The woman counted the money in her hand and said to Jiang Xia, "That's not right. Why are there only three yuan and thirty-six cents? It's short by twenty cents. Wen Wan just said it was three yuan, fifty-five cents, and five fen. Even if we don't count the five fen, it should still be three yuan, forty-five cents. You gave me too little."
Zhou Min said, "You can even count such a small amount wrong? Wen Wan already calculated it for you, and you still managed to get it wrong."
Jiang Xia lowered her head and continued recording the figures in her notebook without looking up. "Can you shut up? I've put up with you for a long time. What does it matter to you whether I made a mistake? Is it your money I'm spending?"
The air suddenly fell silent, and everyone stared at Jiang Xia in astonishment.
Zhou Min's face turned green and then white after being rebuffed.
After a long while, she finally forced out, "Good intentions really do go unrewarded!"
Wen Wan's face had been humiliated too. Unable to hold back, she said, "Sorry. I was just minding someone else's business."
Jiang Xia did not even raise her head. "Good that you know."
Wen Wan: "..."
The woman immediately said, "How was that minding someone else's business? Wen Wan was helping me calculate it. You can't calculate, and you won't let someone who knows how speak up. Are you trying to cheat us out of our money? Hurry up and give me the twenty cents, or I'm not selling anymore!"
Jiang Xia said, "Fine. Give me my money back!"
The woman: "..."
Zhou Chenglei was also very good at mental arithmetic, and he knew Jiang Xia had never been wrong. "Aunt He, Jiang Xia didn't make a mistake. If you don't believe me, find someone else to calculate it for you."
Someone had already started calculating. The numbers were not large. "Jiang Xia didn't make a mistake."
"A'Lei's wife got it right."
"Wen Wan was wrong. Xiao Xia was right."
Wen Wan had also recalculated it. Her face flushed as she said, "I'm sorry, I made a mistake. Sister Jiang Xia, you're really amazing at arithmetic!"
Zhou Min's expression shifted. "Even the most meticulous person can make one mistake. It's normal to get it wrong."
Jiang Xia tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Zhou Min: "..."
What kind of expression was that? It was infuriating! Was she not even allowed to make a mistake?
Great-Grandmother cheerfully said, "Actually, Xiao Xia has always calculated very quickly, much faster than Wen Wan! When Wen Wan was calling out the figures, Xiao Xia had already finished counting the money. Didn't anyone notice?"
Just then, Zhou Chenglei finished weighing another villager's catch and called out the figure.
This time, everyone saw clearly that Jiang Xia had started counting the money as soon as Zhou Chenglei announced the weight. In other words, the moment she heard how much it weighed, she had already calculated how much money it came to.
Her mental arithmetic was incredible!
Everyone began praising her:
"I noticed just now. A'Lei's wife had already started counting the money in the basket before Wen Wan even said anything."
"Really? That's amazing."
"Isn't she even more capable than Wen Wan? Why couldn't she get into university?"
"What nonsense. She went to the First High School in the city, the best high school around. How could Wen Wan's high school compare? Exams depend on luck, just like going out to sea to fish. Everyone casts their nets into the sea, so why doesn't everyone earn the same amount?"
"Sometimes people really do depend on luck. A'Lei had been doing perfectly well in the army and had even become a regiment commander. Wasn't he capable? Didn't he still come back injured? When someone's luck is bad, even drinking water can make them choke! "
"That's right. People have their ups and downs."
Wen Wan thought it was ridiculous.
Jiang Xia had bad luck? She had been born into a good family and had even married Zhou Chenglei.
If Wen Wan had Jiang Xia's family background, she would have gotten into Jing University long ago.
Jiang Xia asked Aunt He, "Are you still selling the shrimp? If not, give me my money back and I'll return the shrimp to you."
Aunt He hurriedly stuffed the money into her pocket. "Selling! Why wouldn't I?"
After saying that, she shot Wen Wan a look before walking away, unable to stop muttering, "You can even get a number this small wrong. Don't come and make trouble if you can't help! What a busybody!"
Tian Caihua had always been shallow and blunt. "Well, Xiao Wan! My son is naughty, so there's no need for you to teach him anymore. His Little Aunt can do it."
Wen Wan was so angry that she laughed!
She suddenly felt like a joke!
She had brought this humiliation upon herself! All her good mood was gone!
She had been busy all day, only to receive no praise and instead be criticized.
These villagers were unbelievable. No wonder they spent their whole lives as fishermen! Wen Wan felt humiliated and wanted to leave as quickly as possible. She handed over the half-filled Snakeskin Bag of shrimp. "Brother Zhou, help me weigh it!"
After weighing it, Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia. "Ten jin and two liang."
Jiang Xia handed the money to Wen Wan.
Ten jin and two liang came to only three yuan and fifty-seven cents, which rounded up to three yuan and sixty cents.
Wen Wan took the money and left in a gloomy mood.
It was far too little. After paying her tuition with three-odd yuan, she would have no money left. She still had to find a way to earn her living expenses, as well as the travel fare for going to university.
She had originally thought that the pearls alone would earn her at least one or two hundred yuan this time.
But when she arrived, Jiang Xia had almost finished gathering all the shrimp. She had even picked up both pearl oysters.
Life had always been so unfair to her!
Luck never seemed to land on her side.
Wen Wan left with red-rimmed eyes.
The shrimp were soon all collected. There were seventy-three jin and six liang in total, coming to twenty-five yuan, seventy-six cents. They had given out exactly twenty-six yuan because amounts involving several fen had been rounded off.
Jiang Xia handed the ledger to Zhou Chenglei.
Zhou Chenglei found her records neat, clear, and easy to understand at a glance.
Her handwriting was graceful and flowing, with a strong artistic quality.
Zhou Chenglei felt that what he held was not a ledger but a calligrapher's copybook.
He had seen Jiang Xia's signature before. Her signature was delicate and proper, unlike the handwriting she was using now, though it was still attractive. He did not think much of it; after all, a signature could not prove anything.
His work required it, and he had practiced several different handwriting styles himself.
After the shrimp were collected, the family began boiling and drying them.
Jiang Xia was responsible for tending the fire, while Zhou Chenglei, Father Zhou, and Mother Zhou handled boiling the shrimp and the heavier work of drying them.
Still, tending the fire in such scorching weather was no easy task. Fortunately, the two iron pots were large enough, so everything was finished quickly.
Including the family's own shrimp, they had a total of one hundred and ninety-six jin. Jiang Xia asked, "About how much dried shrimp will this make?"
Father Zhou said, "Ten jin of large shrimp usually dries down to about two jin of dried shrimp. You calculate it."
Jiang Xia calculated it. After drying, there would only be around thirty-nine jin.
They had bought the shrimp at thirty-five cents per jin. Ten jin only produced two jin of dried shrimp, and there were also the costs of firewood, labor, time, and transportation.
"Then one jin of dried shrimp has to sell for three yuan and fifty cents."
Father Zhou had sold it before. "More or less. Mixed dried shrimp, with both large and small shrimp, sells for around three yuan and fifty cents. If they're all large shrimp and completely dried, they can sell for more than four yuan or even five yuan per jin. Tiny shrimp are even cheaper, less than one yuan. Some people sell dried shrimp that hasn't been dried completely, so it's a little cheaper, but it won't keep. Once you take it home and dry it again, it shrinks anyway. It all works out about the same."
The whole courtyard and rooftop were covered with shrimp. Mother Zhou worried, "The typhoon only just passed. I wonder whether the sun will come out tomorrow."
Jiang Xia said, "Don't worry. If there's no sun, we can dry them over the big iron pot and the stove. Once the sun comes out, one day of sunlight will dry them."
What Jiang Xia feared was that rats and cats would sneak over at night and steal the shrimp.
Mother Zhou muttered, "It's too much trouble."
Jiang Xia said nothing.
How could anyone make money if they were afraid of trouble? In fact, the more profitable something was, the more troublesome it tended to be.
Because every bit of trouble you handled was something you could charge the consumers for.
At that moment, Zhou Chenglei came out of the house with the two sea snails in his hand and called out to Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia looked over and instantly perked up!
A father's love was as steady as a mountain. Happy Father's Day to fathers everywhere!
Before you continue