Yinshan Record

Chapter 286 Ouyang, the Master Calculator of Account Books (Part 1)

Su Che was slightly taller than the second young master, so the clothes he brought were a little ill-fitting.

However, these are all minor details. What Su Che is really concerned about is that the Chang family of Licheng is too "Jianghu" (江湖, a term referring to the world of martial arts and江湖义气, a code of honor among江湖 people).

They would rescue anyone in distress, provide them with food and travel expenses, and even give them clothes from their own young master if they found their clothes were torn.

This is hardly the behavior of a poor ethnic minority; it's clearly the style of a righteous protector from Licheng and a timely rain from Jiangnan.

If Su Che were an ordinary person, he probably would have already grabbed the arm of the Chang family patriarch and cried out, "Brother Chang Kai, let's march on Jiankang, kill that damn emperor, and seize the throne!"

It was said in jest, but the Chang family of Licheng certainly had a different style than others.

After changing his clothes, Su Che was led by a servant to a side hall for dinner. When he arrived there, the leaders of the Chang family were nowhere to be seen; only a cook was there setting out dishes.

The dishes were simple: a plate of fried fish, a plate of bright green stir-fried vegetables, a bowl of tofu and meat soup, and a wooden bucket filled with a mixture of rice and millet steamed together.

The cook also told Su Che that the master had instructed that Young Master Ouyang must eat well, and that this was all there was for now. If there were any dietary restrictions or other things he wanted to eat, he should just tell him.

Su Che quickly thanked the chef and sat down at the table to eat, pretending to be hungry.

Having cultivated to the level of Young Master Su, one is already a "celestial being who feeds on qi," needing only to inhale and exhale some spiritual energy from heaven and earth, and the essence of the sun and moon each day.

Therefore, cultivating immortality is the primary productive force. Humanity's ultimate goal is still "everyone can cultivate." If all the people of Daliang were to achieve success in their cultivation and be able to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, what would they have to fear from famine and plague?
Su Che finished his meal hastily, chatted briefly with the servant serving him, but found that the servant was very tight-lipped and he couldn't get any useful information out of him.

Su Che estimated that the servants inside the ship and the sailors busy on the deck outside were two different groups of people.

The sailors outside on deck talked about everything, exuding a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air. The servants inside, on the other hand, were all taciturn, clearly raised in a secluded, wealthy household.

What was the Chang family of Licheng planning to do by bringing these two groups of people together?
Moving?
After finishing his meal, Su Che obediently followed the servant back to the bedroom that had been arranged for him to rest.

Young Master Su had already made up his mind to rest on the Chang family's ship in Licheng for three to five days, and wait for the relevant news to spread and for more events to come to light before setting off again to see what was going on behind these events.

Not long after, a servant came to the door, saying that according to family rules, it was time to turn off the lights and that Young Master Ouyang should go to rest.

Su Che naturally wouldn't argue about it, and obediently blew out the candles and went to bed to rest.

Although the Chang family of Licheng is not a military family, their family rules have the flavor of military discipline, and they act with the chivalrous spirit of the martial arts world. It is estimated that the business that has enabled them to maintain their family business over the years is probably somewhat shady.

The Chang family's ship was spacious, but the Canglang River was even more boundless. While moving on the ship, one didn't feel anything, but once lying down, one could clearly feel one's body moving with the ship, experiencing an indescribable sense of comfort.

If one achieves success in cultivation, and abandons these worldly affairs, it would be better to build a large ship, carry beautiful women, demons, ghosts, and monsters from all over the world, and travel around the world together to see if the oceans of this world are connected.

Su Che suddenly realized that there was no difference between his two lives. His previous wish was to earn a small amount of money and buy a yacht to go on a wild trip.

Now that I've embarked on the path of spiritual practice, my original aspiration remains unchanged.

Ah, that's truly rare.

Just then, a warm greeting rang out from outside.

"Brother Ouyang, have you rested yet?"

The voice sounded like the second young master of the Chang family. What could he want with me so late at night?

"Oh, is it Brother Shouzhi?"

Su Che got out of bed, walked over and pushed open the door. He saw the flamboyant second young master outside, holding a lantern in his right hand and a food box in his left, smiling warmly.

"I was somewhat disrespectful to Brother Ouyang during the day, and I couldn't sleep at night thinking about it."

He shook the food box in his hand as he spoke.

So he asked the kitchen to prepare some snacks and drinks to apologize to Brother Ouyang.

The Chang family father and son are truly江湖人 (jianghu people, people of the martial arts world).

As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face.

Why was Song Jiang, also known as Song Gongming, able to gain a foothold at Liangshan Marsh back then? Wasn't it because he was capable of using underhanded tactics and was willing to uphold loyalty?
In the world of martial arts, the most valuable quality is the ability to set aside personal attacks and show respect to others.

If you're a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world), then I'll have no choice but to follow suit.

"Brother, what are you saying? I am truly ashamed."

Su Che quickly took the food box and invited the second young master into the house.

When the oil lamp was lit again, Su Che opened the food box, which contained several dishes of pastries, such as ox tongue pastries, honey three-cut pastries, cloud cakes, and jujube flower pastries, along with a small jar of rice wine.

Eating like this at night might cost you several teeth.

Su Che muttered to himself, arranged the plates of pastries, and then invited the second young master to sit down.

"Since we're traveling on the water, we don't have anything nice to offer you." The second young master, quite naturally and familiarly, poured Su Che a cup of rice wine.

"Come, Brother Ouyang, try my homemade rice wine. I added osmanthus flowers during the brewing process."

Su Che raised his wine glass.

"This cup is offered to my brother Shouzhi, and I thank him for the gift of the clothes."

"These are all minor matters. In the world of martial arts, who doesn't have a few mishaps?"

The second young master extended his wine cup and lightly clinked it against Su Che's.

"I see that Brother Ouyang is destined for great wealth and honor. I hope that Brother Ouyang will repay me with a few hundred ingots of gold in the future."

"Then I thank Brother Shouzhi for his kind words."

“Alas,” the second young master said with a rather solemn expression, “I also studied at the Imperial Academy and know a little about the art of observing qi. I’m not joking.”

Okay, if someone asks for hundreds of ingots of gold right off the bat, that's robbery.

Su Che smiled and shook his head. Confucianism has the art of observing qi, which is said to be able to know when to advance or retreat, to discern good or bad fortune, and to judge life and death.

Its fame is well-deserved, and it must have something special about it.

However, Su Che did not want to elaborate on this matter and changed the subject by asking about the second young master's studies at the Imperial Academy.

Among the Confucian schools, the Four Great Academies were the most prestigious, and the Imperial College (Guozijian) was the most unique among them.

First, it was the official academy of the Liang Dynasty.

Secondly, the Imperial Academy was both extremely fair and extremely unfair.

It's fair in that the Imperial Academy only required payment for admission. It's unfair in that the amount was substantial, leaving truly impoverished students with no chance.

However, as long as one graduates from the Imperial Academy, in addition to acquiring genuine Confucian skills, one will also have the opportunity to become an official. Every year, the Ministry of Personnel of the Great Liang Dynasty selects a large number of Imperial Academy graduates to serve as officials at various levels.

The two chatted over snacks until they had finished half a jar of rice wine and all the ox-tongue pastries. Then, the second young master finally revealed his purpose.

"Brother Ouyang is indeed a master of business management. By the way, I have a favor to ask."

As he spoke, he pulled four ledgers out of his sleeve.

"Here are two ledgers. I would like to ask Brother Ouyang to take a look at them for me."

Audit?

Su Che glanced at the second young master.

What exactly does the Chang family of Licheng mean?

By the light of the oil lamp, Su Che turned the pages of the account book one by one.

To be honest, Young Master Su has no accounting knowledge and doesn't usually handle money.

However, as a spiritual practitioner, he surpassed ordinary people in one thing.

That's superhuman brainpower.

As Su Che flipped through the four ledgers, his brows furrowed more and more.

Although the ledger was clearly recorded, the contents were quite chaotic.

The contents were mostly household necessities. The most frequently appearing items in the ledger were either rice or salted fish, and the amounts were all a few coins.

These accounts are not worth calculating if you only look at the surface.

Even if there's a difference, Su Che can easily balance it out by taking out his money pouch.

So there is only one answer.

This is a secret ledger; the rice inside may not be rice, and the penny may not be just a penny.

Rather, it has a deeper meaning.

Su Che looked through several ledgers and began to calculate the relevant information in his mind.

His eyes rolled back, his brows furrowed, as if he were being possessed by a spirit medium, or engaging in divination.

“There are some discrepancies in these accounts.”

(End of this chapter)