Chapter 279 Cao Defu Hosts

The judges' panel.

Magistrate Shen sat in the very center.

He is now frequently summoned by the prefect to Huzhou for meetings, and his status stands out among all the county magistrates.

He proposed not using an abacus in order to select the best first place winner. After all, an accountant cannot have an abacus with him at all times. If he only relies on external objects and is without an abacus, wouldn't he become useless?

He would never admit that he had even the slightest bit of selfishness.

The bailiffs took away the abacus, and the three of them sat down at the table and continued to pose questions.

Because there was no abacus, the questions were a bit simpler and not as long, but they still tested one's memory and calculation abilities.

Three thousand nine hundred and fifty!

Zhao Ergou spoke loudly.

When he gave the answer, Cao Fei and the Zhou family member were filled with disbelief. They had only just begun to calculate the first step, and this kid had already given the answer. He must be talking nonsense. Yes, he was just making up an answer to put psychological pressure on them. That must be it!

The person in charge spoke up: "Correct answer! Next question—"

Cao Fei: "..."

The Zhou family: "..."

Damn, this kid's got some skills.

The two of them were on high alert, but it still didn't work. They had only just begun to calculate when Zhao Ergou had already given them the answer, which was like a complete reversal of expectations.

The person in charge made the final decision: "First place, Zhao Jingcheng. Cao Fei and Zhou Zhong, the match is still undecided, so one more round will be played."

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"My goodness, the number one scorer's math skills are amazing!"

"Whose accountant is this? I've never seen him before!"

"No matter whose family he belongs to, I'll offer five taels of silver a month to poach him from our business!"

"Ha, five taels of silver is too little, I'll offer ten taels!"

Some shopkeepers have already started to make their own plans.

As for who came in second and third place, not many people care anymore.

The village head, beaming with pride, told the onlookers, "This is the smartest young man in our Dahe Village. He's exceptionally good at arithmetic... Hehe, the people of Dahe Village are just outstanding. Several first-place winners in the talent competition are from our village, hehehe!"

The old man couldn't stop smiling.

Cao Yingying smiled as she watched the game from the second-floor window.

Cao Fei was her father's most prized lieutenant. He had been in this line of work for twenty years and thought he was invincible, but he ended up as a defeated opponent of Zhao Ergou.

She stayed in Dahe Village for more than a month and often heard people say that Zhao Ergou was good at arithmetic. This was the first time she had a direct experience of how good he was at arithmetic...

"This kid is amazing!" Cao Defu couldn't help but stand up, his face full of amazement. "A person who can do accounting is smart and quick-witted. From now on, he will be my right-hand man. Let's see who dares to dig a pit for me. Yingying, you lived in the Zhao family for a while. How much do you think is appropriate to pay this kid a month?"

Cao Yingying smiled and said, "I'm afraid that won't work. Aunt Zhao's family is also in business, and she can't just abandon her own business."

Cao Defu's round face scrunched up. He really liked this kid so much and hoped he could do something for him...

He looked down at the audience. Zhao Ergou had received his reward of one hundred taels of silver, jumped off the stage, and walked directly to Cheng Wanwan.

He looked very pleased with himself, and Cheng Wanwan said something gentle, and the mother and son laughed together.

Cao Yingying spoke softly, "I want to learn how to do business. Could you teach me more in the future, Dad?"

"Of course it can work." Cao Defu laughed. "Before, you stayed in your room embroidering all day, never leaving the house, which worried me to death. Now you've finally figured it out. I'll teach you all my skills. After you get married, you'll have your own skills to rely on, and your in-laws won't be able to squeeze any money out of you."

Manager Sun's lips twitched. What skills could the master possibly have? He relied entirely on the Cao family's ancestors' protection to do business; otherwise, his enormous family fortune would have been swindled away long ago.

Cao Yingying nodded obediently, "Thank you, Dad."

Although the estate and shops left by her mother are in her name, they have always been managed by her stepmother. Once she starts learning how to do business, she will take over all these properties and establish herself.

She stood up and said, "I haven't seen Aunt Zhao for many days. I'd like to invite her to dinner. Dad, you should go back first."

Cao Defu also stood up: "You've stayed at the Zhao family's house for so long, so as their father, I should treat the Zhao family to a meal. Old Sun, go downstairs and invite the entire family of Lady Sui... oh no, the whole group from Dahe Village to this restaurant. Bring out all the good food."

Manager Sun nodded and went to do it.

The talent competition lasted for nearly three hours. Many people from Dahe Village had already gone home, leaving only seven or eight people. Manager Sun invited the group of people in, which was just enough to set up a table.

Zhao Dawang and Zhao Tiezhu had participated in the abacus competition, so they hadn't left yet. The two followed Cheng Wanwan and the village head into the restaurant lobby and immediately saw the delicacies on the table. Their mouths watered instantly. The two children knew that this was not good, so they quickly wiped their drool with their sleeves. Only after wiping their drool did they realize that they were wearing new clothes today, and if they left drool stains, they would definitely be beaten when they got back.

"Madam Sui!" Cao Defu greeted her with a beaming face. "I had heard that Madam Sui was very good at raising her children, and today I finally understand why. My Yingying stayed at Madam Sui's house for a while, and she has changed a lot since she came home. I am very grateful."

The village head said with deep feeling, "The children in our Dahe Village, as long as they have received the guidance of Mother Dashan, all become very sensible. Take Zhang Dagang, the son of that scoundrel, for example. He used to mess around all day, but now he goes up the mountain to chop firewood before dawn and has made a lot of money lately."

Being praised like that in public made Cheng Wanwan a little embarrassed, so she quickly changed the subject: "Yingying really does look better in this dress, so please wear it like this from now on..."

Cao Yingying said in a sweet voice, "Actually, I prefer the two sets of coarse cloth clothes that my aunt made for me. They're so convenient for everything."

"Alright, alright, enough of this small talk, please sit down," Cao Defu said, gesturing for everyone to sit.

Zhao Dawang and Zhao Tiezhu swallowed hard. Finally, they could sit down and eat.

However, since the adults hadn't touched their chopsticks, the two boys didn't dare to make any rash moves and could only stare at the food with their mouths watering.

Cao Defu wasn't in a hurry to eat; his gaze was fixed on Zhao Ergou. "Jingcheng, would you like to work for our Cao's Trading Company? You can name your own wages."

Zhao Ergou refused without hesitation: "I am honored by Master Cao's high regard, but I also have a business at home that needs to be managed, so I am temporarily unable to serve the Cao family. I hope Master Cao will understand."

"Good lad! You have ambition!" Cao Defu raised his glass. "It's rare to meet a kid as pleasing to the eye as you. Come, let's have a drink. Zhao Lizheng, let's drink together. Lady Sui, please do as you please."

Once the drinking started, the atmosphere at the dinner table became lively.

Cao Defu kept asking Zhao Ergou how mental arithmetic worked. Zhao Ergou explained it once, but Cao Defu didn't understand. So he explained it again, but Cao Defu still didn't understand... At first, he was quite patient, but gradually, his tone became increasingly irritable. Unfortunately, Cao Defu had been drinking, so he couldn't tell that he was getting impatient and kept asking questions with great interest...

Cao Yingying couldn't bear to look at her own father's stupid appearance.

She turned to the village headman beside her and said, "Village Headman Zhao, I'd like to buy some land in Dahe Village to plant trees, about two or three hundred acres. Do you have any suitable land?"

The village head put down his chopsticks: "There are trees everywhere on the mountain in Dahe Village, you can't cut them all down, what kind of trees do you want to plant?"

Cao Yingying smiled and said, "Mulberry tree."