Electronic Nezha

Chapter 172 Accounting
"Don't be like this, we really do like each other." Ma Chaoran realized that she had to step in at this moment and finally blurted out these words.

If I were to say this, it would just be wishful thinking on the part of an old lecher, but when Ma Chaoran says it, the impact is definitely different.

Old Wang, his neck stiff, protested, "Why?"

Ma Chaoran said, "I thought Lao Liu was interesting the first time I met him at the police station, and we later had dinner together a few more times..."

Old Wang said, "You mean the time we beat up Zhang Biao, right? ... The interesting one shouldn't be me, he didn't even lift a finger." You see, Old Wang thought of what I was thinking of too, but there's nothing we can do about it now. Having a script is better than having no script, even if it's a bad one.

Then Ma Chaoran and I took turns reciting where we had eaten and what dishes we had. As the saying goes, "food and sex are intertwined," and at my age and her age, we were both single, so the fact that we often ate together said a lot.

Li Ping asked, "Does Liu Zhenhua know about this?" She always maintained a normal thought process; this could only happen if Liu Zhenhua didn't have any reservations.

I nodded: "Liu Zhenhua doesn't dislike Lao Ma."

Old Wang slapped his hands together and said, "I never would have guessed, Fengzi, that quiet guy can be a leopard, and you even got a taste of tender grass." His tone was a mix of excitement and resentment, just like your college roommate when he finds out that the campus belle has agreed to go on a date with you.

Li Ping said, "That's great. When do you plan to get married?" She was practically a carbon copy of my mother, asking all the standard questions.

I waved my hand and said, "Let's take it one step at a time. She might not even marry you, right, Lao Ma?"

Ma Chaoran smiled and said, "That's right."

I feel these two lines are getting better and better, they're starting to sound like the story of an older man and his young girlfriend.

Old Wang kicked my leg and said, "What did you do to stretch your thigh like that? Ouch!" Oh no, judging from his expression, he finally thought of that!
"We just went for a run!"

"Oh, you two are living together now?"

I glared at him and said, "Don't you have anything important to do? Isn't today for settling the accounts?"

Old Wang glanced at Ma Chaoran and said, "Isn't Reporter Ma going back to her unit?"

I know what he means. Accounting is a sensitive matter, as it's tantamount to indirectly exposing income. If Ma Chaoran were sensible, she should have taken the initiative to avoid suspicion at this time.

Ma Chaoran, completely oblivious to the situation, said, "I'm not busy today."

Old Wang looked at me again, and I struggled to get up and said, "Let's do it, and let Old Ma help us out."

Old Wang chuckled and said, "This boss lady took office pretty quickly."

We went inside, and Lao Wang took out his handwritten ledger, cell phone, and calculator. I said to Ma Chaoran, "Lao Wang will tell you the numbers later, and you can help him calculate them. In the end, the two of you will check the total."

Ma Chaoran asked, "And you?"

"My legs hurt." Actually, I had a headache. Taking stock of the accounts is a particularly tedious and boring task. If I had a choice, I would rather not take stock of the accounts. Unfortunately, Lao Wang is very serious about this. Every time, he has to drag me to press the calculator together. If the numbers are even slightly wrong, we have to start all over again.

Actually, I come late and leave early every day, and sometimes I disappear for several days in a row. It's common for Lao Wang to take advantage of his position to scramble for some money for cigarettes when I'm not around. As long as the amount is reasonable, I would turn a blind eye even if I knew. However, this has never happened in all these years. Perhaps my unconditional trust in Lao Wang has been accumulated unconsciously in this way.

Before the accounting began, Lao Wang gave Ma Chaoran a calculator and took one for himself. Ma Chaoran handed the calculator to me and said, "Lao Liu can't be lazy either, you use this."

"I'll use my phone." I opened the calculator in my hand and showed it to her.

"Ready? Let's begin." Old Wang read the ledger meticulously, listing how many apples, oranges, and strawberries were sold this month, the initial purchase price, the inventory, and their respective prices.

Ma Chaoran's slender fingers clicked on the calculator. At first, Lao Wang was a little uncomfortable, but for some reason, he became more confident as he read, his voice growing louder and louder, his confidence increasing. When he finally announced the total, I knew why he was so confident—"Our performance this month is pretty good. The turnover exceeded 20,000. After deducting losses and expenses, the net profit is about 15,000."

Old Wang is making me proud with these numbers. Even though he's old, he earns over ten thousand a month!

Ma Chaoran remained calm, looked up and asked Old Wang, "What was the total again?"

"Twenty-three thousand three hundred and seventy-five." "Why did I calculate it forty-five yuan less, Lao Liu? How much is yours?"

I finished the match-3 game in no time, and was startled by the question, almost blurting out that I was only three bananas short—when Old Wang mentioned oranges, I opened the mini-game…

I stammered, "More or less."

Old Wang and Ma Chaoran said in unison, "What do you mean by 'almost'?"

"That's good enough," I said, playing the victim. "One of you must have been daydreaming!"

Ma Chaoran asked, "How much exactly have you calculated?"

Old Wang simply said, "Let's start over."

I said speechlessly, "Please forgive me, I'll confess, I was daydreaming, okay?"

"So let's start over."

Ma Chaoran suddenly said, "No need, I forgot to count one bag of apples."

"Be more careful next time!" I scolded her, then handed the cherries to Old Wang and said, "Sell these for me."

"What's going on?"

"A gift from someone else."

"Who's so blind as to send you fruit?"

Ma Chaoran laughed and said, "Why don't you open it and see if there's anything else inside?"

I became suspicious after hearing her words, so I opened it and examined it for a long time, and it really was... a cherry.

"Naughty."

I understand what Director Chen is trying to say. Of course, we should sell such expensive fruit. Why would we eat it ourselves?

After reporting the accounts, Old Wang said calmly, "Well, last month was just so-so, it was still worse than last year."

I couldn't hold back any longer: "Stop pretending, how much did you sell this month last year?"

Ma Chaoran chuckled, "I got it. I'll have Lao Liu buy me a bag right away."

I said, "How about steamed buns instead?"

"Unless it's the one from this morning."

Old Wang was also embarrassed: "I won't say any more?"

I glanced at the next room and said, "I wonder how Ping'er is doing. With Sister Hu helping her, she should be doing much better, right?"

"Oh yeah, I was wondering what was missing. I haven't heard Sister Hu teasing me all morning." Old Wang leaned out and knocked on Li Ping's window. "Where's your Sister Yan?"

Li Ping said, "I just called her, and she took the day off today."

Ma Chaoran and I exchanged a glance. The main reason she insisted on coming with me was that she wanted to meet this Sister Hu.

Old Wang asked, "Why? Did you finally get beaten up because of your mouth?"

(End of this chapter)