https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-45-What-Does-Her-Miscalculation-Have-to-Do-with-Me-/12831729/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-47-What-Does-This-Flame-Pattern-Look-Like-/12831735/
Chapter 46: Minding Your Own Business is Asking for Trouble
Chapter 46: Minding Your Own Business is Asking for Trouble
The woman counted the money in her hand and said to Jiang Xia, "That's not right. Why is it only 3.36 yuan? You're short by 0.20 yuan. Wen Wan said it should be 3.555 yuan. Even if we ignore the 0.05, it should still be 3.45 yuan. You've given me less."
Zhou Min chimed in, "How can you count wrong with such a small amount? Wen Wan even did the math for you. How can you still get it wrong?"
Jiang Xia, still counting the money, didn't look up. "Can you please shut up? I've been putting up with you for too long. Whether I counted right or not is none of your business. Is it your money?"
The air suddenly grew quiet, and everyone looked at Jiang Xia in shock.
Zhou Min's face turned red with anger. After a moment, she spat out, "What a thankless deed!"
Wen Wan's face fell, and she couldn't help but say, "Sorry, I was just trying to help."
Jiang Xia, still not looking up, said, "Good to know."
Wen Wan: "…"
The woman immediately retorted, "How is that minding your own business? Wen Wan was helping me. If you can't do the math, why stop someone who can? Are you trying to cheat us out of money? Give me the 0.20 yuan, or I won't sell to you!"
Jiang Xia replied, "Fine, give me the money back!"
The woman: "…"
Zhou Chenglei, who had strong mental math skills, knew Jiang Xia had been right all along. "Aunt He, Jiang Xia didn't make a mistake. If you don't believe me, ask someone else to check."
Someone had already done the calculation. "Jiang Xia is right."
"Ah Lei's wife got it right."
"Wen Wan made a mistake, Xia Xia got it right."
Wen Wan had already recalculated and said, blushing, "Sorry, I made a mistake. Sister Jiang Xia, you're really good at math!"
Zhou Min's face changed. "Even the best can make a mistake. It's normal."
Jiang Xia's lips curled into a faint smile.
Zhou Min: "…"
What kind of expression is that? She was so angry she could die! She couldn't even make a mistake?
The great-grandmother chuckled, "Actually, Xia Xia has always been very fast at math, much faster than Wen Wan! When Wen Wan announced the price, Xia Xia had already counted the money. Didn't you notice?"
Just then, Zhou Chenglei finished weighing for another villager and called out the price.
This time, everyone saw clearly that Jiang Xia started counting the money as soon as Zhou Chenglei announced the weight, meaning she had already calculated the price the moment she heard the weight.
Her mental math speed was incredible!
Everyone praised her:
"I saw it too. Ah Lei's wife was already counting the money in the basket before Wen Wan spoke."
"Really? That's amazing."
"Isn't she even better than Wen Wan? Why didn't she get into college?"
"Come on, she goes to the top high school in the city, the best one. How can Wen Wan's high school compare? Exams are about luck, just like fishing. Everyone casts their nets into the sea, but why do they earn different amounts?"
"Sometimes it really is about luck. Ah Lei was doing well in the military, even became a colonel. But he got injured and came back. When you're not in luck, even drinking water can go wrong."
"That's true. People have good and bad times."
...
Wen Wan found it hilarious.
Jiang Xia's luck wasn't good? She was born into a good family and married Zhou Chenglei.
If she had Jiang Xia's background, she would have already gotten into Peking University.
Jiang Xia asked Aunt He, "Are you still selling the shrimp? If not, give me the money back, and I'll return the shrimp."
Aunt He quickly stuffed the money into her pocket. "Of course I'm selling! Why wouldn't I?"
As she walked away, she shot a glare at Wen Wan and muttered, "If you can't even count a small amount right, don't come and cause trouble! What a busybody!"
Tian Caihua, who was always straightforward, said, "Hey, Wen Wan! My son is too mischievous. It's better if his auntie teaches him."
Wen Wan was so furious that she laughed out loud!
She suddenly felt like a joke!
She felt humiliated! All her good mood vanished!
She had been busy all morning, only to receive no words of appreciation and even criticism.
These villagers were truly something else; no wonder they spent their whole lives as fishermen!
Feeling embarrassed, Wen Wan wanted to leave quickly. She handed over the small half-bag of shrimp to Zhou Chenglei, "Big Brother Zhou, can you weigh this for me?"
After weighing them, Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia, "Ten pounds and two ounces."
Jiang Xia handed the money to Wen Wan.
Ten pounds and two ounces only amounted to three yuan and fifty-seven fen, which rounded up to three yuan and sixty fen.
Wen Wan took the money and walked away, her mood heavy.
The money was too little. With just over three yuan, she wouldn't have enough left after paying her school fees. She still needed to find a way to earn living expenses and the cost of going to university.
She had thought that this time, with the pearls, she could earn at least a hundred or two hundred yuan.
But when she arrived, most of the shrimp had already been picked by Jiang Xia, and even the two pearl clams had been taken.
Life had always been so unfair to her!
Good fortune never seemed to find her.
Wen Wan left with red, teary eyes.
The shrimp were quickly collected, totaling seventy-three pounds and six ounces, which came to twenty-five yuan and seventy-six fen. They rounded it up to twenty-six yuan, as they always rounded to the nearest fen.
Jiang Xia handed the ledger to Zhou Chenglei to check.
Zhou Chenglei noticed that Jiang Xia's records were clean, clear, and easy to read.
Her handwriting was elegant and graceful, with a strong artistic flair.
Zhou Chenglei felt like he was holding a calligraphy book rather than a ledger.
He had seen Jiang Xia's signature before, which was more delicate and neat, quite different from her current handwriting, but still beautiful. He didn't think much of it, as a signature couldn't reveal much.
For his work, he had practiced several different styles of handwriting.
After the shrimp were collected, the family started cooking and drying them.
Jiang Xia was responsible for tending the fire, while Zhou Chenglei, Zhou Father, and Zhou Mother handled the heavier tasks of cooking and drying the shrimp.
Even in the scorching heat, tending the fire was no easy job. Fortunately, the two iron pots were large enough to cook the shrimp quickly.
Including their own shrimp, they had a total of one hundred and ninety-six pounds. Jiang Xia asked, "How much shrimp jerky can we make from this?"
Zhou Father replied, "Ten pounds of fresh shrimp will yield about two pounds of shrimp jerky. You can do the math."
Jiang Xia did the calculations and found that they would have around thirty-nine pounds of dried shrimp.
They bought the shrimp at thirty-five fen per pound, and ten pounds only yielded two pounds of jerky, considering the cost of firewood, labor, time, and transportation.
"So, we need to sell the shrimp jerky at three yuan and fifty fen per pound," she concluded.
Zhou Father had sold shrimp jerky before, "That's about right. Mixed sizes of shrimp jerky sell for around three yuan and fifty fen. If it's all large shrimp and fully dried, it can go for four or even five yuan per pound. Small shrimp are cheaper, selling for less than a yuan. Some people sell less-dried shrimp jerky at a lower price, but it won't last, and it will shrink when you dry it at home, so it's about the same."
The entire courtyard and roof were covered with shrimp, and Zhou Mother worried, "The typhoon just passed, I don't know if the sun will come out tomorrow."
Jiang Xia replied, "Don't worry, if there's no sun, we can dry them in the large iron pots and on the stove. Once the sun comes out, one day of sunlight will dry them completely."
Jiang Xia was more concerned about rats and cats stealing the shrimp at night.
Zhou Mother grumbled, "That's too much trouble."
Jiang Xia didn't respond.
How could you be afraid of trouble if you wanted to make money?
The more money you wanted to make, the more trouble you had to handle.
Because every bit of trouble you dealt with was something you could charge the customers for.
At that moment, Zhou Chenglei came out of the house, holding the two sea snails and called out to Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia's spirits instantly lifted!
Father's love is as strong as a mountain. Wishing all fathers a happy Father's Day!
(End of Chapter)
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