Chapter 5

Taking advantage of the absence of others, Lin Zhao casually took away the leftover herbs, returned to his room, and dried them in a well-ventilated place. He planned to find a doctor to identify the herbs when he had time, as they might come in handy someday. As for the porcelain shard, it was also carefully preserved as evidence...

At noon, Lin Zhao walked to the front courtyard, where Miss Meng usually worked.

As soon as he entered the small courtyard, he saw that in the side rooms, dozens of accountants were either flipping through accounts, manipulating abacuses, or writing diligently...

This was not surprising, as the Meng family had branches in more than ten cities, including Jiangning, Hangzhou, Bianjing, Luoyang, and Daming, with business spanning grain, textiles, restaurants, and shipping. It was a vast and prosperous enterprise. Lin Zhao was quite impressed by Meng Ruoying, as managing such a large business as a woman was indeed challenging and difficult!

"Alas, this is a restricted area for accountants, no idle people allowed..." A servant stopped him after a few steps, but upon recognizing him, smiled and said, "Oh, isn't this Brother Lin?"

The news of yesterday's events, despite the old lady's strict orders to keep it confidential, had spread throughout the Meng residence. The only one unaware was probably Meng Ruoyu himself, who was wearing the green hat.

First, he was the male lead in the scandal, and then he eloquently defended his innocence. The people in the Meng residence couldn't help but look at him with more curiosity and admiration.

Lin Zhao could sense the unusual atmosphere but ignored it, saying, "I am here on the master's orders to report to Miss Meng. May I ask where she is now?"

"Report? Oh..." The servant pointed to the main house behind him, "Miss Meng is there, reviewing the accounts..."

Just as Lin Zhao was about to step forward, the servant stopped him, saying, "Brother Lin, it might not be convenient for you to go now..."

"Why?"

Before the servant could answer, two women came out of the main hall...

"Xiao Tao was momentarily confused, but it's good that she knows her mistake and is willing to reform. I am willing to give her a chance to redeem herself."

"Big Sister, you have a broad heart, forgiving the small-minded..."

"Alas, she was momentarily confused, but it's good that she knows her mistake. I am grateful to you, Little Sister, for your persuasion. If not for you, Grandmother wouldn't have relented..."

"Not at all, Big Sister, you are too kind..."

Lin Zhao recognized Li Shi and Meng Ruoying. He also understood that Li Shi had pleaded with Meng Ruoying to speak to the old lady, who agreed to release Xiao Tao early. Now, she was here to thank her. Of course, there might be other motives as well!

"Salutations, Madam, Miss Meng!" Unable to tolerate the hypocritical act, Lin Zhao stepped forward to interrupt.

"You..."

Li Shi was startled by Lin Zhao's sudden appearance, trembling and looking flustered...

Meng Ruoying, seeing this, said sternly, "What are you doing here? How can you be so rude and scare Big Sister..."

Lin Zhao sneered inwardly, if she had nothing to hide, why would she be so flustered?

"It's fine, it's fine!" Li Shi quickly regained her composure, waving her hands and stepping forward, "Brother Lin, I misunderstood you yesterday, I apologize!"

"Madam, you are too kind!" Pretending to be formal, Lin Zhao sneered inwardly. Li Shi's acting was decent, but the deep worry and hatred in her eyes were unmistakable.

Lin Zhao guessed that at this moment, this despicable woman was probably plotting against him...

Am I afraid of a woman? I will face any challenge head-on!

"Little Sister, I will take my leave..." Li Shi, fearing she might say too much, especially after witnessing Lin Zhao's abilities yesterday, hurriedly left.

Meng Ruoying, still maintaining her haughty demeanor, asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh!" Lin Zhao smiled, "The old lady's birthday banquet is approaching. The master is busy with his studies and cannot help much. He is worried that Miss Meng will be too tired, so he sent me to assist you and show his filial piety!"

Meng Ruoying was unperturbed, clearly used to her brother's behavior and not expecting much from him. Now, she was more interested in Lin Zhao.

"You? What can you do?" People tend to associate with those of similar qualities. In Meng Ruoying's mind, Lin Zhao and her brother were both bookworms, and she didn't expect much from them.

Feeling belittled, Lin Zhao retorted, "I will do whatever needs to be done!"

Meng Ruoying's eyes widened, used to giving orders, she found such a defiant attitude annoying...

Are you defying me? Fine, let's see... Meng Ruoying pointed to a stack of papers on the table, saying, "Since your brother sent you to help, it's commendable. I won't refuse. However, you look frail, so I won't burden you with physical labor. Can you handle the accounts? These are the expenses for Grandmother's birthday banquet. Please calculate the total cost."

Calculating? Lin Zhao smiled and nodded in agreement.

Meng Ruoying was slightly surprised, expecting Lin Zhao to decline or be hesitant, but he agreed so easily. She said sternly, "There are abacuses over there. Start now and finish by sunset, can you do that?"

Although the abacus was already in use during the Song Dynasty, the calculation methods were not yet perfected, and the speed was not fast. Meng Ruoying had a bit of a challenging intention, hoping to make Lin Zhao back down.

"Probably won't take that long..." Lin Zhao glanced at the papers and started calculating.

Talking big! Meng Ruoying rolled her eyes and entered the inner room...

Lin Zhao began adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing, everything went smoothly, except for the slightly awkward use of the brush pen...

Meng Ruoying sat in the inner room, flipping through the accounts, amused. Let's see how you do, show off!

However, before an hour had passed, a knock came at the door, and she looked up to see Lin Zhao standing there.

"Can't do it?" Meng Ruoying smiled smugly.

Lin Zhao smiled, "Already done, a total of 16,316 strings of coins!" In his previous life, he had read in a magazine that one string of coins in the Song Dynasty was roughly equivalent to 300 RMB. So, the old lady's birthday banquet would cost about 5 million RMB, truly a wealthy family!

Meng Ruoying didn't take it seriously at first, but when she heard the number, she was taken aback. Her rough estimate was about the same!

"How did you calculate it?" Meng Ruoying was very curious.

Lin Zhao smiled, "I have my methods..."

Meng Ruoying rolled her eyes, "Fine, you can go back for now. I'll call you if I need you!" She still didn't fully trust Lin Zhao...

Lin Zhao was happy to have some free time and left. Meng Ruoying watched him go, then walked to the table and saw many symbols drawn on the paper, which seemed to be the basis of Lin Zhao's conclusion!

Meng Ruoying became interested and wanted to verify it. She called a few accountants and instructed, "Do nothing today, quickly tally up the total of these accounts!"

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Lin Zhao hummed a tune as he walked, but fate was cruel, and he encountered Li Shi and the newly released Xiao Tao on the way.

"Salutations, Madam..."

"It's Brother Lin!" Li Shi smiled seductively but also sinisterly. Xiao Tao looked at Lin Zhao with hatred, her eyes narrowing even more...

"Oh, wasn't Xiao Tao supposed to be in seclusion?" Lin Zhao asked knowingly.

Xiao Tao said smugly, "Grandmother showed mercy and released me!"

"Is that so? Congratulations, but Xiao Tao, you should be more careful in the future. You can't lie with your eyes open anymore..."

Li Shi said coldly, "I will strengthen my supervision, but Brother Lin, don't look at what you shouldn't and don't speak of what you shouldn't. Not every time will you be so lucky..."

"Thank you for your advice, Madam, I will take my leave!" Damn, threatening me, I'm not afraid of threats. Lin Zhao ignored her and left...

Xiao Tao worried, "Miss, his mouth is always a hazard!"

"I know, but he has no evidence. What can he do? By the way, did you dispose of the leftover herbs from yesterday?"

"Yes!" Xiao Tao nodded. The herbs were buried under the flowers, where no one would notice. Over time, they would turn into good fertilizer. She added worriedly, "Miss, you didn't take the medicine yesterday, what if..."

Li Shi shook her head, "It won't be that coincidental. Sigh! It's all because of Meng Ruoyu, that bookworm, who hasn't shared a bed with me for half a year. Otherwise, why would I have to be so cautious and live in fear?"

Xiao Tao added, "And this Lin Zhao, he is too despicable. Seeing him so smug, I can't stand it!"

"Yes, we should find a way to make him suffer!" Li Shi agreed wholeheartedly.