“Master, I cannot accept this money!” Jian Xiu refused firmly.

“This money is what you deserve. Normally, the reward would be much more than this. I promise, if there is any reward from above in the future, I will make sure it is given to you,” Mo Shanrui said confidently.

He believed that, one day, this portrait would make its way up, and the reward would undoubtedly be significant. When that time came, he would attribute the credit to Jian Xiu.

In the end, Jian Xiu accepted the fifteen taels of silver.

At this point in time, she wasn’t in desperate need of the money anymore.

Not as much as before, at least.

Realizing that further refusal would make things awkward for both of them, Jian Xiu took the silver and said, “Then, I’ll thank you, Master Mo. If you need anything in the future, I will definitely help.”

“Hahaha… I thank you in advance! And if you need anything from me in the future, as long as it doesn’t involve breaking the law, I will also help without hesitation,” Mo Shanrui replied.

Hearing this, Jian Xiu finally relaxed. But her face remained calm and respectful as she stood before him.

However, only she knew that she had been waiting for that particular statement the whole day.

Having heard what she wanted, her steps toward the Yuexiang Tower were much lighter.

“Master, about that silver…”

“I know, I will fill it out later,” Mo Shanrui responded impatiently.

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Ruan Fengsheng lowered his head, slightly embarrassed.

“Then what do you mean? Are you suggesting I don’t need to fill in this silver?” Mo Shanrui raised an eyebrow, smiling mischievously.

“Master, I was just being polite earlier,” Ruan Fengsheng said, his tone a bit awkward.

“Haha, so you were just being polite, and I took it seriously. What should I do now?” Mo Shanrui joked.

Ruan Fengsheng sighed, realizing the complexities of being a steward.

But Mo Shanrui didn’t tease him any further. He knew his own personality well and had worked with Ruan Fengsheng long enough to understand each other’s words perfectly.

As Jian Xiu left, Mo Shanrui stroked his beard and said with a smile, “This Jian Xiu is no ordinary person. She is exceptional. In the future, she will surely rise to prominence.”

“Oh? You think so highly of her?” Ruan Fengsheng asked, surprised.

“Why? Don’t you believe me?” Mo Shanrui raised an eyebrow.

“I would never make such rash judgments,” Ruan Fengsheng said, keeping a cautious tone. As a steward, he had to be careful and avoid making absolute statements without certainty.

Still, he couldn’t help but agree with Mo Shanrui’s assessment.

…

At Yuexiang Tower, when Jian Xiu arrived, Manager Wu greeted her like a savior.

“You’re finally here! So, is everything settled?” Manager Wu asked with a grin.

“It’s all done. I brought some dried bamboo shoots for you. Could you have someone weigh them? I still need to make a trip to Renhe Hall later,” Jian Xiu replied.

Upon hearing this, Wu Mingtang’s eyes lit up. He immediately called a waiter to weigh the dried bamboo shoots.

Then, he turned back to Jian Xiu with a smile so intense that she could feel it on her back.

“Manager Wu, if you need something, just say it! Your stare is making my scalp tingle,” Jian Xiu said, somewhat helpless.

Wu Mingtang chuckled nervously.

“Why? You’re not going to speak now?” Jian Xiu teased.

“Hehe… it’s nothing. I just thought, since you’re going to Renhe Hall later, should I go in your place?” Wu Mingtang suggested.

Jian Xiu blinked.

His intention was quite obvious.

She glanced at the ledger and saw that it was exactly as it had been after she finished calculating it yesterday. It was clear that Wu Mingtang hadn’t started accounting for today yet.

But then again, it made sense. It was right after lunch, so how could he have had time to handle the old accounts?

Sighing, Jian Xiu said, “Go ahead, go ahead! I can handle things here.”

“Hahaha… Then I’ll leave it to you, Jian Xiu!” Wu Mingtang quickly got into a carriage and headed to Renhe Hall.

He knew that Jian Xiu was busy and had made time to come to the county.

He also knew that she was building a house at home and hadn’t finished making the wheelchair she had promised earlier.

It was clear that she had a lot on her plate.

After Wu Mingtang left, Jian Xiu called Ke Ke and the two of them quickly took care of the ledgers.

Even if Wu Mingtang hadn’t mentioned it, Jian Xiu had already planned to organize his accounts. After all, Wu Mingtang had been the first to help her after she crossed over. She could easily help him in return.

Once they were done, Jian Xiu felt satisfied and didn’t mind spending a little more time here.

Wu Mingtang came back swiftly, within a quarter of an hour. As soon as he entered, he saw Jian Xiu writing and drawing on his desk.

At first, he thought she was continuing to sort the accounts, but when he saw the ledger neatly piled up in the corner, he realized she had finished everything already.

Having experienced Jian Xiu’s incredible speed with accounts before, Wu Mingtang was now able to take it all in stride.

But seeing her still sketching, he couldn’t help but peek over.

“What are you drawing this time?” Wu Mingtang asked, curious.

It wasn’t the first time he saw Jian Xiu working on unusual ideas.

These ideas were often strange, but always useful.

“Can’t tell?” Jian Xiu asked with a playful smile.

“Should I be able to understand?” he replied.

“Well, if you don’t understand, wait until I’ve made it and then you can have a look,” Jian Xiu said mysteriously.

“No, wait! This looks like furniture, but this stool is not a stool, the chair is not quite a chair, and here… why do you need to put rice straw underneath? Won’t that…?”

The more he spoke, the more surprised he became.

At first, he thought sitting on it might be uncomfortable. But upon further thought, sitting on rice straw would actually be very comfortable, much more so than sitting directly on wood!