When the peonies at Green Ox Lodge were in full bloom, Xiaotao squatted beneath the flower trees to pick up fallen petals. The flour-figurine Huwa atop her double buns wore a floral wreath, and the Abacus Bead Pouch on her apron clicked and clacked, spelling out the character "Flower": "Brother Fan! If we use peony petals to make 'flower cakes', how much can we sell them for?"
Zhang Yifan rattled his abacus beads and sat down beside her, the beads bouncing into the character "Ledger" amidst the pile of petals: "Ten petals for one copper coin, and one flower cakes requires thirty—let Lady Xiaotao calculate: how much can five flower cakes fetch?" Xiaotao counted on her fingers, and the beads rolled across her palm into the character "Three": "Five times thirty is a hundred and fifty, so a hundred and fifty copper coins!"
"Wrong!" The Protagonist chuckled lightly, the beads leaping onto the petals to form the character "Gift". "Flower cakes must be served with green plum jam, and twenty percent must be deducted for the jam—" Suddenly, he used an abacus bead to lift a petal from her temple. "Lady Xiaotao's arithmetic is as scattered as peony petals." Pouting, Xiaotao pelted him with petals, but the beads bounced into the character "Messy" amidst the fluttering floral rain, making her giggle.
Chapter 161