Chapter 44

Jiang Sheng also couldn't solve problems.

But that horse lantern was so beautiful that she was extremely moved.

"You like this?" Zheng Ruqian was shocked. He didn't expect his own younger sister to have such good taste and took a fancy to the most difficult one.

Jiang Sheng looked at him expectantly, "Big brother, can you take it down?"

If Zheng Ruqian had a mouthful of chicken blood at this moment, he could spray it all over the place.

My sister... also looked up to him too much!

"My abacus skills are barely passable." Zheng Ruqian muttered, "For couplets and literary compositions, go find big brother."

Jiang Sheng again put her hopeful gaze on Xu Mo.

Xu Mo suddenly felt a weight on his shoulders. He was quite talented in literary composition, and was even praised by the academy teacher, but after all, his age was limited, and his reading was limited. He really couldn't get it 100% right.

But Jiang Sheng's eyes were so bright that Xu Mo and Zheng Ruqian felt that if they didn't try their best to get it right, they wouldn't be decent people.

"Let's try it first." The two looked at each other and began to ponder in their hearts.

Chang Yan squinted his eyes and carefully observed the second question's couplet, which didn't seem too difficult.

Just as Zheng Ruqian figured it out and was about to stand up to answer the first abacus question, the owner of the horse lantern walked out with a smile.

"Everyone, the answers here can only be answered from beginning to end by one person. You can't conspire."

Zheng Ruqian's expression froze.

No wonder these questions were not too difficult, yet no one had been able to get the horse lantern.

In this world, people who studied abacus usually didn't study couplets and literary composition.

Those who studied literary composition basically didn't touch abacus calculations.

So it wasn't that there were no smart people on this street, just that there were no versatile geniuses who could do everything.

"It looks like there's no hope for this horse lantern." Zheng Ruqian turned back.

Visibly, Jiang Sheng's expression fell.

Zheng Ruqian felt very distressed, but he only knew abacus calculations, not couplets and literary composition, and really had no way out.

As for Xu Mo, he was clueless about abacus calculations.

Just as he was desperately thinking about how to comfort his younger sister, the always silent Chang Yan suddenly stood up, "Teach me abacus, second brother."

"Learn it now?" Zheng Ruqian was surprised. "Not to mention there are no abacus exercises, just this short time is not enough to learn!" He had secretly observed the Bai bookkeeper for five or six days, and secretly practiced for half a month before he learned it.

Chang Yan didn't speak, just looked at him quietly.

Zheng Ruqian shut his mouth, inexplicably believing that little five could do it. He took two steps forward and explained the abacus method in the simplest and most concise way.

Chang Yan closed his eyes, opened them not long after, put his hands behind his back, and strode to the front of the stage.

Perhaps it was because he was only ten years old and his stature was too small, or perhaps it was because someone finally dared to go on stage, the whole street fell silent.

"Is this little gentleman ready to answer?" The store owner asked with a smile.

Chang Yan nodded.

The shopkeeper took out the first question, "From one to one hundred, add them up in sequence, and you are required to calculate it before this incense burns out."

Everyone followed his hand to look, only to see an incense stick as long as a thumb burning at this moment.

Wow, if this was replaced by breathing time, it would probably burn out in fifty breaths.

Not to mention calculating from adding one to one hundred.

Jiang Sheng's heart involuntarily clenched for fifth brother, and the other brothers also frowned.

Zheng Ruqian was going crazy in his heart, yelling "It's over, it's over, it's over!" This question was too difficult. He had to calculate for a long time even with an abacus, let alone Chang Yan who had just learned abacus.

All the people in front of the horse lantern, including the shopkeeper who asked the question, didn't think much of Chang Yan's chances.

Even Chang Yan himself frowned, standing still for a long time.

Until the incense burned almost to the end.

The shopkeeper smiled, ready to wait for the next contestant.

Suddenly Chang Yan spit out a number, "Five thousand and fifty."

The shopkeeper was startled, immediately took out a scroll, "...This young master answered correctly."

The whole scene erupted.

The young masters of wealthy families had already sent people to fetch coins. They divided one hundred shares of different quantities of coins on the spot and mixed them together to count.

Sure enough, there were fifty thousand and fifty.

"How did you calculate it?" someone asked curiously.

"Yeah, yeah, I can calculate it too, but your speed is too fast. Did you know the answer in advance?" Someone else was dissatisfied, "Or did you know the answer in advance?"

The shopkeeper quickly waved his hand, "Young master, you can't cheat. We've never seen this little young master before."

"But I'm very curious how you calculated the answer. Young master, can you reveal it?"

Chang Yan stared at him and uttered only two words, "Pattern."

Everything in the world has a pattern. Once you figure it out, any difficult problem becomes easy to solve.

The smarter ones present, like Xu Mo, had already realized it in a flash.

The dumber ones also seemed to vaguely understand.

Chang Yan smiled slightly, "Second question." After getting through the most difficult first question, the couplets and literary composition were almost effortless.

Chang Yan did not show any remarkable literary talent, he just answered properly, without any flourish or mistakes, and successfully obtained the horse lantern.

The most beautiful lantern in the whole Xieyang County hung in front of them. Jiang Sheng could no longer hold back, rushed over, and gave Chang Yan a solid hug.

"Thank you Fifth Brother. Fifth Brother is the best."

The little girl hugged the horse lantern happily, jumping up and down.

Chang Yan was somewhat stunned at first, but seeing her smile, he couldn't help but smile too.

Zheng Ruqian, on the other hand, was extremely sour, muttering to the side, "Every time I give Jiang Sheng money, I don't see her being so happy and hugging me for that long."

Xu Mo glanced at him. "At least she hugged you before. My sister has never hugged me once."

"Never hugged me either," said Fang Heng indignantly.

Wen Zhiyun also weakly raised his hand, "Never hugged me either."

Pang Dashan's crotch was already warm and dry again, and he also wanted to ride the trend, but he held back after thinking twice.

After strolling leisurely on the street for a while, Jiang Sheng was hungry.

Zheng Ruqian suggested going to You Ran Ju to eat a meal, but was adamantly stopped.

You Ran Ju was a high-end restaurant, and even a casual meal cost several taels of silver. To eat seriously, they would have to throw in their entire fortune.

Who would spend tens of taels of silver to eat a meal?

At that time, Jiang Sheng didn't know that in this world, there were so many, many people who lavishly spent thousands of coins just for a meal.

She only remembered those days of suffering, those days when they didn't have a penny and could only wrestle with dogs for food.

Because of the hardship, she cherished it all the more.

Late at night, the brothers had all fallen deeply asleep.

Jiang Sheng crawled out of bed and knelt down before the Buddha again, begging the Buddha to protect them, so that their present life could continue forever and ever.

The next day.

Zheng Ruqian got up early to buy local specialties in the county. Xieyang County was known for its candied fruits and pastries, with prices ranging from high to low.

He chose mid-range prices and packaged them in the simplest way.

Pang Dashan sat behind him wearing a thin long robe, trying his best to look like a young master, but kept asking repeatedly, "When will you teach me to drive a donkey cart?"

"In a bit," Zheng Ruqian said. "You're Young Master Pang's nephew now, it's already beneath you to ride a donkey cart, how can you drive a donkey cart?"

Pang Dashan felt it made sense, so he assumed an even more nonchalant posture.

After a bumpy ride, they finally arrived at Yunshui County.

Zheng Ruqian tethered the donkey cart and swaggered into the Yunshui County yamen with Pang Dashan, even easily gaining entry.

This changed the faces of the two yamen runners who had been trailing them.

Could it be that Pang Dashan really was Magistrate Pang's nephew?