After the parents passed away, Ethan Jones, now an orphan, was adopted by his father's sister and her husband. Thanks to the careful care of his aunt and uncle.
The couple never blamed their nephew for messing up Magnavox Company's business. In their eyes, the pressure from Magnavox was nothing more than workplace intimidation—a classic move by an incompetent leader trying to save his own ass by making his subordinates take the fall.
Therefore, when they learned that their nephew Ethan was fired, they were happier than anyone else!
At noon, Uncle Thomas fetched a bottle of red wine, half-pulled the cork, then bit it out with his teeth. he filled the glasses in front of Ethan, Aunt Linda, and himself.
Aunt Linda brought the already prepared steak, pasta, mashed potatoes, and cream of mushroom soup to the table.
Then, she quickly improvised a pot of fried chicken, French fries, and onion rings.
"This is really a feast. Thank you, Aunt Linda," Ethan said gratefully.
"Oh, honey, you don't have to be so polite," Aunt Linda replied with a warm smile.
"Yes, we're all family. There's no need for formalities. Besides, we're really happy for you right now," Uncle Thomas added, raising his wine glass and glancing at his wife. "Shall we toast to Ethan's freedom?"
"Cheers, cheers!" Aunt Linda responded joyfully.
Ethan smiled and raised his glass. "Thank you."
Gallo Winery is the largest family-owned winery in America and one of the biggest wine producers in the world.
The Riesling that Uncle Thomas brought out was a semi-dry wine. The moment you take a sip, the refreshing taste, mixed with hints of lily, peach, apricot, and lemon, makes you feel like you're not drinking wine—but a delightful, light beverage.
If paired with spicy food… and wine is truly exciting!
Ethan immediately smiled, in satisfaction. Seeing him like this made Aunt Linda and Uncle Thomas very happy. After finishing one bottle and opening another, it wasn't until their cheeks turned red that they finally began to seriously discuss Ethan's future..
"Ethan, we've actually been mentally prepared for your layoff," Uncle Thomas said. "So now that it's happened, you must have some plans for what's next, right?"
Aunt Linda leaned her elbows on the table and smiled. "Don't you still want to go back to school? Honestly, I think it would be such a waste of your talent if you didn't. If I remember correctly, you scored over 1,200 points on the academic aptitude test, didn't you? That could easily get you into a good university."
The academic aptitude test Aunt Linda referred to was the SAT, the American college entrance exam.
Ethan had taken the exam and scored 1213 out of a possible 1600. Although it didn't sound particularly impressive, in the year he took it, the highest SAT score among applicants admitted to the University of California was only 1280.
Of course, college admissions aren't based on SAT scores alone. They also require recommendation letters, extracurricular achievements, and other elements to demonstrate a student's excellence. But with a 1213, getting into college was still well within reach.
It was just that—he didn't want to. And now, Ethan?
"I'm sorry, Aunt Linda, for letting you down," Ethan said sincerely. "I probably won't change my mind for now."
Before Aunt Linda could even express her disappointment, Uncle Thomas jumped in.
"If you don't want to go to school, then don't! What's so great about studying, anyway? It's just another way the capitalists use education as an excuse to plunder our wealth!
You pay sky-high tuition fees, only to end up learning everything on your own. It's not like your social status magically improves overnight. Learning is painful to begin with, and paying to suffer? That's double torture!"
He raised his glass and said firmly, "So, Ethan, I support you. If you don't want to study, come visit the orchard with me. You know, our orchard brings in $40,000 to $50,000 a year—much more than those white-collar folks make!"
Yes, Aunt Linda and Uncle Thomas were actually farmers by profession. They owned nearly a hundred acres of land where they grew navel oranges.
Every year, the orchard produced between 300 and 500 tons of fruit, all of which were sold to Asia through underwriting companies. The sales price per ton fluctuated between $290 and $310.
After deducting all costs, they could earn around $40,000 to $50,000 a year—a fairly straightforward business.
But…
Although farming came naturally to the family, Ethan wasn't ready to embrace that life just yet.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Thomas. If I ever feel truly lost about my future, I will definitely turn to the land," Ethan said politely.
His gentle refusal made Uncle Thomas purse his lips.
He wanted to say something but hesitated, then simply let it go.
"Alright. I respect your choice," he said. "You know, your temperament is very similar to your mother's. I think if she and your father were here now, they would also support you. I mean it."
"I understand." Ethan smiled and nodded
"Then… can you tell us what you plan to do next?"
Since Uncle Thomas had compromised, Aunt Linda didn't hold back. She asked with curiosity, "Of course, if it's something private, you don't have to tell us."
"Oh…" Ethan thought for a few seconds. "I'd like to share, but right now I only have a rough idea. I haven't really formed a complete plan yet, so…"
"Then we'll talk when you figure it out." Uncle Thomas was decisive. "You can always come to us anytime, for anything—whether you just want to talk or even if you need money, huh?"
"Yeah~" Ethan thanked him sincerely. "I know. We're family."
Uncle Thomas happily snapped his fingers in response. With the conversation settled, the three of them happily enjoyed their lunch.
After eating and drinking, Ethan took the initiative to clean up the table and kitchen, letting Aunt Linda and Uncle Thomas—who had been busy all morning—finally have a well-deserved rest.
Once the dining room and kitchen were spotless, Ethan walked across the creaky wooden floor and returned to his room on the second floor. He filled the bathtub with warm water and sank into it, letting the fatigue slowly wash away.
Actually, Ethan could have answered Uncle Thomas's question earlier.
Because over the past two months, while he was adjusting to this new environment, he had also been carefully looking for money-making opportunities in this era.
In his previous life, Ethan had worked as a corporate employee in the financial industry. Running businesses and buying stocks—it was practically his instinct.
Through his quiet research, he had already identified two stocks worth investing in.
One was McDonald's, which had gone public in 1970.
The other was Wal-Mart, which had gone public in 1972.
Right now, the prices of both stocks were still remarkably low. According to Ethan's calculations, if he were to invest $100,000 in each of these stocks and hold them until 2023, the returns would exceed a thousandfold.
To be honest, this discovery made Ethan extremely excited.
After all, who could resist the temptation of sudden wealth?
But when he actually started planning his next steps, he quickly ran into two hidden problems.
The first problem was objective: the stock trading system of this era was incredibly unsafe. Just like the stock market scenes in old Hollywood movies, stock trading in this period was entirely offline. Investors had to contact their brokerage firm directly, tell them which stocks they wanted to buy, along with the target price and quantity.
The brokerage would then relay the order to their floor traders at the exchange, who would physically negotiate with other traders willing to sell their shares.
Because of the lack of real-time information, this trading system was highly prone to securities fraud and price manipulation.
In fact, issues like these came to light years later when Drexel Burnham Lambert, the old employer of the junk bond king Michael Milken, collapsed in the 1990s.
The second problem was more personal: even if he succeeded in this plan, he would only become a billionaire when he was old.
If the price of wealth after shit was to grow old along the way…
Well, that was not a price Ethan was willing to pay.
Besides—this was America in the 1970s! An era where computers weren't widespread, the Internet hadn't been born, and mobile technology was just a fantasy.
This was a time of limitless opportunity. In the words of Rebus: Right now is the tide of the times! Even a pig that stands up—Can! Absolutely! Fly!
If, as a time traveler, he still chose to slowly accumulate wealth over decades…
Wouldn't that be an embarrassment to all the countless time travelers who came before him?
And as for people who might say, "But you're a finance guy, you don't know technology!"
Well…
Soaking in the warm water, the tired Ethan quickly drifted off to sleep.
When he woke up again, the cold water made him shiver.
He quickly stood up and dried himself off. The skin on his soaked fingers had wrinkled, like the rough edges of an old riverbank—curved and ugly.
But his face? Well—great! Still as handsome as Tom Cruise!
After getting dressed, he returned to the bedroom. The clock on the wall was bathed in the warm red glow of the setting sun. Five o'clock?
"I've been sleeping in the bathtub for three hours?" Ethan muttered, sighing as he blew dry his hair.
As he tried to recall what he had been thinking about before falling asleep, the distant car engine noise suddenly reached his ears, quickly growing louder and then fading away.
Right after that, a sweet, familiar voice called out from downstairs:
"Dad? Linda? I'm back~!"