Xu Shidi placed a stack of papers on the stone table in front of the house and looked up at Ye Hui: “Shishu, could you help me look at these account books? I’ve calculated them many times, but Qingtian Shishu always rejects them, saying the numbers are inaccurate. It’s driving me crazy. Everyone says looking at account books gives you a headache, yet they insist I do this.”
Ye Hui was also feeling a headache. Helping him with the accounts wasn’t impossible, but over time, Xu Shidi would develop laziness, which wasn’t good for his growth. Teaching children required guidance and patience, but she simply didn’t have the patience to be a teacher!
Holding the bill in hand, it was all daily expenses, with a few accounts of incense offerings from pilgrims, the largest amount not exceeding several dozen taels. She swept her eyes over each piece of paper and understood at a glance; this simple math problem she had learned in first grade.
Sitting on a stone bench, she picked up a charcoal pencil and simply made a table, filling in the numbers on the paper, and finally writing remarks and the total.
It took less than ten minutes to complete, very smoothly. She handed the finished accounts to her junior nephew, gently rubbing her temples with two fingers, careful not to hurt his self-esteem, and softly said: “You can follow this method in the future. It’s at most just a hundred or so numbers, very simple.”
“Tables, I know,” the junior nephew said, taking the accounts and looking them over repeatedly, dizzy from the numbers. “My master aunt has been helping me these days, but I get a headache just looking at the calculations.”
Huangfu Zeduan watched coldly and then said: “If you don’t like doing it, you can give up the accounting duties to Master Qingtian. Even though he is your senior, if you are determined not to do it, no one will force you.”
The junior nephew, who was even more afraid of him than his own Master Qingtian, respectfully bowed: “I understand, thank you for the guidance, Master.”
He picked up the pile of scrap paper and accounts organized by Ye Hui, and left satisfied.
