Reborn in America, I am a legendary short seller on Wall Street.

Chapter 188 Birthday
The two arrived at the farm gate, Larry sitting on his horse, watching as the small farm had undergone tremendous changes.

The farmhouse had been freshly painted and looked brand new. The barn door was open, and a flock of red and yellow chickens could be seen pecking at insects on the ground. In addition, a brand new horse-drawn single-bladed plow stood next to the stable.

In the distance, the fields had clearly been plowed in the spring. The dark brown soil had been turned over, and the moist earth glistened in the spring sun, forming neat, long furrows.

Even while sitting on horseback, Larry could smell the rich, fresh scent of mud.

Some of the earlier-sown oats and barley have already turned a hazy, fuzzy green, with seedlings only two inches tall, but already like a soft green veil spread across the field.

Further out in the fields, two strong draft horses were slowly pulling a single-bladed plow, with Larry's father following behind, holding the plow handle.

"Your father?" Dunbar asked with a smile.

“Yes!” Larry smiled and urged his horse into the small farm.

As soon as Larry entered the farm gate, he looked around but did not see his mother. He then rode his horse straight toward his father who was tilling the fields.

The father noticed that there were visitors at the farm, and when he saw that it was Larry, he couldn't hide his smile.

Immediately, the father stopped the horse from pulling it, and, stepping on the newly turned soil, walked to the edge of the field, his steps uneven.

The father first looked at Larry, then at the chestnut horse he was riding, and asked curiously, "Larry, you can ride a horse now? Oh, this horse is nice!"

"Dad, where's Mom?" Larry jumped off his horse and asked his father.

The father smiled and pointed to the orchard in the distance, saying, "She's in the orchard, pruning the branches of the fruit trees."

Larry kept looking back at the fruit trees in the distance, which were full of blossoms, but he didn't see his mother. He turned to his father and said, "Dad, why did you call me back? I heard you were looking for me, so I rushed back from Washington."

The father was startled by this and quickly asked, "You went to Washington? What were you doing there?"

"It's some business," Larry explained with a smile, only saying that he and a friend had started a retail business. After saying that, he asked, "You asked me to be back by Sunday, is there something wrong?"

The father smiled, looking deeply into his eyes, and slowly said, "Of course, today is your birthday! Your mother has been asking you to come back for a long time. She wanted to cook you a nice meal to celebrate your birthday!"

Larry was taken aback, then remembered that his birthday was indeed April 3rd. He realized that he hadn't noticed it at all if his parents hadn't reminded him; it turned out he was an Aries.

The father pointed to the orchard and said to Larry, “Go on, your mother has been waiting for you... I’ll take these two draft horses back to the stable.”

"Okay!" Larry replied, laughing as he mounted his horse and galloped straight toward the orchard.

The orchard is located on the Charles River side of the farm. At this moment, the old apple trees are bursting with blossoms, the white flowers tinged with pale pink. Thousands upon thousands of blossoms gather together, forming a cloud of color that attracts swarms of bees.

The air was filled with a sweet, intoxicating floral fragrance.

"Mom, where are you?" Larry called out towards the orchard.

Before long, the mother appeared in the orchard, holding a pair of pruning shears. When she saw Larry, she smiled and hurried over.

When his mother got closer, Larry's eyes lit up, and he kept looking at his mother's bulging belly.

The mother gave a slightly embarrassed smile, patted her belly, and said, "You'll probably have a little brother or sister in three more months!"

Larry laughed, dismounted, and quickly went to his mother to help her up.
"Then don't do any work, don't tire yourself out," Larry advised with a smile.

The mother shook her head and smiled, saying, "We can't let your father do everything by himself. Besides, I can do some things too."

The two walked toward the cabin, chatting and laughing, while the chestnut horse grazed on the grass in place.

From afar, the mother saw Mr. Dunbar riding a horse at the farm gate and asked curiously, "Larry, who is he? Is he your friend?"

Larry nodded. "Yes, we do business together. He heard I was in trouble and came back with me."

"Okay, please let this gentleman go inside and rest. I'll prepare some tea for you right now." The mother turned and went inside to get busy.

Larry called to Mr. Dunbar and then went to the orchard to lead the chestnut horse to the stable.

Mr. Dunbar dismounted by the stable and immediately spotted Thor grazing inside. His eyes lit up!

"My God, what a fine horse!"

Larry turned around and looked at it. "Oh, this is the horse I bought from town last time. It's called Thor, a Dutch Warmblood."

Mr. Dunbar nodded, but his eyes were fixed on Thor. He walked closer and kept scrutinizing the horse.

At this moment, Larry's father also returned. He dragged the reins, pulling two draft horses behind him, and walked steadily toward the stables.

Larry stepped forward first and pointed to Mr. Dunbar, introducing him to his father, "Dad, this is a friend I do business with."

Mr. Dunbar turned around and looked back, and Larry's father also hurriedly greeted him.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Dunbar took the opportunity to help Larry's father drive the draft horses back to the stable.

It turns out that men find it very easy to find common ground; Dunbar and Larry's father chatted incessantly about the horses.

Larry walked over with his hands on his hips, looked at the horses in the stable, and said loudly, "Dad, why don't you hire a few more people? It's too hard to manage such a big farm by yourself!"

The father turned to Larry and said, “There were two temporary workers, but they’ve both gone home today, it’s Sunday.”

Seeing that the two were having a good time chatting, Larry casually picked up a cigar and handed it to them.

Mr. Dunbar took the cigar with practiced ease and took a puff, while Larry's father frowned and stared at Larry as if there was something dirty on his face.

Larry suddenly realized that his parents didn't know he smoked cigars, and quickly explained with a smile, "These are Mr. Dunbar's cigars."

The father then nodded and accepted the cigar.

Larry quickly struck a match and lit a cigar for his father as well. The two grown men continued chatting while smoking their cigars, and Larry went back to the cabin to help his mother start a fire and cook.

Because of her pregnancy, the mother could only smile and direct Larry to fetch some firewood from the hut.

Larry knew where the firewood was stored. As soon as he squatted down there, he heard a "rip" sound and his trousers were torn open at the crotch.

Larry jumped to his feet, only then realizing that he had felt his trousers were tight while riding. Clearly, dress trousers weren't meant for riding. The trousers had held up just now because Larry was careful, but the friction from the saddle and the knee exertion required while riding kept the trousers in a state of extreme tightness, making them very prone to tearing.

Larry looked down and saw that the tear in his pants was quite large, almost chafing through the crotch area...

Clutching his crotch, Larry hurriedly ran back to the cabin. His mother, seeing his strange appearance, immediately realized that he had chafed his crotch and quickly helped him get a pair of pants from the bedroom.

"Here, try on your father's blue pants!" The mother said with a smile, handing over a pair of pants.

Larry looked and exclaimed, "Wow! Jeans!"

At this time, jeans had been invented for almost 20 years, but people didn't call them jeans back then; they were generally called work pants or ranch pants.

For someone like my mother, we might as well call her "Blue Pants" or Levi's Pants.

Larry blushed slightly as he took the pants and hurriedly ran to the inner room to change his own.

Soon after, Larry's father and Mr. Dunbar returned. When they saw Larry wearing such a mismatched pair of pants, they immediately understood what had happened.

Dunbar laughed and said, "Levi Strauss envisioned this scene when he was making these for gold miners in California. Oh, rivets to hold your butt in place, coarse cloth to rub against a saddle—that's what work pants are all about!"

Larry chuckled somewhat helplessly, "Then I can't return these pants to my dad yet, because I still need to ride back on horseback..."

Everyone laughed.
.
Before dinner, Larry and Dunbar unsaddled the two newly bought horses and gave them hay, while Larry's parents were in charge of cooking.

After a while, the food was ready.

Larry and Dunbar returned to the cabin and discovered that their parents had prepared a truly lavish meal for them.

On the table is a roasted spring chicken, served whole on a large shallow dish and garnished with cooked onions.

There's also roast beef, which is slow-cooked in a large pot until the meat is tender and the broth is rich.

The side dishes are New England stew, creamy onions, pea puree, and freshly baked cookies.

On the table was a bottle of wine that Larry's father had specially bought in town.

On the dining table, there was her mother's best white linen tablecloth, and the bone china tea set that Larry had bought was also laid out by her mother. She had also brewed a pot of fragrant black tea.

At the mother's suggestion, the four of them offered a prayer before the meal.

When it was time for dinner, Dunbar learned that it was Larry's birthday, so he raised his glass to congratulate him.

Larry glanced at his parents, then raised his glass, pretending it was his first time drinking.

The four of them chatted and laughed at the dinner table.

“Mom and Dad, you should hire more people and take advantage of the spring to cultivate the 83 acres of wasteland behind the house,” Larry reminded his parents.

A serious expression appeared on the father's face, and he suddenly said, "I almost forgot to mention it, but the land can't be developed yet because I heard that a railway is going to pass through our town, which may require the requisition of nearby land."

Larry paused, then remembered that when he bought the land, the real estate agent had mentioned that there might be a railway line passing near their land in Holliston.

Upon hearing this news, Mr. Dunbar frowned and said calmly, "I don't know what the situation is in the East right now, but in the West, if a railway passes through one's own land, it may not be a good thing for the landowners."

Larry's parents turned to look at Dunbar, and Larry asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

Dunbar explained, “Compensation for land occupation is always below market value, and it is usually determined by appraisers hired by the railroad company or by officials appointed by the local government. Farmers’ valuations of their land are often not taken seriously.”

Hearing this, Larry's father narrowed his eyes and asked hesitantly, "How many would there be?"

“It’s probably only 50% to 70% of the market price!” Mr. Dunbar said.

"Then who will allow them to seize the land?" Larry's mother asked, frowning.

Mr. Dunbar scoffed, “Railway companies are generally granted land expropriation rights by state governments, which means they have the right to forcibly purchase land whenever it is necessary for the public interest, even if the farmers disagree.”

Larry's father frowned even more deeply upon hearing this.

“The land hasn’t even been requisitioned yet. Besides, if they requisition wasteland, we bought it for a pretty cheap price, so we won’t lose money,” Larry reassured his parents, afraid that they would be unhappy about it.

The father sighed, “If only the wasteland could be requisitioned… I’m just afraid that the train line will cut through our farm, and then the railway company will buy a 100-foot strip of land and divide our farm in two.”

Larry kept calculating in his mind: if a 100-foot-long strip of land was requisitioned, then at least a 30-meter-wide strip of land would also be taken. Furthermore, during construction, the railroad company would temporarily requisition the edge of the farmland for use as construction camps and material storage areas. After the project was completed, these lands would be left in a mess, difficult to restore to cultivation.

The mother frowned and said, "Even if it's fixed, it'll still be noisy! Trains roar past every day, and I get woken up at night by the noise."

Seeing that the two looked unhappy, Mr. Dunbar quickly said, "Don't worry, Holliston is such a big place, it's unlikely to pass through your land."

"Which railway company is it?" Larry suddenly asked.

“It’s said to be a newly formed railway company that merged several smaller companies, and it’s called Union New England Railway,” the father replied.

Larry raised an eyebrow, wondering if he had sold his stocks yet. If the stock price went up, it would be a way to compensate his parents.

Thinking about stocks, Larry suddenly remembered something else: he had forgotten to bring the $2.43 bonus back to his parents.

It seems I'll have to wait until next time.

(End of this chapter)