When the autumn rain of Pingkang Ward drummed against the green tiles of Apricot Blossom Tower, Xiaotao was frowning over the account books. The little dough-puppet Huwa on her double hair buns was soggy from the mist, and the abacus beads were bouncing across the ledgers into a chaotic mess. "Brother Fan! Boss Liu's accounts are stickier than dough!"
Zhang Yifan raised an eyebrow. The abacus beads bounced across the smeared ink of the word "cheese," spelling out "clear." "Today we are learning the character for 'account'—the shell radical on the left means money, and the long radical on the right means longevity. Put them together, and it means 'keeping clear accounts for the long haul.'" He nudged the abacus with a bead, and items like "sesame" and "plum sauce" in the ledger immediately sorted themselves into categories, the beads bouncing into the "innovative dishes" column to spell "profit."
Xiaotao suddenly clapped her hands. "Brother Fan's abacus beads can dance!" True to her word, the beads arranged themselves on the ledger into the phrase "increase revenue and reduce expenditure," prompting Boss Liu to poke his head out from behind the abacus. "Xiaotao! List the Persian merchant's goat's milk separate—" He broke into a sudden cough. "If those beads can balance the books, I'll reward you with a piece of freshly baked 'survivor's cake.'"
Chapter 147