The atmosphere suddenly turned a little strange.
Yang Shifei, standing to the side, gradually frowned. But before he could think too deeply, he saw the shopkeeper stroke his beard and say,
"Miss Tanxiang, why the sudden request for the ledgers today? Has something happened?"
"Nothing has happened."
Tanxiang's eyes were serene, her tone devoid of any fluctuation. "It's just that the person beside me has newly arrived in East City and possesses a skill for accounting. I was thinking of finding him a livelihood."
"Then the ledgers…"
"We must test him first, of course."
Tanxiang glanced sideways at Yang Shifei. "Using the previous ledgers and accounts for the test will reveal if he has genuine talent."
The shopkeeper's gaze shifted to him, his face full of surprise. "This young master looks like a man of great talent. Could he be a promising youth from the Luo family?"
"He is not from the main Luo family, merely an acquaintance of the Eldest Miss."
Tanxiang urged softly, "We won't disturb your business for long. We'll return to the Luo Residence once we have the ledgers."
"Alright, alright, Miss Tanxiang, please wait a moment. I'll go fetch them from the back room immediately."
The shopkeeper chuckled good-naturedly and quickly turned back towards the restaurant's rear courtyard.
"…"
Yang Shifei remained silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Is this considered pulling strings for me?"
"Regardless, you desperately fought and subdued an assassin last night. You've done the Luo Residence a great service."
Tanxiang stared towards the rear courtyard, her voice flat. "Besides, your relationship with the Luo Residence is now quite significant. Instead of seeking a livelihood outside, it's better to work at the restaurant under the Luo Residence. It will save a lot of trouble."
"…Thank you."
Yang Shifei gave a complicated smile. "It's just that I've received so much help from the Luo Residence, I'm starting to feel a bit embarrassed."
Tanxiang slanted another glance at him. "It's merely an opportunity. Whether you can pass the test depends on you. Also, the Clear Moon Pavilion's accounting has always been handled by the shopkeeper. Business has been booming this year, and he can't manage it all alone."
Yang Shifei had just been sighing with emotion. Hearing the young servant girl go out of her way to find reasons to 'reassure' him, he couldn't help but smile gently.
"I will do my best not to disappoint your expectations, Miss."
If it was just accounting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division should be more than enough.
They wouldn't expect him to do calculus, would they?
"Here they are!"
The shopkeeper quickly emerged from the rear courtyard, beaming as he handed over several thick volumes.
"Miss Tanxiang, the ledgers from the past few months are all here. If you need more, I'll go fetch last year's as well."
"No need."
Tanxiang accepted the ledgers, her expression calm. "We won't disturb you further. Farewell."
With that, she turned smartly, clearly having no intention of lingering for pleasantries.
Yang Shifei cupped his hands and smiled at the shopkeeper, then left Clear Moon Pavilion with her.
A short while later, the two returned to the Luo Residence's study.
Yang Shifei opened a ledger and looked through it. After a moment of thought, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, he could understand it.
He had previously worried whether the bookkeeping methods of this era would be vastly different from what he remembered. Now, those concerns could be dismissed.
Even if the counting methods were slightly different and there were many special symbols, it all boiled down to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
"It seems you're confident."
Tanxiang brought over a set of paper and brushes, placing them on the desk. "But the wound on your hand hasn't healed. Will it be a problem?"
"I'll just be gentle with the pen."
Yang Shifei rolled up his sleeve, a confident smile on his face. "Just watch me, Miss."
He sat down, dipped his brush in ink, and soon bent over the desk, writing.
Tanxiang stood quietly to the side, silently watching him write various crooked and shaky characters, her brow furrowing slightly.
It looked like he hadn't practiced calligraphy properly; his writing was quite clumsy.
However, in terms of accounting, he didn't seem like a layman; he calculated very quickly.
Tanxiang's furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and she casually ground some more ink for him.
But after a while, it was Yang Shifei's expression that grew increasingly puzzled.
"Strange."
He muttered to himself, then flipped through the ledgers repeatedly, carefully checking them several more times, scanning the 'answers' on both sides.
Tanxiang asked softly, "Is something wrong?"
"The discrepancy is a bit large."
Yang Shifei's tone was slightly odd. "There are also many vague IOUs for favors, scattered here and there. And many entries were erased during the final accounting. They even used a lot of symbols I don't quite understand. It looks intentional."
Although he wasn't an accounting major, anyone who carefully calculated these books could probably see that something was amiss.
"And the costs have been increasing month by month. Did you change suppliers these past few months?"
"…"
Tanxiang looked at the errors Yang Shifei pointed out in the ledger, her gaze flickering, but she didn't speak.
Seeing her reaction, Yang Shifei couldn't help but ask curiously, "This Clear Moon Pavilion is your Luo family's business. Do you usually not inquire about it?"
"…Including Miss, there are only three people in the Luo Residence. We don't have the energy to attend to every single detail."
Tanxiang pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "Miss places more importance on the cloth dealership. Clear Moon Pavilion is mostly managed by the shopkeeper you just met. Every three months, the shopkeeper sends the ledgers to us for inspection."
Yang Shifei smiled helplessly. "Has it always been like this?"
"Yes."
"That shopkeeper looks honest and simple, but he's quite audacious."
Yang Shifei smiled. "And you, Miss, have also been somewhat careless."
He didn't say it outright, but this was more than just carelessness; it was practically throwing money away.
Tanxiang glanced at him. "I will explain the discrepancies to Miss later."
Saying this, she gathered all the ledgers on the table.
"Then my accounting job…"
"I will decide after I see Miss." Tanxiang said calmly, "I'll go back to Clear Moon Pavilion first. You can stay here and rest."
Yang Shifei's eyebrows twitched upon hearing this. This little servant girl was truly decisive in her actions.
"Don't be impulsive yet. It's best to find a trustworthy accountant to help verify. Also, if the shopkeeper claims he accidentally brought the wrong ledgers, you must discern carefully and not be tricked into a swap."
"Alright."
Tanxiang nodded slightly and turned to leave.
Watching her somewhat petite departing figure, Yang Shifei scratched his head, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.
It had to be said, the Luo Residence had too much money and paid too little attention to their businesses; he wondered how much they'd been leeched.
However, there might be more trouble later.
Yang Shifei pondered for a moment. Thinking of the shopkeeper's beaming, kindly appearance earlier, he felt a little uneasy.
If the matter of Clear Moon Pavilion's falsified accounts was thoroughly exposed, with conclusive evidence, would that shopkeeper truly submit to punishment obediently?
Half an hour later.
Yang Shifei, who was Browse through books in the study, abruptly looked up.
Tanxiang had appeared at the doorway at some unknown point and walked in, her expression impassive.
"It's settled."
"Ah?" Yang Shifei was stunned. "What do you mean, Miss?"
"The shopkeeper had prepared sedatives and poisoned needles, and even colluded with outsiders to set up an ambush. Now he's been caught red-handed with the evidence and sent to the authorities. Clear Moon Pavilion will be temporarily managed by the restaurant's old head chef, and I will be responsible for the account books."
Tanxiang cast a calm, unwavering gaze at him. "As you said, he tried to trick me into taking the wrong ledgers, wanting to lead me to fetch another set. I saw through his ruse途中 (túzhōng - en route). Thank you."
"It's good that you're alright, Miss." Yang Shifei's mouth twitched slightly.
A lot had indeed happened in just half an hour.
His thoughts stirred, and he added, "But since the Luo Residence is short-staffed, and Miss Luo's focus is on the cloth dealership, why engage in the Clear Moon Pavilion's business?"
Could it be that the cloth dealership wasn't profitable, so Clear Moon Pavilion was needed to balance the books?
"No particular reason. It's just that when Miss first arrived in East City, she wanted to try more of the local cuisine, so she bought Clear Moon Pavilion."
"…"
Yang Shifei's eye twitched, speechless for a moment.
Rich people truly were willful.
If she wanted to go boating in the future, would she buy up all the boatyards along the river in East City?
"The accounting job will be yours from now on. This is the contract. Keep it safe."
Tanxiang handed over a sheet of yellow paper, saying calmly, "Henceforth, every morning, I will bring yesterday's ledgers. You will then consolidate them properly. Your monthly wages will be paid by me in person, and this also includes three meals a day. How about it?"
Yang Shifei was stunned by her words, clearly not expecting the job to come so easily.
"No more… tests?"
"Miss doesn't pay much mind to Clear Moon Pavilion's business."
Tanxiang forcefully pressed the contract paper into his hand. "But as long as you do your job well, you will naturally be well compensated."
Seeing her firm attitude, Yang Shifei didn't act coy or refuse further. He just casually glanced at the characters on the paper, and his heart skipped a beat.
This wage was more than double that of the accountants at the Yellow Crane Tower.
"The old ledgers will be sent over in the evening. For now, Young Master, please feel free."
Tanxiang looked towards the bookshelf at the side. "If there are any books you wish to read, feel free to borrow them. Miss won't say anything."
Yang Shifei gave a couple of sheepish laughs and carefully placed the book in his hand back. "That won't be necessary. I don't have much interest in poetry, books, calligraphy, or painting. However, Miss Luo has an extensive collection. Is she particularly fond of poetry?"
"During festive seasons, East City often holds temple fairs, and the young people from various families in East City go out to enjoy themselves."
Tanxiang said softly, "Miss isn't very interested in socializing, but she occasionally visits the temple fairs."
Yang Shifei understood.
He could more or less imagine what ancient temple fairs were like—riddle guessing, couplet matching, poetry recitals, paintings, and so on.
Although his impressions mostly came from various novels and TV dramas with ancient settings.
They were practically a prime spot for showing off and wooing ladies.
One could recite some ancient poems and texts and elicit gasps of admiration and praise from many a sequestered young lady, perhaps even their affection and love.
But himself…
Yang Shifei's face was blank.
After four years of university, who still remembered any ancient poetry?
"You ask when I'll return, but no date is set…" What came after that?
Yang Shifei didn't linger long at the Luo Residence and returned next door alone.
He had initially been somewhat worried if members of the Feilin Gang would come sneaking around again tonight, but Tanxiang said the authorities had already sent people to suppress the bandits, and the Feilin Gang might not even survive past tomorrow night.
This outcome left Yang Shifei somewhat speechless.
Wasn't the little rich lady a bit too formidable?
Logically speaking, shouldn't it be him traveling three hundred li by night, single-handedly rushing into the Feilin Gang's den to eliminate all threats?
"Forget it, better not let my imagination run wild."
Yang Shifei patted his forehead, a bit amused and exasperated.
Now that his job was settled, compared to that insignificant Feilin Gang, he now wanted to calm down and properly study the changes in his own body.
"Hmm?"
But just as Yang Shifei pushed open his bedroom door, his expression froze.
A slender, graceful figure was in the room, which should have been empty.
The mysterious little girl, unseen for two days, was sitting sideways at the tea table, propping up her small face, and extending a delicate hand with a beaming smile.
"Come, bite me~"
"…"