with pain as he waved his hands repeatedly in refusal. "Buddy, I don't have that much money to buy this. As you can see, my pawnshop is only this big. If you're not short of money, perhaps you could try consigning it to an auction house? You only need to pay a 5% commission to get a high price, and you'll even enjoy tax exemption."

A regular customer nearby also became interested. Looking at the diamond and gold mask, he suggested, "There's an auction going on in Los Angeles in the next couple of days. If you trust Old George, you can consign this to him. He has connections in this area and will help you sort it out. You'll only need to pay the auction house a minimum 2% commission!"

"Is that so?" Zhang Ailun looked at old George in surprise.

Old George nodded. "I'm about to consign one of my items to an auction house. If you trust me, you can leave this mask with me, and I'll bring it along as well. If the auction is successful, you only need to give me a small share of the profits—not much, just 0.5% to 1% in commission."

"What are you auctioning off? Is it this private jet?" Zhang Ailun asked, puzzled.

Old George chuckled: "It's a diamond ring, from a powerful European family in the 18th century, it's hundreds of years old. My partners and I bought it from an antique collector. Almost all the funds in my shop were invested in that thing, otherwise I could have taken this mask too."

"Okay. I can consign this to you. Do we need a contract?" Zhang Ailun thought for a moment and then agreed. Anyway, he didn't urgently need the money, and being able to sell it for a higher price at the auction house was a good option.

"Of course, we won't feel at ease without a contract. Your things are being stored here, and if they are damaged or something unexpected happens, I will definitely compensate you! If the items don't sell at auction, I will return them to you untouched and will not ask you for any management fees or consignment fees. Please come with me!" Old George cheerfully led Zhang Ailun into the house and into the small dark room.

This was Zhang Ailun's first time inside a pawnshop. He could see many collectibles on display: fossils, snuff bottles, watches, and porcelain. The gold and empty bottles he had sold to old George last time were also there.

They have everything from collectibles worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to trinkets worth a few thousand to a few hundred dollars.

It's clear that the recent rise in gold prices has made old George very wealthy, as he's holding onto gold worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and is reluctant to sell it.

It's no wonder that some desperate Black people on the street come here to buy things for free. The risk is not as great as robbing a bank, and the profit is higher than that of convenience stores and luxury stores.

Old George opened the safe, took out a contract, filled in the text, and handed it to Zhang Ailun for review.

Zhang Ailun checked it and found it was just a consignment contract, which listed the consignment management fee and handling fee, as well as the profit sharing after a successful auction, including three times the compensation for lost or damaged items.

Without any problems, I readily filled in my name.

"Is your diamond ring stored here too?" Zhang Ailun asked.

Old George chuckled and said, "Of course, you want to see it? I guarantee you'll be amazed!"

Zhang Ailun nodded in agreement.

Old George entered the password, unlocked the safe with his fingerprint, took out a jewelry box, and opened it to reveal a pink diamond ring of about 17 carats inside.

Holy crap, this thing's interesting. It's obviously a huge, expensive diamond ring!

Its quality and luster are second only to the blue diamonds seen on the private island of the great collector Madison.

Is Old George going all in on it, risking his entire fortune?

Zhang Ailun was astonished and asked, "This thing must be worth at least $500 million, right?"

Old George chuckled: "Too little. Five million dollars won't buy it. If it were consigned at an auction house, it could fetch at least 12 million dollars!"

Indeed, poverty limited my horizons.

This thing is so pretty, all pink and glistening with moisture.

Zhang Ailun then admired Old George's other collections, and roughly calculated that the items displayed here alone were worth two million US dollars.

Not to mention that Old George also has several branches and real estate assets.

This old guy's total net worth is at least twenty or thirty million US dollars! If he sold all his collections, he could achieve complete financial freedom.

Although the head of the pawnshop is now a multi-millionaire, it's clear he still can't compare to the wealth others have accumulated over decades. After signing the consignment contract and saying goodbye to Old George, Zhang Ailun turned and left the pawnshop, getting into his Wrangler to head to Greenfield Town.

He took out his phone and contacted old Carl, informing him in advance that he had his eye on the land in the small town where Carl was settling.

Old Carl: You're here to buy land? Is it that abandoned ranch and estate that Dill's family is consigning for sale? What are you going to do with it? Raise cattle?

Zhang Ailun: I have a great use for you. Didn't you also buy a piece of land in the small town?

Old Carl: That's right. But I bought land that's ready for grazing and living, and I bought dozens of cattle and sheep for my retirement. The land that Deer's family is selling hasn't been tended to for many years. If you buy that land, you'll need to spend a lot of money to develop it. I don't have that much time, and 6,000 acres is just too big to manage.

Zhang Ailun: Why is he in such a hurry to sell that piece of land? Has something happened at home?

Old Carl: That's right. Dill's son has always been rebellious and disobedient, and likes to hang out outside. He seems to have offended someone online and is being harassed by some street thugs every day. They couldn't take it anymore and decided to move away from here.

Old Carl: Some people have contacted Deer, but they're only willing to pay less than a million dollars for the land. Others willing to pay higher prices have been harassed to varying degrees, making it difficult to sell the land in the short term. If you want to buy the land, I can contact Deer. If you can withstand the pressure and resolve these problems, you might be able to get a discounted price.

Zhang Ailun: Okay. I was just about to go check it out.

They then contacted the manor owner, expressing their desire to purchase the land and inquiring if the owner had time to meet.

Manor Owner: I have time now. You can call me directly after you arrive.

Zhang Ailun sent another message to Sieg, asking him to bring a group of people to go on a long trip with him.

They agreed on a meeting place and drove over to pick him up. Soon they spotted Sig at the intersection, standing by the roadside drinking coffee with several Beggar Clan disciples.

Zhang Ailun parked his car on the side of the road, greeted the other person, and unlocked the car door.

The other party immediately walked over with a smile and led the Beggar Clan member into the car.

Sig, having fastened his seatbelt in the passenger seat, asked, "Boss, what kind of errand do I need to run this time?"

"It's nothing major, just going to the countryside to look at a farm or ranch. I also want to help them resolve some trouble and buy the land at a discounted price."

Zhang Ailun gave a brief explanation, then started the vehicle, searched the map for navigation, and drove out of the city to the countryside.

Sieg was somewhat surprised. "You want to buy land? How much? Is it 500 acres?"

I also searched for land prices in California. "Commercial land near the city or in the city center is quite expensive. Land in remote suburbs or rural areas is basically worthless, costing only $2-3 per square meter, or even less than $1. However, subsequent development will cost a lot of money, and you will also have to pay property taxes and land taxes every year. If there are mineral or oil resources underground, then it's better."

Zhang Ailun smiled and said, "It's an abandoned ranch. The seller ran into some trouble and is selling it. The land area is about 400 hectares, or 6000 acres. The asking price is around 200 million US dollars!"

"So expensive!?" Sig gasped.

"So we need to discuss the price with him again," Zhang Ailun said.

This price is actually quite cheap. It's only in the sparsely populated western region; in any other country, land would be incredibly expensive.

"Land in the countryside is worthless. It costs two million US dollars to buy it, and the development costs will be even higher. Boss, what are you planning to do with that land? Start a livestock business? It costs so much money, it will take at least five or six years to break even." Sig didn't quite understand.

"The price is right, and the area is quite large. If we can find oil or other minerals on that land, wouldn't we make a fortune?" Zhang Ailun replied, "Even if we don't find any of those, there are still plenty of trees there. We can harvest and sell them in two years. Raising sheep and cattle won't cost much either."

"..." Sig was speechless.

After driving for several tens of minutes, we arrived at Green Field Town. Following the navigation, we came to a wasteland covered with trees. The land was desolate, with only a simple sign and fence indicating that it was private land. There were also dilapidated cowsheds and detached villas.

A modern-day Beecher's Wish. Only much larger. After all, it's 6,000 acres, stretching from the east end of the town to the west, seemingly endless, with enough water and grass alone to support 30,000 cattle.

After touring the site, I became increasingly satisfied with the land.

Zhang Ailun took out his phone and contacted the seller.

The owner of the ranch received the call and quickly arrived in a four-wheeled convertible SUV that looked more like a tractor from the outside.

"Hey! Are you the ones looking to see the land?" The manor owner, slightly overweight with gray hair, wearing a cowboy hat and a vest, greeted them. Next to the chair was an elderly woman, presumably his wife.

"That's right, we did want to visit this piece of land. You must be Mr. Deer?" Zhang Ailun said.

"Yes. I am Deer." Deer, the owner of the manor, nodded, then looked at the license plate of the Jeep Wrangler the two were driving and asked in surprise, "You're from Los Angeles? Old Carl already told me that you took over that guy's recycling station in the city. Business must be pretty good, right? Why did you suddenly decide to develop your business in the countryside?"

"We just think your land is pretty good and we want to buy it to do some other business. We've also roughly understood the situation. We heard that your son got into some trouble? These people came to harass you and try to drive down the price, which is why your land can't be sold?" Zhang Ailun said.

The couple looked worried as soon as the topic came up. They sighed, "Don't even mention it. Those thugs come to harass us every day. They throw dead rams into the ranch, graffiti the evil number 666, leave bloodstained crosses, and even use witches' voodoo dolls to curse us. Someone was originally going to buy the whole plot for $230 million, but they ruined it all. Now, basically no one in the area is willing to buy the land anymore, and we're planning to lower the price again."

What? It's actually a voodoo curse from 666? Then I have no choice but to believe it.

Zhang Ailun was stunned. He thought it was some kind of harassment, but he never expected it to be a psychological attack.

After all, there are quite a few people here who believe in God and Satan, and most of them are religious. Throwing dirty water on them is like digging up an old Qing Dynasty corpse in your yard, having a red-clad female ghost hanging in your house, grinding her teeth in the middle of the night, having a mirror facing your bed, or having someone wake you up in the middle of the night to play rock-paper-scissors.

It has to be said that this method is really ruthless.

The Grand Master put on a mask of pain and forced a smile.

"Why didn't you call 911 to handle it?" Sig asked.

"The police officers helped us at first, but it was no use. They only stopped for a while, and after a few days they started harassing us again."

Deere said helplessly, "This estate used to be my grandfather's for raising livestock and making wine. There was an underground wine cellar in the log cabin villa, and an air-raid shelter was built by the lake on the ranch. At its best, the land area was 12000 acres, with more than 50,000 cattle and more than 20 cowboys to help manage it. But due to the land reform, the tax burden increased, and there was also malicious competition. The cattle and sheep contracted Brucella and died on a large scale, so we had no choice but to withdraw from the industry competition."

"After my grandfather passed away, my father was left alone. He didn't have any skills and could only live off his family's wealth. He sold off the land and family property. By my son's generation, we had also sold off some of the land. During that time, I also planted corn and grapes, but they didn't make any money. We lost a lot of money, and our finances were in even worse shape."

"I'd considered selling the ranch and estate a long time ago. But the land prices in the countryside are too low, only a few hundred dollars per acre, which is unacceptable to me. Plus, I've been maliciously harassed; they only want to buy the land for a million dollars or even less, making it even harder to sell. I don't know why they're doing this!"

Deer reluctantly revealed the bitter tears of the ranch owner.

While it's true that you can make money solely through animal husbandry, you also have to consider natural disasters and man-made calamities. Without strength and ambition, you simply can't support such a large business.

The area has shrunk from 12000 mu to 6000 mu. Most of the good land with abundant water and grass that can be planted has been sold, leaving only the less desirable land and woodlands, which look barren and are therefore cheaper.

Even the landlords didn't have any surplus grain.

(End of this chapter)