I was the Founding Father of the United States

Chapter 81 Land Transactions

June 14th, morning.

Russell Square, northeast of the British Museum in London, is home to a private residence belonging to the Duke of Bedford.

Chen Wenbin, accompanied by a group of entourage, was in the living room signing the final land transfer documents with Francis Russell, the eldest son of the current Duke of Bedford.

Three days ago, John Adams and a London lawyer named David Jones, representing Chen Wenbin, formally proposed to the Russell family to acquire 68 acres of land in North Bloomsbury.

Because both sides were sincere, they reached an agreement in just two and a half days.

The Russell family sold the land for £39 per acre. In addition, Chen Wenbin had to pay £1250 for land acquisition, infrastructure costs, land transaction tax, and other expenses. In total, Mr. Chen spent a full £3900 to build a satellite city in North London.

This sum is equivalent to a luxurious aristocratic mansion with dozens of rooms in Mayfair, or hundreds of acres of estates in Islington and Harnik further north of London!

He spent more than half of Diana's dowry before it even arrived!

However, when it comes to real estate development, the three most important things are—

Location! Location! Location!

I'm not afraid of expensive land, I'm afraid of it not appreciating!

This 68-acre property in North Bloomsbury is only two miles away from Westminster Abbey in a straight line, and it is located south of the British Museum and Russell Square, making it destined to be the most prestigious land in the British Empire!

Mr. Chen has now bought at the absolute bottom of history, and is guaranteed to make a profit!

Leaving aside the events of several centuries later, the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars thirty years later would have undoubtedly caused a massive influx of exiled nobles and wealthy individuals from the European continent to the safer land of England, where they would have bought houses and land. London property prices would have inevitably continued to rise, easily increasing three or four times their current value.

In order to capitalize on this real estate boom, Mr. Chen has decided to establish a real estate development company and a construction company. Initially, he will be responsible for the planning, development and construction of factories in Robintown and South London. Once he has enough money, he will purchase land in prime locations in London to build houses and reap huge profits from the wealthy in Britain and Europe!

Pre-sales, shared area calculations, mortgages with equal principal and interest payments upfront... arrange them all!

Mr. Chen sat on the sofa, smoking a Cuban cigar, and was happily daydreaming. After John Adams and David Jones finished reviewing the transaction documents and nodded in confirmation, he smiled and looked at the young, twenty-four-year-old heir to the duke across from him.

"...Lord! It's been a pleasure working with you! I'm confident that with our combined efforts, we can make Bloomsbury as prosperous as Mayfair!"

"...Robin, you can actually just call me by my name, Francis."

Francis Russell, with his black hair, picked up a quill pen, casually signed his name on the document, and then handed it to Chen Wenbin, saying with a faint smile, "My sister Caroline married Duke George of Marlborough two years ago, and your fiancée Diana's surname is Spencer, so... we are actually relatives."

"If it weren't for this, my father would never have sold the land in North Bloomsbury... The Russell family doesn't need those three thousand nine hundred pounds!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Wenbin nodded slowly. He had already heard Diana talk about the Russell family's strength and their marriage alliance with the Duke of Marlborough.

Indeed, as Francis Russell said, even if an ordinary nouveau riche businessman offered two or three times the price, the Russell family would never sell their family land, because that would mean the Duke's family had fallen so low that they needed to sell land to make money, and they would be ridiculed by the entire British aristocratic circle!

But Chen Wenbin was completely different. First, they had a kinship ties through the Spencer family. Second, Chen Wenbin himself was a famous doctor and scientist who had already established his influence and reputation in London. Moreover, he was about to be conferred the title of baron. He was one of their own in the inner circle, so transferring an undeveloped suburban land to him would be no problem at all.

This was a resource exchange among nobles and relatives, not a purely commercial transaction.

"Very well, Francis, I am very grateful to the Duke for transferring the land to me, allowing me to establish a hospital, school, and research institute there..."

As Chen Wenbin signed his name on the document, he said earnestly, "I hope that after the wedding, Diana and I can visit the Duke at Bedford Estate!"

"...That's right! My father would very much like to have you as guests at our home!"

Francis Russell finally smiled with satisfaction, then reminded him, "You should be visiting George! I mean the Duke of Marlborough; he's been waiting for Diana and you to come!"

Chen Wenbin gave a wry smile, then glanced at John Adams and his entourage, as well as the other party's lawyer and butler, and shook his head, saying, "Francis, I think we can talk alone!"

Francis paused, then nodded. "...Of course! The documents are all signed. Everyone, you may leave!"

"Yes, sir!" The middle-aged butler who had been standing behind him with his hands behind his back immediately replied and turned to ask the others to leave.

Chen Wenbin also told John Adams, John Morris, and others to go and rest first.

After everyone left, only the two of them remained sitting on the sofa. Francis looked at Chen Wenbin curiously and asked, "Everyone's gone, Robin, can you tell me now? Why didn't you and Diana go to see George after you got to England?"

Caroline wrote to me saying that George feels ignored by you all!

"...Why?"

Chen Wenbin took another puff of his cigar and said calmly, "Because Diana is pregnant! Four months! We have to keep this a secret as much as possible before the wedding... Right now, only a few of my subordinates, oh, and His Majesty the King and Queen know about this!"

"...What?!"

Francis stared at Chen Wenbin in shock, his light blue eyes wide open... This guy was so bold! He got a noble lady pregnant before they were even married!

But then he couldn't help but admire this incredibly handsome guy... he was just too amazing!

A commoner who is not only skilled in scientific inventions and medicine, but also so adept at seducing women... Although he believes that he can win the hearts of most noble ladies with his looks and knowledge, it is beyond his capabilities to rise directly from a commoner to a baron!

He sighed inwardly and shook his head, saying, "...Robin! You guys are so careless!"

However, I don't think it's a serious problem; Diana can just wear a looser dress for her wedding... But until then, it must be kept a secret. I can assure you, I will never tell anyone except Caroline!"