Chapter 31

Unconsciously, it was already March.

In March in New York, the days had become thoroughly warm, although the mornings and evenings were still quite cool, only improving by the end of the month.

"It's the last day of March."

After getting up in the morning and calculating the date, John couldn't help but sigh.

He had been in New York for more than three months and had gradually adapted to his current life. He maintained a simple relationship with his grandfather, attended five days of troublesome classes each week, occasionally went out to relax on weekends, and chatted with friends, experiencing the entertainment activities of the upper class from over a hundred years ago.

Indeed, John had made two new friends this month.

One was Funk Mendes, a British descendant from a wealthy family that owned a textile factory, known for his outgoing and competitive nature. The other was Jack Raphael, an Italian descendant whose family operated three hotels of no small standing in New York. These two friends were introduced to him by Joshua, and they were both in their twenties. Initially, they didn't take much interest in John, a young kid, but after two weekend gatherings, their attitudes quickly changed.

No one dared to treat John as a teenager anymore.

After finishing his morning routine and seeing his grandfather reading the newspaper downstairs, John went up to greet him with a good morning. Just as they were about to go to the dining room for breakfast, the telephone rang.

"So early?"

John's eyebrows furrowed, and he walked over to answer the call: "Hello, this is the Hunter family!"

"John, it's Joshua."

Joshua's voice, mixed with noticeable noise, came through: "Are you at home today? I just received a letter from Edison and want to discuss it with you."

"Edison wrote to you?"

John's heart stirred, and he quickly nodded: "Sure, I'll wait for you at home."

"I'll be there around ten o'clock."

Joshua didn't waste any words, set the time, and ended the call.

The telephones of the time were extremely rudimentary, and each call was a challenge, requiring constant changes in posture, so everyone tried to keep their conversations as brief as possible.

While John was on the phone, old Hunter stood beside him. His eyes flickered, and he asked: "John, have you heard any news about the patent for the electric light?"

"Not yet."

John shook his head: "Joshua only mentioned that Edison wrote him a letter. Hmm, it seems he's in a good mood, but we'll have to wait for him to come over to know the details."

After saying this, John turned to the butler, Hans, and said with a smile: "Mr. Elber and Mr. Stone might have lunch here today. Please have the chef prepare in advance."

"Yes, sir."

Hans bowed slightly and agreed.

Old Hunter clearly appreciated John's consideration, nodding and smiling: "John, if Edison really agrees to buy the patent for the new electric light for $20,000, would you really sell it to him? You know, this invention has a very promising future. I once discussed it with some friends, and it could become a $100,000 per year industry in the future!"

"$100,000 per year?"

John was initially taken aback but then laughed: "Sir, I think you're still underestimating this invention. In fact, I believe it will be a million-dollar opportunity in the future!"

"Oh?"

Old Hunter's eyebrows furrowed.

However, before Old Hunter could raise any objections, John continued with a smile: "I understand why you have doubts. After all, the current cost of light bulbs is quite high, and the operating costs are certainly not low, so only a few families and hotels need them. But think about it, if the cost of light bulbs could be significantly reduced and electricity could be made cheap enough, when the cost is low enough, the annual demand in the United States alone could reach the millions! And what about Europe and Asia?"

John was not exaggerating. In fact, just ten years later, the annual production of light bulbs reached four million, and twenty years later, it reached nearly fifty million! The patent validity period for the United States is now 17 years, meaning it's a golden goose that keeps laying eggs!

And...

Thinking about the longer-lasting and brighter tungsten filament light bulbs that came later, John sometimes wondered if the patent validity period was the reason tungsten filament light bulbs were invented so late. Otherwise, with Edison's continuous efforts, it should have been possible to discover this material in such a long time.

After listening to John, Old Hunter pondered for a moment and then shook his head: "Even if the cost is significantly reduced, I still think it would be difficult for ordinary people to afford it... However, this is indeed a very promising thing."

"Uh..."

After hesitating, John did not continue to argue with his grandfather.

Even as an excellent businessman, Old Hunter's vision was not that far-reaching. He wouldn't have thought that in just a few years, Edison would reduce the cost of light bulbs to just a few dozen cents each, nor would he have thought that more than twenty years later, a man named Ford would set a minimum daily wage of $5 for his workers...

"Let's return to the previous question."

Seeing that John was somewhat不服气 (unconvinced), Old Hunter's eyes flickered, and he continued: "Since you see such potential in this industry, why are you so determined to sell the patent to Edison? Why not think about doing it yourself?"

"Because I don't have the capability!"

This time, John did not hesitate, speaking frankly: "Even with your full support, I still can't solve the most fundamental problems, which are cost and time. We don't have a factory or enough technical personnel to reduce the cost to a sufficient level in a short period. You must understand that at the current cost of light bulbs, it's impossible to replace traditional kerosene lamps and candles."

At this point, John hesitated slightly but ultimately added in his mind: "And, making the end product actually doesn't earn as much as you think!"

Many people have had different opinions about Edison in the future. Some believe that Edison was not a scientist but merely an inventor, as he made almost no contributions to the scientific field beyond the Edison effect, relying mostly on experience and existing theories. Others believe that although Edison held over a thousand patents, many were actually invented by the world's first research institution he founded, only credited to him.

However, one thing many people agree on is that Edison was an outstanding businessman!

This is most evident in the electric light and direct current. When light bulbs were first produced, the cost exceeded $1, but according to Edison's calculations, to compete with traditional kerosene lamps, the price could not exceed 40 cents. Therefore, to sell them, he had to take the risk of a loss. So Edison continuously invested funds and manpower to reduce costs. However, when the cost dropped to 22 cents per bulb a few years later, he sold the manufacturing rights and stopped investing further.

Next came the famous battle between direct current and alternating current.

When John read about this in his previous life, he genuinely admired Edison, who knew over a hundred years ago to transfer the low-profit hardware manufacturing to others and focus on software...

After listening to John's simple analysis, Old Hunter, though somewhat disagreeing, did not intend to interfere since he had already said he would leave the decision entirely to John. However, after these few minutes, his evaluation of his grandson rose even higher!

"John."

Old Hunter's eyes sparkled with unusual light as he looked at his grandson with satisfaction: "Although I don't entirely agree with you, having your own thoughts is a good thing. Ha, you've once again impressed me."

Developing the electric light and battery had surprised Old Hunter, but considering the existing theories, John's work was just a repetition of experiments with a bit of innovation, so after a brief surprise, he wasn't particularly concerned. However, today's insights from John showed him his grandson's talent in business.

This was his old trade, and the feeling was different.

Old Hunter was unaware that if it were not for his background, John would never have thought of these things; he was just an excellent conveyor of ideas...

John knew his own limitations. Seeing his grandfather's expression, he smiled awkwardly, scratched his head, and said: "Because of the deadlock with Edison, I've had many discussions with Joshua and others recently, learning a lot from them... Ha, it's not early anymore, shall we go have breakfast?"

John's attempt to change the subject didn't work on Old Hunter this time, but after a deep look at his grandson, he suddenly smiled and nodded: "Alright, let's go have breakfast."

As they walked, Old Hunter smiled and said: "Joshua is a good young man. You should spend more time with him and get to know his friends as well..."

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