As the blue waters of Chongren Ward in Chang'an reflected the Abacus-Bead Lanterns, Xiao Moli's Calligraphy and Painting Boat suddenly scattered a flurry of abacus-bead inscription slips with a splash. The beads bounced across the water surface, forming the character "Literary": "Spend five strings of cash or more, and have a scholar recite an abacus-bead poem!" A scholar slammed the table in delight: "Splendid! I want the ambiance of 'Abacus beads falling onto a jade plate'!" The beads instantly leaped onto the wolf-hair brush, rolling out a wild cursive script across the rice paper that read: "Large and small abacus beads fall onto the abacus," provoking a burst of tea-spitting laughter from Su Wanyue's wellness tea house.
"Su's Medical Clinic's 'Bead-Smooth Throat Lozenges' have arrived!" Huwa's carved wooden figurine came running with an abacus-bead candy box, the beads bouncing on the candy wrapper to form the character "Sweet": "Suck on one, and compose poetry without a single block!" A scholar pinched a piece of candy and sighed deeply: "These abacus beads are the ruin of me! I wanted to recite 'Flying down three thousand feet,' but instead it bounced out 'Abacus beads rolling down three thousand grains'!" Xiao Moli chuckled softly, the beads bouncing into the shape of the character "Fun" in her hair, and actually embroidered a small figurine of the scholar hugging the abacus beads and weeping bitterly onto the side of the boat.
Su Wanyue's wellness tea stove was ven…
Chapter 227