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

Chapter 12 The Inevitable Silver Standard Doomsday
More than a hundred years later, Larry finally got to drink his favorite soda, and he was overjoyed.

Americans, like Europeans, enjoy sweets.

However, because sugar was still an expensive luxury item at that time, sweet foods and drinks were much more expensive, and the cola in Larry's hand was not "overly sweet".

But it still felt great, especially the first bite!
"This drink is great! It's a shame there's no ice," Larry exclaimed.

The old shopkeeper and the pharmacist both looked up at Larry at the same time. "Why put ice in?!" the old shopkeeper asked.

"Do you have ice?" Larry asked the pharmacist.

"Oh, yes, please wait a moment..." The pharmacist turned and went into a room inside. After a short while, he took out a block of ice about the size of a fist from a double-layered wooden box filled with wood chips for insulation, placed it on the table, and used an ice pick to cut it into smaller pieces.

Larry took the tweezers and put a few ice cubes into each of their Coke cups.

The old shop manager and pharmacist watched helplessly as the ice cubes swayed in the cola, causing new bubbles to form.

A few minutes later, Larry placed the iced Coke in the hands of the old manager and himself, and raised his glass with a smile, saying, "Thank you for buying me a Coke!"

The glasses clinked lightly in the air, making a crisp sound. Then, the old shopkeeper took a sip of cola, and his expression immediately became quite interesting.

"Oh my God... Coca-Cola with ice seems to become a completely different thing, it's wonderful!"

Larry, drinking his iced cola, was so moved he almost cried.

Even the pharmacist couldn't resist making himself a cup, adding ice cubes as well. He drank it down in one gulp and felt incredibly refreshed.

"Kid, this is your brilliant invention! Drinking it like this is simply amazing... fantastic!" The old shopkeeper poured the rest of the Coca-Cola into his mouth in one gulp and gave Larry a thumbs up.

Larry was also quite excited, thinking to himself that when he had money in the future, he would definitely buy Coca-Cola first!

This is one of my dreams.

It's estimated that Coca-Cola will become a nationwide phenomenon in the next few years, at which point Coca-Cola shares will be very expensive.

But it's not a big problem, Larry thought. Even if I buy it at a higher price, it will still be much lower than Buffett's purchase price.

Ah! My first long-term goal since being reborn has appeared.

After finishing his drink, the old shopkeeper curiously inquired about Larry's reasons for buying the book.

Larry blinked, then suddenly asked the old shopkeeper, "Sir, what are your thoughts on the current bimetallic standard in the United States?"

The old shopkeeper paused, stared at the ceiling for a moment, and then said, "Generally speaking, I always felt that there was too little gold, which is why it was always so expensive, but there was too much silver, which was very easy to depreciate..."

“Yes, sir.” Larry smiled warmly. “This is a problem I’ve noticed. There are currently two sets of US dollars, one green and one yellow; the dollar is also pegged to both gold and silver, which makes the US monetary system somewhat chaotic… People with ulterior motives can often use the gold-silver exchange rate to engage in arbitrage trading. This is not conducive to the long-term stability of the dollar.”

“Oh? Is that so?” The old shopkeeper fell into thought, but then said, “I often see in the newspapers that Western bigwigs always find new gold and silver deposits in the Rocky Mountains, but it is clear that silver production far exceeds that of gold.”

“Yes, sir!” Larry twirled his glass and continued, “From a longer-term perspective, silver isn’t actually suitable as a reserve currency because its reserves are too vast. Every time a new silver deposit is discovered, it causes the dollar, which is based on the silver standard, to depreciate. Foreigners will exchange cheap silver for dollars, and then exchange those dollars for gold. This is one of the reasons why the US has always experienced deflation.” The old shopkeeper’s eyes lit up; he thought Larry’s words made a lot of sense, but he still didn’t understand how Larry could make money from this…

Aren't these the kinds of problems that only the bigwigs in Washington are worried about?
Larry, however, maintained his smile and did not elaborate on how to make money, only emphasizing that the abolition of the silver standard was inevitable.

The two had a great time chatting and it was time to say goodbye. The old store manager took out 10 cents to pay for their Coca-Cola!
The pharmacist waved his hand, "No need, sir! This gentleman's recipe for cola with ice will make me a fortune in the future. These two cola are on me!"

Larry and the old shopkeeper looked at their empty glasses and smiled at each other.
.
The next morning, Larry went to work at Paine Weber Securities as usual.

Mr. Potter looked at him, his feelings very complicated.

To know whether someone is important in a company, you have to see them when they are not there.

The stock market remained chaotic on Monday afternoon.

With Larry absent, the entire trading floor sounded like a gear train without lubrication, filled with incompetent noise.

As Mr. Potter looked at the angry customer in front of him, the image of Larry's blond hair and blue eyes involuntarily came to mind.

So, after seeing Larry on Tuesday morning, Mr. Porter called him into his office.

After the office door closed, Mr. Potter tilted his head and said with a sigh, "Eight dollars, kid!"

“What are you saying?” Larry asked.

“Your weekly wage, starting yesterday, is $8, Larry! And what I said yesterday is null and void; I won’t deduct the 75 cents you earned for taking the day off yesterday.” Mr. Potter placed his hands in front of him, his expression resolute.

Larry was a little embarrassed by what he said.

“But sir! I did take leave. And $8 a week is too much; it’s higher than all the other tellers.”

Mr. Porter looked at the sincerity in Larry's blue eyes and smiled. "Larry, you're a very memorable young man. Intelligent and calm, I don't know what you've been through to give you such composure beyond your years. Well, perhaps it's a gift from a merciful God. But to be honest, I admire you."

Larry was surprised by Mr. Porter's comment, and while his face was full of smiles, he didn't reply.

Mr. Potter continued, “I know you won’t be staying here sooner or later. But personally, I’m willing to pay you the wages you deserve while you’re still working for me. Good job, Mr. Livingston!”

Larry noticed that this was the first time Mr. Potter had called him Mr. Livingston.

Larry hesitated for a moment, but he still asked the question, "...But if I really have something to do, could I ask for a short break? Just a little while!"

Mr. Potter was initially shocked, then gave a helpless smile. "Alright! Alright! My child, now get out of my office and go be your quote copyist!"

“Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!” Larry said happily.

(End of this chapter)