Amidst the early morning mist of Qingniu Medical Hall, Su Wanyue clicked her abacus beads while gazing at the long queue outside, her herbal hairpins trembling as the voices grew loud: "Brother Fan! It is only the third quarter of Mao, and the consultation numbers have already reached fifty!" Zhang Yifan rattled his abacus beads as he poured tea for Yuqing, the beads bouncing on the tea's surface to form the character for "Steady." "Why panic? The abacus beads have already calculated that at least three hundred 'mobile money bags' will arrive today."
Yuqing raised an eyebrow, holding her osmanthus and medlar tea as the beads on her Taoist robe bounced to spell out "Sweet." "Could Daoist Zhang have added abacus honey to this tea?" "There is no honey," the Protagonist chuckled, the beads rolling inside the tea caddy to form "Guide." "It is merely the abacus beads helping to sift the medlars ten times—Daoist priest, look, the first 'fat sheep' has arrived."
A lavish sedan chair borne by eight bearers halted at the entrance, and the housekeeper helped out a wealthy matron adorned with gold-inlaid jade bracelets, upon which the abacus beads instantly bounced to spell "Gold." Su Wanyue hurried forward, the beads dancing amidst her sleeves to form "Etiquette." "Is the madam here for a consultation? Spend five hundred wen on medicinal herbs, and receive a pulse-reading from the princess's imperial physician!" The matron clutched her handkerchief and nodded, the beads rolling across…
Chapter 168