Chapter 181 Settling accounts late at night, considering dignity...
The sun gradually set in the west, and the night was deep and quiet.
The entire Zhang residence fell into silence, with only the occasional neighing of horses breaking the silence. The surrounding trees and flowers seemed to stand still.
After coaxing her husband to sleep, Zhang Ting quietly got dressed and got up, her gaze solemn and dignified, filled with a deep sense of conviction, as if she were going to her heroic death.
She's going to do something big tonight.
She took a deep breath and just lifted her foot to take a step—
The strong woman's initial attempt failed, as she was tripped up by a roadblock.
The fair-skinned little baby tugged at her clothes, grinning happily at her, revealing two tiny white teeth. He was as adorable and obedient as a baby rabbit, melting the heart with his cuteness.
The little baby crawled forward a little, opening its mouth as if to call for its mother.
Zhang Ting's expression changed, she covered the child's mouth, and hurriedly carried her out.
I carefully closed the door, walked a short distance, and then angrily slapped her round bottom.
"You almost killed your mother, you 'filial daughter'!"
Shile, tucked under her armpit, let out a burst of joyful laughter and babbled like a puppy, scratching forward.
"Mother, Mother!" The last shout was so loud that Zhang Ting covered her mouth again in fright.
“You living ancestor, keep your voice down.”
The little, round 'living ancestor' stared intently at her mother with her big, dark eyes and nodded emphatically.
Zhang Ting breathed a sigh of relief and tossed the doll into her arms.
The night was slightly cool, and the dew was heavy. She pulled her outer robe over her daughter and couldn't help but pat her bottom. "Zhang Shile, you're still so energetic in the middle of the night. You're something else." A demon reincarnated, reborn into her family.
"Very well, then let's go and do something important together."
The little baby, nestled inside the oversized clothes, moved excitedly with his short arms and legs, then covered his mouth and laughed, whispering in his mother's ear, "Mother, Mother, dry..."
Zhang Ting smiled with relief. As expected of her son, he was only eight months old and already understood human speech and knew who his mother was.
The little boy stammered, "Do bad things."
Zhang Ting's smile froze.
Holding the little one up in front of her, she sternly scolded, "You 'filial daughter' who has no respect for elders, how dare you be so disrespectful to your own mother! If it weren't for the fact that you're still young, I would have broken your legs kneeling in the ancestral hall and torn your hands in the Book of Filial Piety."
The little child was not afraid at all, and even swung happily on her hands, saying, "Your Majesty, hit, hit the child."
"Baby, baby, give it to your mother." His simple, honest smile was as sweet as honey, warming the heart and making people feel cozy and sweet.
Zhang Ting pinched her soft little face, then wrapped her in his arms again. He couldn't describe the feeling; he was clearly very happy, but his eyes were stinging.
She cradled the chubby baby in her arms and quietly slipped into the study.
The account books that Wang Wu had ordered to be delivered were neatly placed in the center of the table, a thick stack, which showed how huge the amount was.
She plopped down in the ebony chair, with an account book on her left and an abacus on her right. She remained silent for a while before opening the account book and focusing intently on manipulating the abacus.
As the night deepened, the candles, accompanied by the clatter of counting rods, crackled softly.
Zhang Ting felt something crawling around in her arms, seriously affecting her calculations. She quickly pulled it out and put it on the ground, telling her to go somewhere cool and stay there.
With fewer distractions, she worked even faster. "Shi Le, you play by yourself, Mommy is busy with something important."
Regardless of whether the baby understands or not: "Be careful, don't crawl around and bump into or knock over things."
She gradually lost herself in the moment, ignoring the cubs on her legs and their cries and protests. Her eyes were only on the accounts; she had become selectively deaf and blind.
Because there are children in the house, a thick carpet was laid on the floor, and the doors and windows were closed, so the room was not cold.
The little baby was still wrapped in long, large clothes. He finally managed to squeeze out and wanted a hug, but his mother completely ignored him. She was incredibly cold-hearted and cruel.
The little child waved his arms and legs and chattered in protest, but no matter how much he pushed and hugged her, the cold and hard woman in front of him remained unmoved, as if she couldn't feel him at all.
The little child instantly pouted in grievance, plopped down on the ground, and looked very sad.
However, after experiencing the same scenes many times, she has become a mature little baby who can cheer herself up.
With difficulty, she turned herself over, her round bottom sticking out, and went to explore the secrets of this hidden room.
I've climbed this place, and I've climbed that place too.
Even before they can speak clearly, babies already understand what loneliness is.
The room was eerily quiet, with only the clattering of counting rods.
The chubby baby, unable to find her toy, bobbed her little head, so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open. She yawned and slowly crawled back, following the familiar and comforting scent.
Finally, he snuggled into his mother's dry, warm clothes and fell into a deep sleep.
There were so many accounts that Zhang Ting didn't finish studying them until late at night.
Deciding to sell storybooks was a brilliant move. In just two months, nearly a million copies were printed, which not only greatly boosted the printing industry in Zhangzhou Prefecture but also filled their pockets to the brim.
Busy with government affairs during the day and working on account books at night, there was only one hour left before dawn.
Zhang Ting had barely slept all night, yet she was full of energy and vitality.
She earned a total of 300,000 taels of silver from selling storybooks, all in pure profit. When she told others, no one believed her.
She also owes a great deal to those who were watching her. If it weren't for their spreading of disparaging or hateful words, which increased the attention of Zhangzhou Prefecture, how could she have earned 300,000 taels of silver all at once?
What does 300,000 taels mean? It would take a county magistrate 6,666 years of working without eating or drinking. In rice terms, it could feed an army of 10,000 men for 20 years.
This amount of money was so great that even the emperor would be envious and wary of it.
Having served as an official for just over a year, he was promoted three ranks to prefect, overthrowing the prefect and seizing power. That was bad enough, but he also amassed a fortune that rivaled that of a city in just two months based on a single storybook. No one would believe it if they heard about it.
But Zhang Ting did it.
She was excited for a short while, but gradually calmed down.
Now that we have 300,000 taels in hand, the next step is to use it to make more money.
She is now worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, but she will not stop at hundreds of thousands of taels in the future.
There's another matter. She doesn't plan to tell Zong Suyi about the money she secretly earned. It's not that she's stingy and wants to hide her money, but the storybook contains many tender and romantic tales, and the language is indeed a bit indecent. If he finds out, he might overthink things.
It's better to avoid trouble. We don't lack money for expenses, so it's best not to cause any problems.
Noticing something soft against her feet, she looked over in surprise and saw her baby sleeping soundly, wrapped in his clothes, like a cute little puppy lying at her feet, small, obedient, chubby and round, making him all the more endearing.
In the dim candlelight, the tenderness in her eyes almost overflowed. She carefully picked up the child, held her in her arms, and gently poked her fair and round face. The fleshy cheek sank into a small indentation, and when she released it, it bounced back.
Zhang Ting found it all quite miraculous. After watching over the baby for eight months, raising it for eight months, and being a mother to it for eight months, she still felt it was a miracle. This tiny, frail baby was actually her child.
When she was born, she was wrinkled and looked like a red-skinned monkey, weighing just over six pounds. She was so tiny that she could be crushed with one foot. In the blink of an eye, she grew into a sweet and soft baby, changing every day. She was both naughty and cute, could understand human speech, and could even call out "Mama".
Even more amazingly, she's going to be this little one's mother for life.
She played with the child for a while before turning off the light, glancing around furtively, and sneaking back into the house.
Carefully place the sleeping baby on the inside of the bed and cover her with her own little blanket.
Her gaze shifted to Zong Suyi, who was sleeping on his side, wrapped in his blankets, his face serene and peaceful, as if he were having a sweet dream. He would occasionally smack his lips, which immediately put her at ease.
She lay down beside him as if nothing had happened, closed her eyes, and placed her hands on her chest, as if she had never left the bed.
A moment later, Zong Suyi groggily opened her eyes and saw Zhang Ting's standard sleeping posture. She subconsciously moved closer to her and even pulled her hand to rest on her waist.
In the dim light of dawn, he seemed to see dark circles under his wife's eyes.
He was extremely tired, his head nodding like a chick pecking at rice, and finally he nestled into her arms and fell asleep.
When a woman gets older, she becomes less useful, so he should be more mindful of his wife's dignity in the future.
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