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

Chapter 102 Little Larry is Here (10,000 words today)

Larry saw Mr. Potter and his family off and returned to the waiting hall, where he found Mr. K already waiting for him.

“Boss, I just asked the guy at the train station about the surrounding area. The shop prices around here aren’t too expensive. Of course, you can also lease them out,” Mr. K said to Larry.

Mr. K's expression showed a hint of eagerness; Larry's talk about the convenience store business had indeed given him a lot of inspiration.

Larry thought for a moment, looked into Mr. K's eyes and said, "You handle the initial operations, since you have some spare cash. You need to rent a place, settle your family, and find a suitable shop first. We'll calculate the money together after Logan is discharged from the hospital."

"Discharged? What happened to Logan?" Mr. K asked, frowning.

Larry gave a brief account of Logan's situation, then added, "Logan's father is furious and is trying everything he can to find the people who attacked his son."

As Larry said this, he looked at Mr. K intently and noticed that Mr. K had shown some unease when Larry had mentioned Logan's father, clearly indicating that he was somewhat wary of him.

Larry pretended not to see it, and then said, "You can go about your business first. Once you find a suitable shop, come find me at the brokerage firm. After Logan is discharged from the hospital, the three of us can discuss opening a shop together."

Mr. K was a little surprised and asked, "Should we add Logan too?"

Larry nodded and said, “That’s right. He’s my best brother. How can I not call on him when there’s something to make money? Besides, with his father there, we can avoid a lot of trouble in the city.”

Mr. K nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with Larry's idea.

After leaving the train station, Larry said goodbye to Mr. K, hired a horse-drawn carriage, and instructed the driver to head back to the city center.

As the carriage turned to leave, Larry watched Mr. K intently from inside the carriage and saw him standing in the small square, carefully observing which location had the highest foot traffic and which was the most suitable place to open a shop.

Larry remained silent, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes to rest.

He deliberately brought Logan into the convenience store project on short notice, just to keep Mr. K in check.

Larry's original plan was simply to open a store with Mr. K, gradually build a brand image, and then increase investment to promote this advanced business model of convenience stores.

But ever since Larry learned that Mr. K was Al Capone's father, he has become more cautious—good relationships are not as good as good systems.

Instead of pinning our hopes on Mr. K's continued diligence and honesty, it would be better to introduce a system of checks and balances early in the business to minimize potential future problems.

Don't test human nature, because human nature cannot withstand the test.

This is a lesson Larry learned.

Surely he couldn't expect to curb the Godfathers' expansionist ambitions by signing a contract with Capone?

Bringing in Logan was a way to bring together the Irish and Italians who were originally at odds. It might seem like they were creating internal obstacles, but conversely, this was the best way to suppress any signs of infighting within the small team, at least in the initial stages, ensuring everyone was focused on making money.

These projects must be led by ourselves. Whether you're a gangster or a policeman, stop thinking about all that and focus on making the pie bigger first.
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Larry returned to Paine Weber Securities and found everyone working diligently and even more so than before.

After Mr. Wallace took office, he naturally had to make a strong first impression.

He reassigned everyone's positions, rectified workplace discipline, and posted job advertisements.

The new general manager of the branch office clearly conveyed a message to everyone in the branch: the Boston branch has now changed hands, and everything is about to have a fresh start.

Although Mr. Wallace hasn't fired anyone yet, the job postings convey a message: no one is safe, the branch can function without anyone, and if you don't perform well, you'll be kicked out of the securities company.

Suddenly, everyone felt insecure. Throughout the entire Boston branch of Paine Weber Securities, only Larry continued to receive special favor from the general manager.

Like his predecessor Mr. Potter, Mr. Wallace looked at Larry with doting eyes.

Larry returned to the sales office around noon after dropping Mr. Potter off, but Mr. Wallace still smiled when he saw him and chatted with Larry briefly about Mr. Potter's departure at the sales counter.

The sales staff could only silently keep their heads down and do their own work as they watched Larry chatting and laughing with Mr. Wallace.

After a brief chat, Wallace brought up Larry's new position, "Larry, would you be interested in being the front desk manager?"

Larry smiled and shook his head, saying with a double meaning, "It might be inconvenient in terms of timing..."

Mr. Wallace nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and said,

"So, I plan to expand the staff of the branch. You will be in charge of recruitment. If someone applies for a job in the branch, you will need to assess their abilities and whether they have the potential to be a trader. This work is very important, but you can arrange the time."

Larry raised his eyebrows and quickly nodded in agreement.

Mr. Wallace's message is very direct: he gives you the power to hire people and does not restrict your working hours.

This position was practically tailor-made for Larry.

That afternoon, Larry moved into the sales department's office area and found his new workstation opposite Mr. Wallace's previous desk.

Sitting behind his large walnut desk, Larry felt a slight sense of pride.

Having his own desk meant he had moved beyond the level of a lowly employee, but Larry didn't care about that.

What matters most to him is that he has enough time to think about the issues he cares about more.

Of all these issues, the most important is stock trading. Now I have plenty of time to consider the future trend of stocks.

At that moment, Tom knocked on the door and came in, saying to Larry,
"Larry, someone wants to apply for the job of a market data clerk!"

Larry's lips curled up, and he quickly stood up and asked, "Where is he?"

Tom pointed to the location of the service center and said slowly, "This little guy is very clever, but he's too young. I estimate he's only eleven or twelve years old..."

As he spoke, Tom glanced at Larry and said with a slightly strange expression, "...This guy looks just like a smaller version of you."

"Oh? Really? Then I'll have to go out and take a look..." Larry became interested.

The two walked together down the corridor of the office area. Through the blinds, Tom pointed to a blond-haired boy outside and said to Larry,

"Look, doesn't this guy look like you from before? His eyes are shrewd, but he looks more naive than you did back then."

Larry carefully examined the shrewd young boy through the gap in the blinds. The boy was dressed in fine clothes and looked more like the young master of a distinguished client. Moreover, his height and face were very immature, and he looked to be no more than twelve or thirteen years old.

The blond boy stood there, his eyes showing no sign of panic, only curiously staring at the price list in the distance.

After reading it, Larry was filled with doubt. This boy was clearly the son of a rich man, so why would he be interested in the job of a junior clerk who copied market data?
　The initial plan is to maintain an update frequency of 10,000 words per week.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)