The Twenty-first Chapter The Old Account Book

  When Liu Dou Tou came out of the sky well with a belt around his waist, Yun Zheng was sitting in the front hall silently drinking boiled water. Next to him was a little girl who was curled up uncomfortably in the corner of the wall. The Apricot Flower Building had only given her one tattered hemp garment to cover herself, and not even shoes.

  He looked the girl up and down, then Lao Liu smiled strangely, pulled out two taels of silver from his pocket and placed them in front of Yun Zheng: "I lost the bet, this is the stake, you take it, when you see Old Master, tell him I've already settled the debt."

  "It won't happen more than three times, which means there must be three, brother, bring it out. Wealth and honor cannot be indulged in, poverty and lowliness cannot be shifted, prestige and power cannot be bent. The old madam of Apricot Flower Building is pretending to be prestigious, but it's not quite suitable or qualified. She gave up, and also gave me three taels of silver together with you, then we brothers will divide them again. If I can squeeze out ten taels of silver from your mouth, which is almost half the construction cost of **Mountain Project, all given to me, what will your younger brothers eat?" Yun Zheng was still slowly sipping the plain boiled water in his hand, without raising his head.

  "Haha, that's exactly what it looks like. If you stick on a beard and hunch your back a bit more, and if your hair is white with some flowers, you'd be the spitting image of an old steward. Do you know, young man, in Bean Paste County, it's not the county magistrate who really gets things done, but the old steward? Bean Paste County has always been a place that produces powerful and wealthy families, the local customs are rough and untamed, and mountain bandits often come down to rob and plunder."

  Cao Heihu's head had been cut off three times, but within a month, another Cao Heihu appeared on the five-foot path. If it weren't for the old steward holding things down, Doubisha County would have long since become a den of thieves.

  "What you told me, I shared with my colleagues at the county government as a joke. Everyone thought it was just bragging, except for the old chief clerk who took it seriously. I don't know how he heard about it, but then he had someone hand me a piece of paper, and that's what led to everything that followed."

  All the doubts have been cleared up, no wonder Liu Dou would be exceptionally close to himself, no wonder he would give benefits to Yun Zheng, all of which now have a clear explanation.

  "This is the first daughter-in-law of our family, her name is Larou, don't get it wrong later."

  Liu Doutou's face fell as he said, "Can't you give her a more pleasant name? Ten taels of silver, and you're already one of the wealthy households in Dou Sha County. If you have a servant girl named 'Cured Meat', people will question your education."

  Liu Dutou tossed out a few more silver coins with an ill temper.

  "I've always thought that names are best given by parents, since her parents gave her this name, then just use it, there's no room for choice in this matter. I have enough money, these five taels of silver are yours, don't gamble with people like me again, you'll lose big, it's best to run far away when you see someone like me."

  "Hum! If you don't work hard, you'll starve to death. This is the old master's face-saving gift, and you still dare not hurry up. Ten taels of silver can't last for a few years, and from the beginning, you should have been sent to dig earth and carry stones, so that you would know the height of the sky and the thickness of the earth. By the way, the old master said you wasted too much time on the construction site, and told you to go back and review your lessons. Other things he can help you with, but exams require your own ability."

  "No, let me go back. Where can I make money? Yun Zheng was a bit anxious, if there was no construction site accountant job, he couldn't help the escaped households buy things to make money. Liu Doutou was right, ten taels of silver wouldn't last long."

  "Make money? An accountant like you, how can you make money? I've seen your accounts, they're very clean. Those laborers are well-fed too, it's impossible to embezzle. Are you going to squeeze oil out of a stone?" Liu Dou Tou looked at Yun Zheng strangely.

  "On average, earning three hundred coins a day, what do you think of this job?" Yun Zheng handed a plate of pastries on the table to Larou, letting her eat by herself, today he had more things to discuss with Liu Doutou.

  "What?" Liu Dou jumped up suddenly, grabbing Yun Zheng's collar and roaring: "Do you know how much money I make in a month? 900 wen! You can only earn this little money by selling your brain, say it, sir, now that you're the master, what method can earn so much money?"

  Looking at Liu Doutou, who was arrogant in front and humble behind, Yun Zheng smiled and said: "You, guarding a large gold mountain and suffering from poverty, it's your own fault. It's time for lunch, let's have a good meal today, you invite me, and these silver coins will also be mine."

  Yun Zheng finished speaking and put away the silver, then walked out. Larou wanted to take away the plate, but thought it was not suitable, so she wrapped the pastries in a broken hemp cloth, barefooted, and followed Yun Zheng out. She felt that she was very lucky today, having met a good person who not only gave her clothes to wear but also food to eat. Such a good person should be followed closely.

  Liu Dou's head pointed at Yun Zheng's back, and he was so angry that he couldn't speak. However, he quickly put his hand down, this kid never spoke empty words, if he said he could earn 300 wen in a day, he would absolutely not earn less than 300 wen. A monthly interest of ten taels of silver, just thinking about it made him salivate, he hurriedly walked two steps and loudly shouted at Turtle Public to bring out his own ox cart.

  Three people left the hall and went directly to the best wine house. However, the hall did not calm down. The thick door curtain was lifted, and the old madam supported an old man to come out. This old man pushed away the old madam, stood in front of the chair where Yun Zheng had sat, knocked on the table and asked the old madam: "Xinghua, you have always been strong-minded, but today when facing a young boy, why didn't you even say anything extra? I remember that not long ago you said you wanted to scare that young boy so much that he would be incontinent?"

  "Master, I don't dare... originally I had already thought of what to say, and even raised the price of the Yi people to one guan five, which is an astronomical price. I was thinking that when he haggles, I'll speak up, but who knew..."

  "Who knows if he's going to take out a few silver coins? Apricot Blossom, you're also someone who has seen the world, seeing three or five silver coins shouldn't make you lose your composure, right? Tell me, is there anything special about this place? This kid isn't simple at all." The old man sat down, looking at the madam with great interest.

  "It wasn't the three or two silver coins, but his eyes. In that instant, I felt like he was going to devour me whole. As someone who has eaten human flesh before, I've seen my fair share of evil people, but none of them had eyes as terrifying as this young man's. He left me speechless. Please, master, punish him." The old procuress knelt down in front of the old man, awaiting his judgment.

  "Hmm? He's actually a self-assured master, interesting! No wonder he dared to say that phrase 'don't bet against someone like him', haha. This kid actually knows I'm in the room, this is directed at me, hahaaha! Interesting! It's been a long time since Dou Sha County has produced such an impressive person. Now I somewhat believe he can earn 300 coins in one day."

  The old man slapped the table and laughed loudly, while the old woman asked cautiously: "Impossible! He's just a small accountant, with daily turnover of less than 300 coins. Where would he find 300 coins?"

  "He has already swindled me out of ten taels of silver, and even got me to vouch for him. It's no exaggeration to say that he makes three hundred coins a day, haha! With someone like this emerging from Dou Sha County, there won't be another prodigy in the next hundred years."

  The old procuress looked at the old accountant who was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face, and she couldn't understand why he was so happy.