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

Chapter 143 Browning Brothers Firearms Company

The group of four arrived at Walden Pond at 2 p.m.

The town's train station naturally has horse-drawn carriages available for short-term hire, as well as hotels for lodging, but the most important thing right now is to solve the problem of food.

At Mr. Winthrop's suggestion, they planned to try the local German immigrant-style roasted pork knuckle. But John Browning insisted on going to the town's real estate agency first, so the four split into two teams: Matthew Browning and Mr. Winthrop were in charge of ordering, while Larry and John Browning went to look for a house.

The two arrived at the town's real estate brokerage.

When the agent heard them say they wanted to build a factory here that was "probably noisy," his eyes widened, and he asked with a hint of doubt,

"Is this what you mean? It needs to be in a remote location, close to the main road for easy access; at the same time, it needs to prevent your company's noise from disturbing others, while also being convenient for transporting large equipment and goods?"

Larry and Browning exchanged a glance, only then realizing that their demands on the gun company were indeed somewhat contradictory.

Larry looked a little embarrassed and said with a laugh, "Is it really impossible for such a place to exist?"

To everyone's surprise, the agent said with a serious expression, "Yes! Then let's go to the Concord Industrial Riverfront!"

Then the agent explained that Boston's vast manufacturing cluster also had a portion near Walden Pond. About 5 kilometers south of Walden Pond, along the Assabote River, there was a small industrial area that had been developed taking advantage of the river's convenient transportation. This area included the Thoreau family's pencil factory and small metal processing plants.

It's very close to Concord, making transportation convenient, as small barges can easily transport large equipment like machine tools and raw metal materials from Boston.

What's even more valuable is that the westernmost part of the riverside industrial zone is a secluded area surrounded by layers of hardwood forests such as oak and maple. The dense trees can effectively absorb noise such as gunfire, while also blocking the view from the outside.

That place used to be the Thoreau family's raw material warehouse, but it has been idle for many years because the pencil business is not doing well!

Is there really such a suitable place?
Larry and Browning looked at each other again, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Could you take us to see it this afternoon?" Browning asked excitedly.

The agent shrugged and said, "That's a property owned by the Thoreau family. I need to contact their manager here first!"

Browning seemed a little reluctant to leave, but Larry nodded and agreed to return in two hours. He then took Browning back to have dinner first.

When they arrived at the restaurant, a steaming hot roasted pork knuckle had just been served. Mr. Winslop seemed to be getting along better with Matthew, and the two were drinking hot cider together.

John Browning watched his brother drink, frowned, and said nothing.

The four men sat together, discussing what they had just seen at the real estate agent's place. It was then that Mr. Winthrop realized that these three men were not just there for a picnic, but to find the address of a gun company.

Upon hearing John Browning suggest choosing land in the woods, Mr. Winthrop immediately offered his opinion.
"Why don't you split this company into two parts? The processing plant can be located on the riverbank, because you can use the river to make hydraulic forging hammers. In addition, it will be very convenient for your steam high-pressure boiler to draw water... Besides, the transportation conditions on the riverbank are also very good!"

Upon hearing this, the three realized that Mr. Winthrop's suggestion was very reliable, and they put their hands behind their backs and continued to listen!

Mr. Winslop continued,

"You need to plan it out from the beginning. For example, you need to build a railway connecting the foundry and the dock. Also, you need to place the ammunition laboratory in a place where there are no flammable trees around it, and start with a sturdy building made of concrete. In addition, blast walls and breakwaters also need to be built... Gentlemen, this is quite a big project, even if you don't actually intend to produce a large number of firearms."

Mr. Winthrop, having spent many years in the technology and news industries, has seen far too many similar industrial projects, and his opinions carry considerable weight.

Matthew Browning grew increasingly impressed with Mr. Winslop, nodding repeatedly as he listened.

John Browning would occasionally correct Mr. Winthrop on the types of machines and the dimensions of the factory.

Larry, however, was calculating something else entirely: how much would it cost to replace the brick-and-wood house with a steel-framed factory?

Unfortunately, cost accounting is more important to Larry.

The four discussed for a while, their conversation growing more and more animated, until the restaurant owner, speaking in English with a German accent, urged them to eat the pork knuckle while it was hot. Only then did the four of them smile and begin to eat.

After lunch, the four of them went to the real estate agent's office again.

"Unfortunately, the steward of Mr. Thoreau's house is not here, so you may have to wait until tomorrow to see the house!" the agent replied.

Larry nodded, and after agreeing to meet the steward at 7:30 the next morning to see the house, he decided to take the four of them directly to Walden Pond for a visit.

Since they were going to the lake, the four of them didn't rent a carriage, but instead each rented a horse at the farm.

This reveals Larry's weakness. Although Larry believes he is the best cyclist among the four, and even the best car driver, he really can't ride a horse!

Although Larry had previously bought two horses for his parents, he had never ridden one himself.

The farmer smiled at Larry, then called out a young man who looked about 16 or 7 years old from the warehouse, and had him lead the horse to accompany Larry to Walden Pond.

On the way, the four horses naturally followed one after the other. Larry sat upright on his horse and specifically asked the young man to drive the horse next to Mr. Winthrop.

As the two horses rode side by side, Larry smiled and said to Mr. Winthrop, "Sir, your advice to the gun company is quite professional, and I admire it very much."

Winslop smiled and waved his hand, indicating that it was no trouble at all.

Larry exchanged a few polite words and then asked, "Mr. Winthrop, I also need your advice. My friend and I have seen many disabled workers in the old South City who are no longer able to work. We plan to set up a food company to help those workers in need find employment..." Larry then explained in detail to Mr. Winthrop his idea of ​​setting up a steamed milk tea shop and selling "Pioneer Barbecue."

When Mr. Winthrop heard that Larry was preparing to make the accounts public and turn the food and beverage company into a semi-charitable organization with the main purpose of helping disabled workers, he immediately looked at Larry with new respect!

“God has mercy on mankind!” Mr. Winthrop first praised God, then looked at Larry and exclaimed, “Your project is wonderful! This is the first time I’ve heard of a semi-philanthropic company project like this in Boston… You also mentioned wanting to involve impoverished Chinese people? Oh, well, anyway, Mr. Livingston, this is a good thing! I greatly admire your noble character.”

Larry thought to himself, "You can't just praise character! For my bubble tea and barbecue chain to become a well-known business, it needs the support of the news and public opinion!"

But before he could say that, the well-informed Mr. Winthrop automatically offered Larry a suggestion...

"Since you want to help the poor and those unfortunate immigrants, I suggest you take a two-pronged approach. First, establish contact with the local government, explain your intentions beforehand, and proactively accept food safety regulations. Second, I suggest you partner with the church, which is currently setting up a shelter project to support the homeless. Since you're going to donate a portion of your money to charity anyway, you might as well donate it to the church."

Larry nodded as if he understood, but he still didn't understand why Mr. Winslop said to add the church.

Mr. Winthrop smiled slightly and advised Larry, “Americans are very hostile towards immigrants, Mr. Livingston. If you openly help immigrants, you will easily be targeted by malicious adversaries. So you should bring in people from the church and let them enjoy certain charitable benefits. That way, those people will not use this as an excuse to attack you.”

Larry suddenly realized, nodded heavily to Mr. Winthrop, and said with a smile, "You're right. I can even turn the barbecue restaurant into a charity distribution point for the community church, supplying the church with a certain amount of food every day... Of course, I'll only charge the cost price. This will not only reduce the burden on the church's shelter project, but also provide the community food store with a stable supply of orders."

Mr. Winslop nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

At this time, the church in New England, USA, still had a strong appeal and influence.

Even on issues that are most sensitive for Americans, such as race and immigration, the resistance is greatly reduced when churches stand up for them.

Mr. Winslop offered Larry excellent advice from his perspective, and he also promised to provide Larry with support in areas such as public opinion.

Larry had been waiting for this statement from the old man, and with this promise, Larry felt much more at ease.

Once the project is truly on track, we'll contact Mr. Kennedy again and have him connect with the Democratic Party on the East Coast to replicate this model and quickly seize the market.

The four of them visited Walden Pond and found it to be a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains. Although it was only early spring, the ice on the green lake had completely melted, and the air was filled with the fragrance of damp earth. Unidentified birds chirped incessantly from time to time in the woods along the roadside.

Mr. Winthrop quickly took out his camera and started taking pictures of various places around Walden Pond.

Finally, it was time for portraits. Mr. Winthrop warmly greeted the Browning brothers and Larry, and they all took photos by the lake.

Larry also took a picture of Mr. Winthrop while driving the Kodak No. 1.

But Mr. Winthrop wasn't satisfied yet, so he asked the farmer's young apprentice to take a group photo of the four of them.

Larry wondered if cameras these days could capture the beauty of scenery and a group photo of four people.

That night, the four of them spent the night in the town.

After dinner, the Browning brothers approached Larry and said they wanted to speak with him privately about the gun company's investment.

Larry thought to himself that the main event was about to begin, and followed the two to the tea house outside.

John Browning stroked his long beard and said bluntly, "Mr. Livingston, I think my patents should also be considered shares!"

Larry smiled and nodded. "Of course it counts!"

John Browning paused for a second. He had actually intended to remind Larry that intellectual property was also very important and had prepared many arguments for it, but he did not expect Larry to agree so readily.

After a long pause, John Browning finally said, "...I've already had Matthew resign. He'll go back to Hartford to pack up and then come over to help me recruit technicians and run the company!"

Matthew smiled at Larry without saying a word.

John Browning hesitated for a moment before continuing, then said, "I think we should also get some shares in the business..."

“Of course!” Larry raised his eyebrows again. “It can be considered preferred stock, and it’s also a reward for your management of the company!”

John Browning was clearly surprised that Larry agreed so readily, and his face stiffened slightly.

Larry smiled but didn't say anything, instead watching the two brothers bid.

With Larry deliberately leaving room for maneuver, John Browning, facing Larry Livingston who was much younger than him, felt he should say something, and so he continued.

"My brother and I have a combined total of $1.15, and we plan to invest that money in the company."

“Very good!” Larry replied again with a smile.

“So…so…” John Browning hesitated for a moment, glancing at his brother Matthew before finally speaking as if he had made up his mind.

"So, can the two of us together own 35% of the shares?"

(End of this chapter)