Even for herself, it would probably take an entire day to organize everything.

Let alone someone like Wu Mingtang, who had just started?

The most important thing was that his mental arithmetic was not as good as hers—he had to rely on an abacus for every single calculation.

If this were the post-apocalyptic world with computers, things would be much easier. But unfortunately, there were no such conveniences here.

Sigh…

Before Jian Xiu even got close, Wu Mingtang had already smelled the aroma of the cake.

Looking up, sure enough, Jian Xiu was standing not far away.

He immediately put down the ledger in his hands, beaming as he said, “You’re here! Quick, quick, sit!”

“Something’s not right! There’s definitely something wrong with you!” Jian Xiu looked at Wu Mingtang’s eager expression, deeply suspicious.

“Hahaha…” Wu Mingtang burst into laughter at her words.

After becoming familiar with Jian Xiu, Wu Mingtang had become much more relaxed around her.

“Spit it out,” Jian Xiu said confidently.

“Isn’t it still these account books? Look, after an entire day, I’ve only managed to get through this little bit. And there are still dozens of these ledgers left! At this rate, I won’t finish until the next lifetime!”

Wu Mingtang pointed at the stack of account books on the table, looking utterly frustrated.

If the discrepancies in the accounts were just minor, he might have let it slide.

But the more he calculated, the more shocked he became—this wasn’t just a small mistake; the numbers were wildly off!

If it weren’t for Jian Xiu’s sharp eyes, half of Yuexiang House’s silver might have already ended up in someone else’s pocket.

“You’ve only gone through this much in a whole day?” Jian Xiu asked in disbelief, pointing at the ledgers.

By rough estimation, there were about ten books.

Yuexiang House went through multiple ledgers every month, so if he had only finished this many in a day, it meant he had only accounted for two or three months’ worth of records.

At this rate, when would he ever finish the accounts for the past three years?

Sure enough, after hearing her words, Wu Mingtang’s face showed embarrassment.

“I… heh heh… that’s why I was hoping you’d help me!”

“Me? But look at the time! How am I supposed to help you now? I still have to go to Xuewen Academy to pick up Feixuan and Feiyi!”

As she spoke, Jian Xiu handed the basket of cakes to Wu Mingtang.

Wu Mingtang took it without hesitation and continued, “Then don’t worry about it! I’ll go, I’ll pick them up for you!”

“Even if you go, I still have to return home, don’t I? If I don’t head back soon, it’ll be dark. You know my situation at home.”

“Oh, that’s easy! I’ll take you and the kids back in the carriage! That way, you’ll have at least half an hour to help me, right?”

Jian Xiu: “……” Who said Wu Mingtang wasn’t good at calculations?

His abacus beads were practically hitting her in the face!

But seeing his eager expression, she found it impossible to refuse.

When Jian Xiu remained silent, simply staring at him speechlessly, Wu Mingtang took advantage of the moment.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the cake from her hands and strode outside.

It wasn’t until he turned away that Jian Xiu snapped back to reality, quickly calling after him,

“No, no, no! Part of that cake is mine! That portion over there is what’s meant for him!”

She glanced at Wu Mingtang before continuing, “He gets four pieces, same as you.”

The rest, she needed to bring home for the children.

Even though Rong Zhihe had given her a lot, with three families now living under her roof, there were too many mouths to feed.

At first glance, it seemed like plenty, but once divided among the children, it wasn’t much at all.

Hearing her words, Wu Mingtang quickly grabbed only four pieces before dashing out the door.

No way—if he didn’t leave now, he’d suffer a huge loss!

Jian Xiu could accomplish in half an hour what would take him an entire day.

And not only that, she could organize the account books with absolute clarity.

That was what Wu Mingtang admired the most.

So, as he walked toward Xuewen Academy, his mind was occupied with figuring out how to convince Jian Xiu to help him sort out all the books.

If he had to do it himself, it would take at least a month or two, and even then, he might not get it right.

But Jian Xiu was different. Last time, her calculations were completely accurate.

At that thought, he picked up his pace toward the academy.

Watching Wu Mingtang leave, Jian Xiu could only shake her head helplessly before sitting down at his spot to start checking the accounts.

She really wasn’t used to using an abacus.

But for some calculations, an abacus was necessary.

The problem was, she often made mistakes when using it—she couldn’t just switch to vertical multiplication, could she?

That would make her speed as slow as Wu Mingtang’s.

As if remembering something, Jian Xiu suddenly straightened up, her entire demeanor becoming more energized.

“Keke, Keke…”

“Oh? Now you remember me?” Keke responded, unimpressed.

“Heh heh… I’ve been busy! Besides, isn’t it perfectly reasonable for me to think of you now? Tell me, do you need points to do calculations?”

If points were required, Jian Xiu would rather do it herself, even if it meant working slower.

No matter how slow, she was still faster than Wu Mingtang.

“Nope, no points needed! Just tell me the numbers, and no matter how big they are, I can calculate them instantly.”

“Oh? That amazing?” Jian Xiu asked excitedly.

“I’m basically a supermarket’s cash register! I just press a few buttons on the calculator—what’s so hard about that?”

Jian Xiu: “……”

She also wanted a calculator!

But with Keke’s help, Jian Xiu’s speed increased significantly.

Now, the most time-consuming part wasn’t the calculations, but writing everything down.

If she had to say, the most annoying thing about this place was the brush and ink.

If only she had a ballpoint pen, a fountain pen—heck, even a pencil would be better!

It would be so much faster.

But no, it had to be a brush. That was truly infuriating.

“Keke, what’s 339 times 28…”

“…”