68. Accounting
No matter how well the accounts are prepared, they can't fool me.
“We know,” said Manager Zhao. “I’ve been in touch with Commander Zhou. His vegetables are ready to be harvested. Fifty acres of them are lush and green, all in the fields, ready to be picked at any time. Here, I’ve made seven or eight hundred copper hot pots. I found a blacksmith in the whole prefecture to make them together. Each restaurant can easily get one or two.”
Shen Suqin nodded in satisfaction: "I trust you two to do things well. However, there are still some details to be perfected."
"Please speak, sir."
"First, the vegetables need to be harvested and transported to various parts of Daliang. The journey will take at least two or three days, and sometimes as long as seven or eight days. The weather is cold, so we need to keep them warm to prevent them from freezing; we also need to be careful not to let them rot. As for the escorts, Zhou Baihu, please find Brother Xu for me and ask him to arrange for some more retired soldiers to come in."
"Secondly, regarding the copper pot hot pot, I believe that once Xingyuan launches its hot pot, imitations will soon appear in various places. I want to make sure they can't make their own pots and can only buy them from us. So, Manager Zhao, think of a way to make it difficult for people to imitate this pot, and also connect the various subway shops to form an industry. I want to keep this part in my own hands."
"Don't worry, Madam," said Manager Zhao. "I had them prepare a spare pot in advance, ensuring that ordinary blacksmiths wouldn't be able to make it in a short time. I'll take care of the rest in the next couple of days."
Zhou Baihu also said, "Madam's reminder is right, I will make the arrangements immediately."
"Then I'll have to trouble you two." Shen Suqin helped herself up from her chair. "Tomorrow, when the General's Mansion is set up its accounts, Commander Zhou should also come and listen in."
"yes."
After seeing the two off, Xiao Pingchuan thought she should finally rest, but to his surprise, she insisted on going to see Su Yubai first.
She tried to get out of bed and walk over herself, but Xiao Pingchuan grabbed her around the waist and carried her to Su Yubai's room. Seeing that he was asleep and hadn't woken up, he went back.
On the way back, she couldn't hold on any longer and fell into a deep sleep.
Xiao Pingchuan looked down at her, nestled in his arms with her eyes closed, and sighed deeply.
He gently placed her back on the bed and arranged for Ju Tao to go back to rest as well, taking care of her personally.
Actually, he hadn't slept for several days either. Ever since Shen Suqin went south alone, he had been chasing her day and night, and he had hardly slept since he came back. His condition was not much better than hers.
"General," Xu Youcai called softly from outside the window, "Doctor Huang is back, but his family says he's unwell and rarely sees patients. Do you want to go and ask him to take a look yourself?"
The doctor waiting in the manor was of mediocre skill; this Doctor Huang was the real renowned physician of the Northern Territory.
He missed Shen Suqin's trip south because he was looking for him to come to the manor for a medical consultation.
Xiao Pingchuan glanced at the sleeping person on the bed and replied, "Okay."
Shen Suqin had something weighing on her mind, so she woke up after only a short time. She needed to borrow a venue from Xiao Pingchuan to receive the shopkeeper who was coming from the north. Only after she finished this matter could she rest in peace.
It wasn't that she was deliberately making things difficult; things just piled up one after another. If she could, she really wanted to just collapse and sleep; she's never been one to mistreat herself.
She thought that Xiao Pingchuan had promised to take care of her every step of the way, and that he would at least keep his word. But when she woke up, not only was there no one in the room, but there was no one in the mansion either.
Left with no other choice, she forced herself to get up and go find it herself.
He asked a servant, who said that the general was usually at the training ground at this time. Shen Suqin had no suspicions and went there.
Before she even reached the training ground, she could hear a great deal of noise and activity inside.
She walked in, and the crowd fell silent instantly.
The difference is... wow.
Ignoring everyone's gaze, Shen Suqin randomly pointed to someone and asked, "Where is your general?"
The man took two steps back and replied respectfully, "The general has gone to find a doctor."
"Then I'll wait for him here. You guys do your thing, don't worry about me." She walked to a corner.
"Hmph," a crisp female voice rang out, "Is Madam here to play the victim? What's the big deal? She just couldn't get a favor by demanding repayment, so she came all this way herself. What? Does she want everyone to see how she suffered and endured so that the General will feel sorry for her?"
Shen Suqin looked in the direction of the sound.
As the crowd dispersed, Zhou Yuan's charming figure came into view.
After a few days apart, she must have grown even more beautiful, probably because the food at the manor was so good. Her cheeks were rosy and chubby, making her very cute.
Seeing Shen Suqin looking at her calmly, Zhou Yuan continued, "I know what you did in the past, and I admire you for being able to come up with so much food and silver. But, wasn't it all voluntary? Nobody forced you."
"Besides, I was there that day. It's not that the brothers didn't want to go, it's just that none of us had had enough rest. Can't you treat the brothers like living, breathing people? Besides, the person you wanted to save is perfectly fine, he's not dead."
Mentioning Su Yubai, Shen Suqin's gaze darkened.
The courtyard was divided into two sides: on one side was the slender Shen Suqin, and on the other side were the tall and strong members of the Black Flag Army scouts and the pretty Miss Zhou.
Whether out of guilt or something else, the men in the scout camp looked at Shen Suqin with awkward and uneasy eyes.
It was nearing dusk; the sun had already set, twilight was falling, the air was thick with the rising heat, and the surroundings were intensely cool.
"Come here." Shen Suqin beckoned to her, his tone calm and gentle.
Zhou Yuan, not understanding why, obediently walked over.
No one saw clearly how Shen Suqin moved. She was almost a blur, and in the blink of an eye, she had Zhou Yuan pinned to her chest. The agate hairpin in her hair was pressed firmly against Zhou Yuan's carotid artery as she said, "If I go in one more inch, you will die."
As she spoke, she used a bit of force, and the sharp tip of the hairpin pierced her flesh, drawing out a small drop of blood.
Zhou Yuan was so frightened that her whole body stiffened.
"Madam, please have mercy!" someone pleaded.
Shen Suqin looked over coldly and said, "I'm using your kindness to ask for a repayment, is that what you all think?"
She looked at them one by one, and wherever her gaze fell, everyone lowered their eyes and avoided her.
These are all creatures that ran down from Jade Mountain.
Shen Suqin sneered, "Very well, very well." She withdrew her gaze, "Remember to have your general tell me these words in person."
Upon hearing her tone, Zhou Yuan concluded that Shen Suqin was certain Xiao Pingchuan wouldn't dare to speak ill of her, and immediately retorted angrily, "The general risked his life to protect the country, and we should all do our utmost. Your current aggressive behavior, relying on small favors, is truly despicable."
Her words were so harsh that even the men who had originally stood by her side couldn't stand it anymore and stammered, "Miss Zhou, please don't speak like that."
"Did I say something wrong? I was speaking out for the General. If everyone were like her, wouldn't the General have to run around every day...?"
Shen Suqin's patience ran out, and he interrupted her coldly, saying, "Miss Zhou, I've been tolerant of you and consider you my benefactor, but that's only because of Xiao Pingchuan. But you should know that his influence isn't that great."
After saying this, he pushed hard with the hairpin, and the blood gushed out even more violently.
Zhou Yuan felt warm blood seeping into her clothes and screamed in fright, "Ah!"
The shouts startled everyone in the mansion.
Xiao Pingchuan and Xu Youcai happened to be returning with Doctor Huang. Hearing the commotion, they quickly settled the people in and rushed to the backyard.
Shen Suqin was blocked by the crowd. When Xiao Pingchuan came in, he only saw the sharp hairpin embedded in Zhou Yuan's neck and the half of her clothes stained with blood. He quickly flicked the hairpin away.
Unexpectedly, she used too much force and the hairpin broke in two. One piece was in Shen Suqin's hand, and the other piece fell to the ground.
Shen Suqin's gaze followed the fallen hairpin. After a long while, she chuckled and released Zhou Yuan, saying, "The people protecting you have arrived."
After saying that, she threw away the broken hairpin in her hand, bowed respectfully to Xiao Pingchuan, and said, "I will borrow the general's training ground tomorrow. The rent is five hundred taels of silver. The payment will be settled in full, so that people will not say that I am taking advantage of his kindness."
Xiao Pingchuan's heart skipped a beat, and he stood there dumbfounded.
Xu Youcai, who arrived later, stared in disbelief at everything. "Madam... Madam," he uttered.
Shen Suqin turned to look at him at the sound of the voice, and smiled: "General Xu is here too. Have you finished measuring the fields in Jinzhou?"
No, no.
"Then let's get down to business. Oh, and from now on, please stop calling me 'Madam,' or people will laugh at us."
Xu Youcai covered his mouth, not daring to speak again.
Shen Suqin lifted her foot, and the place where she stepped down was the broken hairpin. Without thinking, she stepped on it.
Agate hairpins are inherently brittle, and this stomp broke them into several pieces. Xiao Pingchuan looked down at it, feeling as if that stomp had also stomped him into the ground.
Without the hairpin, Shen Suqin's hair fell loose, and as she walked by, the ends of her hair brushed against Xiao Pingchuan's hand, as if tearing open his skin to reveal the tender, red flesh inside.
Suddenly, her hand was grabbed tightly. Shen Suqin looked down and saw that it was Xiao Pingchuan's hand.
Without hesitation, she raised her other hand to brush it away and left.
Silence fell over the surroundings. Everyone watched as Xiao Pingchuan's aura rapidly solidified like ice and snow, and asked, word by word, "Who said 'using a debt of gratitude to seek repayment'!"
All eyes turned to Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan clutched her neck, looking indignant. "I didn't say anything wrong. Everyone had just escaped death and was still in shock. Why should we help her travel thousands of miles to save people? We're all flesh and blood; we get tired and thirsty. Does that mean only she has to save people, while the brothers don't? Why should she?"
"Brothers? When did a woman infiltrate my Black Flag Army? Miss Zhou, please recognize your place," Xiao Pingchuan said fiercely. "And you lot, don't you have mouths? Letting an unrelated woman speak for you!"
“I’ll say it again, on Jade Green Mountain, I was the one who insisted on fighting the fire. If it weren’t for her suggestion to build firebreaks, I would have led you all directly to put out the fire. The danger we encountered was due to a change in wind direction, and you’re blaming her for that too? Or are you dissatisfied with me, but because you’re afraid to vent your anger on me, you’re targeting her!”
"She did ask us to go south to rescue people, but who else could she ask besides us? She only went herself because she was worried that you would be tired from your long journey."
"Very well, very well indeed. Now you're using this pretext of demanding repayment for a debt of gratitude to put me here. What about the Black Flag Army? I never knew that I, Xiao Pingchuan, had brought out a group of ungrateful people."
"Zhao Chengchun, escort Miss Zhou out of the manor and settle her in."
"General!" Zhao Chengchun still wanted to plead for mercy.
"If you want to plead for her, take off this skin and go with her."
Zhao Chengchun immediately fell silent.
"Get out of here, all of you!" After venting his anger, Xiao Pingchuan strode toward the main courtyard.
They really ruined him.
In the training ground, you could hear a pin drop, except for Zhou Yuan's sobbing: "What skills does she have? She's just relying on the general's favoritism..."
In the main courtyard, Dr. Huang had already finished examining Shen Suqin. It was said that Shen Suqin wasn't someone who would joke about her health; upon returning and seeing the doctor waiting in the main courtyard, she proactively asked for help with her treatment.
When Xiao Pingchuan returned, Shen Suqin had already retired for the night. He found Doctor Huang and inquired about her condition.
"She's exhausted and her qi and blood are depleted. She needs to rest and recuperate properly. She'll probably have a fever tonight, so prepare the medicine and give it to her in advance. She's experiencing some qi and blood stagnation affecting her heart, and her internal heat is rising. Be careful not to let her get angry again, as that could damage her heart meridian."
"I understand, Doctor. You can stay at the manor for the next two days. I've already sent someone to inform your family."
"Alright."
After seeing the doctor off, Xiao Pingchuan returned and found the door closed. Ju Tao had woken up at some point and was guarding the door.
"General, please wait. Miss is already asleep."
"I'll go in and check on her."
"No need, Miss has instructed that she does not wish to see you."
Xiao Pingchuan's voice was low and deep: "I don't want to lay a hand on you."
Ju Tao: "What is the general doing now? I know those words were not the general's original intention, but since they can be spread in the general's mansion, it means that the general is intentionally letting it go. In that case, can we assume that this is exactly what everyone wants to say but dares not say?"
“No,” Xiao Pingchuan was also tired, “Miss Ju Tao, I didn’t mean that.”
Ju Tao wouldn't listen. She regretted sleeping so soundly. If it weren't for Brother Xu coming to find her to take care of Miss, she wouldn't have known that Miss had suffered so much.
“As the saying goes, a small favor breeds resentment, a large favor breeds gratitude. I think it’s because my young lady has done too much that she’s become annoying to everyone,” Ju Tao said. “As for that Miss Zhou, my young lady said that it’s not impossible for her to step down. Anyway, the divorce papers have been in her hands from beginning to end, and she can leave at any time.”
Xiao Pingchuan opened his mouth, and after a long while, he said, "She hasn't eaten anything today."
“She can’t eat,” Ju Tao said firmly. “I will take care of my young lady. There’s no need for the general to worry.”
At this point, Xiao Pingchuan was at a loss. He dared not leave easily, fearing that she would catch a fever in the middle of the night, so he could only stand guard outside the door like a fool.
Ju Tao watched coldly, and when midnight came, she couldn't bear it any longer. Without trying to persuade him, she opened the door and went to sleep next to Shen Suqin.
The atmosphere in the mansion became increasingly oppressive the next day.
After breakfast, strangers entered the general's mansion one after another. They were all dressed in expensive clothes and were obviously not ordinary people.
Everyone knew these were the lady's guests, but they didn't know what they did for a living.
The visitors were placed in the training ground in the backyard, where several rows of tables and chairs were set up vertically, each with an abacus; there were roughly four or five hundred of them.
Everyone was intrigued and rushed over to see what was going on. Soon, the training ground was packed with people.
As noon approached, it seemed that everyone had arrived. The training ground was packed with people, and in the center of the room, at the tables and chairs, everyone was dressed in fine clothes, sitting upright and looking quite tense.
Zhou Yuan also came to watch the commotion. She had a clean white cloth strip tied around her neck, and it hurt when she moved.
After the incident yesterday, Zhao Chengchun wanted to see her off, but she cried and complained, so he kept delaying until today.
She didn't want to move; if she moved out, she wouldn't be able to see the general anymore.
"What are they going to do?" she whispered.
"I don't know."
For some reason, the people in the manor were a bit colder towards her today. Even those who were usually closest to her were avoiding her and were not talking to her as casually as they usually did.
"What exactly does she do? General Zhao only said that she can make money and write articles. Can a down-and-out merchant have such a grand entourage?" Zhou Yuan asked again.
“I heard that Madam runs a restaurant,” Yuanxiang stepped forward at this moment. “The people who came today are the managers who help her manage the restaurant.”
“It’s you.” Zhou Yuan glanced at him sideways. “You know a lot.”
"We maids naturally need to be quick-witted, otherwise we won't even know when we've made a mistake."
"That's true, but what do you think of this Shen Suqin? Is he really that capable?"
"We'll find out once we see."
As they were whispering among themselves, Shen Suqin entered, wrapped in a plain white fox fur coat. Today, she had not styled her hair; her waterfall-like black hair cascaded down her back, making her appear even more elegant and ethereal.
After she entered, she sat down in the main seat in the center and slowly looked around. The shopkeepers became even more nervous.
“Commander Zhou,” she turned her head and said calmly, “you sit next to me.”
Zhou Baihu nodded repeatedly and sat down tremblingly.
There was no way around it; everyone in the room was as nervous as if they were taking an exam, some even sweating profusely despite their advanced age, which made him nervous as well.
“Let’s begin,” Shen Suqin said to Ju Tao.
Ju Tao stood beside her and said loudly, "Get the account books up."
Immediately afterwards, people came in carrying thick ledgers and placed them one by one on the tables in front of the shopkeepers.
Some ledgers were numerous, others few. Some were as tall as a person, while others were more than a dozen.
After putting the ledgers away, Shen Suqin waved her hand.
The shopkeepers picked up their abacuses, breathed a sigh of relief, and then opened their ledgers to report on the income and expenditure items one by one.
For a moment, the only sounds on the training field were the clattering of abacuses and the whispered reports from the shopkeepers, all blending together in a buzzing, chanting-like murmur.
"Listen to someone else's expense report? So many people together?" someone asked, puzzled.
"That's impossible! If I can't even hear clearly, how can I reconcile the accounts?"
The buzzing sound of accounting reports rang out from noon until the sun began to set, and this was only a rough estimate.
After the surroundings gradually returned to silence, everyone waited for Shen Suqin to speak.
At this moment, Shen Suqin was wrapped in a fox fur coat, her small face half-hidden in the clothes, only revealing her jet-black hair.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Did you fall asleep or didn't understand?" someone couldn't help but ask.
Zhou Yuan gloated, "He definitely didn't understand."
"Five hundred and twenty taels of ice were consumed in Ai Li County, Jiao Prefecture in June?" Shen Suqin suddenly spoke in a clear and melodious voice.
Among the shopkeepers, a middle-aged man with a plump figure stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow, and cautiously replied, "Yes."
"I remember it was only 314 taels two years ago. How could it have increased so much in just one year?"
Ai Li County is located in the south, and during the hot summer months, ice blocks are placed in the store to cool people down, which is a regular expense.
"Reporting to the owner, last year's summer heat was exceptionally intense, and many people flocked to the shop to cool off. I took it upon myself to increase the number of ice basins and extend the closing time, which resulted in a higher consumption of ice," the shopkeeper replied.
Shen Suqin nodded, his gaze falling on the June income item. Seeing that the income had also doubled, he let it go and gestured for him to sit down.
"The cost invoices for the No. 1 and No. 3 branches of Yuqing County, Jiaozhou, were 40% higher than the revenue in September. Please explain."
Next to the shopkeeper, someone stood up and replied tremblingly, "During the floods in September, the production of our specialty silver carp decreased, causing prices to skyrocket. We had no choice but to increase costs."
"Since you're losing money, why insist on not changing the dishes?" Shen Suqin asked again.
"Well... all the restaurants in Yuqing serve silver carp, it wouldn't make sense for us not to."
Shen Suqin's gaze turned cold. "Manager Wu seems to have forgotten the foundation of Xingyuan Restaurant: who we sell our food to and what kind of flavors we offer. I don't object to you catering to local specialties, but Xingyuan's roots cannot be strayed. Silver carp is already expensive; if the price goes up further, how many ordinary people can afford to order it? Besides, Manager Wu has also seen that it hasn't made you much money."
Manager Wu lowered his head in shame: "The boss is right."
Shen Suqin: "However, Yu Qing did not suffer the most losses. Manager Wu should reflect on his own actions. Manager Pei, tell me about your situation."
Another refined-looking man stood up, seemingly quite confident: "Master, my shop is in Hejian. You've offended Prime Minister Pei of the capital; it's already quite an achievement that I've managed to keep the restaurant afloat."
Shen Suqin sneered: "Does Manager Pei really think I don't know you treat the restaurant as the Pei family's cash cow?"
The shopkeeper was startled.
"One hundred and thirty-seven hundred taels were given away for free in February, eighty-five thousand taels in April, and one hundred and thirty thousand taels in May... Manager Pei, do I need to calculate it item by item?"
"That's because the Pei family used their power to coerce me, I had no choice but to give it to them..."
“Pei Sheng, guess why I decided to close Xingyuan Restaurant in Hejian?” Shen Suqin leaned back, tapping the armrest of the chair with her fingertips. “Because the restaurant in Hejian no longer belongs to Shen. From now on, close the one under your jurisdiction too. I don’t want to fatten up my enemies.”
"Boss, boss, let me explain..."
"Manager Pei, if you don't want to spit out what you've already swallowed, you'd better shut up!" Shen Suqin warned. "Everyone here should think carefully about who you're making money for. No matter how well the accounts are done, you can't hide it from me. If you don't believe me, ask Manager Pei. His accountant was borrowed from the Capital's Revenue Department. Did he manage to fool me? Next, Lianghe."
......
Shen Suqin sat calmly on the high seat, while hundreds of experienced managers below looked on as if facing a formidable enemy.
The scene of everyone reporting their accounts at the same time was already shocking enough, but the fact that Shen Suqin was now reviewing the problematic accounts one by one was even more surprising.
It turned out that she had heard all those buzzing sounds of accounting earlier.
There were four or five hundred people submitting expense reports at the same time. How did she distinguish who was who? And how did she remember so many details?
Those watching from all around were completely baffled, and their gazes towards her gradually turned to one of awe.
Zhou Yuan looked at the people in the room with a complicated expression, then touched her neck and suddenly shivered.
Xiao Pingchuan was also watching from the corner, his gaze fixed on Shen Suqin. He had always known that she was outstanding, but just when he thought he had reached the limit, she would give him an even bigger surprise.
He looked down at the broken hairpin in his hand, loosened his grip, and let it fall to the ground. If she made a mistake, he should admit it. If she got it dirty, he would give her something better. She deserved it.
By the time the accounts were sorted out, it was already dark.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm hosting a banquet at Xingyuan Restaurant, and I'd also like to introduce you to some new dishes. I guarantee that these new dishes will help your businesses reach new heights," Shen Suqin said, rising to her feet.
The shopkeepers breathed a sigh of relief; they had finally overcome the most difficult hurdle.
The group then moved to Xingyuan Restaurant in the city. When they arrived, a copper hot pot, vegetables, and various dried vegetables and meats were already laid out on the table.
All the shopkeepers stared wide-eyed.
Goodness, is there something wrong with their eyes? How can they see green leaves in the middle of winter?
Some people couldn't resist their curiosity, so they plucked a leaf, put it in their mouths, and chewed it. It was sweet and juicy—it really was.
"Boss, where did you get these fresh vegetable leaves?" someone asked first.
"Please eat first, everyone. We can chat after you've eaten your fill," Shen Suqin said with a smile. "Come on, the main event tonight isn't the vegetables, but the reunion hot pot in the middle. Manager Zhao, could you please explain to everyone how to eat it?"
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