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

Chapter 51 Vicious Rant (Seeking Monthly Tickets and Recommendations)

Because he invented the word "car," the enthusiastic Mr. Winthrop invited Larry to come and see this great invention that spanned centuries.

Larry was actually very tired; he felt like a horse, able to fall asleep standing up.

But Larry couldn't resist the old gentleman's repeated invitations, and besides, this Mr. Winthrop was the editor-in-chief of the Boston Globe. Larry felt that there was no harm in getting along with him, so he could only pretend to be very interested and follow the old gentleman on the tour.

The old gentleman had already hired a horse-drawn carriage. The two boarded the carriage, and the old gentleman continued to explain to him just how significant this new invention was.

Larry's mind was starting to go numb, and with the swaying of the carriage, he felt like he was about to fall into a deep sleep any second.

But in order to maintain a good image in the old man's eyes, Larry mustered his spirits, secretly pinched his thigh, and forced himself to keep talking to the old man about how the future applications of cars would change the world.

Fortunately, the journey wasn't very long this time, and they arrived at their destination in less than ten minutes.

This is a reclaimed area by the sea, with a wide plaza paved with white coarse sand and gravel, and a sizable leisure park in the middle.

Because it was winter, all the plants in the park had withered, but there were two fake palm trees at the park entrance, their large leaves spread out in the sunlight, which was quite unique.

A large crowd had already gathered in front of the park. Most of them were well-dressed, held their heads high, and had an air of scholarly refinement. Of course, there were also a few engineers dressed in work clothes, but even these more rugged people had sharp glints in their eyes.

Among the crowd, two people were bustling about in front of and behind a vehicle that resembled a horse-drawn carriage.

Is this what modern cars are like?
Larry's lips twitched slightly. He thought to himself that from a distance, this thing just looked like a carriage with the shafts removed, and the carriage itself looked clumsy.

As Larry got closer to the car, he made a surprising discovery: this thing didn't look like much from a distance, but up close it was actually not as good as it looked from a distance.

The carriage was made of thick wood, and the wheels were also large wooden wheels that were over a meter tall like those on horse-drawn carriages. However, the internal combustion engine that drove this "car" forward was only about the size of a chamber pot and was temporarily fixed in the position where the coachman was.

"Take it off, take it off, take it off, take it off..."

The small internal combustion engine emitted a sharp, tractor-like sound, spewed black smoke, and trembled as it started up.

Larry was speechless. He thought to himself that if this thing could carry people, he would immediately perform a handstand while eating noodles.

But the onlookers didn't show Larry's disdainful expression. They gathered around the brand-new machine, discussing the technical details to see if they were feasible, and offering what they considered reasonable suggestions about the car itself.

Mr. Winthrop explained quietly to Larry, “These are the members of our science salon. The inventor of the automobile is also a member, and today he has brought his invention to invite us to witness the birth of the automobile.”

Larry nodded, thinking to himself how lucky these people were; they could also witness the first car accident in human history!
Perhaps because he was extremely tired, Larry's inner rants never stopped all day.

At that moment, a tall, aloof man noticed Mr. Winthrop and Larry beside him, walked over through the crowd, and before he even got close, he extended his arm to Mr. Winthrop.
"Hi Edgar, long time no see! What have you been up to lately?"

Mr. Winthrop smiled and shook his hand, replying, "I went to Washington recently. There's a lot of controversy in Congress over the naval shipbuilding bill. I interviewed a congressman from Boston, Massachusetts, who is trying to keep those shipbuilding orders in Boston..."

The tall, aloof man nodded, glanced at Larry, but didn't say anything more, instead continuing his conversation with Mr. Winslop.

As they chatted, they gradually moved on to slightly more in-depth topics, and their voices grew softer. Larry's drowsiness seemed to be rising from the ground; he felt his legs getting weak and he desperately wanted to find a place to sit down.

Looking around, there really wasn't anywhere to sit nearby...

As Larry hesitated, someone suddenly said, "The machine has been debugged. Please step back a few steps. We are about to begin our first official driving test!"

The group stopped talking and began to back away.

At this moment, a middle-aged man who had been adjusting the "horseless carriage" raised his hands and began to give a passionate speech to the crowd.
"Gentlemen, you are about to witness the birth of a miracle. My horseless carriage will be the first to travel on the roads of Boston. This carriage will not use horses or steam power, and it will become the most efficient means of transportation across the vast territory of the United States! And I will be among those who change the world!"

puff……

Larry couldn't hold back any longer, thinking to himself, "These days, there are all sorts of people..."

Americans love to show off and are good at public speaking, but if you believe everything they say, you'll eventually lose everything.

Larry was exhausted, but he had to come here to watch a ridiculous car test, and now his mind is full of endless complaints.

But the middle-aged inventor continued his rambling speech to the crowd, "Gentlemen, please remember the name of this horseless carriage. It's called Clara, which is the name of my dear wife! Also... I would like to invite a passenger to join me for a test drive!"

Okay, so you let outsiders ride in the car named after your wife? Listen to the bullshit and wolves you're spouting?

While Larry was still complaining, Mr. Winthrop suddenly raised his hand and said, "I suggest changing the name!"

The middle-aged inventor paused, frowned, and said, "But I think this name is beautiful, and my wife agrees..."

“No, not the Clara, but this horseless carriage!” Mr. Winthrop stepped out of the crowd, his luxurious and extravagant attire immediately revealing his status as an upper-class person. People couldn’t help but take a second look at him, and some members of the scientific society even immediately recognized him as the editor-in-chief of the Boston Globe.

The middle-aged inventor hesitated for a moment, then nodded to Mr. Winthrop and said, "Yes, sir, if you think the name 'Horseless Chariot' is inappropriate, then may I ask what you think this great machine should be called?"

Mr. Winthrop smiled slightly, turned around, and put his hand on Larry's shoulder. "This young gentleman has given it a resounding name: The Car!"

"Cars? What do you mean?"

"You call this a car? Why...?"

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

But then Mr. Winthrop explained the original meaning of the word "car" to everyone in detail. When everyone heard that the word was a combination of the Greek word "automatic" and the Latin word "movement," they immediately said that the word was simply wonderful, as it was meaningful, elegant, very vivid, and easy to pronounce!

Larry smirked, thinking to himself, "These uncultured Americans get all excited over ancient Greek and Latin..."

If you were to say that these two word roots come from Gaulish or Slavic languages, they would surely find them particularly barbaric, awkward, and with a metallic, sandy taste.

(End of this chapter)