However, this wasn’t the thing that surprised Wu Mingtang the most.

What shocked him the most were the numbers that Jian Xiu had written in the grid.

Thinking about it, Wu Mingtang couldn’t help but glance at Jian Xiu again, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

“What is it? Do you want to ask whether these numbers are correct or if I just made them up?”

“Haha… Indeed, I was about to ask that.”

“These numbers are real. I calculated them in my head just now after looking at your account books,” Jian Xiu said truthfully.

As expected, upon hearing this, Wu Mingtang suddenly lost his appetite for the cake in his hand.

He immediately put the cake down and asked, “But you didn’t even look at the account books just now, did you?”

“Who said I didn’t?”

“Weren’t you just flipping through them?”

Jian Xiu: “…” Wasn’t flipping through them the same as reading them?

Seeing the way Jian Xiu looked at him as if he were an idiot, Wu Mingtang quickly realized that he had indeed asked a foolish question.

If she wanted to read the account books, of course, she had to flip through them.

And she did flip through them—just at an incredible speed…

Seeing Wu Mingtang’s expression, Jian Xiu knew exactly what he was thinking.

So she explained, “You don’t need to be surprised. I already told you—I have a photographic memory. Just one glance, and I can mentally calculate every income and expense clearly.”

Wu Mingtang: “…” Why did he feel like there was a hint of pride in her words?

Of course, if he had such an ability, he would probably be even more proud than she was!

“Do you understand everything I said today, Shopkeeper Wu?” Jian Xiu asked again.

“Yes, yes, I truly have to thank you today. If not for you…”

“Shopkeeper Wu, let’s leave it at that. I suggest you handle this matter quietly for now. Don’t alert anyone and risk tipping them off,” Jian Xiu advised.

She had seen too many cases of people embezzling funds in her previous life.

Handling such matters was second nature to her.

“Exactly! That was my intention as well. People like this must not be let off.”

“Alright, it’s getting late. I should be heading back. If you need my help with anything in the future, just let me know!” Jian Xiu said with a smile.

She had always been a laid-back person, but she was truly grateful to Shopkeeper Wu.

He was the first person to offer her help.

Even today, with the Caifang Zhai incident—

If it weren’t for his words, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly for her.

On the surface, it seemed like he hadn’t done much.

But in reality, he had acted as a bridge in the middle.

Jian Xiu fully acknowledged this.

From the very beginning—when she first approached him to sell her recipes, dried bamboo shoots, and wild boar—

One thing after another, he had always been helping her.

Most importantly, there was also the matter of the Xuewen Academy…

Hearing Jian Xiu’s words, Wu Mingtang quickly settled the payment for the dried bamboo shoots she had brought this time.

“Fifteen pounds of dried bamboo shoots, at sixty copper coins per pound, that makes a total of nine hundred copper coins. Here’s one tael of silver—you don’t need to give me change. I really don’t know how to thank you for today…”

“No, business is business. We should settle things properly,” Jian Xiu insisted.

With that, she took out one hundred copper coins from her pocket and placed them in front of Wu Mingtang.

Wu Mingtang had expected this, so he simply accepted the small string of copper coins.

“Jian Xiu, wait a moment. I had some dishes wrapped up in oil paper earlier. I noticed that the children like them, so take them home for dinner.”

Before Jian Xiu could refuse, as if afraid she would turn him down, Wu Mingtang quickly waved at the waiter and said,

“Where are the dishes I had wrapped up earlier? Have they been brought down yet?”

“They’re ready!”

“Good, pack a few more of our signature dishes. Be quick about it!”

“Understood, Shopkeeper Wu,” the waiter replied respectfully before hurrying to the kitchen.

Seeing this, Jian Xiu didn’t stop him—she knew that even if she tried, she wouldn’t be able to.

While waiting, she went to Renhetang to buy a pound of ginger.

However, she didn’t expect the ginger to be so expensive.

Just one pound had cost her an entire tael of silver!

Even as she walked out with the ginger, she could still feel her heart bleeding.

In the post-apocalyptic world, ginger could be eaten as a staple food—so why was it so expensive here?

But with this one pound of ginger, she could probably grow a few hundred pounds of it.

The reason people here couldn’t grow ginger wasn’t that the land was unsuitable—it was simply because they didn’t know how to plant it properly.

It looked like she had found another small fortune to make.

When she returned to Yuexiang Restaurant, the waiter was already standing at the entrance with the three children, waiting for her.

“Mother…”

“Mother…”

“Mother…”

The three children called out to her in unison.

“This basket is filled with food. Shopkeeper Wu said you should take it home and enjoy it,” the waiter said.

Hearing this, Jian Xiu instinctively glanced inside the restaurant.

Sure enough, Wu Mingtang was no longer at his usual spot doing calculations.

He must have gone upstairs to a quiet place to work on the accounts.

Given the amount of account books he had, even at his speed, it would take at least ten days to half a month to finish.

Even if she did the calculations, it would take her an entire day.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help—it was just that she really didn’t have the time.

Besides, this was a good way for Wu Mingtang to improve his bookkeeping skills.

The more he practiced her method, the faster he would become, and the less likely he would make mistakes.

“Mother, let’s go home now!”

“Alright. Your Uncle Zhiyong may have already gone back, so we might have to walk home.”

“That’s okay! That way, we can save a few more copper coins,” Zhang Feixuan said earnestly.

“Yes, let’s hurry then!”

With that, the mother and children walked towards the ox cart parking area.

Although they were prepared to walk, they still wanted to check if Zhang Zhiyong was still there.

Sure enough, by the time they arrived, Zhang Zhiyong’s ox cart was already gone.

That made sense. There was still plantain grass to be harvested in the village, and she had told him earlier to head back first.

With that in mind, Jian Xiu took the three children and started walking towards Zhangjia Village.

In fact, Their walking speed wasn’t much slower than the ox cart.

If she weren’t bringing the children along, Jian Xiu actually preferred walking.

At least she wouldn’t have to endure the pain of feeling her organs getting rattled around.