The wind is gentle and the fun is endless

So she slowly and methodically explained the fact that the rouge shop had a stable monthly income and the plan to purchase a production workshop to stabilize the supply of rouge, thus dispelling the sarcasm about her aunt's "small business".

The shopkeepers listened without blinking an eye. The eldest aunt was speechless. Even Mrs. Xie and the second uncle were very surprised. After Huanhuan finished speaking, the second uncle sighed, "I didn't expect Qu'er and Huanhuan to have such a thorough and long-term plan. Well, we don't have to worry about it anymore. Let's just leave it at that for today..."

As soon as she finished speaking, a fat shopkeeper with a round belly stood up with a notebook in his hand. He slowly looked at the notebook and felt that it looked very familiar. His heart skipped a beat.

Shopkeeper Zhao opened the book and read: "On the fifth day, the minimum price is five cents for a box of rouge. On the sixth day, no income. On the seventh day, two boxes of rouge, ten cents. On the eighth day, no income, on the ninth day, no income, on the tenth day, no income..."

Such a dismal business situation was really embarrassing, and the shopkeepers present began to whisper to each other, and some even laughed out loud. Madam Xie and the second uncle also looked at each other, their eyes full of embarrassment.

The eldest aunt raised her head, sneered, and said proudly: "It sounds better than singing, but the truth is, with such an income, you still want to buy a workshop? Buying a workshop is just a burden that costs money."

Huanhuan was so angry that her chest was heaving. She stood up and said in a rare stern tone: "How did this account book come into your hands? Where did it come from?" This question made Manager Zhao stammer for a moment and lower his head.

The eldest aunt seemed to have seen something funny and laughed twice, then responded sternly: "How dare you ask others where the account book came from? Think about how to reconcile your boasting with the accounts in this account book!"

Mrs. Xie stepped forward to smooth things over and said, "This shop has just opened, how can we start now?"

Xu Qu wanted to stand up at this time, but slowly thought that he would not be able to understand the whole story by just reading his lips, and if he didn't say anything wrong, it might expose his ear disease, so he almost instinctively held him down and said, "If you want to talk about the round account book, this shopkeeper Zhao should ask himself."

After saying that, she slowly picked up the paper she had just recorded, pulled out a page, looked at it, and said, "Just now, Shopkeeper Zhao said that his shop purchased a large amount of goods last month, spending eight hundred taels, and sold two thousand three hundred taels in the first half of the year." As she spoke, she slowly sat down, took the abacus on the table to her side, and began to count on it with both hands.

"Push the beads with both hands!" One of the shopkeepers in the seat exclaimed a little, and the other shopkeepers looked at each other, expressing surprise in their expressions. Mrs. Xie was so surprised that her lips slightly opened, the second uncle's eyes widened, and even the eldest aunt took a step back and looked like she was unable to speak. Only Xu Qu's expression was relatively calm, but there was a light of surprise in his eyes.

He continued to lower his head and concentrate on talking and calculating, and finally raised his head and said: "...Although it is very covert, but according to this calculation, even if it is as he said that he met a big customer on credit for 600 taels last year, and this year's payment is to offset last year's debt, but this debt was actually partially recorded last year, which is equivalent to having been repaid. So last year's profit could not be the apparent 1,900 taels, but should be at least 2,500 taels."

Everyone else in the room was motionless, and the room was completely silent. This matter could be a big deal or a small one. In the most serious case, it was embezzlement of the employer's property, which would lead to a lawsuit.

Suddenly, Shopkeeper Zhao's legs went limp and he sat down on the chair with a clang. He lowered his head and wiped the sweat from his forehead with shaking hands.

The second uncle was the first to react and scolded: "Manager Zhao, you are also an elder of the Xu family. What is going on? Please explain it to me."

"I, I made a mistake in the calculation. Young Madam is so powerful. Fortunately, Young Madam helped me figure it out." Shopkeeper Zhao was also an old fox and he quickly found an excuse.

Mrs. Xie said at this time: "Okay, it's getting late. Shopkeeper Zhao will stay and explain to us in detail. The other shopkeepers can go back."

Seeing that all the carefully prepared things were ruined, the eldest aunt was furious, and her eyes were full of murderous light when she looked at Huan Huan. Finally, the shopkeepers left, and Mrs. Xie politely asked her: "Sister, come and listen to it with us."

Her trusted confidant, Shopkeeper Zhao, had just been the one who caught the person, but in the blink of an eye, he became the one who was caught. The eldest aunt was too embarrassed to stay any longer. She pretended to be calm and said, "No, you guys can handle it. I'm going back." Then she whispered to Shopkeeper Zhao, "You are a useless person who can't handle the heavy responsibility."

Then the eldest aunt turned her head, snorted at Huanhuan with disdain, and said, "You are just showing off some petty tricks." After that, she turned around and left without looking back.

Madam Xie looked at Huanhuan and Xu Qu again and asked, "Qu'er, Huanhuan, would you like to listen too?"

Huanhuan heard that Mrs. Xie didn't seem to want her and Xu Qu to get involved, so she looked at Xu Qu. Xu Qu didn't seem very interested either, and said, "No, mother, second uncle, we'll go back first." So the two of them said goodbye to Mrs. Xie and second uncle.

On the way back, Huanhuan told Xu Qu the details of the meeting. Xu Qu nodded as he listened and said, "I read it myself, and combined with what you wrote on paper, I can understand it almost completely." Then, he couldn't help asking, "According to what you said, I think the accounting method of Manager Zhao is very hidden. So many big managers and my second uncle and mother didn't hear the problem, but you actually found it out. And Huanhuan, how did you learn to use an abacus with both hands?"

He smiled slowly and said, "It's mainly because my mother, second uncle and the big shopkeepers all listen, but I can only compare and see the problems when I listen and take notes. Didn't I grow up with my grandparents when I was a child? They ran a rice shop and I watched from the side. I learned to keep accounts and read account books from my grandfather, and to use an abacus from my grandmother."

"Hmm," Xu Qu said in a calm tone, but with an unconcealable smile in his eyes, "Today, you, the young lady, have shown off your skills."

Huanhuan frowned and said, "What are you trying to show off? The matter with Shopkeeper Qiao hasn't been finalized yet. I've already made this promise. If it doesn't work out, it will be a huge disgrace."

Xu Qu chuckled and said, "Didn't I tell you that you can just use this shop as a pastime and don't put too much pressure on yourself."

He slowly looked at Xu Qu, smiled, and said, "Thank you for supporting me, but I have to try my best."

Then he slowly seemed to remember something and said, "How do you think our account book got into the hands of Shopkeeper Zhao?"

Xu Qu said, "Let's go to the shop and take a look now."

Soon Xu Qu and Huanhuan came to the shop. Although Xu Qu did not show any anger, he asked Suzhu and Ashun about the account book in a serious tone.

Suzhu and A Shun were so forced to lower their heads and dare not breathe, they just said they didn't know. Xu Qu looked at them coldly and finally said, "Maybe there is a thief in the shop, report it to the police."

Hearing this, Ah Shun could no longer hold back, and he knelt down, kowtowed repeatedly, and said, "Sir, please spare my life, please spare my life. I was just confused for a moment, please don't report it to the police."

Xu Qu and Huan Huan exchanged glances, and then Xu Qu said in a deep voice: "Tell me in detail, what's going on?"

Ah Shun said, "A few days ago, Shopkeeper Zhao sent someone to find me and told me that the business in this shop is so bad that I don't know how long it can be open. When the shop closes, I will have nowhere to go. Why don't you talk to the second master and the mistress and let me return to his shop. I have two elders to support at home, so I was afraid... I was so confused that I believed him. Last night, he asked me to steal the account book and give it to him. I didn't dare to refuse him because I had a request, so I went back to the shop at night and gave him the account book."

Huanhuan felt sad after hearing this, and said softly to Ah Shun: "You should get up first. The business in the store is so bad, and it's not entirely your fault that you are worried."

Ah Shun immediately kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Madam. I will never dare to do that again."

After A Shun got up, Xu Qu said, "With the young master and the young mistress here, you don't have to worry about the accounts. Just do your own job well, and you won't be treated unfairly." Suzhu and A Shun nodded in agreement.

This matter passed just like that. Ah Shun and Su Zhu became much more diligent in the shop, and Huan Huan secretly made up her mind: this rouge shop must be run well.