An Unideal Start (Part 2) (Please Keep Reading, Aaah, Aaah!!!)

Those familiar with Newton should know this.

Beyond his academic pursuits in physics and mathematics, Old Master Newton possessed an extraordinary obsession with money.

For example, his original reason for becoming a professor of mathematics was that the position paid better—he wrote this himself in his correspondence and felt no embarrassment whatsoever.

Later, he became Factory Director at the Mint because it allowed him to touch money often.

Besides that, Newton was actually a seasoned stock investor.

And one of the greatest suckers in the history of the stock market.

It was the first snowfall of 1720, arriving somewhat later than it had in 1719.

Britain looked bleak beneath the heavy snow, but the stock market suddenly caught fire. Society buzzed with cries of "rush in," and many people even borrowed money to trade stocks on leverage.

Old Master Newton, who was in his laboratory at the time, could no longer sit still either. The first time, he put up 7,000 pounds of hard-earned capital and tremblingly bought a stock.

As it turned out, Old Master Newton had the European Emperor's luck. The stock price soon doubled, becoming 14,000 pounds.

He was still relatively rational back then. He took his profits, sold the stock, and safely pocketed the full 14,000 pounds.

Yet not long afterward, as he watched the stock market grow hotter and hotter, Old Master Newton's greed flared up again.

So in April 1720, he raised a large sum of money and reentered the market, buying one of the hottest and fastest-rising stocks of the day:

Shares in the South Sea Company.

This time, however, Old Master Newton was terribly unlucky, and misfortune followed close behind.

Not long after Newton went all in, British Parliament passed the Bubble Act in June 1720, imposing policy restrictions on companies such as the South Sea Company.

The moment the act came out, it became a huge bearish blow to the market, and Britain was soon hit by a massive stock market crash:

South Sea Company shares, which had originally stood above 1,200 pounds, plunged below 500 pounds in one stroke and continued to drift downward.

Across the entire British stock market, investors wailed in misery, and life became unbearable.

Didn't this scene seem familiar?

So why did people say history was a cycle?

In short.

Newton's shares were also brutally cut in half. He had no choice but to sell at a loss and exit with 20,000 pounds, after which he told the world this classic line:

"I can calculate the motions of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people."

Later, after being converted through various price indices, those 20,000 pounds became sensational Marketing Account headlines claiming that Newton had suffered losses of anywhere from thirty to sixty million.

In reality, the money was worth around five million, because a considerable portion of it had been offset with Old Master Newton's manuscripts rather than paid entirely in cash.

The scene returned to the present.

Although Newton had not yet grown into a sturdy leek, and Old Master Newton was still only Little Ox, his pursuit of money was even more obsessive—under the normal course of history, three months after this quarrel with his mother, Little Ox would move into Freddie's home.

During that period, he lived frugally and had even, well, robbed a few elementary school students. Living expenses truly were a problem.

If keeping Xu Yun for a while could earn him payment, then it was quite a worthwhile deal.

At worst, it was only one more pair of chopsticks. Or rather, one more fork. Xu Yun could earn back that portion of his food by doing some work—if all else failed, he could pay off the debt with his clothes.

By Little Ox's estimate, the quality of Fat Fish's clothes was probably not much lower than that of his boots.

Of course.

That was an extreme possibility. Young Newton had not yet become that thick-skinned and unscrupulous.

After weighing it over, Little Ox said:

"Fat Fish, it's no problem for you to stay for a while, but there's something I need to make clear first:

"This estate you see is my family's property, but for certain personal reasons, I currently live with my uncle.

"This room used to be a cottage in the woods, and it's only this large. So if you want to stay here..."

Xu Yun followed Little Ox's gaze to the floor and vaguely understood. He picked up the conversation:

"I'll have to sleep on the floor, right?"

"Bingo!"

Little Ox snapped his fingers, then thought for a moment before adding:

"I can lend you bedding for sleeping on the floor. It's stuffed with rushes, and it's very comfortable.

"I can also handle the food. Two meals a day, but you'll need to pay one penny a day for room and board.

"Until the total reaches one Guinea coin, that cost can be deducted from those shoes. But once it exceeds one Guinea coin, you'll have to use your clothes as collateral—until you reunite with your family and receive money."

Xu Yun listened quietly, calculated it briefly in his mind, and then sighed inwardly:

As expected of the youthful version of my founding ancestor. Ruthless enough!

It was now 1665. The pound sterling, which would become famous in later generations, would not appear until 1694.

At present, Britain used a metal currency called the Guinea coin, which had been issued since 1633.

By the exchange rate, one Guinea coin equaled 21 shillings, or 252 pence.

Of course.

A few years later, as the price of gold soared, the Guinea coin's purchasing power would increase accordingly, making any later conversion meaningless.

But in this era, what was the annual income of an ordinary British household?

0.65 Guinea coins!

Even a teacher earned only around 1.8 Guinea coins a year.

A pastor earned more, reaching four Guinea coins or even higher.

At the price Little Ox had offered, if Xu Yun stayed with him for a year, he would need to pay a little over 360 pence.

That was around 1.5 Guinea coins in "meal fees."

A genuine slaughter.

But expensive as it was, Xu Yun could not refuse the price—or rather, he could not refuse Newton's offer.

After all, the Black Death was ravaging London. There were countless wandering refugees and powerful men taking the opportunity to strike in the shadows.

If he went out alone to wander the streets, never mind whether he could build a connection with Little Ox later—even surviving three days normally would make him a European Emperor.

Do not think that trading children for food or selling sons and daughters happened only in ancient China. During times of war, ancient Europe was no less horrific.

Therefore, whether by emotion or reason, Xu Yun could only accept this cut from his own founding ancestor:

"No problem. I accept your offer."

Only then did Little Ox nod in satisfaction, before saying:

"Very good. Also, I'll give you a knife later. Make yourself a wooden dinner plate.

"And remember to carve your name in a corner. You'll use it to hold your meals from now on—not because I refuse to give you a plate, but because there are only a few wooden plates at home. Outsiders who eat here have to make their own utensils."