Ye Cishu focused intently on the account books, occasionally glancing at how much incense remained before Old Master Ye.
Her mind was filled with the figures she had just reviewed from the ledgers.
Beside her, Ye Xiushu also drew everyone’s attention.
Ye Xiushu’s eyes remained fixed on the account books, not even glancing at the abacus.
With her left hand flipping through the ledger pages and her right hand deftly moving the abacus beads, she was essentially performing blind calculations.
Everyone inwardly marveled—this young girl truly had skill.
Last year, her abacus skills hadn’t been this impressive!
This year, she performed like a seasoned accountant.
Well, a seasoned accountant would prioritize accuracy and steadiness, unlike this girl who now handled the abacus with such flair.
Ye Xiushu’s display of skill didn’t affect Ye Cishu in the slightest.
Ye Cishu continued reviewing the account books at her own pace.
Only after she had gone through all three ledgers before her, and the incense before Old Master Ye had burned down to a third, did Ye Cishu set aside the account books and pick up the abacus.
All eyes turned to Ye Cishu.
She began swiftly moving the abacus beads, relying solely on the numbers she had memorized.
As for the account books she had just reviewed, Ye Cishu didn’t touch them again…
Beside her, Ye Xiushu’s rhythm was slightly disrupted by Ye Cishu’s actions.
However, she quickly adjusted and continued her calculations with focus.
The attention of everyone in Shouxi Hall was fixed on these two.
“Can Cishu really remember all the figures from the ledgers after just one glance? That seems a bit exaggerated!” Third Master Ye remarked with disbelief.
“The world is vast, full of wonders.
Dayu has always had its share of talented and extraordinary individuals. Cishu’s ability is nothing out of the ordinary,” Second Master Ye replied, his tone tinged with pride.
Both girls were from his branch of the family.
Indeed, a tiger father does not beget a dog daughter—his own abacus skills were excellent, and both his daughters seemed to have inherited this talent.
“But Xiushu appears to be faster.
Last year, Xiushu took first place. I suppose she’ll do the same this year!
Look, Xiushu has already finished calculating two ledgers and is now working on the third.
Others have only completed one!” First Master Ye whispered.
Old Master Ye remained silent, merely squinting as he watched the two girls bent over their abacuses.
If both girls could finish calculating all three ledgers within the time it took for one stick of incense to burn, it would indicate that they were both exceptionally talented.
It was just a pity that both girls were already of a certain age.
But it didn’t matter—they could always take in husbands in the future.
In just this short while, countless thoughts had already crossed Old Master Ye’s mind.
As the incense neared its end, everyone noticed that Ye Cishu’s movements suddenly slowed.
Not only did her hands slow, but her expression also grew hesitant.
“Has she forgotten? Or does she think she made a mistake in her calculations?” Third Master Ye hurriedly whispered to Second Master Ye.
“How should I know? I’m not the one doing the calculations.
Three ledgers, three months of accounts from Bai Zhi Fang—it’s only natural to misremember a detail or two!” Second Master Ye retorted impatiently.
“No need to rush! They’ll write down their results on paper later,” Old Master Ye said slowly.
The three masters of the Ye Family immediately fell silent.
Finally, the incense in the burner burned out completely.
Before the last speck of incense ash fell, Ye Xiushu had already written the final calculated amount on the Xuan paper and handed it to the steward beside her.
As for Ye Cishu, just as the last bit of incense ash dropped, she also wrote a string of numbers on the Xuan paper.
And she added two sentences as well.
In terms of time, Ye Xiushu was slightly faster than Ye Cishu.
As for whether the final calculated figures were accurate or not, that depended on whether the results from both matched those held by Old Master Ye.
Whichever of the two had numbers matching Old Master Ye’s would win.
If both had the same numbers, then Ye Xiushu would win.
Because she was faster than Ye Cishu.
The stewards presented the results calculated by the various young misses and masters.
Apart from Ye Cishu and Ye Xiushu, none of the other young misses or masters had finished calculating the accounts.
Old Master Ye simply gestured for the steward to announce the results he had received.
"Reporting to the Old Master and all the masters, these account books are for the Bai Zhi Fang’s three months of July, August, and September.
The final Shi Zai for these three months is thirteen thousand five hundred eighty-two taels, eight qian, and five fen," the steward said respectfully.
Old Master Ye gave a hum of acknowledgment.
Compared to last year, it was slightly less, but this year’s tribute amount had decreased, so this figure was reasonable.
"What are the results calculated by Xiujie and Cijie?" Old Master Ye asked with a smile.
The steward quickly took the results calculated by Ye Cishu and Ye Xiushu.
"Third Miss’s result is thirteen thousand five hundred eighty-two taels, eight qian, and five fen, completely correct.
Fourth Miss’s result is also thirteen thousand five hundred eighty-two taels, eight qian, and five fen, also completely correct," the steward reported respectfully.
Everyone present immediately sat up straight.
"Excellent. For these two girls to calculate three months’ worth of accounts in such a short time is truly remarkable."
"Indeed, a tiger father does not beget a dog daughter. The children of the Ye Family, no matter who, are all skilled with the abacus."
"However, Xiujie is still a step ahead in skill. Once again, she has taken the lead."
…
Everyone kept offering their praises.
Whether it was Old Master Ye or the other masters of the Ye Family, all wore smiles on their faces.
No matter which branch they belonged to, they were all members of the Ye Family.
The Ye Family Eldest Master and the Ye Family Third Master would not be upset about their own branch’s children losing a shop.
The main part of the Ye Family’s business was the merchant caravans, which were the collective assets of the family and the real moneymakers.
As for the shops under their names…
Well, they were just for adding a bit of private silver to each branch.
Ye Xiushu was very pleased. She had won again and would gain another shop.
Her usable funds would increase significantly!
Old Master Ye nodded repeatedly with a beaming smile.
However, he soon noticed that the steward’s expression looked somewhat odd.
"What is it? Is something wrong?" Old Master Ye asked with a smile.
"Fourth Miss did calculate the correct figure, but she wrote two additional sentences.
Old Master, please take a look!" the steward said, handing Ye Cishu’s calculated result over to Old Master Ye.
Old Master Ye looked puzzled. He took the paper handed to him by the steward, and his expression immediately darkened.
Ye Cishu’s calculated result was not wrong; it matched the result presented to Old Master Ye by others.
But after that result, Ye Cishu had written two more sentences:
The accounts are suspicious; the figures are inaccurate!
The expressions of the three Ye Family masters who had gathered to look also changed drastically.
All of Ye Family's accounts were checked by specialized accountants, so such a situation was impossible.
"Don't talk nonsense! Those accountants of Ye Family have been following the Old Master for many years—they couldn't possibly falsify the accounts," Ye Family Eldest Master immediately reprimanded.
Second Master Ye also looked at Ye Cishu with some reproach.
The accountants employed by Ye Family were considered among the best in Dayu.
How could there be errors in the accounts they handled?
"Ci Jie'er…" Second Master Ye also wanted to reprimand her.
But Old Master Ye waved his hand.
"Fourth Girl, come here.
Why do you say the accounts are suspicious? Some words should not be spoken carelessly.
The accounts of Bai Zhi Fang… we see nothing unusual," Old Master Ye said.
Ye Cishu stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Old Master Ye.
"Grandfather, it's not the fault of the old accountants! It must be that the accountant at Bai Zhi Fang made a mistake when recording the accounts!" Ye Cishu said earnestly.
Old Master Ye narrowed his eyes.