Price's List was the name Dean gave to his website, where "Price" also means "price" in English.
Price List, taken at face value, speaks for itself as a price list, inherently carrying a commercial attribute. At the same time, it is the surname of Dean, killing two birds with one stone.
Since the plan was to create a classified ad website, an easily memorable and catchy name would also make it easier to spread.
After organizing his notes filled with numerous landlords' information, Dean prepared to leave the welfare building.
His father Peter's court case was starting tomorrow, and he needed to head back early to make some preparations.
However, just as he stepped out of the classroom, Susie and a middle-aged man stopped him.
"Dean, I'm Kent Hills, president of the Youngstown Real Estate Investor Alliance," the middle-aged man in a suit introduced himself first.
"Hello, Dean Price," Dean extended his hand to shake the other's, then turned to look at Susie standing beside him.
"The thing is, Dean," Susie stepped forward to introduce him, "the Youngstown Real Estate Investor Alliance is a mutual aid group for real estate investors.
Members come from all sectors of the industry, including investors, mold inspectors, lawyers, and other real estate professionals, and of course, the majority are landlords like us.
We meet on a regular basis and share information with each other. If there are any good ideas or problems, the group collaborates to find solutions."
"It sounds like an industry association geared towards the rental housing market," Dean mused.
"You're right, Dean," Hillz chimed in at the right moment. "Susie just told me about your idea to advertise for landlords on the internet, which I think is a great concept.
If you're interested, Dean, we have a meeting after the new year, and I believe you can find a lot of inspiration there. Of course, we would do our utmost to provide you with the insider news about the rental market."
Hillz didn't really understand the internet, but he had been to California. There, he witnessed the flourishing development of the computer and internet industries.
Ohio might not have large computer companies, but that didn't keep him from being optimistic about the growth of the internet.
Most importantly, Dean was willing to offer them free advertising, and once the online user base became immeasurably large, the impact it could have might far exceed everyone's expectations.
Faced with Hillz's invitation, Dean pondered for a moment before agreeing. His website needed content what better source than this?
After agreeing on a time, Dean drove away from the welfare building.
...
On December 23rd, Peter's case went to court, catching the last bus before Christmas Eve.
This time of year, the courts are usually very busy as everyone wants to wrap things up before Christmas—judges, bailiffs, lawyers, plaintiffs, and defendants alike.
After all, as a local lower court, it generally handled minor monetary claims, traffic cases, eviction cases, and other routine trials, some of which could be concluded in just a few minutes.
But Peter's case wasn't so simple. First, because his DUI charge was brought by the county prosecutor's office to ensure fairness and transparency, the court proceedings were completely open to the public.
The second reason was that Sean Murphy's active calls for attention in the "Youngstown Defender" brought widespread societal attention to the case, at least within Youngstown.
At nine in the morning, Dean and his aunt Rachel's family set off from the south side of town on time, heading toward downtown in the north.
Snow was falling again outside; pedestrians on the streets were bundled up in heavy down coats, and homeless men wearing knit caps staggered along the sidewalks.
A child wrapped up tightly snuggled up to their mother, waiting under the bus stop shelter, shifting their weight from one foot to the other in alternating steps.
Smoke billowed from the chimneys in the city, resembling solid cotton candy in the pale sky. Even to this day, the last remaining steel factory owned by Ma Hongning continued to affirm its presence.
Soon, Frank's car stopped in front of the Youngstown Seventh Circuit Court. Although only three or four stories high, the building seemed to have stood there for a long time.
Ancient Greek Corinthian columns as thick as oak trees surrounded the courthouse, supporting a towering roof that commanded a view of half the city.
To Youngstown alone, this was undoubtedly a magnificent creation. The majestic limestone facade was inscribed with a Latin proverb: The voice of the people is the voice of God.
Whether in his past life or this one, stepping into such a place for the first time invariably caused Dean's heart to race with nerves.
"Relax, Dean, everything is going to be okay," his considerate aunt embraced his shoulders, giving him a gentle pat.
Even though he wasn't the one on trial, Dean had gone over all the documents at least four or five times. After making a slight adjustment, he regained his usual composure.
"Aunt, we've worked so hard, of course there will be a good outcome."
"Dean, let's go in," Frank, who had parked the car, hurried over.
The group passed security smoothly and then directly headed for the designated courtroom, as stated on the court summons.
The click-clack of his aunt's heels echoed on the marble floor, reverberating under the arched ceiling.
Along the way, they brushed shoulders with all sorts of people—lawyers in overcoats and authoritative ties, bailiffs pushing carts full of file bags, and of course, men and women crowded there waiting for their court hearings.