12dz Chapter 352 Building the Floor
Chapter 352 Building the Floor
Gu Minghuai immediately wiped the smile off his face and said aggrievedly, "If I leave now, where will I sleep?"
Lin Xiaotang retorted angrily, "You can sleep wherever you want, but not here!"
Gu Minghuai said stubbornly, "I don't want to go anywhere but here."
After saying that, he covered himself with the blanket, turned over to face the bed, and began to snore loudly.
Enraged, Lin Xiaotang suddenly yanked off his blanket, got up, and kicked him.
"Scoundrel!"
Enraged by Gu Minghuai, Lin Xiaotang couldn't sleep. She returned to her desk and began to carefully check the restaurant's accounts for the day. Unlike other accountants who used abacuses, she wasn't used to them and used vertical calculations instead.
So, there were several sheets of draft paper stacked next to her. One of them was accidentally brushed off the ground by her sleeve and floated to Gu Minghuai's side.
Gu Minghuai was pretending to be asleep. He turned over and saw the papers on the ground next to him. He picked them up and glanced at them, and immediately became curious.
"Xiao Tang, what are these symbols you wrote that look like tadpoles, and in so many different arrangements?"
Lin Xiaotang said somewhat impatiently, "These are numbers, which I use for bookkeeping and calculation. They are arranged in vertical columns."
Gu Minghuai took the papers, got up and walked to Lin Xiaotang's side, watching her carefully calculate the accounts.
Lin Xiaotang wrote a series of numbers, drew a line below them, and then drew a cross before the last number. She then began writing numbers from right to left below the line.
Gu Minghuai looked closely, but still couldn't understand what these symbols were, nor did he know how Lin Xiaotang derived the string of symbols below.
"For bookkeeping and arithmetic? Then why don't you use an abacus? Don't accountants always use abacuses?"
Lin Xiaotang blurted out, "I know that accountants use abacuses, but I'm not used to it. The teacher only taught us twice when he was teaching us, and I've forgotten it all."
The teacher is giving a lecture?
Gu Minghuai was even more puzzled. He asked, "Didn't you not go to school? Did your family hire a tutor for you?"
No wonder the little girl is so intelligent. The Lin family treats their daughter very well. In order to cultivate her, they have also hired a tutor for her. However, he did not see the tutor come to teach Xiaotang today.
The Lin family naturally did not hire a tutor. Lin Xiaotang realized that she had said the wrong thing, so she immediately looked up and said, "My family has never hired a tutor to teach me to read. I learned a little from others before, but it was all minor stuff. You don't need to ask. Go to sleep now, or you can go sleep with your fourth uncle or Uncle Wu Yu."
Gu Minghuai pursed his lips and said, "Alright, alright, I won't ask then. This little girl is so mysterious and has such a bad temper, it's quite frightening."
He reluctantly returned to his makeshift bed on the floor and slowly lay down.
After quickly checking all the accounts for the day, Lin Xiaotang recorded the amounts separately in her own ledger, tidied up her desk, and then took the candle to the bedside and placed it on the low table by the bed.
Gu Minghuai asked with concern, "Xiaotang, do you stay up this late every day checking accounts?"
Lin Xiaotang nodded and said, "Yes, what's wrong?"
Gu Minghuai sighed, "It's really not easy for someone so young to work so hard. No wonder your family's business is growing bigger and bigger. Even you, a child, are working so hard. Needless to say, the elders are too. With the whole family working together, it would be hard for the business not to succeed."
Lin Xiaotang said, "Alright, stop flattering me and go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow."
Gu Minghuai was a little confused. He asked, "You've been reconciling the accounts until so late. What are you going to do tomorrow morning? Aren't we supposed to reconcile the accounts tomorrow night?"
Lin Xiaotang smiled and said, "It's not me who got up early, it's you. Starting tomorrow, you'll be running errands and greeting customers."
Gu Minghuai let out a wail, immediately expressing his dissatisfaction, but he had no choice but to obey Lin Xiaotang's arrangements.
After a long while, Gu Minghuai asked, "Xiao Tang, can you tell me about your childhood?"
Why are you asking me about my childhood?
"I'm curious about what such a smart girl like you has been through, making you smarter and more talented than other girls your age, knowledgeable, and good at business. Share some of the interesting things you've experienced with me!"
Lin Xiaotang thought for a moment and said, "There are no new things, but there are plenty of strange things. How about I tell you about what happened before and after the family split a few years ago? It's all just everyday family stuff, so please don't get impatient listening to it."
"How could that be? I want to hear it."
When Lin Xiaotang recounted her past, it was as if she were an observer recounting something insignificant, speaking in a leisurely and detailed manner.
"Before the family split up..."
……
As night fell, Lord Yang paced back and forth in the courtyard of the Yang residence, looking anxious.
Madam Yang came over with a teacup in hand. "Husband, don't worry. Minghuai is skilled in martial arts, and he's a sensible and intelligent man. He'll be alright."
"How could I not be worried and anxious? He hasn't come for two years. Every time he comes, he disappears. Two years ago, he was almost kidnapped to a brothel to be a male prostitute. You know that."
Seeing her husband so anxious, Madam Yang also felt bad.
“Husband, Minghuai is your nephew. You are worried about him, but I also regard him as my own son. It’s getting dark, and I’m really anxious too. But what can we do if we’re just anxious? I sent the servants to look for him everywhere. If all else fails, let’s ask the people in the government office to help us look for him.”
Lord Yang frowned and refused, saying, "This is utter nonsense. Finding Ming Huai is our family matter. How can we let people from the yamen help us find him? I am the county magistrate. How can I lead the way in abusing my power for personal gain?"
Madam Yang said discouragedly, "This won't work, that won't work, and it's getting later and later. If the servants we sent out can't find them, how are you going to explain this to my sister?"
Yes, if his nephew really did disappear, how would he explain it to his sister?
"Wait another hour. If the servants still can't find him, gather the people from the yamen and go out to search together."
Madam Yang put down her teacup and said with a worried look, "Husband, there's no use in us just worrying here in the courtyard. Why don't we go out and search together? If Minghuai encounters bad people or runs into any trouble, the sooner we find him, the less the child will suffer."
“You’re right. I was too anxious. I just stood there like an idiot in the yard. Come on, let’s go out and find Minghuai now.”
Lord Yang turned to look at his wife and immediately said, “Madam, you should stay at home. If Minghuai comes back, you can send someone to inform me. I don’t know where the child is. It will be quite a journey to find him. You’ve been staying in the backyard all year round. You’ve never walked many roads. I don’t want you to get tired before we find him. I’ll take some people and we can find him faster.”
"Then I will wait for you at home. If Minghuai returns, I will immediately send someone to inform you. If the servants have not found Minghuai after an hour, you must gather the people in the yamen to search for him together."
"Please rest assured, Madam, leave this matter to me."
So, Lord Yang led the remaining servants of his household out to search separately. An hour later, even the officials from the yamen were mobilized.
At night, the streets and alleys of Dushui County are bustling with activity.
Outside, Lord Yang was searching for his nephew so desperately that his eyes were red with tears. In a room in the backyard of Qianzhen Tower, Gu Minghuai was sleeping soundly, a slight smile on his lips.
Despite being separated by the bed curtains, Lin Xiaotang slept restlessly. She vaguely heard a commotion outside the restaurant, but she was too tired to pay attention.
The next day, the streets and alleys were abuzz with talk of what had happened the night before.
A man cracking sunflower seeds said, "Did you guys hear any noises last night? Clanging and banging. I thought something terrible must have happened, so I was too scared to go out and see."
Someone nearby scoffed, "You coward, you don't even dare to look, yet you dare to say something big has happened? You're really making a fuss over nothing."
"Hey, how am I a coward? You talk as if you're brave enough to have seen it. You're just full of teeth, always finding fault with everyone."
The man immediately objected, saying smugly, "You know what, I actually saw it through the crack in the door last night. First, the servants of the Yang family were searching for someone everywhere. After about an hour, even the government officials came out. I wonder who this person is, that they have such ability, that makes Lord Yang go to such lengths."
The people around him sighed, "What you're saying sounds quite plausible, but is it true or false?"
"Oh dear, do you think I would lie to you? I wouldn't dare to lie about Lord Yang. I guarantee that everything I said is true. If you don't believe me, go out and ask around. If you can prove that I'm lying, I...I'll let you do whatever you want with me."
The people around nodded in skepticism, and some even made bets, determined to find out what was going on.
……
Gu Minghuai stretched early in the morning, changed into some ordinary clothes that Lin Xiaotang had found for him, and went to the front to help.
Wipe the table, arrange the chairs, sweep the floor, serve tea...
Even though he had practiced martial arts for two years and was physically strong, he was still exhausted and panting heavily after doing all these chores.
This job doesn't look tiring, but with so many customers and such diverse needs, it keeps you spinning like a top.
He cried inwardly: "If only I hadn't made up an excuse to stay at Qianzhen Tower. I could have stayed at the inn next door, comfortable and without having to do any work. Wouldn't that have been great?"
Now, things have gotten really bad. He, the eldest son of the Gu family, has become a waiter in this small restaurant in Dushui County, and he even has to serve a little maid.
If this gets back to the capital, won't people laugh their heads off?
No, no, this can't be known!
He immediately bent over and lowered his head, afraid that someone would see him and spread the word. Then, he suddenly remembered that apart from his uncle and aunt's family, no one else in Dushui County knew him. If his uncle and aunt didn't say anything, who else would know?
What is he afraid of?
Suddenly, he felt confident, straightened his back, shrugged, and put on a smile, once again looking like a handsome and confident young man.
Suddenly, a slap flew and landed on Gu Minghuai's forehead.
Gu Minghuai was stunned for a moment, then immediately flew into a rage. He shouted, "Who is it? Who hit me? How dare you hit me? You're tired of living!"
He glared at the other person with uncontrollable rage, his eyes piercing fiercely. He never expected that... the one who hit him was his uncle.
When Gu Minghuai saw his uncle's dark face, he belatedly realized that since arriving in Dushui County, he hadn't gone to his uncle's house, but had gone straight to Qianzhen Tower, forgetting to inform his uncle.
Realizing he had done something wrong, he immediately changed his attitude, a smile playing on his lips, and said, "Uncle, what brings you here? I was just about to..."
Lord Yang snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and sat down at the table closest to his nephew, exuding a chilling aura that frightened Gu Minghuai into not knowing how to react.
"You still remember I'm your uncle? I led a group of people searching for you all night, and you're saying I'm tired of living?"
Gu Minghuai put down what he was holding, went around behind his uncle, and quickly started massaging his shoulders and back, looking all ingratiating.
"Oh dear, I must be tired of living. It couldn't possibly be my uncle. It's all my fault. I was having so much fun that I forgot the time and ended up staying at Qianzhen Tower. I even forgot to tell you, which made you worry all night and go to all the trouble of leading a group of people to look for me. I really deserve to be punished. If you can't calm down, why don't you give me a beating?"
Lord Yang glared at him and scolded, "Stop your nonsense and tell me the truth. Why are you here, so close to your uncle's house, instead of going home..."
He looked his nephew up and down, and when he saw that his nephew was wearing the clothes of a waiter at Qianzhenlou, he couldn't help but frown.
What is my nephew up to?
At this moment, several guests had entered the restaurant one after another, and everyone turned their attention to the two of them, making Lord Yang quite uncomfortable.
He turned to his servants and instructed them to spread the word that the person had been found and to quickly withdraw their team. He also told the officials who had posted the missing person notices to take them down immediately.
Today, he was dressed in his own clothes and led his servants out to search for the missing person. Last night, he mobilized the officials from the yamen, but since the people were asleep at night, if he mobilized the officials from the yamen to help him search for the missing person during the day, he would be talked about for no reason. If someone with ulterior motives took advantage of this and made a big deal out of it, it would be troublesome.
After the servants left, Lord Yang glanced at the guests who kept glancing at them, then pulled his nephew upstairs to a private room.
Feeling guilty, Gu Minghuai immediately made tea and poured water for his uncle, bringing it to him.
"Uncle, please don't be angry. I know I was wrong, and I promise I won't make you worry like this again."
Lord Yang said angrily, "Do you think I was worried for nothing, which is why I'm so angry? Your aunt and I didn't sleep all night. Your aunt was pacing anxiously at home, and the servants in the manor went out to look for you all night."
There was absolutely no other way, so I even mobilized the officials from the yamen to help us search for you. We searched the entire county all night long. If we still couldn't find you by today, we would have to go out of the city to look for you. But you, right under our noses, have started working as a waiter at Qianzhenlou.
Tell me, what exactly is the reason? Is it because your uncle is too strict with you, making you feel uncomfortable staying at his house? Or is it because your aunt mistreats you, making you uncomfortable? Or is it because you're short of money? If you're short of money, you can just ask the accountant for it. Would your uncle ever skimp on your food, clothing, or other necessities?