On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the aroma of Laba porridge drifted through Banxian Medical Hall. Huwa was lying on the newly built Wall of Merit, carving names into the stone. His carving knife slipped on a blue brick, turning "Butcher Liu" into "Laughing Liu," which prompted the man himself to burst out laughing as he stroked his butcher's knife. "Not bad! My scar matches a smiling face. It looks much better than the golden plaques at the Imperial Medical Academy!"
"You little rascal!" Zhang Yifan came out of the accounting room, tapping an abacus covered in frost. Huwa had smeared it with malt sugar earlier. "Grand Secretary Li's charitable funds haven't arrived yet, but you've already gone and carved names into smiling faces?" Huwa stuck out his tongue and pointed to the corner of the Wall of Merit. "Brother Fan, look! I carved a ghost-face waving a horsewhip for Sister Su, and a ghost-face holding an abacus for you. With our smiling faces turned toward each other, your abacus beads and silver needles won't fight!"
The sound of a padded sedan chair echoed from the front hall. Li Yuniang stepped inside, her Feicui abacus jingling, snowflakes clinging to the hem of her skirt. "Mr. Zhang, the Censorate has withheld my winter clothing charity funds—" She lowered her voice. "They claim the Renxin Ledger doesn't add up, suspecting embezzlement." Su Wanyue's horsewhip was about to lash out, but Zhang Yifan merely smiled and unfolded the ledger, with one of Huwa's …
Chapter 61