Chapter 4: Writing

Now that the White family faced sudden changes, many forces began to eye them greedily, hoping to snatch a piece from this fallen giant. Is it ruthless? Perhaps a bit, but that's the norm. Everyone love to kick someone when they're down. Whether it's the White Farm or White Oil, these are all pretty good assets. If the price is right, swallowing them up is no problem. No one cared much about the difficulties William faced. Many even envied the enormous wealth he inherited. Well, that's basically true. For ordinary people, this wealth was astronomical. Even after paying massive inheritance taxes, it was still a huge fortune. Fulton felt that the young master seemed to have grown up overnight. Although he didn't understand many things, it didn't stop him from executing orders. After dinner, William went to the shooting range. His mansion was indeed very large, not only having a heated pool but also an indoor shooting range. Almost everyone in Texas carried guns, so there's no need to explain how tough people here were. Remember, carrying guns here means openly carrying them on the street. No joke, if you see someone riding a horse to buy ice cream on the street, don't feel weird. That's normal. They might even have a big revolver or an M16 hanging from them. If you get a chance to visit, just remember not to make a fuss. Texans don't have the best tempers. Talking about gun control in America is nonsense. You'll understand that right away on the streets of Texas. If you think law enforcement is bad here, you'd be totally wrong. It's actually a very safe place. Cops usually don't have much to do. Because Texans have a saying, we don't call 911, we have guns. Gangs find it hard to operate in Texas; if you want to bully someone, better just forget about it. There are no soft targets here. While America has many violent shootings, they're not common in Texas. The reason is simple: if you start shooting wildly, you'll probably be turned into Swiss cheese within a minute. Bad guys prey on the weak, and those with mental issues are no exception. So, Texas has pretty good law enforcement. Much better than New York State. Indoor shooting ranges were typically for the rich. At least in Texas, that's how it was. They preferred hunting to target shooting. Bang, bang -- the gunfire continued. William White had already gone through several boxes of bullets. "Hey, Young Master, your shooting's improving fast," said Fulton. "Seems like it. Looks like I need to practice regularly," William replied. "Are you still gonna shoot?" "No, I'll go for a swim." "Alright. They just changed the water." William noticed something different about himself -- he seemed to have gained strength and his eyesight seemed to have improved. Though he wasn't nearsighted before, it wasn't as good as now. Could these be perks of his transcendence? Forty-five minutes later, William climbed out of the pool. A maid quickly handed him a large bath towel. "Thank you." William smiled, then turned and headed to the bathroom. After a shower, a group of attendants came in and started bustling around him. Some took care of his hair, some did skincare, some trimmed his nails, and others massaged his muscles. This wasn't common in Texas. Texans were usually nouveau riche who preferred all kinds of reckless behavior. The White family was different. Their ancestors were British aristocrats. Naturally, with some capital, they became rather pretentious. In his past life, William didn't like this, but this life was different. If he got to live again and still remained a naive teenager, even God wouldn't forgive him. Back in his room, William White took out a stack of manuscript paper. He started to write and draw non-stop. As a time traveler, what he liked most was plagiarism. This was the simplest job and the most profitable one. What? You talk about principles? Who's going to care about that in the face of profit? Forget principles. William certainly didn't care. The title of a best-selling author was very useful in America. If your book's well-written, you'd be a guest among high society. So, what type of book is most popular now? Social criticisms, of course. Everyone was dissatisfied with the current situation and disappointed in the government. So, there was no need to hold back -- just go with the flow. If you write about positivity now, the only result would be failure, without a doubt. The most suitable story, undoubtedly, was Forrest Gump. To be honest, William didn't like the ending for the female lead. Even an accidental death would be better. The movie already changed it because the book was too dark and unrealistic. Even borrowing a storyline from Waterloo Bridge would be better. Other than that, it was an extremely classic novel. You could say this book encapsulated what America was in those decades. The author's skill was incredible. They fully captured the American psyche. Young people might not grasp it, but Americans between thirty and fifty would go crazy over this book. William even thought that with some artistic touch-ups, the book could be even better than the one in his past life. The original was simply too dark and heavy. "Young Master, here's your coffee." "Thank you." William nodded to the maid and said, "Anna, go ahead and sleep. It'll take me a bit longer to finish. I don't need anything else." "Okay, Young Master." Although it was only eleven o'clock, in the countryside farm, there wasn't much happening after nine. Even cowboys who liked to have a few drinks went to bed. By this time, the only ones roaming were the wild wolves. Though there were many wolves in Texas, there weren't any near the White Farm. Being close to the city and surrounded by other farms, even if a lone wolf appeared, it would probably have been taken out quickly. Texas toughness wasn't just talk. One farmer killed dozens of wolves overnight, almost wiping them out -- it was quite exaggerated. Castle laws were well-enforced in Texas. Without an invitation, don't knock on a door. And if you do, be polite. If you storm in, you might just get shot. Many American movie tough guys had Texas accents. The cowboy in the movie The Mummy actually represented Texans. California and Texas were the most arrogant states in America. They didn't really care what the federal government thought. Even though the Civil War ended years ago, North-South tensions never eased. And Texas was the most unyielding. For the wealthy writing books was quite comfortable. Someone was always serving tea and water, and if needed, someone would help relax muscles. With such perks, writing naturally went very fast. ***** https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.