When strings of Abacus-Bead Lanterns hung from the eaves of the old residence in Pingkang Ward, Xiaotao was standing on tiptoe to apply gold foil to the lintel plaque. The flour-dough figurine Huwa on her double-bun hair was holding a tiny brush, and the abacus beads in her apron pocket bounced to form the character for "bright": "Brother Fan! The 'Niu' character of Green Ox Lodge has crooked gold foil!"
Zhang Yifan shook the abacus beads to adjust the lintel plaque, and the tail of the green-ox wood carving suddenly wagged into the shape of an abacus bead—it turned out Huwa had installed a mechanism inside the ox's tail. "This is called the 'Golden Ox Abacus'," he chuckled, the abacus beads bouncing on the plaque to form the character for "auspicious". "Wag the ox's tail, and ten thousand strings of cash will roll right in." Xiaotao giggled, and fragments of gold foil fell onto the abacus beads, looking just like a sprinkling of crushed silver.
In the inner hall of the eatery, the three gathered around a pine table to discuss pricing. Xiaotao bit the shaft of her writing brush, ink stained on the tip of her nose: "Breakfast for ten wen, lunch for fifty wen, dinner for one guan... How many ten wens make up one guan again?" Zhang Yifan tapped her head, the abacus beads bouncing on the ledger to form the character for "hundred": "One guan equals ten mo, and a mo is a hundred wen—does Lady Xiaotao recognize the character for 'mo'?"
Chapter 149