Chapter 278 The formidable Zhao Ergou
The early winter sun was warm.
It was noon now, the sun was shining brightly, the wind had died down, and the atmosphere was even more lively.
The abacus competition was actually a covert contest between major trading companies. The accountant of a trading company was usually the most trusted person by the owner and the most skilled with the abacus, representing the face of the trading company.
Cao Defu leaned back in his chair and snorted, "Cao Fei has been my accountant for twenty years. If he says he's second, no one dares to claim to be first."
Cao Yingying coughed and said, "Father, have you forgotten Mr. Zhou of Zhou's Trading Company? He and Cao Fei are from the same school, and the two are equally matched."
“Old Zhou is a ruthless character.” Cao Defu said solemnly, “If Old Zhou wins this time, my Cao family will become a laughing stock.”
"Father, hasn't our Cao family already become a laughing stock?" The youngest son of the Cao family stuck out his tongue. "The classmates at the private school all say that our eldest sister was sold to a brothel..."
"Smack!"
Cao Defu raised his hand and slammed it on the table.
The young man from the Cao family was startled.
Madam Qi quickly shielded her son, saying, "Why are you taking your anger out on your son? He's only seven years old, what does he know?"
“If he doesn’t understand, then teach him properly. He even dares to talk nonsense about his own sister. This kind of temperament needs to be properly disciplined,” Cao Defu said coldly. “If I hear him say another word like that, I will directly ask for family discipline.”
"Waaah! Daddy's bad! Daddy's a bad guy! I hate Daddy the most!" Cao's little boy cried loudly. "Mommy, let's go find Uncle Cao... Ugh!"
Madam Qi covered her youngest son's mouth and pursed her lips, saying, "Don't talk nonsense. If you're so disobedient, then go back."
She dragged her son out of the private room, followed quickly by four maids.
Cao Yingying frowned slightly.
Uncle Cao?
Is that Butler Cao?
When did my brother and Steward Cao become so familiar?
Cao Yingying looked up at Steward Sun standing behind her and asked, "Uncle Sun, may I ask where my father got that batch of gauze from last time?"
"It's in Quan County. There's a village there that's raised silkworms for generations, and all their silk fabric comes from there. A former business partner had a family tragedy, so they found someone else to handle it, and that's when this happened." Steward Sun paused, then whispered, "Master, I remember, the silk fabric dyeing and weaving contractor was someone Steward Cao found. I'm afraid it's been a while..."
Cao Defu glared and said, "That bastard Cao, I trusted him so much, and he harmed my daughter and ruined my family business. What kind of heart does he have!"
"Father, calm down." Cao Yingying handed him a glass of water. "Steward Cao's parents used to be from the Cao family. He wouldn't do such a thing on his own. Could it be that he was instructed by someone?"
Cao Defu slammed his hand on the table: "Could it be my wet nurse?"
Steward Cao's mother was his wet nurse, which is why he trusted her so much.
Cao Yingying: "..."
The grass on Granny Cao's grave is a meter high. What does that have to do with Granny Cao? Her father's brain...
She spoke slowly, "Grandma treats Father like her own son, she would never do such a thing, it must be someone else."
“It might be the Zhou family.” Cao Defu narrowed his eyes. “Old Zhou has been a vicious competitor of mine. Unable to compete in the business world, he’s now extending his reach into my Cao family’s backyard…”
"Master, look! Cao Fei has made it to the finals!"
Butler Sun reminded him, successfully diverting Cao Defu's attention.
Then he gave Cao Yingying a look. The old man was stubborn, and there was nothing he could do about it, but he would investigate the matter thoroughly.
Cao Yingying took a sip of tea. This matter wasn't urgent; they needed to find the evidence first, and then…
She suppressed her thoughts and looked up at the abacus competition downstairs.
The final twenty people sat at a table, each with an abacus, a piece of paper, and a brush. The organizers presented ten questions to test the contestants' memory and their speed in solving the problems. The five slowest to answer were eliminated, as were those who made mistakes. This left only eight people on the field.
They continue to ask ten more questions until only three people remain on the field.
One is Cao Fei, another is that person from the Zhou family, and the third is Zhao Ergou.
"This kid is really something!" Cao Defu exclaimed in surprise. "Mrs. Sui really knows how to teach her child. He's so good at business and accounting. If anyone tries to play tricks on him in the future, they won't be able to fool him."
Unlike him, who is not good at math and relies entirely on the loyalty of his subordinates, otherwise the Cao family's wealth would have been squandered by him.
Cao Yingying's gaze also fell on Zhao Ergou. Before, when they could see each other every day, she didn't feel anything, but now that they hadn't seen each other for many days in a row, the longing in her heart spread out like fine threads, winding around her... She might not have understood before, but after being separated and the longing spreading, she understood...
She saw Zhao Ergou looking radiant, and a smile appeared on her lips.
The competition below is in full swing.
The last three people are competing for first place.
This round doesn't require paper and pen; we'll just use an abacus. Whoever is the first to speak up and give the answer gets one point. Within ten questions, whoever is the first to calculate the answer the most times wins.
The person in charge announced the question: "53,680 multiplied by 2, plus 892, divided by 2..."
The long list of questions made the people around him feel terrified.
Cheng Wanwan was also terrified. She could do arithmetic, but she wasn't proficient. She needed a calculator for this level of math.
The three men tapped away on their abacuses, and Zhao Ergou won the first question.
Cao Fei and the Zhou family member finally looked at Zhao Ergou properly. They thought this kid had gotten in by luck, but it turned out... he seemed to be even more capable than them.
The two originally only considered each other as rivals, but now they had to be on high alert to take down the outsider first. After all, they were both older, and it would be a bit embarrassing to lose to a younger person.
The competition among the three was extremely fierce.
After nine questions, each of the three students had accumulated three points.
The person in charge was about to ask the last question.
Magistrate Shen suddenly stood up: "The three of you have amazing skills with abacus. After watching the whole competition, I think it's just a matter of hand speed, which is no longer very meaningful. How about we try a different method?"
He looked at the judges' panel, "What do you all think?"
Magistrate Bai smirked. That bastard Shen has gained the favor of the Prefect. Do you think anyone would dare to object to his suggestions?
Without exception, all the judges nodded in approval.
Cao Fei cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, if I may be so bold as to ask, shouldn't the specific competition format be agreed upon by all three of us?"
If they come up with some random competition format, wouldn't he lose the first place he's already secured?
“Of course, I need your consent,” Magistrate Shen said. “In the art of abacus calculation, the three of you are evenly matched. If you don’t use abacus, can you quickly calculate the result? Both written and mental calculations are acceptable. Three questions are the limit, and you will be ranked according to the order in which you arrive at your answers. How about that?”
Cao Fei's eyes lit up. He was very good at mental arithmetic; if some ledgers were placed in front of him, he could tell something was wrong with just a glance.
The man from the Zhou family was also tempted. Sometimes when he went out without an abacus, he would use a pen to calculate, and he did so very quickly and accurately.
Zhao Ergou... he naturally agreed, his mother had taught him some rhymes...
He always suspected that someone was deliberately turning a blind eye... but when he saw Magistrate Shen, he saw that he was upright and honest, a clean and upright official, and he couldn't just falsely accuse him...
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