In Zhai Yu Xuan, there was a lavishly decorated private room, reserved for high-ranking guests.
Guests didn't need to browse the main hall themselves; they were escorted to the private room, where the manager personally presented jewelry for their inspection.
Zhai Yu Xuan had one strict rule: no delivery. Anyone who wanted their jewelry had to come in person.
The private room was spacious, with a display shelf of assorted antiques and treasures. There was also a blood coral ornament, crystal-clear and radiant, worth a fortune.
Hongluan, a maid from the Marquis House, should have been accustomed to the world, yet now she stood frozen, nervous and uncertain, fearing that they might be asked to leave.
If that happened, the embarrassment would be tremendous.
The young clerk invited them to sit and brought fragrant tea.
The tea cups were official kiln blue-and-white porcelain, each worth fifty taels of silver—extremely expensive.
Hongluan clicked her tongue.
Her mistress seemed utterly unbothered, using the cups with complete ease, without a trace of unease.
Before she could finish a sip, a middle-aged man entered.
He was of average height and build, slightly aged, with fair skin and round eyes, and a friendly smile.
"Miss Zheng, I am Liu Zhongde, the manager. How may I assist you?" Unlike the young clerk, he spoke with casual authority.
Accustomed to dealing with noble ladies and having checked the books, he knew the Jing'an Marquis House wasn't a big client of Zhai Yu Xuan. The women of the Zheng household bought maybe two pieces of jewelry a year—it seemed a family that looked grand on the outside but was empty inside.
Zheng Qian smiled. "I don't have orders, per se. I have something I wish to sell to you."
Liu Zhongde was surprised.
He had been manager at Zhai Yu Xuan for seven years, and this was the first time anyone came to sell something to him.
They weren't a pawnshop.
He wanted to politely hint to Zheng Qian. The Jing'an Marquis House, though powerless and not obviously wealthy, was still a marquis family. Who knew what influential relatives they had? Offending them could bring trouble to his boss.
So Liu Zhongde proceeded cautiously.
"What is it you wish to sell, Miss?" he asked.
Zheng Qian had Hongluan place the abacus on the table and gestured to it. "This."
Liu Zhongde examined it. He didn't recognize the object. It looked rough—just a few wooden rods threaded with wooden beads.
The beads were made of ordinary wood, not finely crafted—nothing special.
And she came to Zhai Yu Xuan to sell this? How much could it possibly be worth?
Liu Zhongde estimated—at most, one hundred qian. Even a beggar passing by the shop could get more than that in a day.
"Miss Zheng, forgive my ignorance—what is this?" Liu Zhongde asked.
"An abacus," Zheng Qian replied.
"And what use is it?"
"For calculating accounts," she smiled. "You're the manager here, so surely you're skilled at bookkeeping? Otherwise, you wouldn't be in charge of this shop."
Indeed, Liu Zhongde was exceptional at accounting.
Although the shop had accounting clerks, if he didn't understand numbers himself, they could deceive him.
He figured Miss Zheng had heard of this: "A trivial skill, Miss—you flatter me."
"I want to challenge you in bookkeeping," Zheng Qian said. "You use your usual method, I'll use this abacus. Let's see whose calculation is more accurate. If I win, I want to sell this abacus and the calculation method to you."
At this, Liu Zhongde realized she was here to bluff her way into selling it.
Very well—he would show her the prowess of Zhai Yu Xuan and humble her.
"Miss, how much do you intend to sell this for?" Liu Zhongde asked.
"After I win," Zheng Qian replied.
He had no choice. If she were an ordinary woman, he wouldn't bother. But the words "Jing'an Marquis House" compelled him to exercise some patience and not offend her outright.
After all, politeness makes profit.
"I have some free time today, so I'll entertain Miss for a bit," Liu Zhongde said with a chuckle, instructing someone to fetch an old account ledger.
The young clerk left.
Moments later, he returned with two ledgers and a tray of sand, placing them before Liu Zhongde.
"These ledgers are identical," Liu Zhongde said. "Miss may check afterward. They're used to test our accounting clerks. The books show a loss—whoever calculates the loss correctly first wins. Agreed?"
Zheng Qian nodded.
"We'll use the time it takes two incense sticks to burn. Over time counts as a loss. Is that acceptable, Miss?"
"Of course," Zheng Qian replied.
"Shall we begin?"
Zheng Qian nodded.
The clerk lit two incense sticks, placing one each before Zheng Qian and Liu Zhongde.
Zheng Qian opened the ledger. Her mental terminal scanned and calculated with her eyes. She flipped through casually, realizing Liu Zhongde had misled her—the books didn't show a loss, but a profit of 72 taels 93 qian.
This was a test for the accounting clerks—one small error and they would miscalculate. Add Liu Zhongde's intentional misdirection, and only a truly skilled clerk could pass.
Seeing Liu Zhongde begin, Zheng Qian picked up the abacus and reconciled the numbers quickly in her mind.
As Liu Zhongde neared completion, Zheng Qian closed the ledger and adjusted the abacus to reflect her own calculations.
At this point, one incense stick had not yet burned out—yet their agreement was for two sticks.
Zheng Qian smiled. "Manager Liu, I'm finished."
Liu Zhongde was shocked by her speed but intrigued by her skill.
"You finished before me," he said. "I've calculated this ledger many times. Normally, finishing within two incense sticks would suffice for you to win. But you were even faster—an absolute victory. If your numbers are correct, you're certain to win. Miss Zheng, what is the loss you calculated?"
"No loss. A profit of…" Zheng Qian said, pointing at the abacus and showing each number to Liu Zhongde. "Seventy-two taels and ninety-three qian."
For the first time, shock filled Liu Zhongde's eyes.
He looked at Zheng Qian, then at the abacus. "How did you calculate this?"
He had seen her moving the beads, assuming she was just playing or trying a trick. He hadn't expected her to calculate such a complex ledger correctly.
Even a seasoned accounting clerk with decades of experience couldn't do this.
A young girl—either her tool was extraordinary, or her mental calculation skill was remarkable.
"Is it correct?" Zheng Qian asked.
She didn't need to cheat; she wanted to impress Liu Zhongde, so he would see the abacus's value.
The abacus was convenient and accurate, but learning to use it required effort. A busy manager might ignore it.
So Zheng Qian needed to "cheat" in appearance—letting him believe she was fast and precise solely because of the abacus.
Then, he would be curious and willing to adopt it.
Once he saw its usefulness, he would care little about speed—accuracy was what mattered.
"Extremely accurate," Liu Zhongde said, eyes fixed on the rough abacus. "Miss, how did you calculate this?"