Li Laifu wrote a 1 after the rent.
Wang Xiaoliang breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, the rent was ten thousand, just as he had expected.
He watched as Li Laifu continued by adding a "0" after that "1."
Ten thousand.
Then came the second "0."
The third "0."
The fourth "0."
The smile on Wang Xiaoliang's face slowly froze.
He watched Li Laifu neatly write five zeros after that "1."
One hundred thousand.
The rent was one hundred thousand?
Completely oblivious, Li Laifu picked up his calculator and began adding and subtracting.
His fingers flew over the calculator, pressing the keys so quickly that its voice announcements could not keep up. All that came out was a string of garbled electronic sounds.
A moment later, a number appeared on the calculator's screen.
100.51.
Li Laifu cleared it and calculated everything again.
His movements remained practiced, his fingers flying.
The calculator clearly announced the result once more, and the screen still showed that same glaring number: 100.51.
Staring at the number, Wang Xiaoliang even had an absurd illusion. Perhaps this was Li Laifu's own unique way of calculating things? Perhaps this 100.51 actually meant one hundred thousand and fifty-one yuan?
Li Laifu put down the calculator and let out a long sigh.
He looked up at Wang Xiaoliang with an expression full of exhaustion and helplessness.
"Xiaoliang, see? Running a business is so damn hard."
"Who would've thought? The two of us worked our asses off for a whole month, and in the end, this is all we made."
He tapped the final total in the notebook with a thick finger.
"One hundred yuan and fifty-one cents. Luckily, at least your wages are covered. Otherwise, you'd have to pay out of your own pocket."
Wang Xiaoliang felt as though someone