Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Bai Jinxiao's eyes, and he stared firmly at Jiang Huaiyu.
Jiang Huaiyu seemed to have anticipated that she would make such a suggestion. He thought to himself that if there was no other way, he would have to sell the books to raise funds.
She turned her head to look at Bai Jinxiao and suddenly asked, "Brother, did you bring the account book with you this time?"
"I carry the ledger with me at all times," Bai Jinxiao nodded in response.
"Then, may I take a look?"
Bai Jinxiao mistakenly thought she was being perfunctory and felt somewhat dissatisfied. He then slowly said, "Those books were part of your dowry when you got married, so I naturally have no right to dispose of them without permission. But the current predicament is urgent. If you can lend a helping hand and help me get through this difficult time, I will definitely find a way to repay the debt in the future. Even if you have no intention of helping, please just say so directly, there is no need to beat around the bush."
Bai Qi stopped, then flew into a rage, and said sharply, "Jinxiao and Yujing are like brothers. Brothers should support each other. Even if you sell books and scrolls, how much can you change your situation? Since you entered my family, everyone has praised you for being virtuous and filial. But when your family is in trouble, how can you expose your narrow-mindedness?"
Her tone was tinged with anxiety, and she even disregarded her usual prejudice against Jiang Huaiyu, gently advising, "If you lend them a hand, they will surely remember your kindness, and I will not forget this debt of gratitude either!"
Jiang Huaiyu shook her head gently and said firmly, "Mother-in-law, you misunderstand me. It's not that I'm unwilling to help. As for whether we need to sell books to raise funds, I can decide after I check the accounts."
After hearing this, Bai Qishi's anxiety gradually dissipated.
Bai Jinxiao looked astonished. "Sister-in-law, as a woman, do you also know how to examine account books?"
His words carried a hint of contempt, and Madam Yang couldn't help but gently nudge his elbow, reminding him softly, "Sister-in-law is exceptionally intelligent and capable of teaching. What difficulty would it be for you to examine the account books? Hurry up and fetch the account books."
"I've looked through the ledgers many times, what else could she possibly find..."
Bai Jinxiao muttered to himself, but quickened his pace as he hurried to retrieve the account books.
The ledger was finally placed in front of Jiang Huaiyu. She flipped through it from beginning to end, nodded slightly, and said calmly, "Indeed, there is a shortage of one hundred taels of silver between the income and expenditure accounts."
Bai Jinxiao looked dejected, his brows furrowed, as if burdened with heavy worries. "Although I am in charge of the accounting, I really can't figure out the crux of the problem. Sigh, I'm so unlucky to have run into this troublesome thing."
He noticed that after Jiang Huaiyu finished reading the ledger, he was still looking through it with a serious expression, and he couldn't help but sigh.
"Sister-in-law, stop looking at it so closely. I've handled accounts for years, and I've worn out the ledgers so many times that I could calluses, but I still haven't been able to figure out the problem. What clues can you possibly find in it?"
Jiang Huaiyu did not look up, but simply said, "Why not give it a try? You might make an unexpected discovery."
Bai Jinxiao remained silent, waiting patiently, while everyone else held their breath.
After a while, Jiang Huaiyu suddenly asked, "Brother, how is the restaurant you work for doing on a daily basis?"
Bai Jinxiao replied, "The restaurant I work at is called 'Yipinge'. Although it is of medium grade, its business is neither good nor bad, just average. However, Yipinge has been in business for more than ten years. Although the profit is not much, it has always maintained a stable income with few major fluctuations."
"If that's the case, then the restaurant's monthly procurement expenses should be about the same, right?"
Bai Jinxiao nodded slightly, "That's true."
Jiang Huaiyu then asked, "I noticed that the amount of crabs purchased in the ledger is quite considerable, so sales must be going smoothly. How has this dish been selling lately?"
"The most famous dish at Yipin Pavilion is salt-baked crab. Many guests come here because of its reputation, and almost everyone orders a serving."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaiyu nodded slightly, a hint of certainty in her expression. "In other words, the quantity of crabs purchased should be constant. Now, please focus on this—"
Her slender fingers gently tapped a page of the ledger, gesturing for Bai Jinxiao to examine it carefully.
“Brother, please take a closer look. In the first six months of this ledger, there are two records of crab purchases each month, totaling about two hundred taels of silver, with fluctuations not exceeding thirty taels. However, last month, there was only one record of crab purchases. If the store’s business situation has not changed, this is clearly illogical.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Jinxiao's eyes sharpened, and he eagerly flipped through the account books.
After carefully checking the number of crabs purchased each month, he muttered to himself, "Something is definitely fishy..."
Jiang Huaiyu smiled faintly, "That's precisely why. If crab sales hadn't been so poor, the purchase volume wouldn't have decreased. And last month's expenditure was only ninety-eight taels of silver, which was more than half less than other months. Considering the difference of one hundred taels between the expenditure and income, wouldn't that just be enough to fill that gap?"
A glint of light flashed in Bai Jinxiao's eyes. He hugged the ledger tightly to his chest and looked through it several times. Suddenly, he realized what was going on.
"I see!"
He was secretly annoyed, wondering why he hadn't noticed this crucial point.
In recent days, he has been working diligently to thoroughly audit the accounts that have been held for half a year, but he has still not been able to find any flaws.
Unexpectedly, the problem stemmed from a deviation in his initial direction.
It turns out that the problem wasn't that he miscalculated, but that he completely overlooked an important account!
When Bai Jinxiao's gaze fell on Jiang Huaiyu, it was filled with admiration. "Sister-in-law, your insight is truly sharp, making a dull person like me feel ashamed!"
Recalling his previous doubts about Jiang Huaiyu, a blush of shame involuntarily rose on his cheeks.
He bowed sincerely and said, "Sister-in-law, I am truly grateful for what happened today. You were able to spot the problem in the accounts, and now that the accounts are balanced, I can go back and explain to the boss. My family no longer needs to raise money to cover this shortfall. This is truly the best possible outcome."
His expression was filled with excitement, and Bai Qishi and Yangshi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Yang was almost crying with joy. "That's wonderful! The matter has finally been resolved. Sister-in-law, I really have to thank you for helping us avert this huge disaster."
She held Jiang Huaiyu's hand tightly, expressing her gratitude repeatedly.
Even Bai Qishi's gaze towards Jiang Huaiyu revealed a hint of admiration, though she herself was unaware of it.
Jin Xiao made such a serious mistake and fell into such a predicament, yet she easily resolved it all in one fell swoop.
Just how many unknown skills does this woman possess?
Bai Qishi gave her a rare warm smile, "Yujing's daughter-in-law, you've been the family's number one hero this time. What's your wish for tonight? I'll have my eldest daughter-in-law go to the market to pick out ingredients and cook you a delicious meal."
This was the first time that Bai Qishi had taken the initiative to show concern for her daughter-in-law.
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