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

Chapter 69: Sadness or Joy? (Seeking Monthly Tickets and Recommendations)
Larry's shopping trip in the alley on Sunday wasn't limited to just buying cigars.

As Larry walked to the street corner, he saw another shop selling imported European wines, and the selection was quite good.

Of course, what is referred to as "import" here is actually smuggling, which is what the Italians were most skilled at at the time.

Because of his work at the securities firm, Larry is currently dealing with upper-class people, so he is quite familiar with the fine cigarettes, wines, and luxury cars of the time. At this time, the old American pioneer families and the emerging bourgeoisie were spending a lot of time on cigars, fine wines, travel, and socializing.

Because of Americans' inertia in admiring Europeans, European spirits, such as Scotch whisky, French cognac, and Iberian wine, are still the best-selling among the upper class.

At this moment, the "European Imported Wine" shop in front of him had a lot of good goods, which had just been unloaded from smuggling ships at the fishing port.

A single malt Scotch whisky, labeled Glenlivet 12 Year Old, costs only $3 a bottle.

Larry knew about this brand of whisky; it was twice as expensive as comparable American bourbon or Colonel Taylor's whisky, and yet it was still in high demand.

Glenlivet whisky has always been known in Europe and America for its "authentic Highland flavor".

Larry held the cigar to the side, picked up a bottle of whiskey and examined it closely. The deep amber liquid swirled in the glass, showing a slight viscosity clinging to the sides, undoubtedly a sign of an aged product.

"How much?" Larry asked.

"Sold by the case, not individually. One case contains 15 bottles." The shop owner glanced at Larry and the three kids next to him carrying the cigar cabinet, and added, "If you buy a case, I'll give you two Milanese leather wine gift boxes as a gift. They're very nice for gifting or displaying."

Larry asked the shopkeeper to bring out the leather wine box for him to look at. It was indeed very exquisite. The gift box could hold two bottles of wine of appropriate size. There were hidden compartments inside to hold the bottles in place to prevent them from getting loose. There were also beautiful silk ribbons on the outside.

Larry nodded. "I want four boxes. You pack two cases of whiskey for me!"

The shop owner was stunned, as if Larry had only bought the whiskey for the boxes. After a moment of stunned silence, the shop owner hurriedly called the shop assistants to carry two cases of whiskey to this kind customer.

The outer frame of the wooden box containing the whisky is made of oak, while the inner lining and partitions are made of Highland pine, a type of wood common in Scotland. This tree is rich in resinous fragrance, which can neutralize the strong aroma of oak. The inner walls are planed and coated with beeswax to prevent moisture and to avoid sawdust from contaminating the bottle.

The shop owner opened two whiskey cases and counted each bottle for Larry before re-secured the pine partitions and filled the gaps between each partition with cashmere felt to prevent shock and absorb moisture.

After the brass hinges of the wine box were closed, the shopkeeper locked the box with a brass key and placed the key in a hidden compartment at the bottom of the box.

Larry nodded, thinking to himself that people these days are really particular.

However, Larry soon noticed that there was a relief of a thistle in the center of the oak box lid, and bronze lion-shaped metal plates at the four corners, which served both decorative and anti-collision functions.

The side panel had a line of words written in Latin: “Aque Vitae”. Larry asked the shop owner and learned that it meant “water of life”.

In addition, Larry bought two cases of 16-bottle Hennessy VSOP French Cognac, which is said to be enjoyed with the back of a cigar, and the taste is heavenly.

Because it's sold in bulk and in simple packaging, a bottle of brandy costs only $4.

The shop owner also sold Italian Pitt and Spanish Sherry, but Larry wasn't interested in wines he didn't understand. In the end, Larry paid $144 for his new purchase, and the shop owner gave him a $10 discount, hoping Larry would visit his shop again.

Larry looked at his wallet; after buying the cigarettes and alcohol, he only had $14 and a few coins left.

The shopkeeper then hired three more men to carry the wine chest and accompany Larry to the North Port to find a horse-drawn carriage.

The chaos in Beigang stems from gangs fighting for territory at the docks and from nighttime brawls and conflicts between different ethnic immigrant groups. However, during the day, normal transactions are undisturbed by the gangs, since many prominent figures come here to buy things, and even the most ruthless gangs dare not target these customers.

Larry walked to the square at the North Harbor Wharf and found the carriage. He had everyone load the goods onto the carriage, and then gave each of the three children who were carrying the goods and the three helpers a one-dollar tip. He only had eight dollars left in his pocket.

When the carriage returned to his apartment in the back bay, Larry paid the coachman $6 and spent another $2 to hire a helper at the shop next door to help him carry all his things to his apartment on the second floor. He had spent all the money in his pocket.

Larry sat on the sofa in the living room, looking at the wall full of cigars, cigarettes and alcohol, and then at his empty wallet, and couldn't help but sigh.

Consumption is so damn therapeutic!

It made me feel no pressure at all.
.
Larry didn't buy so much tobacco and alcohol just for his own enjoyment.

Being overly polite is never a bad thing; it has always been the most effective and useful social secret for building relationships.

On Sunday evening, he visited Mr. Winthrop with a bottle of French cognac, who beamed with joy at the sight of the cognac Larry had brought.

On Monday morning, he packed two bottles of Scotch whisky in a Milanese leather gift box, which was to be given to Mr. Porter; he also took a box of 12 Cuban cigars, which was to be given to Mr. Wallace, the front desk manager.

Both men were delighted with the gift, and Mr. Porter promised to invite Larry to his home to enjoy whiskey together; while Mr. Wallace jokingly said that he would only give Larry any good things in the future.

After giving out all the gifts, La was very happy.

However, something that happened Monday morning did not make Larry happy.

He checked the trading records in Omaha and found that the company's stock price had surged to $105 before the market closed at noon on Friday, which was also Larry's liquidation price against the betting company. However, in the afternoon, the stock price jumped to $145.

By Saturday, the stock price had reached a high of $181.25.

Larry regretted not buying the shares through Reading Securities, which would have allowed him to enjoy the subsequent surge in price. The crucial point was that Larry had actually foreseen the obvious signs of manipulation in the stock's price increase, but he hastily closed his position for fear of not being able to pay out profits to the brokerage firm.

Therefore, even without considering the risk of not being able to realize profits, trading with gambling houses still has its own drawbacks.

At that time, the US stock market was rife with insider manipulation and stock price manipulation by corporate insiders or Wall Street tycoons. This might have been the worst of times for investors, but for manipulators like Larry, it was a ladder to riches.

Larry believes he is actually living in the best of times!

(End of this chapter)