The bearded man's face instantly turned from red to white, his arrogance diminishing by half. He knew that the Chengdu prefect was ruthless and hated hooligans the most. If he brought this to the attention of the government, he would be dealt with at least thirty lashes, and might even be thrown into prison. Si Yan took the opportunity to pull out a palm-sized account book, his ink pen clacking against the pages, as if urging the enemy to surrender: "Sir, sign this IOU, otherwise the interest will go up to six taels and six cents tomorrow, and six taels and seven cents the day after tomorrow..."

The diners around had already put down their chopsticks and were watching. Seeing the bully's defeat, suppressed laughter gradually broke out. The scholar by the window pushed up his glasses and whispered to his companions, "This young man is even more calculating than the owner of the West Market Bank! He will become a great man in the future!"

The bearded man looked at Su Jinli's cold eyes, then at the paper and pen handed to him by Si Yan, then at the mocking eyes of the diners around him, and finally glared at Si Yan fiercely, as if he wanted to eat the child alive. He grabbed the pen, the low-quality wolf-hair pen looked out of place in his clumsy hands, and drew a crooked cross on the IOU. The ink splashed on the back of Si Yan's hand like an abrupt ink flower. "Little accountant, you are so cruel!" He said harshly, but when he turned around, his pace quickened a bit, as if there was a flood or a beast behind him. The two followers hurriedly followed, and the sheepskin coats rubbed against the door frame, making a creaking sound, almost tearing the old wooden door down.

"Hahaha!" The shop erupted in laughter, even more intense than the previous tense atmosphere, as if releasing all the pent-up emotions. The shopkeeper emerged from the kitchen, carrying a plate of golden crispy pork, oil still sizzling on the porcelain plate, as if cheering for victory: "Thank you, guests, for your help! This plate of crispy pork is our humble gift!" The crispy pork was sprinkled with emerald green scallions, and the aroma of Sichuan pepper wafted through the steam, making it incredibly appetizing.

Jiang Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead, not knowing whether it was from the spiciness or the fear. He looked at Su Jinli's calm profile and said with admiration in his tone: "Jinli, you're really amazing." He thought with fear that if Su Jinli had not responded calmly and Si Yan had not been so clever, something might have really happened, and even the safety of his family might have been in danger.

Su Jinli raised an eyebrow and picked up a piece of crispy meat to feed Si Yan. The oil residue made a crisp sound between her teeth, like playing a triumphant song: "That's right." She turned her head to look at Jiang Yan, deliberately frowning, but a smile flickered in her eyes. "But next time, I, please don't be so stubborn and eat spicy food. Just now, your face turned red like Guan Gong, and you almost got taken advantage of. Let me protect you from now on."

Si Yan chewed the crispy meat and said incoherently: "Dad, next time I will hit him with an abacus!" His little face was full of seriousness, as if the abacus could really be used as a weapon. That look made Su Jinli and Jiang Yan laugh at the same time.

Jiang Yan smiled helplessly, reaching out to ruffle his son's hair. When his fingertips touched Si Yan's warm scalp, the weight of worry in his heart finally fell to the ground. "Abacus is for settling accounts, not for hitting people. Next time you encounter something like this, let Dad do it."

The heat from the hot pot rose again, and the butcher from the next table came over with a bowl of wine, and the rice wine in the bowl was rippling: "This young lady is both wise and brave, Zhang admires her!" Amid the sound of the wine bowls clinking, the tense atmosphere just now disappeared, leaving only the relaxation and comfort of surviving the disaster.

Su Jinli raised her glass in greeting. Looking at Siyan, who was fiddling with her abacus beside her, and Jiang Yan, who was serving her food, her heart warmed like freshly-toasted meat. The spicy Sichuan flavor still lingered on her tongue, but the reunion dinner before her was more satisfying than any other delicacy. Siyan had already pulled out his account book, his pen scratching across the pages as he calculated the interest owed to the bully. Nianli curiously poked at the ink on the IOU, as if it were a rare treasure, her eyes filled with admiration for her brother.

"Okay, stop calculating." Su Jinli snatched Si Yan's abacus. "If you keep calculating, the tripe will be cooked into a rag. Your father will complain about the spiciness again."

Si Yan muttered, "I'm calculating the interest from the prince. If he defaults, I'll report him to the government and have the prefect arrest him and put him in jail..."

Jiang Yan smiled and picked up a piece of mushroom for Su Jinli. The snow-white cap soaked in the broth looked particularly tempting under the candlelight. "Eat first. No matter how big the bill is, you have to eat your fill before you settle it. Otherwise, how will you have the energy to fight the bully?"

The rain outside the window had begun to fall again, pattering against the window lattice. The lanterns of Chengdu Mansion cast a warm red light in the rain, shining through the misted window paper, illuminating the flickering flames in the copper stove. The heat from the hot pot blurred the glass, but warmed this small world. Su Jinli looked at the smiling faces of her husband and children, and suddenly realized that no matter how many bullies they encountered, as long as the family was together, the sharpest calculations could be transformed into clever tricks to get out of trouble, and the most bitter days could be boiled into honey. This journey to Shu was indeed full of surprises at every step, and every moment was wrapped in warmth. This was the life she wanted most after her rebirth.