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

Chapter 45 Business Trip (Seeking monthly votes and recommendations)
At 1:15 p.m., Larry returned to Paine Weber Securities.

Upon seeing him appear at the entrance, Mr. Wallace, the front desk manager, waved him over. "Larry, come over here, I need to talk to you."

Larry's heart tightened. The trip to the casino at noon had taken too long, and Larry was very worried that Mr. Wallace would punish him for it.

Larry braced himself for a scolding from Mr. Wallace, but instead heard him say...
Larry, I heard you're living alone now?

"Hmm... Ah? You're asking about that? Yes, that's right!" Larry felt like there was something wrong with his ears, wondering why Mr. Wallace was asking this.
But Mr. Wallace looked grave, stroking his beard as he spoke thoughtfully.
"Then I think you should be able to handle short business trips with me. Would you be willing?"

Larry was taken aback and quickly asked, "Mr. Wallace, where is this short business trip you're referring to? If there are no work requirements, I'd be happy to go on the trip with you."

Mr. Wallace nodded, then gestured for Larry to walk to the corner break room in the sales area, where it was nearly empty. After confirming that no one was around, Mr. Wallace solemnly spoke to Larry.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll take the train to Hartford, Connecticut, where I'll be meeting a client. You know, Paine Weber Securities doesn't have a branch in Connecticut, so this trip is crucial."

After saying that, Mr. Wallace stared at Larry and said, "Larry, I think you're the most capable person in this department, and you handle many things very well. I need a temporary assistant when I go to Hartford, and after thinking it over, I think you're the most suitable. So I'd like to ask for your opinion here: would you be willing to go on a long trip with me?"

Larry blinked, a look of delight on his face. "Of course, sir, I would be happy to go with you and broaden your horizons. It would be an honor to serve you and the company."

“Very good, son. You don’t need to worry about anything else. I’ll prepare the travel documents. Go to the accounting office now and withdraw $20. Go to the train station and buy a ticket for the 8 a.m. train to Hartford tomorrow. Also, please reserve breakfast in the dining car for me. I don’t eat seafood.” Mr. Wallace was very satisfied with Larry’s prompt response.

Following Mr. Wallace's instructions, Larry first went to the finance department and withdrew $20. Then he rode his bicycle to the train station, where he bought two first-class tickets for the train from Boston to Hartford on January 9th, and, as instructed by Wallace, ordered a breakfast in the dining car without any seafood.

A first-class train ticket from Boston to Hartford costs $8, including the cost of the dining car.

After arranging these things, Larry even found a horse-drawn carriage to pick him up early the next morning, and then Larry and the carriage would go together to Mr. Wallace's residence to pick him up, and then they would go to the train station together.

Mr. Wallace was very pleased with Larry's thoughtful arrangements.

The next morning, Larry got up early, quickly washed up, put on his neatest coat, slung his suede bag over his shoulder, and took a horse-drawn carriage to Mr. Wallace's residence.

After picking him up, the carriage rushed to the train station, which was only 7:30 in the morning.

The two boarded the train on time. Larry placed Mr. Wallace's luggage in place and asked the train attendant to lock the suitcase containing the documents.

The meal was also very pleasant; Larry carried out his orders flawlessly, and everything was arranged very well.

Mr. Wallace was very satisfied with the whole process.

He arrived in Hartford, Connecticut at 3 p.m. on Saturday. This time, Larry didn't have to worry; Mr. Wallace's big client had already sent two magnificent carriages to pick him up.

Mr. Wallace and one of the other party's executives rode in the first carriage ahead, followed by Larry and his luggage, along with the other party's entourage, in the next carriage.

As the carriage moved along, Larry greeted and chatted with the other party's entourage, taking the opportunity to get closer to them.

Larry noticed the other man was wearing a dark blue suit with a small horse-shaped metal badge clipped to his top pocket and asked curiously,

"Excuse me, sir. What company's logo is this?"

The man answered proudly, "Colt!"

Larry stiffened, quickly straightened up, and asked again, "Is it Colt Firearms Manufacturing Company?"

The other person nodded. "Of course! There's only one real Colt in all of America."

Larry was shocked. When Mr. Wallace asked him to go on a business trip, he thought it was just to visit a local tycoon or a member of a congressional family. But he never expected that Mr. Wallace would directly take the jewel from the Hartford Crown and go to Colt Firearms Manufacturing Company.

Colt was, and will continue to be, one of the most successful arms companies in the world.

Samuel Colt, the founder of Colt Industries, began his success with the invention of the multi-chamber revolver in the United States in 1836. This revolver can be considered the ancestor of similar weapons worldwide, providing a five-round cylinder and continuous firepower.

Considering that the mainstream flintlock muskets at that time required a slow process of cleaning the chamber and reloading after each shot, the advent of the revolver greatly enhanced the weapon's firepower.

In 1855, Mr. Colt's gun factory in Hartford officially began production, and then, very unfortunately, it encountered the American Civil War.

Throughout the Civil War, Colt Arms Factory made a fortune, but unfortunately Mr. Colt himself did not live to see it, as he died in 1862.

By 1880, Colt Firearms Company had become the largest arms manufacturer in the United States, holding nearly half of the national market share in its segments of pistols, rifles, and shotguns.

Colt Firearms is the pride of Hartford and the entire New England region.

After the Civil War, there was a well-known saying among Americans: "Lincoln gave all slaves freedom, while Colt gave them equality."

This is the highest praise the American people have for Colt, and it is also the most beautiful "music" Colt ever heard in his lifetime.

The carriage moved slowly forward, and soon Larry saw the iconic galloping horse logo on the Colt factory building.

Upon entering the main office building, the carriage stopped. Larry jumped off first, carrying a leather suitcase full of documents, and waited for Mr. Wallace to disembark, following him closely throughout the journey.

Mr. Wallace chatted and laughed with the other party's executives throughout the journey.

The group entered the building and went into the conference room, where Colt's honors and representative products over the years were displayed. Larry even saw a photo of a man who was clearly a Qing Dynasty official standing in front of a hand-cranked Gatling gun.

The two sides sat down in the conference room. Three senior executives and three entourages from the Colt factory sat on one side, while Mr. Wallace and Larry sat on the other side of the table.

One of the tall, thin executives cut to the chase, saying, "Then please have Mr. Wallace from Paine Weber Securities introduce your bond financing plan for Colt's expansion of production!"

Larry's eyes lit up when he heard the news.

　Thank you for your attention. From now on, the time for posting new chapters on the same day will be changed to 0:03 and 0:08. Any extra chapters will be scheduled during the daytime. This will be a trial period for a while.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)