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

Chapter 286 Bad News Arrives

Tuesday, 1 p.m. Larry returned to Boston, a city he had been away from for a long time.

Stepping off the train, Larry could almost see the bell tower of the old North Church, smell the briny scent of the fishing harbor, and even hear the popping of the Coca-Cola bubbles next to the bookstore…

“It feels so good to be in Boston. I just got off the train and started heading home.” Larry took a deep breath of the sweet air and said to Matthew with a smile.

However, Matthew was looking towards the Back Bay area.

Larry suddenly realized, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Let me think, you're definitely not thinking about Mr. Winthrop, are you?"

Matthew's face flushed slightly. He smiled but didn't answer. Instead, he turned to look across the small railway square, where Mr. K's first 717 convenience store was located.

“Larry, I’m increasingly convinced that opening a convenience store at a train station is a stroke of genius. After sitting on the train for so long, I’m actually craving a cigarette.” Matthew pointed to the prominent sign of the 717 convenience store in the distance.

The convenience store was still as conspicuous as ever. Larry watched the bustling traffic in front of the 717 convenience store, with many train station passengers constantly coming and going.

"Business is indeed good! I wonder if Mr. K is here?" Larry invited everyone to go and check, and also to have some water and rest.

The Italian lads following Larry were visibly more excited. This was the first time they'd been away from Boston for so long. They were overjoyed to finally be returning home.

As soon as they entered the convenience store, they were greeted by the pleasant aroma of milk tea. Larry looked up and saw a large metal bucket next to the counter, where clerks were dispensing steaming cups of milk tea to women and children.

The convenience store manager spotted Larry and his Italian assistant immediately. He rushed out, bowed to Larry, and said, "Boss, you're back! That's wonderful! We've been looking forward to seeing you."

Larry nodded and casually asked, "Judging from the way you guys do here, business seems pretty good!"

The store manager smiled, "This is our flagship store! Now, when people talk about Boston, they think of our convenience store. They even stop by after getting off the train to buy something. This store is practically a famous Boston tourist attraction..."

Larry nodded and smiled. At that moment, another waiter eagerly poured Larry a cup of fragrant milk tea and placed it in his hand.

Afterwards, everyone received a cup of milk tea.

The milk tea was warm, emitting a faint steam into the air, and the tin bucket had a hollow structure and heat preservation function.

Belgian Berg tasted the milk tea and exclaimed, "This stuff is absolutely delicious! Is it a Boston specialty? What's it called?"

“Milk tea! A really good drink. You’re right, it really is a Boston specialty…” Larry replied with a smile.

Mr. Dunbar, who was standing to the side, seemed a little uneasy. Instead of drinking his milk tea, he turned to a shop assistant he recognized and asked, "Launee, where's Mr. K? Why isn't he here today?"

The shop assistant replied respectfully, "Mr. K just returned from Cambridge yesterday. He found a location there to open a new shop and went to check it out yesterday. I haven't seen him this morning; he's probably still resting at home..."

Matthew looked at Dunbar and asked jokingly, "What's wrong, Uncle Dunbar? Are you missing him?"

"Who are you thinking about? Old K?! How could that be? I wanted to ask him how my horses, which I've left here, are doing. We've been on this straight trip through New York for almost a month now, and I've been missing my 'quill pen' for ages," Dunbar said, frowning.

Larry knew that "Quill" was Dunbar's horse's name. Hearing Mr. Dunbar say that made him miss his own pony, "Biscuit."

The young shop assistant smiled and said, "You can ask me about this. Those two horses have been kept at the inn next to the train station. Mr. K hasn't dared to neglect them and goes to check on them every few days. We wanted to ride them, but he wouldn't let us."

Upon hearing the news of the horses' whereabouts, Dunbar hurriedly stood up, setting aside his milk tea, and waved to the shop assistant, saying, "Come on, take me there to see!"

Larry thought to himself, "This is what it means to have someone on your mind!"
He turned to Matthew and asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Matthew, should we stay here another night, or head to Concord this afternoon?"

This was essentially asking him whether or not he should go home and check on Miss Winthrop first...

Matthew gave a shy smile, waved his hand, and said, "Business is important. Mr. Berg has finally come to Boston, so let's go to Concord to see my brother first. We can talk about other things later."

Larry turned to the Belgian, who also looked very serious. “If possible, Mr. Livingston, I would indeed like to pay a visit to Mr. Browning first.”

“In that case, let’s get down to business first!” Larry then called over a shop assistant and asked him to go to the train station to see what time the earliest train to Concord was that afternoon. If there was a suitable train, he could buy a ticket while he was at it.

After the clerk left, Larry invited the Belgian and Matthew to sit on the bench outside the convenience store and relax together while drinking milk tea.

The four young men who had followed Larry to New York walked over hesitantly. One of them mustered up the courage to ask Larry for leave, as they hadn't been home for a long time.

Larry nodded in agreement. "Okay, you can go back and rest. I approve two days off for you. Report back to Mr. K on Thursday. Also, if you see Mr. K, tell him to come to the convenience store at the train station to see me." The Italian lads happily agreed and left.

The Belgian watching Larry boss around his many employees, who were much older than him, without any embarrassment or unease, as if they were born aristocrats, couldn't help but marvel at it in secret.

Only three people remained chatting outside the convenience store. Before Larry had even finished his milk tea, he saw Dunbar riding his big horse, holding the reins of his own horse, trotting towards them.

When Larry saw Dunbar arrive with his horse, he quickly stood up and went to greet him.

At the same time, Larry also saw Mr. Dunbar's gloomy face, as if a thunderclap was about to explode.

"Larry, look at this! Both horses have swollen legs and hooves. Old K doesn't know anything about horses! How can horses be kept in a stable for so long? It's like putting them in prison! These horses lack exercise and are practically depressed from being cooped up in that shabby stable!"

Upon hearing Mr. Dunbar's complaint, Larry quickly turned his attention to his horse.

Sure enough, the horse wasn't in good spirits; it looked listless and somewhat frightening, and its expression was also very dejected. Due to lack of exercise, its body was noticeably unhealthy and swollen with obesity.

Mr. Dunbar dismounted, his face full of anger. "I'm going to settle the score with him later! I entrusted him with two healthy, fine horses, and now look what happened?!"

Larry saw that Mr. Dunbar looked very unhappy and didn't want to offend him, so he just nodded in agreement.

However, Larry was a little angry when he saw his cookies looking sickly.

The two men were checking their horses when the shop assistant who had been sent to check train schedules quickly returned and approached them.

"Boss!" the clerk said, mimicking Mr. K's tone and feigning breathlessness, "There's a train at 2:30 this afternoon. But there are no first-class seats left, so I didn't take the liberty of buying you a ticket. If you want to take this train, you'd better hurry, it's almost time to board!"

Larry looked up at Dunbar, whose brow furrowed with suppressed anger as he gazed at his horse with concern...

Larry immediately made a decision, "Uncle Dunbar, you stay and look after these two horses. Matthew and I will go to Concord. There's nothing urgent this time, the three of us can go..."

Dunbar looked up at Larry, then at his own horse, frowned, and nodded. "Alright. I need to give these two horses a good walk and a bath. My God, are all the people at the trading post idiots? They only feed the horses, not clean them! And Old K has the nerve to say he takes care of the horses every few days? He must have dog poop in his eyes..."

Hearing Mr. Dunbar's unusual grumbling, Larry knew the old man was really angry, so he turned and called the Belgian and Matthew to the train station.

“Of course, actually it’s fine for just the two of us to go. Matthew, you can also rest for a couple of days…” Larry said to him solemnly.

"Go away... nothing is more important than a gun!" Matthew laughed.

The three of them went back into the train station and boarded a train to Concord.

Larry and his two companions had only been gone for half an hour when Mr. K rushed over. Dunbar glared at him, ready to settle the score, but Mr. K beat him to it, his face showing urgency.
"Where's the boss? I need to speak with him urgently!"

Dunbar looked at him suspiciously, thinking that Old K was just making excuses to stall for time. "...They've already gone to Concord. What do you need?"

"Bad news! The boss's favorite Chinese guy has been arrested for murder, and the prosecutor intends to charge him with intentional homicide!"

"How is this possible? Is this real? Murder?" Dunbar was stunned.

Mr. K glanced furtively at the pistol at Dunbar's waist, swallowed hard, and then hurriedly continued, "Yes! Dunbar, hurry up and think of something! Otherwise, that Chinese man is definitely not going to escape the gallows!"

Dunbar hesitated for a moment, then turned to the clerk who had just bought train tickets and asked, "Are there any train tickets to Concord this afternoon?"

"No, sir. The earliest bus is tomorrow at noon," the clerk replied.

Dunbar frowned, glared at Mr. K, and said coldly, "Then I'll have to make the trip to Concord myself, damn it! I'll settle this score with you when I get back!"

So, under the eager gaze of Mr. K and his men, Dunbar rode his own horse, took Larry's reins in his hand, and rode to Concord to deliver the message.

After Dunbar left, Mr. K revealed a disdainful smile. He leaned against the outside of the convenience store, whistling and cursing.

"That old fool, he definitely doesn't know that there's something called a telegraph in this world!"

(End of this chapter)