Chapter 238 Arithmetic Competition
Zhao Ergou and Zhao Dawang sat upright.
Cheng Wanwan sat at the front, in charge of setting the questions. She casually said, "Three hundred and fifty-seven plus five thousand six hundred and eighty, then minus three thousand and forty-two."
The abacus beads made a series of clattering sounds.
Zhao Ergou spoke first: "The answer is two thousand nine hundred and ninety-five."
He finished speaking just as Zhao Dawang calculated the result.
Cheng Wanwan continued to set questions.
After the first seven questions were answered, Zhao Ergou won seven consecutive games.
Zhao Dawang looked utterly defeated and was already considering giving up.
Cheng Wanwan said calmly, "Question 8, 3,999, plus 5,066, then minus 1,000."
Zhao Ergou frantically moved the abacus beads.
Zhao Dawang didn't move. He suddenly paused for a moment and said, "It equals eight thousand and sixty-five."
Zhao Ergou's fingers paused for a moment: "You didn't even calculate it, how do you know the result so quickly?"
Cheng Wanwan looked at him with slight surprise.
Zhao Dawang answered honestly, "Three thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine. Add one more number from the last one and you get four thousand. That makes it easy to calculate."
No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to surpass Er Gou Ge in arithmetic. It seems he really doesn't have the talent for business.
Cheng Wanwan looked at Zhao Dawang with admiration. This child had actually mastered the method of adding and supplementing without a teacher.
She spoke again: "This round, no abacus needed. You can see who can calculate the fastest. One plus two, plus three, plus four, all the way up to one hundred, what is it?"
Zhao Dawang knew that his aunt had approved of his calculation method, so he quickly started calculating in his mind.
After listening to Zhao Dawang's explanation, Zhao Ergou understood the algorithm and quickly grasped its meaning and put it into practice.
Five thousand and fifty!
Five thousand and fifty!
Zhao Dawang and Zhao Ergou gave their answers at the same time.
Cheng Wanwan laughed: "There's no need to ask the last question. Dawang passed my test."
Zhao Dawang's eyes widened. Wasn't it supposed to be three wins? He lost seven, won one, and tied one. No matter how you looked at it, he had failed...
He stammered, "Auntie, can I really start doing business now?"
Cheng Wanwan nodded: "As long as your parents agree."
Wen opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words to object. Her sister-in-law's status was different now, and doing business with her would definitely be a great thing.
Zhao Youyin coughed and said, "Doing business is fine, but you still need to study hard and not neglect your studies."
“That’s true,” Cheng Wanwan agreed. “Only by reading ten thousand books can one travel ten thousand miles. In the future, you’ll need to travel to many places to do business, so you can’t do without reading enough books.”
Zhao Dawang nodded quickly: "I will definitely study hard!"
After noon, the Zhao family dispersed.
Cheng Wanwan was pondering the family's various businesses.
The first is the ice jelly business, which can only be done in the summer.
Secondly, the braised food business was entirely handed over to the Wang couple. Zhao Youcai was responsible for delivery, so she didn't need to worry about it.
The third business is cloth, which Er Gou runs all by himself, but there is still a batch of goods piled up at home that he hasn't sold.
The fourth business is a soap workshop that we are currently planning. It is not difficult to make soap, but the difficulty in starting out is opening up the market.
The fifth business is a restaurant. This was Er Gou's dream a long time ago, and it was also what Hui Niang wanted to do the most. As an elder, she naturally had to give her full support.
In addition, the family also has 60 mu of wasteland, 5 mu of paddy fields, and 11 mu of dry land.
These things all need to be arranged properly.
As she was writing and drawing on the paper, Afu walked in from the door: "Auntie, the Cao family's carriage has arrived again."
After Ah Fu finished speaking, he glanced at Cheng Wanwan's handwriting, and his lips twitched. Aunt Zhao's handwriting was as messy as a dog's scribbles, and she especially liked to omit strokes. Each character would be missing a few of the most crucial strokes, making it impossible to recognize what the original character was...
However, it's already quite impressive that Aunt Zhao, a peasant woman, can learn to read and write so quickly.
Cheng Wanwan put the paper in the cabinet and followed Afu out.
The Cao family's exquisite carriage was parked in front of their house, and Cao Yingying had already gone out to greet them.
A maidservant stepped out of the carriage, dressed in a rose-red double-breasted jacket with a plain silver hairpin in her hair. The attire of this one maidservant from the Cao family surpassed that of everyone else in Dahe Village.
Cao Yingying's expression darkened: "Hongyu, how dare you come to see me?"
Hongyu stepped down from the carriage, curtsied, and said, "Didn't Miss tell Madam to send over last month's profits within three days? Madam asked me to make this trip."
She waved her hand, and a little maid came over carrying a lacquer tray. She lifted the red silk cloth, revealing two rows of twenty silver ingots on the tray.
These are ten taels of silver each, so twenty of them would be two hundred taels.
Looking at the glittering silver, Cao Yingying's smile was somewhat bitter.
She held the deeds to the shops and estates, but her stepmother, claiming she was too young, helped manage them. Every month, her stepmother would give her the profits from the shops and estates, always saying there was a loss. She would only receive a few hundred copper coins a month, and sometimes not a single copper coin for three to five months. She was too weak to ask for them, and day after day, year after year, things ended up like this.
After she made her statement at the Cao family that day, she had expected her stepmother to send money, but she never expected that she would send two hundred taels of silver.
It turns out that as long as she stood up for herself, her stepmother would have some reservations.
If she becomes cowardly and runs away, her stepmother will only think she is easy to bully and will take advantage of her, going further and further than ever before.
“Miss, I’m not leaving now that I’m here,” Hongyu said, bowing her head. “Madam said that Miss’s life in the countryside is hard, and she wants me to serve her.”
After she finished speaking, she lowered her head and walked behind Cao Yingying, looking meek and submissive.
“Our village can’t afford maids,” Cheng Wanwan said calmly as she walked over. “Ergou and Sanniu, hurry up and kick these people out.”
Hongyu knelt down with a thud: "Madam Sui, our lady also intends to be on good terms with us. Please be lenient and let me stay here to serve Miss..."
Cheng Wanwan's expression was very cold.
This Madam Cao plotted for three days, sending a maid over; she must have been trying to plant a spy in her house.
The people in their village don't engage in these kinds of schemes and tricks.
She said coldly, "Er Gou, why aren't you moving faster?"
Zhao Ergou, holding a pitchfork, and Zhao Sanniu, holding a hoe, surrounded Hongyu.
The village men were rough, and Hongyu was terrified that she would be accidentally hurt. She turned pale with fright and quickly jumped into the carriage and ran away.
The carriage sped to Hekou County, and only then did Hongyu begin to regret her actions. The lady had asked her to find a way to stay in Dahe Village to serve the young lady, but she had botched the task.
But she really didn't want to be surrounded and attacked by a group of rough rural men.
She can't do this task.
Hongyu returned to the Cao residence with a heavy heart. As soon as she entered, Granny Zhou slapped her across the face: "You didn't take the Madam's instructions seriously at all! You're such a good-for-nothing!"
"Please forgive me, Madam!" Hongyu knelt on the ground. "Those unruly people from Dahe Village went too far. I was kicked out before I even entered the house. The courtyard wall was very high, and I couldn't get in... Moreover, the owner of that courtyard is Madam Sui, someone even the county magistrate has to treat with respect. I dare not offend her..."
"You dare not anger her, so you try to anger me, is that it?" Madam Cao kicked Hongyu to the ground. "You lowly servant, you can't even handle such a small matter, get out!"
Hongyu immediately knelt down and went out.
Granny Zhou tried to soothe Madam Cao, saying, "If Miss wants to stay in the countryside, then let her stay."
Madam Cao took a sip of tea and said coldly, "If she doesn't return to the manor, how can we get her married? If this drags on any longer, Cao Defu will be back soon!"
“If the eldest young lady returns to the Cao family and is married off again, the master will definitely hold you accountable, madam. But what if the eldest young lady’s reputation is tarnished in the countryside?” Granny Zhou smiled gently. “Leave this matter to this old servant.”
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