Chapter 777: Ethan Hawthorne’s Crisis

Adrian Hawthorne had no idea someone had their eye on his mother. He was currently in Tristone. Ethan Hawthorne had once again sent word to Goldie Thorne, asking for a meeting. It seemed he was truly getting desperate.

"I’ve asked around. Your dad’s funds are all tied up. He made a lot of money selling fabric and electronics a few years back and invested it all in a bunch of houses and land. All his cash is locked up in that stuff. Your dad’s a fool, spending so much money on houses. What’s the use of buying that stuff anyway?"

Goldie Thorne really didn’t understand Ethan Hawthorne’s actions. The Hawthorne family already had more houses than they could live in, so why go and buy a pile of shabby old places? Houses weren’t like fabric; you couldn’t just sell them whenever you wanted. Besides, work units assigned housing, so there was no need to buy. Even if Ethan Hawthorne wanted to sell his properties, no one would buy them. No wonder he was practically jumping out of his skin with anxiety.

"How could houses be useless? Land and property are the best investments. Actually, Uncle Goldie, you could buy some houses in Tristone, too. Housing will definitely get tighter in the future, and prices will keep going up."

Adrian Hawthorne and Old Master Tate had analyzed future economic models long ago. Real estate would absolutely become a pillar of the economy, especially in major cities like Tristone, Aethelgard, and Capria. Housing prices there wouldn’t be any lower than in international metropolises like Novaport and Senna. If they stockpiled a batch of properties now, before housing became a commodity, those properties would be worth more than gold in thirty years at most.

Goldie Thorne was skeptical. "Can you really make money buying houses? But isn’t housing allocated by work units right now?"

"It is now, but that might not be the case in the future. If you have spare cash, you should buy some. You definitely won’t lose money just letting them sit." Adrian didn’t reveal everything. Some of it was just speculation on his part; even Old Master Tate couldn’t guarantee with one hundred percent certainty that assigned housing would be abolished in the future.

But it was certain that the population would continue to grow. The amount of land, however, was finite. More people meant less land per person. According to the laws of the market, when demand increases, prices naturally rise. Therefore, a surge in housing prices was inevitable.

"So are you buying?" Goldie Thorne asked.

"Not right now. I have other uses for my money. I’ll buy later."

Adrian Hawthorne had no plans to buy property at the moment. The real estate market was unlikely to see any major changes within the next ten years, and he didn’t want to tie up his capital in property. His father had made that exact mistake. Now his funds weren’t liquid, and if a problem arose in his supply chain, everything would fall apart.

"Well, let me know when you decide to buy. I’ll go in with you." Goldie Thorne had a plan. He was sure he couldn’t go wrong if he just followed Adrian’s lead.

Adrian Hawthorne just smiled and didn’t press the matter further.

Goldie Thorne then said, "A new big shot just showed up in Tristone recently. His surname is Chen, but I haven’t found out his full name yet. He’s about your father’s age. This Chen guy has pretty much taken over the northern market, and he has his own supply channels. He doesn’t go through Master Feng; it seems he gets his goods directly from Port Krol."

Adrian Hawthorne’s expression turned serious. This Chen character was coming on strong with a very clear objective: to seize the southern market. ’Hmph, I hope he doesn’t bite off more than he can chew,’ he thought.

"Let’s ignore him for now."

Adrian planned to wait and see, responding to changes as they came. He wanted to observe what this Chen character’s first move would be. Besides, he had a pretty good idea what his father’s intentions were. He likely wanted to cooperate with him to deal with this newcomer.

In fact, Adrian’s guess was correct. That was exactly what Ethan Hawthorne had in mind. Moreover, his situation was even worse than Goldie Thorne had described. Not only were his funds tied up, but he had also incurred a sizable debt—and it was from a loan shark.

If he couldn’t free up his capital soon, all his years of hard work would go down the drain. He might not even be able to hold on to the Hawthorne family’s assets.

Others might not know the origins of this Chen fellow, but Ethan Hawthorne knew perfectly well. The man was coming straight for the Hawthorne family.