As the Abacus Bead double-happiness flags of Green Ox Valley fluttered to the sound of suonas, the wedding sedan chair carrying the herbalist Old Zhou's son was just passing the medicine-drying yard when the abacus beads suddenly clattered and burst into an array of wedding candies, projecting fluorescent characters across the top of the sedan that read: "An abacus contract makes a perfect pair, may you soon be blessed with a son." The bride lifted the sedan curtain with a sly smile: "The abacus beads are sweeter than a matchmaker's mouth!" The abacus beads bounced into the character for "sweet," embroidering the design of Huwa's carved abacus beads holding wedding candies onto her headdress.
"According to the Abacus-Farmer Mutual Aid village rules, the groom must pass the three abacus trials!" Xiao Moli brandished the abacus marriage certificate, and the beads immediately arranged themselves into a character-testing array before the groom—Trial One, abacus arithmetic: "The ratio of salt to medicine in pickled vegetables is three to one. How many liang of salt are needed for ten jin of medicinal herbs?" The groom scratched his head: "Three times three is nine... nine liang?" The abacus beads bounced into the character for "wrong," flicking the tip of his shoe: "It is thirty liang! Make another mistake, and the abacus will spank you!"
The aroma of wedding wine drifted from Xiaoxiu's abacus ledger room, where the beads bounced into the character for "save" on the wedding banq…
Chapter 272