Friends familiar with Newton should know.
Mr. Niu, beyond his academic pursuits in physics and mathematics, had an extraordinary obsession with money.
For example, his initial intention to become a professor of mathematics was because of the relatively high salary for such a position — he wrote this in his correspondence without feeling any embarrassment.
Also, his later appointment as the director of the mint was just so he could frequently handle money.
Besides that, Newton was actually a seasoned stock investor.
And indeed, he was one of the biggest 'chives' in the history of world stocks.
This was during the first snow of the year 1720, which came later than in 1719.
Under the heavy snowfall, the United Kingdom appeared bleak, but the stock market suddenly caught fire, with calls to "rush into the market," and many people even borrowed money to invest in stocks with leverage.
Even Mr. Niu in his laboratory couldn't sit still; for the first time, he took out a fortune of 7000 Pounds timidly and bought a stock.
As a result, Old Niu was possessed by the Emperor of Europe, and the stock price quickly doubled, becoming 14000 Pounds.
Old Niu was quite rational then, seeing the good and cashing out, selling the stock for a solid 14000 Pounds.
However, not long after, seeing the ever-booming stock market, Old Niu's greed got the better of him again.
So in April 1720, Old Niu gathered a large sum of money and re-entered the market, buying one of the hottest and fastest-rising stocks at the time:
Shares of the South Sea Company.
Yet this time, Old Niu's luck ran out, and misfortune closely followed.
Not long after Newton went all in, in June 1720, the British Parliament passed the Bubble Act, imposing policy restrictions on companies like the South Sea Company.
Once the Act was announced, the stock market faced a massive bearish turn, leading to a significant market crash in the United Kingdom:
The once-over-1200-Pound stock of the South Sea Company plummeted below 500 Pounds and continued to flounder.
Across the British stock market, investors wailed, and people's lives were devastated.
Doesn't this scene seem familiar?
So why is it said that history is actually a cycle...
In any case.
The stocks in Newton's hands were also tragically halved; he was forced to cut his losses and exit with 20000 Pounds, then uttered this classic quote to the world:
"I can calculate the motions of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people." (I can calculate the motions of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people)
And back then, through some price conversions, this 20000 Pounds became mysteriously labeled as Newton losing anywhere from 3000 to 6000 million in strange headlines by marketers.
However, in reality, the value of this money was about 5 million because a significant portion was covered by Old Niu with manuscripts, not all cash.
Back to reality.
At this time, although Newton hadn't grown into a robust 'chive', Old Niu was still just a Little Niu, but his pursuit of money had become even more intense — following the normal historical trajectory, Little Niu would move to Freddy's house three months after arguing with his mother.
During this period, he lived frugally, even resorting to robbing a few elementary school students, as living expenses were indeed a problem.
If supporting Xu Yun for some days could earn some rewards, then it was quite a worthwhile deal...
Anyway, it's just one more pair of chopsticks... or a fork, Xu Yun could work to pay back for the food — if worse comes to worst, use clothes as collateral.
According to Little Niu's estimation, the quality of Fat Fish's clothes likely wasn't lower than his boots.
Of course.
This is an extreme case, for now Little Niu isn't thick-skinned to that extent yet.
Little Niu thought it over and said:
"Fat Fish, you can stay for a while, but there's one thing I need to make clear first:
The estate you see here is my family property, but due to some personal reasons, I'm currently living with my uncle.
This room was originally a garden house, not very large, so if you want to stay here..."
Xu Yun looked at Little Niu's gaze on the floor, vaguely understanding something, and said:
"I have to sleep on the floor, right?"
"Bingo!"
Little Niu snapped his fingers, then thought for a moment and added:
"I can lend you a mat for the floor, filled with rush straw, it's quite comfortable to sleep on.
I can also solve the food problem, two meals a day, but you'll need to pay a pence daily for room and board.
This fee can be deducted with those shoes before it amounts to a Guinea, but if it exceeds a Guinea, you'll have to use your clothes as collateral until you reunite with your family and get the money."
Xu Yun listened quietly, calculated in his mind for a while, then sighed inwardly:
Worthy of the youthful ancestor, truly cunning!
It is currently 1665, and the renowned Pound Sterling would only appear in 1694.
The circulating currency in Britain now is the metal currency called Guinea Coin, issued in 1663.
According to the exchange rate, one Guinea Coin equals 21 shillings, which is 252 pence.
Of course.
In the following years, with the soaring gold prices, the purchasing power of the Guinea Coin increased, making conversion meaningless later.
And in this era, what is the annual income of a normal family in the United Kingdom?
0.65 Guinea!
Even a teacher earns about 1.8 Guineas a year.
A Priest earns more, reaching four Guineas or more.
According to Little Niu's pricing, if Xu Yun lived with him for a year, he would need to pay just over 360 pence.
About 1.5 Guineas of 'food expenses'.
Real rip-off.
However pricey, Xu Yun couldn't refuse this price, or Newton's proposal.
After all, with the Plague rampant in London, there were too many roaming refugees and powerhouses taking advantage.
Going out wandering alone, regardless of establishing future connections with Little Niu, surviving for three days would be considered an Emperor of Europe.
Don't think that eating children and selling women only happened in ancient local regions; ancient Europe during wartime was no less.
Therefore, logically and ethically, Xu Yun could only take this strike from his family ancestor:
"No problem, I accept your proposal."
Little Niu finally nodded in satisfaction and then said:
"Very good, and later I'll give you a knife, you can craft a wooden plate yourself.
Also remember to carve your name in the corner, from now on you'll use it for meals — it's not that I don't give you a plate, but there are only so many wooden plates at home, outsiders must make their own utensils for dining."