Well, the Yangzhou caravan had fallen right into the "Sweet-Tooth Money-Eye Labyrinth"! Ali from the Western Regions caravan and Chief Manager Jin of Silla were arguing so fiercely on the deck that spit and sugar foam were flying everywhere—one clutched a lion-patterned cloth shouting, "Three yards of lion-pattern for ten catties of saffron!", while the other brandished a Chinese-character brocade yelling, "Five panels of bamboo and chrysanthemum to offset three crates of sticky rice!" Huwa crouched behind a money chest, giggling to himself as the caramel in his hand went *plop* right into a crack in the abacus. He sewed a ring of "bursting-syrup exchange-rate candy" into the dark blue lion-pattern, tossed it into the center, and it began to fizz, emitting cumin-scented currency symbols. Every single symbol was an edible sesame candy flake, and the words "1 camel = 2 yards of sweet cloth" were still dripping with honey.
"Huwa! Hurry up and bring over the 'sweet-coin sweet abacus'!" cried Pei Hongxiu. Huwa immediately poured a bucket of date syrup into the loom, and the woven Arabian astrological abacus clattered and clacked as it began to report exchange rates: "Persian date honey, one tael of sweet cloth gets you three scoops! Silla sesame cake, half a bamboo-chrysanthemum panel gets you five blocks!" Chief Manager Jin licked an Abacus Bead, startling his young study boy so much that he shouted, "Sir! This 'one' character tastes like osmanthus, and the 'five' character tast…
Chapter 430