To think of demolishing his own home just to curry favor with Wang Guan—one had to admit that Kong Chao’s shamelessness had reached an astonishing level.

Of course, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. If one desires a harvest, an investment is inevitable; that is a truth applicable across all ages. Thus, Kong Chao was certainly willing to spend; after all, what is given is what is gained. Besides, the house was already crumbling, and merely leveling the platform steps was no great hardship for Kong Chao.

The crucial thing was placating Wang Guan, hoping the man would take pity and throw down some money—that would be the real benefit.

However, just as Kong Chao was fawning and flattering, Wang Guan fell into deep thought. Whether some chord had been struck or not, he wasn't in a rush to leave; instead, he looked around the entrance.

He had been so eager to enter earlier that he hadn't paid attention to the outside surroundings. Looking closely now, Wang Guan noticed the residence possessed a certain scale; there were three steps leading up to the door, flanked by stone lions on either side. While such specifications would be unremarkable in modern times, in antiquity, no one without status or standing would dare reside in such a building casually.

With that thought, Wang Guan casually remarked, "Is this truly your ancestral home?"

"Yes," Kong Chao replied, not quite grasping the implication but nodding repeatedly. "It’s been passed down from my great-grandfather's great-grandfather's great-grandfather. Seven or eight generations have lived here by the time it got to me, which is why it’s so dilapidated..."

"Seven or eight generations."

Wang Guan murmured, then paced around, examining the place.

"Boss."

At that moment, Kong Chao asked in confusion, "What are you looking at?"

"Don't disturb me."

Wang Guan sharply dismissed him, then, using the dim light, slowly circled the entire residence. He observed that the house was more spacious than he had initially imagined; in ancient terms, it would certainly belong to a gentry or wealthy landowner class.

Returning to the side of the entrance, Wang Guan said nonchalantly, "I wouldn't have guessed. Your family used to be quite prosperous."

"Not bad, not bad," Kong Chao replied, still not understanding Wang Guan’s true intent, and managed a strained smile, showing rare humility. "Our family fortunes have declined; each generation is worse than the last."

Wang Guan offered no comment, then suddenly asked, "Are you selling it?"

"What?" Kong Chao froze, not because he hadn't heard, but because he couldn't believe his ears.

"Are you selling the house?" Wang Guan asked casually.

"...Sell, of course, I'll sell," Kong Chao snapped back to reality, nodding profusely, though a hint of doubt crept in. He ventured cautiously, "Boss, why would you want to buy this broken... ahem, this residence?"

"That's none of your concern," Wang Guan said flatly. "Consider it an act of great kindness on my part. I pity your circumstances, so I'm offering you a small benefit. If you agree, fine; if not, forget it."

"I agree, why wouldn't I?" Kong Chao panicked immediately, afraid that wealth falling into his lap might vanish. He immediately bowed and scraped. "It is my fortune that the Boss favors this house. How could I possibly disagree..."

"Good that you agree," Wang Guan nodded, gesturing. "Name your price."

"Uh... right, name a price, name a price..."

Since his own interests were at stake, Kong Chao’s eyes began to dart wildly. After deep deliberation, he said cautiously, "Boss, this is my ancestral home. It's the place left by my ancestors for me to settle down. If I sell it casually, people will say I’m disrespectful to my ancestors, a prodigal son..."

"So, you're reneging now?" Wang Guan was perfectly calm.

"No, no, no..." Kong Chao shook his head furiously like a rattle drum. To admit regret would mean losing meat already close to his mouth; how could he be so foolish?

Realizing his gentle persuasion wasn't working, Kong Chao decided to throw caution to the wind. He stammered, "Boss, this ancestral home of mine is really quite good... I feel... actually... how about one million?"

"One million?"

In an instant, Wang Guan let out a cold laugh. He hesitated no longer and turned to leave.

"Boss, wait! The price is negotiable!" Kong Chao immediately panicked, chasing after him hastily. "If one million isn't enough, ninety-nine thousand is fine! Or perhaps ninety-eight thousand..."

Wang Guan paid him no mind. The village roads weren't complicated, and his memory was decent, so once he fixed his direction, he walked step-by-step toward where his car was parked.

During the walk, Kong Chao undoubtedly babbled incessantly, continually lowering the price. By the time Wang Guan reached the car, Kong Chao had successfully reduced the asking price from one million to eight hundred and eighty thousand.

"Click!"

At that moment, Wang Guan opened the car door and reclined the seat flat, creating a simple bed. He then retrieved a blanket from the trunk, fully equipped for a night's sleep.

Taking off his shoes and flopping onto the flat cushion, Wang Guan reached for the door latch, intending to close it.

Seeing this, Kong Chao finally lost his composure. He quickly reached out and clamped down hard on the door, pleading as if begging for mercy. "Boss, if you think eight hundred and eighty thousand isn't right, then name a price! You name a price..."

Wang Guan did not name a price; he simply said coldly, "Let go."

"Huh?"

Kong Chao paused in confusion. Before he could react, Wang Guan suddenly exerted force, and the door slammed shut with a bang. A few seconds later, slow music began drifting from inside the car—music conducive to sleep.

"Boss, Boss..."

Kong Chao frantically slapped the window, but received no response. He certainly wasn't giving up and continued shouting for a while longer, but seeing that the car remained silent, he finally gritted his teeth and made a decision, crying out with the pain of being cut deep: "Boss, five hundred thousand! Just five hundred thousand, no less!"

Alas, Kong Chao’s efforts were a waste of time. His desperate wails earned no reaction from Wang Guan, but they did rouse the nearby villagers. Several older men came out, saw Kong Chao making a racket, and noticed him lingering by the car. Naturally, they assumed he was planning something indecent. Their tempers flared immediately, and they began cursing him fiercely, even grabbing sticks, ready to strike...

Moments later, accompanied by the sound of barking dogs, Kong Chao fled in disarray. If one added a dramatic cry of "I shall return," the scene would have been legendary.

And indeed, that is what happened. After the village elders returned to their homes, Kong Chao crept back stealthily, attempting to approach the car, when suddenly a stick descended from above. Although it missed Kong Chao, it startled him badly.

Simultaneously, the window of the house tasked with guarding the vehicle opened. An elderly man stared at Kong Chao with a blank expression, holding a stone in his hand, clearly indicating that if Kong Chao dared to touch the car, he would throw the rock.

"A misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding..."

Kong Chao offered a dry laugh, backing away while shouting, "Boss, come out and tell them it's a misunderstanding! We can discuss the house. Four hundred thousand! Just four hundred thousand..."

However, to Kong Chao’s despair, Wang Guan inside the car remained unresponsive. Even the music seemed to have been turned off at some point. This made the elder suspect Kong Chao was rambling nonsense and lying to him, so he threw the stone without hesitation.

"Ouch!"

Kong Chao jumped, covered his head, and fled. "Boss, think it over! I’ll come find you tomorrow!"

After Kong Chao left, the elder turned off his light, leaving the door and window slightly ajar, playing the part of the patient hunter. After staking out the position for more than ten minutes and confirming Kong Chao truly did not reappear, the elder finally rested contentedly.

The night passed without incident, and dawn soon broke. The sky was still a faint grey as the villagers began to stir and get busy. Boiling water, washing pots and pans, waking children for school...

At first, their movements were deliberately quiet, but soon, the area grew livelier. Before long, the aroma of breakfast began wafting from every household.

At the same time, the sky grew brighter, and Wang Guan naturally woke up. As he opened the car door, just as he expected, he saw a haggard face.

Without a doubt, this was Kong Chao. His complexion was poor at this moment, and his eyes, in particular, were entirely bloodshot. His appearance was nearly identical to that of a rabbit, looking more like he had contracted pink eye, enough to make people steer clear.

"Scaring someone this early in the morning?" Wang Guan grumbled, then started a simple wash-up inside the car using bottled water.

"Boss, about the house..." Kong Chao hadn't slept all night. The main reason was that whenever he closed his eyes, he started fantasizing about how he would spend the money. The more he thought, the more excited he became, making sleep impossible. More importantly, he didn't know if Wang Guan's interest in buying the house was a fleeting whim or a genuine plan. He dreaded that it might just be a passing fancy, and Wang Guan would regret the decision later. This agonizing uncertainty caused his nerves to fray, tossing and turning until he looked utterly exhausted.

Especially now, as Wang Guan focused only on washing up and completely ignored him, Kong Chao grew more restless and took the initiative to lower the price again. "Boss, just thirty thousand! If it’s thirty thousand, the house is yours."

"What house is worth thirty thousand?"

Just then, Elder Duan and Elder Yan walked over leisurely. They looked refreshed, their faces ruddy and spirits high, showing no trace of the previous night's heavy drinking.

"Elder Duan, Elder Yan," Wang Guan quickly wiped the water from his face and greeted them with a smile. "Up so early?"

"We're used to rising early," Elder Duan chuckled. "Besides, in the countryside, one should rise with the sun. In the early morning, looking at the mountains and the water, the feeling is entirely different."

"That's true," Wang Guan agreed completely. The rising sun, the gentle sunlight spreading out, the green mountains and clear water, coupled with the fresh, natural air—it was indeed wonderful.

"Good that you agree," Elder Duan smiled. "Would you like to come up the mountain with us for some morning exercises? It’s even more beneficial."

"Sounds great," Wang Guan certainly had no objection.

However, Kong Chao could not remain calm at this moment. He rushed to interject, "Boss, shouldn't we discuss the house first? You haven't gone back on your word, have you?"

"The house?"

Elder Duan and Elder Yan exchanged a look of surprise and naturally inquired, "What about the house?"

"Yesterday, the Boss visited my house to look at something, and he took a liking to my ancestral home, planning to buy it," Kong Chao quickly explained, eager for more witnesses so Wang Guan wouldn't change his mind.

"Buying an ancestral home?"

Elder Duan and Elder Yan were naturally surprised and both looked toward Wang Guan, their gazes tinged with inquiry, wanting to confirm the truth.

"That's right," Wang Guan admitted with a nod, then shook his head. "But his asking price was too high, so negotiations broke down." (To be continued)