When the grain-drying ground of Cyan Ox Village was piled high with golden ears of grain, the old village chief's pipe tapped joyfully against the Abacus-Bead Measuring Tool, the beads jumping in the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes to form the character for "smile": "Lad Zhang, we're purchasing the 'Cyan Ox Seven' according to the contract, but with six hundred plants per mu here, are you really going to buy them at five hundred cash?" Zhang Yifan waved the Abacus-Bead Measuring Tool as he unfolded the account book, the beads jumping onto the words "guaranteed price purchase" to form the character for "promise": "Has the old uncle forgotten 'Merchant-Farmer Mutual Trust'?" He chuckled softly, the beads rolling along the scale pole to form the character for "rise". "Besides, the abacus beads calculate that this batch of medicinal herbs can sell for one guan and two hundred cash, so we won't lose out."
Xiaotao came running over holding the Abacus Bead Sieve, the Huwa wood carving on her double-bun hair crowned with wheat ears, the beads jumping on her apron to form the character for "pure": "Brother Fan! Using the Abacus Bead Sieve to sort the medicinal herbs makes every single one plump!" The beads jumped on the sieve to form the character for "select", indeed filtering all the worm-eaten and undersized ones to the side. A certain aunt slapped her thigh: "Goodness me! These abacus beads are sharper than our old-age eyes!"
At half past three in the afternoon, Xiao Moli's …
Chapter 180