Lin Mo gripped the tray tightly, wondering if he had eaten too much and upset the host.
He didn't know how to answer, so he could only tell the truth, "Enough... where is that well? I'll wash the dishes," he hurriedly added to cover up his nervousness.
Meng Anci pointed in a direction, Lin Mo thanked him and walked over with his bowl and chopsticks. Just then, he overheard Qing Yang asking Zhou Xiaosi next door.
"Cough medicine is five coins a patch, rheumatism plaster is three coins a patch, and face cream is fifty coins a bottle. Today, we sold out eight patches of cough medicine, seven patches of rheumatism plaster, and twenty bottles of face cream. How much money did we make in total?"
Lin Mo whispered, "One tael and sixty-one coins."
Meng Anci had sharp ears and eyes, and he heard Lin Mo's words "one tael and sixty-one coins" clearly.
He walked over and squatted down next to Lin Mo. "I heard from Qing He that you can read."
Lin Mo lowered his head and washed the dishes, saying softly, "My father was once a teacher."
Meng Anci smiled, her eyes crinkling, looking completely harmless. "How much money can you earn a day writing letters for others?"
Lin Mo was surprised and stared blankly at Meng Anci.
He had been begging for food at the entrance of the Anzhi Hall for some time. This child rode a black horse every day, leaving early and returning late. How could he know that he was writing for someone else?
Lin Mo paused slightly, "Sometimes it's seven or eight coins, sometimes it's none."
Meng Anci asked with concern, "Your grandmother has difficulty moving around, and your younger sister is also in poor health."
"It's not sustainable to keep begging outside. My family's estate needs help; you can come and assist us."
Lin Mo was initially delighted, but then said with disappointment, "You're too young; I'm afraid you can't make decisions for your parents."
"My parents have passed away, and this shop belongs to my aunt. Just tell me if you want to come or not."
"I'm naturally delighted to have a place to stay."
Meng Anci curled her lips into a smile, "Although it's just a job, I'll have to sign a contract... I wonder if you're willing?"
Lin Mo hadn't expected this child to know so much, and his expression turned serious. "How many years should we sign..."
Meng Anci thought for a moment, "How old are you this year?"
"Eight years old, nine years old during the Lunar New Year..."
It turned out that he was the same age as his sister. Meng Anci's gaze was fixed on Lin Mo, making Lin Mo feel uncomfortable.
"Ten years. In ten years, you'll be eighteen and capable of living independently. At that time, it's up to you whether you stay or leave."
Lin Mo hung his head, remaining silent. His father had died unjustly, and overturning the verdict seemed a distant dream.
If I could trade ten years of my life for a temporary peace of mind for my grandmother and sister, it wouldn't be a bad deal.
Lin Mo gritted his teeth and hardened his heart, "Fine, I agree."
A sly glint flashed in Meng Anci's eyes. Those who are ruthless to themselves are bound to have a bright future. "Then I'll go write the contract and register it at the government office first thing tomorrow morning."
Lin Mo exclaimed in surprise, "We still have to go to the government office?" Private contracts are rarely registered at the government office.
Meng Anci smiled and reassured him, "Don't be nervous. If you are from Qingzhou Prefecture, I don't need to register you."
But you're from out of town, and my family runs a clinic, so we're quite careful with our hiring. I hope you can understand. Oh, by the way, does your sister have any special talents?
Lin Mo became wary. This kid had been trying to trick him into revealing information the whole time. No... he had to fight back. "How old are you?"
Meng Anci suddenly smiled, didn't ask any further questions, and got up to take his leave.
He found Meng Anzhi, hunched over and squeezed into his sister's chair, his voice low but filled with excitement, "Sister, sister, I've struck gold!"
Meng Anzhi helped him up, "What treasure? You ran out before you even finished your meal."
Meng Anci clicked his tongue. He was the only man in the family, so he had to be careful when outsiders came in. He closed Meng Anzhi's medicine book with his other hand.
He whispered, "That kid from the Lin family is incredibly fast at math. I signed a ten-year contract with him. You have to train your own accountant from a young age; only then can you trust them."
Meng Anzhi lowered her eyes in thought, "You write the contract, I'll go tell my aunt."
Meng Anci obediently. His older sister was the one he had thrown out to test his aunt's intentions first, so that he wouldn't end up charging into battle and dying without knowing why.
He happily laid out the paper and began writing the contract. This was the first deal he made without any conscience, and he couldn't afford to be soft-hearted.
1. Lin Mo voluntarily agrees to serve as a laborer for the Meng family, at the behest of Meng Anci, primarily focusing on accounting and arithmetic, while also learning business matters. 2. The term of service is ten years, commencing from the date of signing. During this period, he may not request leave, resign, or seek other employment for any reason.
He paused to think for a moment, then added another clause: the expenses for Lin Mo, his grandmother, and his sister's food, lodging, clothing for all four seasons, medical treatment, and medicine would all be deducted from Lin Mo's wages.
Hehe... By then, with compound interest, he won't be able to leave whenever he wants. Isn't this cheaper than buying someone else?
Meng Anci stopped writing, estimating the time, and figured his sister should have already won over his aunt. So he took the contract and wanted his aunt to take a look at it to see if there were any mistakes or omissions.
As soon as they arrived at the Jin Shanyao door, they heard voices coming from inside.
"Auntie, don't blame Anci. He's just thinking about our family. Ten years is a long time, but it's good to be cautious when training an accountant."
Meng Anci there, stunned in disbelief. No... his sister??? She'd just betrayed him like that???
Jin Shanyao her head and said in a deep voice, "Go and call your brother in."
"Okay..." Meng Anzhi's voice was filled with excitement.
Meng Anci in alarm, stuffed the contract into his clothes, and turned to run away. Unfortunately, the house was only so big, and he couldn't run anywhere. In just a few steps, Meng Anzhi grabbed his ear and dragged him back.
"The stinger of a wasp is the most venomous thing a woman can do. Meng Anzhi, I really underestimated you..." He winced in pain, tilting his head to snuggle into his sister's arms.
Meng Anzhi scoffed, "Likewise..."
She threw Meng Anci into the house, closed the door, and Jin Daoli stood at the doorway, listening to her brother's wailing and howling, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips.
Meng Anci hugged the Jin Shanyao his legs, and wailed, "Auntie, I was wrong..."
"What's wrong?"
Meng Anci didn't know what he had done wrong, so he secretly asked his sister for help. When his sister remained unmoved, he felt utterly hopeless!
Sure enough, a sister who betrays her brother is no good sister. He took a deep breath, and when he looked up again, he looked aggrieved.
"Auntie, I shouldn't have signed a ten-year contract; I should have signed a nine-and-a-half-year one."
Jin Shanyao and said, " Anci, it's easy to find someone to do things, but it's hard to find someone who is truly willing to do things for us. Today you've taken advantage of his misfortune and used a contract to tie him down."
He'll keep this matter on his mind every day, and no matter how generous the reward, he won't be grateful.
Meng Anci secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it turned out it wasn't about the contract's expiration date, so that could be ruled out.
"How can we get him to work for us willingly?"
Jin Shanyao was very pleased to see that he had listened to her. That was the good thing about her son; he always listened to her analysis calmly when something happened.
"To win people's hearts, you can't kick them when they're down. You have to offer them a ladder when they're in trouble so they can climb out of the mire. Only then will they willingly stand by your side."
Meng Anci's eyes flickered; it wasn't about the amount of compensation, that could be ruled out.
So he asked seriously, "Then he's not a grateful person."
Jin Shanyao's gaze softened, and her voice became gentler, "I know you've taken a liking to Lin Mo and want to keep him for your own use, but doing good is not lending money. If it works out, you'll gain a loyal servant. If it doesn't, you'll at least preserve your own reputation."
But once you produce that debt collection contract, regardless of his character, we've already lost the battle of wits.
In conclusion, through analysis and dissection, Meng Anci suddenly realized that his biggest mistake was not the contract itself, but rather that he shouldn't have so blatantly revealed his intentions.
If it's my aunt's method, there's no need to sign a contract; the other party will be grateful for life and work wholeheartedly for her.
Damn it, no wonder he got scolded; his brain just doesn't work that fast.