Chapter 988 - 990: Accepting the Challenge, There’s a Scheme_1
Bai Ruozhu turned her head and, lo and behold, it really was a small world after all—the speaker turned out to be none other than Li Dan, the disciple of Elder Wei from the Commerce Association, who was being considered for the position of a young elder.
Previously, when Bai Ruozhu had attended the Commerce Association’s council meeting in Capital City, she had already encountered Li Dan. He had always glared and snorted at her, bristling with all manner of displeasure and disdain. Clearly, he was a man without grace or much substance. However, could a young man chosen by an elder of the Commerce Association to be his successor truly be good for nothing? Perhaps all of this was just a facade.
Like that Zhou Shibin, with his fair complexion and jade-like appearance, she also couldn’t quite figure him out.
Suddenly, Bai Ruozhu recalled seeing Zhou Shibin entering and exiting the local Commerce Association in Jiangnan, and now Li Dan had made his way to the Commerce Association in Wuyuan City. Were they already gathering their forces in advance?
"What sort of person speaks with such an odd tone? Could it be a eunuch?" Muyu, standing behind Bai Ruozhu, looked at Li Dan with dissatisfaction and provocatively said.
Bai Ruozhu almost laughed out loud. She had previously asked Muyu why he was so sharp-tongued, to which he had cheerfully replied, "Having been around my master for a long time, I’ve learned a thing or two."
Being compared to a eunuch was the last thing any man would want. Li Dan glared fiercely, looking as if he wanted to devour Muyu, but he quickly realized that Muyu was skilled in martial arts, so he redirected his hatred towards Bai Ruozhu instead.
"Bai Ruozhu, control your family’s dog. Don’t let him bite people indiscriminately," Li Dan huffed with a sneer.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh, "That’s a phrase I’d return to you. Don’t go about biting people like a mad dog every day. Or perhaps, I should send a message to Elder Wei, telling him to mind his own dog?"
"You!" Li Dan, so angry he wanted to hit someone, was held back by an attendant, who whispered a reminder, "Young master, it’s not appropriate to start a fight here; it might delay today’s competition."
Li Dan quickly suppressed his fury, and Bai Ruozhu watched clearly, thinking to herself that he truly wasn’t as impulsive as he appeared on the surface.
"Bai Ruozhu, during the Jiangnan Academy competition, you merely rode on the coattails of your husband and brother to secure first place in arithmetic. Today, in Wuyuan City’s open account balancing competition, do you dare bet on a victory or defeat against me?" Li Dan challenged.
"Are those words meant to praise how formidable my husband and second brother are, or are they an insult, suggesting that the Jiangnan Competition’s organizing committee is too easily manipulated and that the audience was blind? If you are jealous, just say you’re jealous of me; don’t drag others into it," Bai Ruozhu originally only wanted to observe the excitement and thus didn’t want to take the bait easily.
"What, you’re scared to compete? Clearly, it’s not real skill," Li Dan said contemptuously, spitting as he added, "If you won’t compete, you might as well forget about being acknowledged by the people of the Commerce Association. How can someone who can’t even balance accounts be an elder? Elder Lin really is losing his sight in his old age."
Bai Ruozhu looked around and sure enough, many from the Wuyuan City Commerce Association were looking her way, showing a hint of disbelief. It seemed that she must compete, or else losing face would be the least of her problems—her master could become the laughingstock of the other Commerce Association elders.
She was not someone who sought to dominate others, but neither was she a spineless person who could swallow her pride and suffer in silence when bullied.
"Since you insist, let’s make the terms clear. What are the rules of the competition, and what happens if I win?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
Li Dan burst into laughter, "You think you could beat me? I say if you lose, you should just quit the selection for the young elder of the Commerce Association and stop embarrassing yourself!"
A slight smile played on Bai Ruozhu’s lips. Li Dan, oh Li Dan, you’re the one forcing my hand.
"Alright then, if you lose, you should also withdraw from the selection for the young elder of the Commerce Association. Everyone present today can bear witness, and I hope you won’t deny it if you lose," Bai Ruozhu said.
"Hmph, I’ll lose? I could use an abacus when I was three, you’ll soon understand." Li Dan said with great pride.
"Cut the crap, will you dare to take the bet or not? If not, get lost and stop wasting my time!" Bai Ruozhu said impatiently.
"Fine! Whoever loses will withdraw from the competition for the position of junior elder in the Commerce Association!" Li Dan shouted.
Bai Ruozhu smiled, "Good, get ready for the competition."
Jianqi, somewhat worried, leaned in close to Bai Ruozhu and whispered, "Master, he arrived here first and is very familiar with the organizing committee, be careful he might cheat behind the scenes."
"Have someone keep an eye on things, and report anything suspicious to me," Bai Ruozhu instructed in a low voice.
Li Dan might seem rash on the surface, but he was meticulous at heart; his impulsiveness was deliberately feigned to lure Bai Ruozhu into a trap so that he could plot behind her back, leaving her unprepared for his trickery.
The competition quickly got underway, and the person in charge from the host was an old man with a full head of white hair; he unrolled a scroll and read out the rules of the competition.
During the competition, each contestant would receive an account book detailing one month’s transactions of a shop. The contestants needed to verify the account books, filling in any missing entries and checking for any mistakes in the transactions. It was much like an end-of-the-month audit; the fastest to finish within the allocated time, with the most meticulous and comprehensive verification, would be declared the winner.
Bai Ruozhu’s heart sank. With this setup, manipulation of the competition seemed all too easy. If she were given an account book filled with mistakes whereas Li Dan’s book had few, she would undoubtedly take more time than him.
"Does anyone have any objections to the competition rules?" the old man asked after finishing the reading.
Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment, stepped forward, and bowed, "The younger generation has a suggestion. That is to display the account books for everyone to examine beforehand, and then number them. Let all contestants draw lots, and whichever number they draw, they will verify the corresponding account book. This way, the fairness of the competition can be better demonstrated."
The elder stroked his beard and looked at Bai Ruozhu with a scrutinizing gaze, seemingly displeased with her suspicion towards the integrity of Wuyuan City’s Commerce Association. Nevertheless, he nodded and said, "That’s a good idea, though it will cause a slight delay."
An attendant behind the elder flashed a look and stepped forward, saying, "Elder Qu, we have never had such complications in previous years. This is obviously a doubt cast upon our organizing committee. Today’s youth are rather arrogant."
Bai Ruozhu chuckled at this and responded, "The younger generation means no disrespect, but any system is open to gradual improvement. Just because it wasn’t there in the past doesn’t mean it can’t exist today. Systems are rigid, but people are adaptable."
Elder Qu looked at Bai Ruozhu again and then agreed, "Alright. This year we’ll follow Bai Ruozhu’s suggestion, make the account books public, and then draw lots."
The glance in the attendant’s eye grew sharper as he displayed the account books. With a tremble of his hand, he hid one book and dropped another from his sleeve.
These actions did not escape Bai Ruozhu’s notice. She inwardly sneered; there was indeed something fishy. It was good that she had taken precautions.
Yet what she couldn’t discern was whether the hidden account book was too simple or too chaotic, or if it was meant for Li Dan and had most of it worked out in advance?