[Titanic] Where Your Heart Goes

[-] was not a good year for all Americans. Although there have been two financial crises before, there has never been a recession as desperate as this one.Karl may be the only one who survived this catastrophe, not because he was able to see the small things and escape this catastrophe. Karl can only thank the "prophet" for his power.

In fact, when a manager of the furniture industry stationed in Carl's department store complained to Carl the year before, he suddenly remembered the "Great Depression" that he was about to throw into his memory. Under control, everything is moving in a prosperous direction, and all walks of life are showing vitality, but this can't stop Carl from thinking about renovating the house-it's been the same for more than ten years since they moved to Tennessee , only the oil paintings hanging on the wall are often changed because of Jack.

"Jack, shall we redecorate the house?" Carl sat on the sofa and read the newspaper casually, and Jack immediately agreed with him.

"Great, we really should reorganize the house. Daddy and Raffles have kept their rooms looking old since they went off to California for some 'Sunshine Belle Beach' life; Jeffery should have an independent He seems to like the violin very much.” Jack knows the situation of the whole family well, and compared to Carl who has to go out to work and socialize all day, Jack is more like the owner of the house.

"I don't have a job today, how about going out to our mall later?"

"I'm going to change clothes, let's go right away, I plan to go out to paint at night, by the way, Harry's food should be bought again, he is too old now, he can no longer eat the original dog food, That's too hard for it." Jack took out a small notebook from his trouser pocket and wrote it down.

Karl shrugged his shoulders indifferently, no creature can escape the rules of life, old age, sickness and death.Harry is already 12 years old. If it wasn’t for the fact that Hawley’s family has a lot of property to give him the best treatment and care, he might have passed away—of course, even if Harry was given the best care, Harry’s life would soon come to an end up.

"Is Jeffrey in a good mood recently? Since Harry didn't like to move, he has been worried every day." Carl suddenly remembered his son's problem, and he sighed helplessly.

Jack pointed upstairs and said, "Can't you hear what Jeffery is playing now?"

Carl sighed again, he really never thought that his son who had been "forgotten for profit" since he was a child would be so sad every day because of the fact that Harry died soon.Carl hugged Jack's shoulders, put his head on his forehead and asked in a low voice, "What should we do?"

"If you can accompany Jeffrey to brush Harry's hair more, he will be very happy. Oh, yes, Carl, I don't seem to have time to tell you that yesterday Jeffery's final exam results were sent home Yes, all of them are A, but..." Jack paused here, and his eyes swept Carl up and down reproachfully, "You went out to socialize yesterday, and you didn't come home all night. I was waiting for you in the living room, and I was the one who persuaded him to go back to his room to sleep in the end. In such a sad performance, you also contributed."

"...I'll go find him." Carl walked upstairs decisively, and the sound of Jeffrey's playing stopped immediately.Jack didn't participate in the rare personal conversation between Carl and Jeffrey. Although his son didn't say anything, Jack knew very well after getting along for a long time. Compared with himself, who had few common topics, Carl has always been as great as God in Jeffrey's heart. the "father".

Carl came down from the stairs two hours later, his eyes were a little red.Jack looked at Carl puzzled, but Carl hugged his shoulder with a gratified smile, and printed countless light kisses on Jack's cheek.Jack broke away from Carl's embrace, and asked inexplicably, "Carl, what's the matter?"

"No, anything. Jack, I just wanted to say thank you and I love you."

"...What are you going crazy about? After you talked with your son, you came to such a conclusion." Jack looked puzzled, and his eyes suddenly became suspicious when he looked at Carl, "Did you do something lately?" what... huh?"

"No, Jeffrey just kept persuading me to spend more time with you, and not to make you wait for me to get off work until midnight. My dear, I suddenly feel very relieved that my son has complained for you. And, for you I am sincerely sorry." Carl took Jack's hand and picked up his coat and walked out the door. "Driving by yourself" in Tennessee is no longer a shameful thing for nobles, but a new trendy attempt.

"I draw so late just because the night is quieter and full of inspiration." Jack sat next to Carl and explained, he suddenly looked back at the house that was getting farther and farther away and said, "Jeffrey won't persuade him because of me that night." Go to bed early and say this on purpose? This bad boy, he must have come over to eavesdrop a few nights ago."

"He told me that he didn't sleep in the middle of the night because he was too excited to sleep, because he went to the exam at the end of the semester without reviewing, and he was overjoyed to get all A's. Children, so Can't sleep. It's not about waiting for me at all, and Jeffrey is really more mature than we think-although he is also sad that Harry is dying, but he feels sad because he likes Miss Rose's daughter, and the little princess treats her with contempt."

This topic was indeed more attractive than before, Jack immediately turned to look at Carl: "You said, Jeffery fell in love with Annie?"

"Yes, Anne and Miss Rose are very similar in character, full of adventurous spirit, and equally talented. But it's a pity, in Anne's opinion, Jeffery is a philistine brother." Carl sighed at this point, "And her mother, who thought I looked the same. Jeffrey was very distressed."

"Jeffrey can write poetry, he can draw pretty well, and he's a great violinist - if he's going to be a musician in the future, he's probably going to be successful. And most importantly, Jeffery is a An absolutely mature and considerate boy among his peers, why doesn't Anne like him." Jack complained a bit and said that although he and Miss Rose are good friends, the child is always his best.

"I can guess what Anne is thinking. She was born in an aristocratic family - backward and conservative; she has a business mind - a philistine and cold-blooded; she writes poems, draws and plays the violin - weak and sensitive. Little girls probably don't like such children, Little girls like sunny and handsome heroic characters. If they grow up, it will be hard to say, the female character is a holy fighter who pursues stability and happiness, and maybe Anne will think Jeffery is very good in the future." Carl said with a smile on the corner of his mouth The smile revealed a sinister taste again, "However, it's hard to say whether Jeffery still likes Anne's type of girls when he grows up."

Jack turned his face to the other side to enjoy the scenery on the road. He knew that after Carl started to analyze something, their family would definitely not suffer.Jeffrey is not an honest boy who can be bullied, he has been worrying about it from the beginning.

The car soon stopped in front of his department store, and Carl pulled Jack directly to the furniture floor.Although, as the boss, Carl is fully qualified to enjoy door-to-door service, but shopping with his lover is a very enjoyable thing. It is true that he has not enjoyed the leisurely life of an old man with Jack for a long time.

Carl's aesthetics has always been full of the aristocratic atmosphere of the upper class, but Jack is nothing like him.Jack likes furniture that can see the original wood. Of course, the most important thing is that it must be spacious and comfortable-Carl once suspected that Jack’s current criteria for choosing furniture was because that time he pressed Jack into the single sofa, ahem, of course, When Jack woke up the next day, his body was a little sore.

"Carl, this sofa set looks very good." Jack turned his head and greeted Carl, and Carl nodded in agreement without hesitation. Jack's aesthetics has always been outstanding, so he doesn't have to worry about it so much.

"Sir, your vision is really good. This batch of wood is imported from Russia. Although the price of wood in various countries has been reduced this year, it is very difficult to find such good wood. This group of sofas is made of large pieces of wood that have been in the past. They are directly carved out, they belong to a complete tree." The salesman praised Jack, but Carl's ears caught the words that contained important information.

The following shopping process was of course happy, but Carl was overshadowed. He suddenly realized that these years of life were too happy and content, and he had completely forgotten what he should prepare.It is already [-]!The Great Depression was right in front of his eyes!

Carl is more worried about the steel plant in Pittsburgh than the agricultural and sideline products that can be canned and vacuum-packed at any time.After the end of World War I, there will inevitably be World War II-this is the historical pattern of the world, and it cannot be changed by one person at a time.Karl has always known that war is a good thing. From a certain point of view, war can maintain the country's economy-if you want to fight, you must prepare military supplies. A way to stimulate domestic demand.

After the end of World War I, due to political considerations, although Germany was a completely defeated country, its industrial base was not seriously damaged, and what it lost was only money and a small amount of land.What's more interesting is that Mr. Henry had been committed to his own steel business in the past without success, but the end of World War I helped Mr. Henry realize this dream.

One of the major customers of the steel plant is the German government's order to rebuild public facilities-this is an order that Karl feels is the safest, because there are more than five years before it expires-it happens to help Karl escape the Great Depression .But what about the rest?What Karl needs to guarantee, at the very least, should be a balance of payments.

Carl thought about it but suddenly laughed, maybe he should contact Mr. Benson - he is the eldest son of the deceased Mr. Ard, and now he has inherited Mr. Ard's real estate business.What could be more profitable and consume more steel than building a house.

Carl's idea is not too much. Most of the current residents in Tennessee use houses that they built at will. Since the Civil War, almost no new houses have been built.It would not be an exaggeration to say that all are in disrepair and uninhabitable.Carl felt that he needed to do one thing, a matter of government-business collusion-contact the new governor to determine that the houses of residents during the week were not safe.

Building in the midst of a looming emergency Great Recession isn't exactly a good idea, but it doesn't sound so scary if you can have a government guarantee and a long-term loan from the buyer to pay off the debt.Carl is not very worried about the industry he developed, because he used the four-in-one business model of biogas at the beginning, so the manure in the farmland, the feed for beef and dairy cows, and even the biogas sold for money There is no need for additional expenditure at all.As for department stores and other investment enterprises, Karl is even less worried.

The tickets that Karl bought and stored are all companies that will still exist in the future, and there is no danger of bankruptcy at all-even if the stock price dropped heartbreakingly during the Great Depression, Karl can treat it as if he can’t see it, and it will be in the future anyway. rose back.Carl looked at the total amount of funds displayed in his bank, and without hesitation chose to exchange all of these for gold in the bank.

Within a few days, Karl's department store has posted a notice that due to the company's internal adjustments, the credit consumption business has been suspended.Lucas looked at Carl, who was sitting in the office with a serious face, and was puzzled by this. He knocked on the table and said, "Carl, credit consumption and installment payment have greatly increased our sales. Why did you stop this item suddenly? business."

Carl shook the documents in his hand, and handed them to Lucas and Abner. After seeing the documents, the expressions on their faces became equally serious.Carl leaned back into the seat: "China and Russia fought a price war for the timber business last year, and this year they began to issue orders to lower the prices of agricultural and sideline products. The second industrial revolution has basically been completed, and we are still here. It’s better, because the population is relatively small, and workers were recruited according to the number after mechanization. But the situation in other states and counties is much worse, and many skilled workers have already begun to lose their jobs.”

"What can we do?" Abner said with some difficulty, a sharp sword seemed to be hanging above his head, but they had no other way to prevent this from happening.

"Shrinking the company's investment, and the company's daily operating income must be exchanged from the bank for gold reserves on the same day. Pay attention to your own safety. I am a little worried that when people can't live on, they will use drastic methods to 'rich people' 'Express their dissatisfaction. By the way, didn't the company still have a lot of vacuum products stored in the warehouse after World War I? Get ready to come out, and we are always ready to give away to those who can't live." Carl whispered, "If you continue, you will exchange it for gold and withdraw it from the bank. I don't know how many bankers will commit suicide by jumping off the building because of bankruptcy."

"There are not many high-rise buildings in Tennessee. It seems that I have to give up even my car. Otherwise, if they choose to crash and die, I will definitely provide funeral expenses." Abner laughed at himself bitterly, and then looked at Carl suddenly asked: "Will the Morgan consortium not rescue the market this time?"

There was a sarcastic smile on the corner of Carl's mouth: "If there is no major event, why continue to develop, as long as countless banks fail, the Morgan consortium can reach a higher level. Besides, Abner, you forgot that John Did Mr Morgan die of some nervous breakdown?"

"Well, let's not be so sharp. I suspect that this time the Morgan consortium will not be able to save the market even if it wants to. I got news from the UK that their economic situation is also bad. Maybe this time the economic crisis is global in nature. .Wait, guys."

After Carl finished speaking, he returned to his office. He thought about it and told Jack about it. Although Jack didn't care how much property he had, he just watched his partner's dollars turn into waste paper. Carl can do things.Jack froze for a moment, then handed over all his property to Carl, and he threw Carl a sentence that made him laugh—"Anyway, if we lose money, our family will start eating bread again from today."

Even gold nuggets couldn't make Jack eat the hard, unpalatable bread he ate.Karl shook his head helplessly, but the pressure in his heart dropped a lot.

Things really followed the history. Karl had never seen such a large number of unemployed people. They crowded the streets and built small shacks as houses, and some even pushed mobile fruit vendors to sell fruits in order to make a living.When more and more children could only run barefoot on the street and began to drop out of school, Carl finally squeezed Jeffrey's shoulder and forced him to look out the window.

"See, Jeffrey? Everything I have now, the future belongs to you. If you can't resist all the responsibilities of the family, then your father and I will join these people in the future, and you may not, because If you can't bear it, you are doomed to commit suicide to pay off the debt."

Jeffrey's face was pale and his lips were trembling, but he nodded vigorously after a long silence: "Father, I can do it."

"Good boy, I'm proud of you." Carl patted Jeffrey on the shoulder and let go of his son.He turned around and hugged Jack's body, rubbing the bridge of his nose against Jack's neck, Jack dodged the itching and numbness.Carl said suddenly, "Honey, would you mind painting a picture about the Great Depression and selling it for food."

"I think there's no problem." Jack nodded with a serious expression, and then rushed back to his studio.

Karl was sitting in the living room by himself, he picked up the phone several times and put it down, finally dialed the office number, Lucas and Abner were waiting for Karl's instructions.Carl's dry voice came out of the microphone: "Tomorrow, go directly to the street to register lives, and then start distributing food by name."

The past few years have been difficult for anyone to support. Fortunately, as Carl said, the environment in Tennessee is much better than that in New York-even the number of unemployed people is countless times smaller.Since the milk could no longer be sold, Karl directly ordered the workers to turn the milk into cheese and send it to the victims.

When he saw Roosevelt being elected as the new president in the newspaper, Carl felt so lucky for the first time. Even with the support of the state government before, there were too few things he could do.After all, Karl has to maintain a huge company, and he can't be a pure philanthropist—of course, Karl didn't intend to do this from the beginning. The Great Depression has pushed his and Jack's reputation to the top because of Karl's generosity. , The accusations and insults I had suffered before completely disappeared without a trace.To put it bluntly, Carl just bought his and Jack's free life with money and timing.

There are always several leading families, companies, and consortiums in each state. When Carl received a call from the president, he threw out the plan he designed without hesitation: "All the school buildings and bridges in Tennessee , dykes, sewer systems, and public buildings such as the post office and administrative offices, if you can give me all these projects, then I can guarantee that the unemployment rate of residents in the state will drop significantly."

What answer can I get other than a promise? Tennessee is currently dominated by the Hawley family, and there is no one else who can bear it except him. Moreover, even the governor supports the decision of the Hawley family—forgot to explain, Luo Miss Si has taken the governor's office.

Hearing the answer, Karl smiled with satisfaction, all his property can finally be used in the jobs sent by the government.Not long after, Carl even unceremoniously started a new company in the case of the Great Recession - United Express - it will quickly send items to where they are needed, and the current situation is just right to continue to contribute More positions recruiting drivers.

Carl looked at the candidate for the new director of the Federal Reserve Board and suddenly smiled. He put the newspaper on Jack's lap and pointed to the photo, saying, "Did you see it? The Morgan consortium and the president have finally reached a cooperation. Banks are gradually reopening."

"Because the new director is a Jew?"

"No, because of the teachings of Judaism." Carl leaned against Jack with his eyes closed, and he was dying of exhaustion.

"Carl, go back to your room and rest."

"I don't want to rest when I go back to my room."

"I haven't slept for more than three days and I don't want to rest, Carl Hawley, do you think you are still 30 years old?"

"If I were still 30 years old, then I would have done you in the living room. Now I can only go back to the room and do it, who would have made my son fall in love." Carl fell asleep on Jack's shoulder after speaking, and Jack almost For the first time, he reached out to push away the head that was pressing on his gold list, but in the end he just put his palm against Karl's cheek and sighed.