“How? Do you know what I’m making now?” Jian Xiu said proudly.

She didn’t even lift her head when she said this because she didn’t have the time to look up at Wu Mingtang.

The designs she was making were based on sofas and stools from the post-apocalyptic world.

Of course, she had used rice straw to replace the rubber in the designs.

This was mainly because cotton here was too expensive.

And there was an even more important reason: cotton was too soft.

It was fine for quilts and clothes, but for sofas, rice straw was definitely more practical.

“What is in your head? How do you always come up with such useful ideas?”

After a long pause, Wu Mingtang, still surprised, managed to squeeze out this sentence.

“Money, the most important thing in my head is money,” Jian Xiu said without even thinking, still not looking up at Wu Mingtang.

She didn’t look up because she hadn’t finished the sketches in her hand.

Since she was here, she didn’t want to waste any time.

In addition to the sofa, she had many other things to draw.

Now that she had completed these sketches, she could hand them to the furniture shop. That way, she wouldn’t have to come to the county city again tomorrow.

Hearing Jian Xiu’s words, Wu Mingtang laughed heartily.

“Hahaha… you’re right, you’re absolutely right!”

After laughing, Wu Mingtang glanced at the ledger beside him and then cautiously asked, “The ledger should be done, right?”

Jian Xiu glanced at him and then helplessly replied, “Yes, yes, I’ve written it all down at the back.”

“You’re amazing! If it were me, with my old bones, I probably wouldn’t be able to calculate it in ten or fifteen days,” Wu Mingtang said with a sigh.

“Hmm, it’s all calculated, but have you thought about how to proceed?” Jian Xiu asked, stopping her work.

“How to proceed? Of course, I will report it to the authorities! Someone embezzled so much money from me. If I don’t report it, how can I get my money back?” Wu Mingtang said, as if it was a matter of course.

“Are you sure you’ll get the money back by reporting it?” Jian Xiu retorted.

It wasn’t that Jian Xiu didn’t trust the authorities, but anyone who had embezzled such a large sum of money—either they were a gambler, or they had already hidden the money.

Since Wu Mingtang was just an ordinary purchasing staff member for the kitchen, Jian Xiu didn’t think he was a gambler.

So, if he wasn’t a gambler, the money was either spent or hidden.

Jian Xiu leaned more toward the latter.

Because the amount of money wasn’t a small sum. When she was calculating it, she was surprised herself.

It amounted to over a hundred taels of silver.

To Wu Mingtang, this might not be much.

But for an ordinary commoner, it could be a lifetime’s worth of savings.

After all, for an average family, saving two or three taels a year would already be considered a lot.

And they would have to tighten their belts to achieve that.

When Jian Xiu finished calculating, she was shocked too.

After double-checking with Ke Ke and confirming that she hadn’t made a mistake, she wrote the final amount down.

When Wu Mingtang heard this, he was stunned.

He wasn’t a child, so as soon as Jian Xiu mentioned it, he understood what was going on.

It had to be said that Jian Xiu was very thoughtful.

If it weren’t for her reminder, he might have rashly gone to report it to the authorities.

“But the authorities must still be reported to. I’m just reminding you not to alert the enemy too early. Once the money is recovered, deal with it however you see fit. This kind of person cannot be forgiven,” Jian Xiu added, looking at Wu Mingtang.

After saying this, Jian Xiu lowered her head again and continued her sketches.

Besides the sofa, she still needed to draw several desk designs, including those for Fei Xuan, Fei Yi, and Fei Mo’s desks.

She planned to design desks with drawers, integrated bookshelves, and ergonomic chairs with backrests for each of them…

The more she thought about it, the more it felt like there were so many things she needed to do.

“Of course, if you tolerate this kind of person, it’s just helping the villains. Who knows how many people he will harm in the future,” Wu Mingtang said, gritting his teeth.

He had specifically flipped to the last page of the ledger, and when he saw the numbers written there, he was also shocked.

Of course, for a brief moment, he wondered if Jian Xiu had made a mistake in her calculations.

But soon, he remembered that after seeing Jian Xiu calculate the accounts for so many days, he knew for sure that she never made mistakes.

Even the smallest fractions of copper coins were never wrong.

Her arithmetic was flawless, something he could never hope to match.

If he had more time, he would have already invited her to be the manager of Yuexiang Tower.

“Have you thought about how you will get your money back?” Jian Xiu asked slowly when she saw Wu Mingtang deep in thought.

“Not yet, but I plan to first investigate his background. That should be safe,” Wu Mingtang said.

“That’s wrong!”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“The reason he embezzled so much money from Yuexiang Tower, do you think he could have done it alone? The answer is no. Since he couldn’t do it alone, who else would he collaborate with?”

Hearing this, Wu Mingtang’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Jian Xiu, are you implying…?”

“Yes, it’s not just his business. This involves a bigger network. You might have to spend some time persuading people. Otherwise, if he denies everything, what will you do?”

At this point, Jian Xiu glanced toward the kitchen.

Then she continued, “I do have a way. The question is whether you, Master Wu, can make it work.”

“It’s a must! This is essential!” Wu Mingtang straightened his back immediately.

Even if Jian Xiu hadn’t said anything, he was already planning to ask her for advice.

From what he knew about Jian Xiu, when she said something, she already had a plan in mind.

Hearing Wu Mingtang’s words, Jian Xiu leaned closer to him and carefully explained her plan.

“Well? If you think this method works, you can try it!”

Though she phrased it as a question, Jian Xiu was very confident that Wu Mingtang would use her method.

As expected, when she finished speaking, Wu Mingtang clapped his hands and exclaimed joyfully.

“Jian Xiu, how did your mother raise you? How do you come up with such brilliant ideas?” Wu Mingtang laughed, his eyes twinkling.