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

Chapter 37 Mr. Potter's Tea Party (Seeking monthly votes and recommendations)
The first working day after Christmas is Monday, December 28th.

But this week was also disrupted by the holiday, because Friday was New Year's Day in 1892.

When faced with consecutive holidays like this, the stock market often experiences inactive trading and a sluggish market, and industry professionals tend to lose interest and enthusiasm.

Mr. Porter, the general manager of the Boston branch of Paine Weber Securities, arrived at the office early this morning. Holding a freshly brewed cup of black tea, he stood by the window watching the workers clearing the remaining snow from the streets in the distance.

At that time, tea was still ranked number one among beverages in the United States.

Despite Boston being most famous for its tea-pouring protests against British rule, the city's refined gentlemen emulate the British upper class in every way, valuing tea above all else and despising coffee, a beverage enjoyed only by the poor.

Halfway through his tea, Mr. Potter suddenly saw Larry Livingston arrive at the sales office early on his bicycle.

Mr. Potter was watching him through the window, and Larry seemed to sense the gaze as well. He turned around, saw Mr. Potter behind the window, and gave him a bright, sunny smile.

Shortly after, Larry knocked on Mr. Porter's office door.

"Please come in!"

Mr. Potter returned to his seat.

Larry walked into the room, smiled at Mr. Potter, and said, "I haven't had a chance to thank you yet. You helped me a lot in Holliston that day."

Mr. Potter shook his head. "No, I didn't do anything. You were the one negotiating with Mr. Duncan."

“But without you by his side, I wouldn’t even have a chance to talk to him,” Larry said sincerely.

Mr. Potter looked at Larry and nodded. "Well... um, by the way, did your father really buy a small farm there?"

“Yes. It’s not very big, but it’s enough to feed our family. My father has always wanted to own his own farm ever since he stopped being a sailor,” Larry said with a smile.

"Wait, what if they're going to Holliston?"

"I rent an apartment myself, and I plan to go to the city in the next few days to look for a suitable apartment."

Mr. Potter nodded, but still advised, "Don't go to the North Side. It's an immigrant area, and the safety is hard to guarantee. I suggest you go to Back Bay. It's a newly developed area, where people with respectable professions like engineers and teachers live. The apartment prices are also very reasonable."

Larry was worried about this matter, but when he heard Mr. Potter's advice, he was overjoyed.

Mr. Potter added, “You’re still young. If a young man like you goes to a real estate agent, you’ll definitely get ripped off. I suggest you talk to the landlords directly. There’s a group of elderly gentlemen and ladies living in Back Bay who live off rent. They usually live on the first floor and rent out the second and third floors.”

“Yes, sir, thank you, sir.” Larry quickly thanked Mr. Potter.

But Mr. Potter immediately glared at him and said in an icy tone, "But you're not allowed to take leave! Absolutely not this week. Just four days. I advise you to stay at the company and look for a place to live after get off work."

“Yes, sir!” Larry quickly replied.

Mr. Porter nodded, then suddenly asked, "What do you plan to do with those 83 acres of land?" "I haven't decided yet, sir. I haven't even figured out how to tell my family and get them to accept the fact that I bought such a large piece of land," Larry's face fell.

Mr. Potter shook his head and smiled. "My God! What a damn smug show of wealth... a 14-year-old boy owns such a large estate, and he started from scratch!"

Since Mr. Potter said that, Larry couldn't say anything in return, so he just stood there smiling and remained silent.

Mr. Potter looked up at him and whispered a single word, “Blueberry!”

"What did you say?" Larry raised an eyebrow.

“I told you to grow blueberries. You know, Holliston is a blueberry-producing area, and cranberries too. If you grow those crops, you only need to hire people for a small amount of forest management, which will be enough to support the cultivation of that large area of ​​wasteland. You can also graze sheep on the meadows in the forest, and sheep generally won't eat the blueberry leaves. Of course, cranberries won't work.”

Mr. Potter seemed to know a lot about these things and said it offhand.

Larry's eyes lit up, and he quickly nodded in agreement.

“Oh, right, remember to apply for subsidies from the state government before clearing the land, because according to the Wasteland Improvement Act, you can pay less property tax for five years if you clear the land. If you cut down and sell all the trees on the wasteland, it can basically cover your expenses for planting fruit trees,” Mr. Potter added.

Larry smiled and agreed to everything, and once again thanked Mr. Potter for his guidance.

Mr. Potter accepted the thanks with a smile and waved for Larry to go about his business.
As Larry was about to leave, Mr. Porter suddenly smiled and said, "After buying the land, you'll only have a few hundred dollars left, right? Remember, calm down and take some time to settle things. Look for opportunities after the New Year. Don't try to make too much money at once."

Larry opened his mouth, wanting to hide the fact that he had made a profit later, but thinking that the news of his money making money at the betting shop would soon reach Mr. Porter's ears, he chose to be honest.

“Mr. Potter… I… I have to confess to you that I made another fortune before Christmas… Of course, I plan to take your advice and let things settle down for a while.”

Upon hearing Larry's words, Mr. Potter's face showed a look of surprise and disbelief. He subconsciously reached for his teacup, brought it to his lips, and casually asked,
"How much did you earn? $300? Or $500?"

Larry said sheepishly, "I made another two thousand..."

"Pfft!!" Mr. Potter spat out a mouthful of tea.
.
Larry heeded Mr. Porter's advice and decided to focus solely on his work this week, without considering any deals.

Before the market opened, Larry reviewed Continental Express's stock price records and found that the stock had indeed opened at $1.82 the day before Christmas, which was also the lowest price of the day. Subsequently, a strong buying wave pulled the stock price back up to above $3.

Larry's previous assessment of the stock's characteristics was correct, and this also proves that Logan did not lie; the price he gave Larry to close his position was the lowest price of the day.

In addition, Larry also inquired with other employees in the sales department about verifying the sinking of the Continental Express ship.

Mr. Klein responded that the company did indeed encounter a ship sinking accident with limited impact, but it would not have a significant impact on the company's profitability and future dividends.

This statement was also within Larry's expectations.

The only surprise was Mr. Michael Hennessy, who, when the front desk manager relayed Continental Express's response, stared wide-eyed and asked, "Can I short this stock? It's almost Christmas..."

(End of this chapter)