After hearing Jiang Ling's instructions, Jiang Yaojie picked up the abacus and began calculating the copper coins on the table.
Jiang Ling leaned back in her chair and continued to take a nap.
"Ah! Mother!" Jiang Yaojie suddenly screamed, almost scaring Jiang Ling so much that she sat down on the ground.
Jiang Ling frowned, clutching her chest, and shifted her gaze to Jiang Yaojie. Jiang Yaojie's expression was now somewhat agitated, and his breathing had become rapid. He was trembling slightly, walking unsteadily towards Jiang Ling.
This was the first time Jiang Ling had seen Jiang Yaojie react this way, and she asked in confusion, "What's wrong with Yaojie?"
"Mom...we made...we made money." Jiang Yaojie was very excited, and his voice even trembled a little.
"Making money? This isn't the first time," Jiang Ling said to Jiang Yaojie with a puzzled look.
"No, Mom! There's so much money!" Jiang Yaojie excitedly pointed to the most hidden table and said.
"A lot?" Jiang Ling pounded her still trembling legs and struggled to stand up, then went to the corner with Jiang Yaojie.
This caused the copper coins in the corner to spill all over the table.
"Mother! There are nine hundred copper coins in here! We earned nine hundred copper coins in just one and a half hours! At this rate, nine hundred copper coins a day, nine thousand in ten days! And in a month, wouldn't that be..." As he spoke, Jiang Yaojie quickly fiddled with his abacus.
Jiang Ling wanted to ask for 27,000 copper coins, which is equivalent to 30 taels of silver, but she held back. After all, she planned to entrust all these transactions to Jiang Yaojie alone!
“Mother! That’s 27,000 copper coins a month! Even if we deduct 7,000 copper coins as costs, we’ll still make at least 20 taels a month just from this shop, not even counting the business I’ve been negotiating with other shops!” Jiang Yaojie became more and more excited as he spoke.
Jiang Ling just wanted to rest at the moment. She yawned and looked at Jiang Yaojie and said, "Yaojie, save up one tael of silver with these copper coins plus the ones you delivered before. Keep the rest as your pocket money. You're not young anymore, it's time to save some money for yourself!"
Jiang Yaojie nodded and carefully carried the copper coins toward the money exchange.
"Sorry, we're closed for today. Come back tomorrow!" Not long after Jiang Yaojie left, a series of messy footsteps came from afar. Jiang Ling thought they were customers and said without looking up, her eyes closed.
"Help...help me!"
Jiang Ling felt someone rush in front of her like a gust of wind, and then her clothes were grabbed tightly.
Jiang Ling was startled and suddenly opened her eyes, only to see a tearful, ragged girl pleading with her.
"What's this?" Jiang Ling was a little confused, and she looked at the girl with suspicion.
Just as the girl was about to answer, hurried footsteps and a noisy crowd suddenly came from the entrance of Jiang Ling's own shop.
Upon hearing this, the girl trembled and hid behind Jiang Ling's counter without hesitation.
"Hey...you..." Jiang Ling was about to say something when a burly man with a scar on his face rushed aggressively in front of her.
"Hey, have you seen a little girl?" The man's tone was unfriendly, even threatening.
Jiang Ling calmly said, "Brother, if you're looking for someone, you should go to the government office, not my snack shop!"
"You...you bitch, don't be so stubborn! I'm asking you, have you seen a little girl?" the man snapped impatiently.
"I told you, you should go to the government to find someone, not come here and make a scene!" Jiang Ling slammed her hand on the table and stood up abruptly.
"You..." The man glared angrily at Jiang Ling, his hand gradually clenching into a fist. Just then, a tall, thin, pale-faced man suddenly walked up to the man in the lead, and the two whispered something to each other.
The man's expression clearly showed surprise. He looked Jiang Ling up and down with some astonishment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! You'd better pray that little girl isn't hiding with you, otherwise! Humph, you'll be sorry!"
He then waved his hand, turned to the crowd behind him, and said, "Continue the search!"
The group of people quickly left Jiang Ling's stall. Jiang Ling walked to the door, looked around to make sure they wouldn't come back, and then carefully went behind the counter, whispering, "Alright, you can come out now!"
The girl didn't seem to trust Jiang Ling very much. She kept looking at Jiang Ling with fearful eyes, while shaking her head from time to time.
"Mother, I'm back! Mother, I just heard the money shop owner say..."
Just as Jiang Ling and the girl were at an impasse, Jiang Yaojie ran in from the doorway. He saw his mother standing behind the counter and walked straight toward Jiang Ling without thinking much of it.
When Jiang Yaojie walked up to Jiang Ling, he saw a ragged girl with tears in her eyes. His heart suddenly started pounding, and his cheeks flushed red.
He was stunned for a moment, then quickly turned his back, closed his eyes tightly, and kept muttering, "Don't look at what you shouldn't see! Don't look at what you shouldn't see!"
The girl's situation wasn't good either. Jiang Yaojie's sudden appearance startled her so much that she froze on the spot, and after a long while, she burst into tears.
The girl's sobs were incredibly loud. Jiang Ling was worried that it would attract the group back, so she knelt down and covered the girl's mouth, whispering to her, "Don't cry. If you attract them, I won't be able to help you anymore! Promise me you won't cry and I'll move my hand away!"
After a long while, the girl nodded gently. Seeing this, Jiang Ling slowly removed her hand from the girl's mouth.
"Help...help me!" the girl cried, her whole body trembling, her eyes bloodshot, and her lips chattering.
"I can save you, but you must tell me what happened to you! Otherwise I won't help you!" Jiang Ling didn't want to get involved, but looking at the girl's frightened eyes, she finally softened and agreed.
"Those people are thugs from the brothel..."
"What? It was you?" Jiang Yaojie suddenly turned around and interrupted the girl, looking nervous.
"Turn around! Shut up!" Jiang Ling knew that a girl's reputation was very important in ancient times, especially since the girl was still dressed in rags. If Jiang Yaojie saw something he shouldn't have, the matter could be serious. Thinking of this, Jiang Ling quickly scolded him.
Jiang Yaojie realized he had lost his composure, covered his mouth, and turned away.
"Yaojie, go to the door and keep watch for me. If you see a man with a scar on his face, come and let me know right away!" Jiang Ling instructed.
Jiang Yaojie nodded and ran towards the door.
"Go ahead and say it! There's no one here now!" Jiang Ling said softly, worried that the girl would be uncomfortable if she squatted for too long, so she led the girl to the most secluded corner.
"I... Auntie, will you believe what I'm saying?" The girl seemed a little hesitant. She glanced around, quickly lowered her head, and fiddled with the tattered hem of her clothes as she spoke.
"You tell me first, how am I supposed to know if you don't tell me?" Jiang Ling began to carefully examine the girl's clothes.
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