Chapter 990 - 992 Ruyi Abacus Did Not Succeed_1
The abacus might look normal to most, but Bai Ruozhu had keen eyesight and discovered that one of the beads had a tiny pointed spike protruding from it. The position of that bead was exactly where one would frequently fiddle with the abacus. Anyone who used the abacus was likely to prick their finger on that well-concealed spike.
Of course, a small prick wouldn’t change much, but what was truly important was that this tiny spike had been coated with a bit of poison that caused dizziness.
If she had used the abacus and pricked her finger, then become dizzy from the poison, her calculation speed would inevitably be affected, and she might even make mistakes.
Li Dan had planned this out very carefully indeed!
Bai Ruozhu glanced at Li Dan, deliberately looked at the abacus, and then pushed it towards the table in front of her, clearly not intending to use it.
Li Dan’s heart skipped a beat, had she seen through his scheme too?
Before he had time to ponder further, Bai Ruozhu started to flip through the account book and began scribbling on a piece of paper beside her, truly not using the abacus at all.
Li Dan dared not let his mind wander any longer, and quickly turned his attention back to his own account book, stealing glances at Bai Ruozhu from time to time.
The competition had barely started when Bai Ruozhu caught everyone’s attention including the person in charge, Qu Zheng, as well as his disciple Xue Rang.
"Master, why isn’t Bai Ruozhu using the abacus? Could there be something wrong with the abacus too?" Xue Rang whispered, for he had already ordered someone to investigate after discovering that Manager Su had hidden a slip of paper and indeed found that Manager Su had been in close contact with Li Dan these past few days.
However, the absence of a single slip of paper couldn’t prove anything. As long as Manager Su didn’t admit to anything, the most they could accuse him of was negligence in his duties.
Qu Zheng furrowed his brows and spoke softly, "Don’t make wild guesses. If there’s any more trouble, the reputation of our Wuyuan City Commerce Association will be ruined. What will others think of us then?"
Xue Rang looked at Bai Ruozhu again, "It seems to me that Bai Ruozhu doesn’t want to make a public issue out of it; after all, she is a member of the Commerce Association and ultimately sides with it."
Qu Zheng sighed gently, "I’m getting old and have been handling fewer affairs, which allowed him to find a loophole to exploit. Just based on his behavior, we can’t entrust him with the role of Chief Manager."
He looked up at Xue Rang with a firm look in his eyes, "Xue Rang, I’ve decided to hold on for a few more years before passing this position on to you. You must put in more effort too."
Xue Rang’s face showed surprise and delight, "Thank you, Master."
The two sat at the back, quite a distance away from the competitors, and their voices were very quiet, but their words didn’t miss Bai Ruozhu’s ears. Her mind quickly raced, realizing she also needed to establish her own faction within the Commerce Association.
The competition lasted for two hours, and about halfway through, Bai Ruozhu put down her brush, gave the account book another careful look through, and handed it to Qu Zheng.
"Qu Zheng, the younger generation has finished, please review," Bai Ruozhu passed it to him respectfully.
A collective gasp rose from the crowd of onlookers; she had finished already? Without even touching the abacus and being the first to complete it?
Initially, everyone in the competition was busily clicking away on their abacuses, but upon hearing her voice, they all paused and their movements ground to a halt. Suddenly, all the sounds of the abacuses stopped, and an eerie silence ensued.
Li Dan glared at Bai Ruozhu as if he wanted to kill her, his teeth grinding. However, he was the first to snap out of it and started busily moving the beads of his abacus once again.
Bai Ruozhu felt that Li Dan must possess some genuine skill, as he was very likely the second person to submit the account book.
Old Master Qu took Bai Ruozhu’s accounts and couldn’t help but give her an additional glance. He also felt a storm brew inside him, thinking, "Isn’t this woman too formidable? Indeed, the new waves of the Yangtze River push forward the old ones."
Bai Ruozhu stepped down and returned to her own competition desk, taking another look at the abacus, making sure no one would take it away carelessly later on.
Old Master Qu and Xue Rang opened Bai Ruozhu’s account book and began to read with relish. Bai Ruozhu’s handwriting was elegant and clean. Any discrepancies were clearly annotated, making it easy for anyone to understand at a glance.
Both being skilled in accounting, they naturally knew how comfortable a good account book could make the reader feel, and Bai Ruozhu’s revised account book certainly had that effect.
It wasn’t until the second person, Li Dan, submitted his account book that they snapped back to reality, hastily recorded his time, and collected his account book.
Since the competition time was not over yet, they began to look through Li Dan’s account book. It had to be said that Li Dan also did a very good job, but many things in this world fear comparison. Compared to Bai Ruozhu’s account book, Li Dan’s didn’t seem quite as outstanding.
Li Dan’s eyes darkened as he glowered at Bai Ruozhu, still trying hard to maintain his image of being quick-tempered and thoughtless. Bai Ruozhu smiled indifferently at him, even though Li Dan had written more, he still lost to her in time.
Li Dan, meanwhile, was churning inside, thinking that even if he was a bit slower, the content was done more meticulously and he could certainly regain some advantage.
Unfortunately, he did not realize that Bai Ruozhu was even more meticulous than him; generally speaking, when it came to attention to detail, men were mostly inferior to women.
At this moment, the number of onlookers increased, the Bai Family members unknowingly also made their way here. It was Bai Yixiao with sharp eyes who exclaimed, "Isn’t that Ruozhu? Is she competing with someone?"
Lin Ping’er immediately stood on tiptoes and craned her neck to look inside, indeed spotting her family’s Ruozhu.
"Oh my, it really is Ruozhu!" exclaimed Lin Ping’er excitedly, "Had I known, I wouldn’t have let the second brother leave first. Watching a book is not as interesting as watching Ruozhu compete."
Bai Yihong also saw her and led the family through the crowd, saying, "It looks like Ruozhu has already finished; she doesn’t have any papers in front of her."
Looking wealthy and noble, and accompanied by guards, as the family squeezed through, those with discernment made way, and soon Bai Yihong and Lin Ping’er made it to the front.
The Liu Family did not want to push through the crowd, and grumbled discontentedly, "She loves to show off. She went to compete the moment she left the house, without considering her own abilities."
The maid Tao Ren supporting her said with a smile, "Old Madam underestimates our young mistress; didn’t you see she was the first one to finish?"
Bai Fu, standing by the side, spoke displeasedly, "With regards to classes among scholars, peasants, artisans, and merchants, it’s really disgraceful for a woman from a scholarly family to indulge in such lowly merchant activities."
Zhang Liliang, following them, showed displeasure but still did not speak. He just pulled Rongrong’s mother and Rongrong a little further away from the Old Master. Bo Zheng beside them flashed a look of contempt in his eyes, but he quickly repressed it. The distinction of scholars, peasants, artisans, and merchants was an outdated notion. The Former Emperor had already encouraged commerce, and the current Emperor continued to value it greatly, rendering the old rule obsolete. What right did he have to look down on those in commerce?
In fact, Bo Zheng himself was not of servile origin, as the Old Master of Bo Residence had freed him from serfdom long ago and granted him the Bo surname. Considering he managed two shops, he was also of merchant status, so he found Bai Fu’s words particularly displeasing.
Just then, Qu Zheng announced, "The competition time is up, please everyone submit your account books."