Chapter 3: We are a Family

After the biological parents of Ethan Jones passed away, leaving him an orphan, he was adopted by his father's sister, his aunt. It was the attentive care of his aunt and uncle that kept Ethan Jones from going astray in this vast and diverse country.

As for the troubles Ethan faced at Magnavox, his aunt and uncle never paid much attention. In their view, the pressure from Magnavox was just workplace intimidation! It was the incompetence of the leadership that led to everything going wrong, attempting to save their own positions by blaming subordinates! When even the immediate supervisors didn't care about their subordinates, it was better to part ways with such a lousy company!

Therefore, when they learned that Ethan had been fired, they were happier than anyone else. Uncle Thomas found his white wine, pulled out the cork with his teeth in the middle of the day, and filled glasses for Ethan, his wife, and himself.

Aunt Linda wasn't to be outdone; she brought out a prepared feast of steak, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, and creamy mushroom soup.

Then, on the spur of the moment, they fried some chicken, made French fries and onion rings.

They also prepared a large pot of vegetable salad with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, and other ingredients.

"This is really sumptuous. Thank you, Aunt Linda."

Although the current spread might seem a bit plain for Chinese cuisine, in the context of Western food, it was already top-notch.

"Oh, sweetheart, you don't have to be so polite," Aunt Linda waved it off with a smile.

"That's right, we are family. No need for formalities, and we are genuinely happy for you now," Uncle Thomas raised his glass, looking at his wife, "Shall we toast to Ethan's liberation?"

"Cheers, cheers!" Aunt Linda happily responded.

Ethan also raised his glass with a smile, "Thank you."

Galow Winery was one of America's largest family wineries and one of the world's largest wine producers.

The Riesling that Uncle Thomas brought out was a semi-dry wine. Upon tasting it, the refreshing blend of lily, peach, apricot, and lemon made it feel more like a beverage than alcohol.

If paired with spicy and greasy food...

Wow!

Living the life of eating fried chicken and drinking wine was indeed delightful! Ethan couldn't help but smile.

This joyful scene made Aunt Linda and Uncle Thomas very pleased. After finishing one bottle, they opened another, until both of them had slightly flushed cheeks, did they start to discuss Ethan's future.

"Ethan, about you being fired, we were actually mentally prepared for it. So, when it really happened, do you have any thoughts about your future?" Aunt Linda propped her elbow on the table, smiling, "Do you still not want to go to college? Honestly, I think it's a waste of your talent. If I remember correctly, you scored over 1200 on the academic aptitude test, right? That score can get you into a good university."

Aunt Linda referred to the academic aptitude test, which was actually the SAT, the university entrance exam in America.

The original owner of Ethan's body had participated in the exam before and scored 1213 out of 1600. Although it might seem modest, in the year he took the test, the highest SAT score in the University of California admissions list was only 1280.

Truth be told, applying to college wasn't just about SAT scores. It also involved recommendation letters, extracurricular honors, and a series of proofs of excellence. But with a score of 1213, getting into a university would be quite easy.

Too bad he wasn't interested.

And now, Ethan...

Go to school as a time traveler?

Are you kidding?

He's not without memories!

"I am sorry, Aunt Linda, for disappointing you. I may not change my initial decision for the time being," Ethan apologized.

"No need to go to school!"

Before Aunt Linda could express her regret, Uncle Thomas spoke up.

"What's the use of going to school? It's just a pretext for capitalists to plunder our wealth! After paying high tuition fees, you still have to learn everything on your own. Your social status won't instantly rise. Learning is already a painful thing, and paying to learn is a double torture! So, Ethan, I support you. If you don't want to go to school, join me in managing the orchard. You know, our family orchard can earn forty to fifty thousand dollars a year! Much more than those white-collar jobs!"

Indeed, Aunt Linda and Uncle Thomas were farmers by profession.

They owned nearly a hundred acres of land, where they grew navel oranges.

They produced around three to five hundred tons each year, all sold to a packaging company, fetching prices between $290 to $310 per ton. After deducting all costs, they made a comfortable forty to fifty thousand dollars a year.

But...

Even though Ethan had the natural talent for farming, he wasn't ready to become a farmer.

"Sorry, Uncle Thomas, for disappointing you. When I feel lost about my future, I'll definitely embrace the land," Ethan politely declined.

Uncle Thomas pursed his lips, wanting to say something but after a moment of contemplation, he gave up.

"Alright, I respect your choice."

"Your temper is just like your late mom's. I think if she and your dad were here right now, they would also support your decision, I mean it."

"I understand," Ethan nodded with a smile.

"Can you tell us about your future plans?" now that her husband had compromised, Aunt Linda was also not going to dwell on it. She curiously asked, "Of course, if it involves your personal privacy, you don't have to say."

"Oh..." Ethan pondered for a few seconds about this question, then said, "I want to share with you, but currently, I only have a vague idea and haven't formed a complete plan, so..."

"Then, we'll talk when you've figured it out," Uncle Thomas decisively said, "Anytime, anywhere, if you need us, whether it's to talk or for money, okay?"

"Yeah," Ethan sincerely thanked, "I know, we are a family."

"Clap!"

Uncle Thomas happily snapped his fingers.

As the conversation ended, the three of them enjoyed their lunch joyfully.

After a hearty meal and drinks, Ethan took the initiative to clean up, allowing Aunt Linda and Uncle Thomas, who had been busy all morning, to rest.

After cleaning both the dining room and kitchen, Ethan stepped on the creaky floorboards, returning to his room on the second floor.

Filling the bathtub with water, he wanted to wash away his fatigue. As he soaked in, Ethan could have answered Uncle Thomas's question earlier.

Over the past two months, while adapting to his surroundings, he had been searching for opportunities to make money in this era.

In his previous life, he earned a living in the financial sector.

So, managing his old profession, buying stocks, was instinctive for him.

During his search, he found two stocks that were suitable for investment in this era - McDonald's, listed in 1970, and Walmart, listed in 1972. The prices of these two stocks were currently quite low. According to Ethan's calculations, if he invested $100,000 in

each and held them until 2023, these two stocks would undoubtedly bring returns of over a thousand times.

Honestly, this discovery excited Ethan.

After all, who could resist the prospect of becoming wealthy overnight?

However, when he actually decided to act, he found two hidden problems.

The first problem was an objective factor: the trading system for buying and selling stocks in this era was very unsafe. Similar to stock trading scenes in Hollywood movies, stock trading in this era was conducted offline. Buyers needed to inform their chosen stocks to their brokerage firms, along with their desired price and quantity. The brokerage firms would then relay the customer's order to the traders on the exchange floor, who would negotiate with other traders willing to sell the stock. Due to the lack of information flow, this trading model was susceptible to securities fraud and price manipulation.

The second problem was a subjective factor: if he did go through with it and became a billionaire, he would also become old. Becoming rich after time-traveling required aging along with it. That was a price he couldn't accept. After all, it was the 1970s in America! In an era without widespread computers, before the birth of the internet, and mobile internet was nowhere to be found...

Opportunities were everywhere!

To quote Steve Jobs, this was a revolutionary era!

In this kind of era, as a time traveler, if he wanted to accumulate wealth through time, wasn't he embarrassing countless fellow time travelers?

And saying he, a finance guy, didn't understand technology?

Well...

In the warm soak, the somewhat tired Ethan quickly fell into a dream.

When he woke up again, the cold sensation made him shiver.

Quickly getting up and wiping himself dry, the fingers that had soaked for too long looked like wrinkled field ridges, twisted and ugly.

But his face...

Yeah, great! As handsome as Tom Cruise!

Dressed up and back in the room, the clock on the wall was bathed in the red light of the setting sun.

"It's five o'clock? I slept in the bathtub for three hours?"

Ethan mused while blowing his hair.

And as he pondered about where he had thought of before falling asleep, suddenly, the roar of a car, from far to near, entered his ears.

After it disappeared, a sweet voice suddenly appeared.

"Dad? Linda? I am back."