Chapter Eleven: I Just Want to Dote on You

You cannot accuse the Hunter family of chasing dreams. The amount of gold reserves truly cannot sustain the development of the world economy.

In fact, under the current global structure, silver replacing gold is quite appropriate. At least the developed economies would offer their support.

On the surface, everything seems wonderful. Yet they overlook a serious issue.

Balance.

Balance is crucial. If the Hunter family rises to prominence, what about the other families? Are they to be left with nothing?

Sharing profits is common sense in America. If you can't even grasp that, you'd better wash up and go to bed early; the decline of your family is only a matter of time.

Roosevelt's success came at a tremendous cost. He offended nearly all the capitalists. Of course, things were fine while he was in power, but once he left that position, there was nothing left to say.

Not to mention that the current big boss wouldn't support you in such endeavors. Even with full backing, it would be futile. This isn't wartime; your powers are restricted. You can't act with impunity.

The value of silver has indeed been underestimated; the ratio to gold exceeds seventy times. Clearly, this is highly abnormal.

If forty times is a more reasonable ratio, then silver should be priced around ten dollars per ounce.

Silver and gold, in truth, represent different interest groups. Whom the big boss supports is uncertain, but the Federal Reserve is a staunch supporter of gold. They will never allow things to run unchecked.

Unilaterally abandoning the Bretton Woods system obviously hurts the Federal Reserve. This approach is tantamount to trampling the nation’s credit into the mud.

One must admit, there is no euro now. If such a currency existed, the dollar would be truly doomed.

Leaving these matters aside, the Hunter family is now utterly frustrated. Their plan has barely begun, yet the locked-in funds are already soaring.

This is not the kind of money they want. They need momentum trading, hot money. Only with massive trading volumes can they cash out in time.

If they knew these funds weren’t some petty treasury, their expressions would be worth seeing—likely quite entertaining.

William White was also somewhat perplexed. According to his memory, this period should be marked by volatility. Yet none of this has happened. What unexpected changes have occurred? He is at a loss.

It must be said, from this moment, history has shifted. At least for some, their life trajectories have been completely altered.

Two days later, William White finally understood. The Hunter family must have misjudged the situation. Very likely, they took him as one of their own.

“Heh, keep carrying the sedan chair for me. Hope you enjoy it,” William White grumbled inwardly.

He didn’t care about minor deviations in history; after all, other people’s children never run out.

All those who travel through time are shameless; the good ones have already played themselves to death.

The day Duke Zhou feared rumors, Wang Mang was modest before he usurped the throne. This saying is actually flawed.

Now, much evidence suggests Wang Mang was very likely a time traveler. Never mind that his policies resembled those of certain northern neighbors; just consider the tools he invented. A vernier caliper—its origin and disappearance are inexplicable.

You must know this device only appeared in his era. It did not exist before him, nor after. This is exceedingly strange.

Before seizing power, he was nearly a universal favorite. Without extraordinary abilities, such acclaim would have been impossible in those feudal times. A minister too capable would surely be executed.

His defeat was bizarre as well; it feels as though he deliberately handed the victory to Liu Xiu. Rather than calling it usurpation, it’s more fitting to say he was lifting up the Son of Heaven. This period of history is nothing short of magical; much of it defies explanation.

If not for his meddling, the Han dynasty might have ended much sooner. From this perspective, he is arguably a meritorious figure.

Ha! I digress!

A slight shift in history is not a problem. As long as sensitive events are avoided, many things will continue along their original trajectory.

Annoying the Hunter family is one of his main objectives. If such a despicable family gained power, chaos would surely follow.

In history, this silver squeeze ruined countless families. Their shamelessness and disregard for others reached its peak.

“Young master, the deferred payment of inheritance tax has been approved. We have less than a year left.”

“Don’t worry, Uncle Fu. At worst, we’ll sell White Oil. It’s nothing to fret about.”

“Young master, I doubt the Hunter family has the energy to deal with this now.”

“You underestimate their greed. This bunch is like the legendary beast that eats but never defecates.”

“Hmph, that depends on whether they have the teeth for it.”

“Uncle Fu, do this: find someone to approach several major shareholders, and contact more banks. Pretend we're willing to risk everything.”

“Will this cause any issues?”

“No, and we’ll learn who our friends are and who our enemies.”

“I understand, young master. I’ll get on it right away.”

Despite what the young master said, Uncle Fu was well aware. Under current circumstances, gaining bank support is impossible. Kicking someone when they’re down is the norm.

It’s quite absurd, really; White Oil’s fundamentals haven’t changed at all. The current decline is wholly abnormal. If the government were to take over, it might not impact shareholders much. Those selling at low prices now are fools.

As for the White family’s actions, the Hunter family is thoroughly exasperated.

This strategy makes them deeply uncomfortable. Competition changes everything. Although it’s obvious to all that the White family’s funds are immovable, it doesn’t matter—they can still make offers. They promise payment within a year, and you can’t do anything about it.

The Hunter family’s motives are clearly sinister. If they acquire a majority of shares, minority shareholders will suffer. Dilution of shares is inevitable.

The problem is, these shares belonging to the White family are not yet William White’s in name. If he decides to go down fighting, everyone will be dragged down.

Once the shares are in government hands, dilution becomes complicated. What assets would need to be injected to achieve the goal? It’s fundamentally uncertain.

“Boss, the White family is contacting other shareholders.”

“Hm, no market acquisitions?”

“None. The funds they can use are extremely limited.”

“Damn it, they’re just making trouble.”

“They’re constantly approaching banks for support.”

“Hmph, wishful thinking. Unless the banks go mad, they’ll never lend to them.”

“True, but many are already raising their offers. It’s beyond our expectations.”

“Tsk, this is troublesome. If he really applies for government trusteeship, we’ll end up trapping ourselves.”

“Boss, they’ve been granted a deferral on the inheritance tax payment. It seems they truly intend to fight to the bitter end.”

“This kid is actually so hard to deal with. Seems the rumors were misleading. We’ve been fooled.”

“The farm isn’t up for sale, no workers have been fired, and they’re even expanding the vineyard.”

“Are their wines selling well?”

“Not that I’ve heard. No one’s doing well this year; what makes them an exception?”

“Sigh, let’s wait and see what this youngster plans to do.”