Chapter 32: Proud and Coquettish

  After a moment of tea-drinking time, she was fiddling with the beloved ivory abacus having just finished calculating one page of accounts and was about to turn to the second page when the slapping sound beside her had already stopped.

  "How did it stop?" Everyone saw him pause and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

  Lingyun smiled and looked at the abacus before saying loudly: "The total income is three thousand seven hundred and eighty-one coins, Zhang Bo, take a look to see if it's correct."

  Zhang Bo was surprised and then nodded, "Not a single word is different, it's indeed three thousand seven hundred and eighty-one wen."

  A burst of exclamations erupted around them, with everyone finding it unbelievable. They had all witnessed it with their own eyes - that thick account book, and yet the young master had calculated it in just the time it took to drink a cup of tea, without even a single error. And they had seen the second miss, who was the best at arithmetic, still struggling to finish the first page!

  "This is impossible, he must have known the result long ago, he cheated!" Gao Mingyue couldn't accept this fact and couldn't help but accuse him out loud.

  Zhang Bo stepped forward and said, "This is one of the account books from several shops in Yangzhou that were delivered yesterday. This is one of them, all the account books were just delivered yesterday, and only I have touched it in the entire village. And this one, I just calculated it this morning, no second person has touched it, let alone anyone else knowing about it. I didn't tell Master Gou, Second Miss misunderstood."

  "How is this possible?!"

  The cry of surprise was even louder, Zhang Bo had been the chief accountant of the Gao family for 20 years, and of course, some people also knew that before this, he had served as an official in the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Qi State. What this old man said was absolutely reliable. He couldn't possibly deceive Second Miss by telling lies on behalf of her brother-in-law.

  Lingyun had long known that Gaomingyue would have such a reaction, and also knew that at this time Gaoqiansheng and the others from Gaofamily village were all filled with doubt, wanting to know how he did it. He raised his abacus, showed it off in front of everyone for a moment, then put it back on the table, saying to Gaomingyue, "Now you can randomly report a few numbers, whether it's addition or subtraction or whatever, I'll be able to calculate them immediately right in front of you. Don't believe me? You can try."

  Gao Mingyue gritted her teeth, paused for a moment, and then reported a string of numbers. This was a complex account, and it was absolutely the only one that no second person knew about. Because this was something Gao Mingyue had made up herself, but right under her nose, Ling Yun still had that calm and carefree expression, and could even smile at her, then with both hands on the abacus, she had just finished reporting when, in an instant, Ling Yun reported a number.

  "Is this the number?"

  Facing Lingyun's triumphant expression, Gaomingyue really wanted to say it wasn't true, but she also knew that was just self-deception. Although her heart didn't want to admit it at all, she knew this guy was indeed very formidable, and his plate was indeed a good arithmetic device.

  "That's right."

  "Wow!" Gao Mingyue acknowledged, immediately causing countless gasps. At this point, everyone really understood that Master Gao not only knew how to tell stories, but also had incredible calculation skills, even surpassing Second Miss.

  "Don't be smug, it's just a matter of 10,000 yuan, I can afford to lose!" Gao Mingyue gritted her teeth and said angrily, at this moment, her silver teeth were almost bitten to pieces. This guy was really infuriating! But in her heart, she couldn't help but feel curious about that mysterious plate, how could it be so useful? It seemed that compared to the abacus, it was far superior, like a difference of eighteen streets apart.

  Lingyun didn't stand on ceremony, after all they were family. It was just a matter of taking money from one pocket and putting it in another. However, he hadn't forgotten his original purpose. He wasn't trying to offend Gaoming Yue, that spoiled little aunt of his, but rather to improve their relationship by pleasing her. So, with a smile, he said: "This is such a large sum of money, I don't want to take it for nothing. How about this? This ten thousand yuan will be your tuition fee, and I'll teach you the oral arithmetic method of the abacus. With your mathematical talent, you'll definitely become better at using the abacus than me in the future."

  "If you don't learn, who will care!" Gaomingyue was curious in her heart, but she insisted on saving face and refused to lower her head.

  But everyone had already seen through her true intentions, and Gao Qianshuang and Zhang Bo couldn't help but laugh out loud. It was Zhang Bo who gave her a way out, "I'm actually very interested in this abacus, are there any special tricks to it?"

  "Uh, this tool is specially made for calculation, it's an abacus. The reason why the abacus can calculate faster is that there is a perfect set of abacus mental math formulas. With these formulas, calculations are no longer troublesome and complicated. Moreover, the formulas are simple, even five or six-year-old children can learn them in just a few months and calculate some simple accounts."

  "Oh, even children can learn it?" At this, both Gao and Xue were surprised.

  Lingyun saw that Gaomingyue really wanted to learn, but was too proud to say so. So she took the initiative to give him a way out: "Why don't we do it this way? Hurry up and make a batch of abacuses, then I'll compile a small booklet of bead arithmetic formulas. Every evening when you're free, those who want to learn can come over and listen to me teach this bead arithmetic class."

  "Alright, alright. I think it's better to have the accountants from each of the shops and estates come over in rotation to learn. These accountants are not up to par and need to be honed. This is a good opportunity to improve their skills and also for the two young ladies to give them some proper guidance. Oh, and Second Miss should come to supervise during class, otherwise I'm afraid these lazy bums won't put in any effort to learn." Zhang Bo said from the side.

  "Alright, I'll go supervise them with great difficulty. To clarify beforehand, I'm only going to supervise the accountants, not to learn abacus." Gaomingyue said with a proud and arrogant expression.

  This appearance, everyone can't help but smile, this guy is really a cooked duck, only his mouth is hard. However, Lingyun smiled and saw that Gaomingyue's attitude towards himself had relaxed a bit. This little girl is easy to deal with. With his skills, I believe it won't take much effort to make this girl change her attitude towards him greatly in the future.

  The competition ended, and everyone dispersed. Gao Qianxue said to Ling Yun: "Yi Lang, you should dress more decently tomorrow. I've made a set of Shu brocade round-necked robe for you. Try it on when you get back and see if it fits. If not, I can modify it immediately."

  "Hmm, is it to visit or to receive guests?" After Lingyun arrived here, he was not very used to wearing those smooth silks and didn't like long robes. He still preferred to wear hemp clothes, short and simple attire, which felt more natural. However, it couldn't help but feel a bit inconsistent with his identity. Gao Shanshu suddenly reminded him that tomorrow's attire should reflect some dignity, guessing that it was either to visit guests or receive them.

  "Chen Gongzi and Xiao Gongzi have agreed to come visit tomorrow, and they will also return the Zhuang Ding who was rescued by Xiao Gongzi last time. No matter what, they are noble guests who helped us greatly, so we must treat them well this time. As the master of the Gao family, you should behave properly and not dress casually like you usually do, or it would be considered intentional disrespect to our guests."

  "Uh, I will." Lingyun nodded. He was very clear that the arrival of Chen Xiong and Xiao Shilue meant something, and during this time he had deliberately avoided dealing with the aftermath of the Gao family and the Chen-Xiao families' affairs, which was a subtle escape from these things. Now that Chen Xiong and Xiao Shilue were coming, it meant that the three families had already reached some kind of consensus. Maybe it was just smuggling business, or maybe they were going to rebel against the Sui dynasty together. Whatever the case, these things didn't follow his will. Whether he liked it or not, things were still developing.

  Back to the East Courtyard, the workers in the tea workshop had already opened the sealed boxes of celadon teapots that were sent over. The first batch of 500 Yuezhou celadon pots was placed in front of him, completely made according to Lingyun's design. Green as jade, bright as a mirror, and sounding like a chime, they were truly the flowers of porcelain, worthy of being the most famous and precious ceramics produced by Yuezhou in the Tang Dynasty.

  Lingyun couldn't help but feel a sense of awe, the nine autumn winds and dews had opened up the kiln, taking away the thousand peaks' green color to come. Just this bottle itself is already a precious work of art. It's no wonder that Lingyun spent 5,000 yuan on a specially customized one, such a small bottle, only holds a catty of tea leaves. The packaging alone is worth 50 yuan, if the tea doesn't sell for more, it would be hard to even recover the cost of the bottle itself.

  The bottle body is as clear as ice and jade, paired with the tea-picking girl painted by Lingyun himself and that advertising slogan. This tea bottle instantly upgraded a level. Along with the tea bottle, there is also a purple sand teapot and eight matching purple sand tea cups sent by Yuexiang. Lingyun completely followed the sales model of selling mooncakes in later generations. In later generations, when selling boxed mooncakes, they would also give away a valuable watch, foreign wine, etc. What was being sold was no longer just mooncakes. Lingyun also planned to do this. However, his main focus was still on the artistic packaging bottles and teapots, tea cups, and even planned to print a beautifully designed promotional brochure, a beautifully painted album, paired with excellent calligraphy, turning this Longtong into a top luxury item, a symbol of cultural art. Anyway, such luxury goods are all about seeking the most expensive, not the best.

  Now only the last packaging procedure is left, and these precious porcelain and ceramic wares are used for packaging. The unknown mountain tea from Liuhe Mountain will be transformed into top-grade green tea Longtong.

  Lingyun eagerly beckoned Mulan and Qinglian to help him pack, and every time he finished packing a bottle, he felt a strong sense of accomplishment. The two girls were the same, holding the ceramic bottles with care, as if they were holding a rare treasure.

  The fragrance of tea wafts through the house, and the best packaging for tea leaves is quite complex and luxurious. First, put the tea leaves in a white cloth bag, then place it in a green porcelain bottle with a lid. Then, wrap it in a silk pouch, and together with the matching purple sand tea set, place it in a box made of sandalwood. Finally, put it in an ordinary wooden box filled with sandalwood powder, layer by layer, to prevent the tea leaves from getting damp and the fragrance from dissipating, as well as to prevent the porcelain bottle and ceramic utensils from colliding and breaking.

  They were busy for half a day, and the 100 kg of fresh tea they personally fried last time was finally packaged into 20 boxes of high-end dry tea. One kilogram of fresh leaves was fried to two kilograms, which is a good ratio. After personally packaging these 20 boxes of tea, the subsequent frying of other teas was handed over to the workers who were learning on the side earlier.

  Looking at these twenty boxes of his own labor, Lingyun was very happy. He directly took out two boxes and gave one to Mulan and one to Qinglian.

  "These were all made by our own hands, one box per person."

  Qinglian and Mulan were unexpectedly staring at Lingyun, they were very clear about the preciousness of this tea leaf, but it was not just the tea leaf, there was also such a luxurious celadon vase and purple sand pot.

  "Take it if you want it, what are you hesitating for?"

  The two girls exchanged a glance and neither could resist the temptation. One of them quickly picked up a small box in her arms, afraid it would fly away.

  There were eighteen bottles left, Lingyun also kept a box for himself, and then called a few people to take them directly to the front hall.

  Gao Qianxue was currently in the hall discussing with Gao Bo and others about the preparations for receiving Chen Xiao's party tomorrow, while Gao Mingyue sat on one side studying the abacus left by Lingyun, pulling it to the left and pushing it to the right. When she saw Lingyun come in, she hastily pushed the abacus aside.

  "Girl, come and try some freshly baked dragon tongue tea!"

  "It's already been repaid a few days ago." Gao Qianxue smiled and said.

  "Those teas the other day were not packaged, without packaging, just like a person without clothes, without makeup, the charm is greatly reduced. Come and take a look at this perfectly packaged Long Tongue."

  Lingyun waved her hand and called the two girls over, "Mulan, go boil some water, use that spring water we got yesterday. Qinglian, you come and brew some tea."

  Two little maids are now familiar with the brewing method of this new tea, working together in harmony. Before long, several cups of fragrant and rich Long tongue tea were presented to Gao Qianshuang and others. Gao Qianshuang picked up a purple sand teacup, lowered her head to take a sniff, and couldn't help but close her eyes to savor the fragrance.

  Gao Bo and Zhang Bo smelled the strong tea aroma, looked at the Qingci teapot, Yixing teapot, and Yixing tea cup in front of them, even the paintings and calligraphy on the teapot, teapot, and teacup were full of surprise. "This, is this really Longtong?"