Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

Liu Wenying keenly sensed his change in mood, and although she didn't know which words had upset him, she still changed the subject, asking, "How much silver should Luo Luo pay each month here?"

Xue Bi put down his pen and returned the roster to its original place.

"No money required."

"What?" Liu Wenying thought she had misheard.

Xue Bi shook his head and repeated, "It's true, we really won't accept it."

"How can that be?"

She took out the string of copper coins from her purse and placed them on the wooden table.

"Even a teacher needs to make a living; how can we waste our efforts?"

Xue Bi pushed the money back, saying, "There's no need for that."

He looked out the door and saw the children sitting in a row.

"These children are mostly from farming families in Tanxi Village. Their parents work hard all day long, and it is already difficult enough for them to be able to study and learn to read. On weekdays, they send some rice, grains and eggs, which is enough for Xue to make a living."

"But I can't just not take a single penny. If others give me gifts, I should give them something in return."

As the two were debating, Wenying saw his resolute attitude and finally conceded: "One hundred coins a month, that's the lowest I can offer."

She took half of the coin and pushed the rest back over.

"Master Xue also needs to buy more writing brushes and ink; consider the extra money as my donation for paper and brushes to the children."

After a moment of silence, Xue Bi finally accepted it.

"Your daughter is young, which makes her less of a worry. You only need to watch her to prevent her from bumping into things, and you don't need to spend as much time teaching her as you would with older children."

Liu Wenying thought to herself, "Given Luo Luo's personality, that might not be the case."

The two left the house, and she straightened her daughter's two little pigtails, gently instructing her, "Luo Luo, be a good girl and play here, listen to your teacher."

"Your mother will come to pick you up when the sun goes down."

I thought my daughter would cry, but to my surprise, she looked up, said "I know" in her baby voice, and then turned and ran into the yard.

There, Xiao Huangmei, wearing an apricot-yellow shirt, was waving at her.

Liu Wenying watched her daughter's retreating figure without turning her head, then turned back to Xue Bi with a helpless smile: "My child is still young, I'm sorry to have made the teacher laugh."

Xue Bi had already reached the door, and the sunlight illuminated his thin profile.

He watched Luo Luo and Xiao Xing'er squatting together watching ants, their two little heads almost touching.

"Playing is a child's nature, and the age when they can be carefree is actually very short, so they should cherish it."

After sending Luo Luo to the private school, Liu Wenying was finally free to do so.

Knowing that someone as kind as Xue Bi is looking after her is more reassuring than having Luo Luo chasing chickens and dogs around the manor.

She was finally able to devote herself entirely to the affairs of Zhuangzi.

During the day, he inspected the mulberry fields, examined the silkworm rearing rooms, and supervised the work.

After picking Luo Luo up in the evening and putting her to sleep, I can still carefully check the accounts under the lamp.

That night, the sound of frogs croaking filled the air outside the window.

She coaxed Luo Luo to sleep and went to the accounting room to calculate the income and expenditure of the past few months by candlelight.

Granny Wang lifted the curtain and came in, a hint of joy on her face: "Manager, another person has come to apply for the position of accountant."

Liu Wenying rubbed her temples. She had met four or five men in the past few days, but none of them suited her taste.

She had no hope and simply said, "Please come in."

The curtain was lifted again, and the person who walked in surprised her.

Xue Bi was still wearing that old outfit, with patches on the cuffs.

He clearly hadn't expected that the head of Zhiyun Manor would be the same woman who had brought his daughter over a few days ago.

Xue Bi stood by the door, stunned, a hint of unease appearing on his handsome face.

"It's actually Master Xue? Please have a seat." Liu Wenying put down her pen, stood up, and personally poured tea for him.

Xue Bi sat down opposite him as instructed and accepted the teacup with both hands.

Perhaps the hot tea eased his anxiety slightly, for when he looked up again, his gaze was clear and open.

"To be honest, I do need this accounting job. The accounting hours are just the right time to avoid any disruption to my private school schedule."

The private school only accepted rice, grains, and eggs, which were barely enough to cover daily expenses.

But as winter approaches, prices rise, and he needs to stock up on more food to get through the winter, so he must prepare early.

Looking at his thin shoulders, Liu Wenying understood.

She said gently, "It's excellent that Master Xue is so frank. I like honest people. There's no need to be shy."

Upon hearing this, Xue Bi's lips curled up slightly, her smile conveying a sense of relief.

He put down his teacup and said, "Since we're not in a private school, you don't need to call me Master Xue. Just call me by my name."

"Then don't call me Zhuangtou, just call me Liu Wenying."

Xue Bi's ears turned slightly red, and she responded softly.

Even though they are acquaintances, the proper procedures still need to be followed.

Liu Wenying pushed over the test questions she had prepared in advance, which included several arithmetic problems.

There are calculations for grain prices, cloth losses, and wages... These are all amounts that Zhuangzi would encounter daily.

She had thought Xue Bi needed an abacus and was about to take it when he glanced down at it, tapped his fingers lightly on the table a few times, and then wrote down the answer.

Before the ink was even dry, Wenying had already taken it and examined it closely.

The numbers were accurate to the last penny, even the odd amounts were calculated precisely.

She looked up at him, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "You can do mental arithmetic?"

"I learned abacus mental arithmetic when I was young, and later I read some arithmetic classics on my own."

Liu Wenying then tried to teach him modern accounting methods.

She spent a lot of effort summarizing those symbols and formulas.

Xue Bichu was somewhat unfamiliar with it at first, but he just silently studied and practiced.

In less than a quarter of an hour, he grasped the essentials and sorted out the messy account book clearly.

Liu Wenying suddenly felt that the anxiety she had been carrying these past few days had finally been put to rest.

The accountant she requested has arrived.

Closing the account book, Liu Wenying smiled and said, "Two taels of silver per month, to be withdrawn on the fifth of each month. What do you and Xue Bi think?"

Xue Bi was stunned. "So many?"

Liu Wenying took out the contract from the drawer and began to fill it out.

"It's not that I'm giving them preferential treatment on purpose. There have been quite a few applicants these days, but they either can't do the math or they can't learn the new methods."

She looked up at him, her eyes shining brightly in the candlelight.

"Only you are the one who suits my heart best."

He clearly knew that what she meant by "pleasing to his heart" was his accounting skills.

Even so, the thin skin behind Xue Bi's ear still turned red.

He lowered his head to straighten his cuffs. "Liu Wenying is too kind."

Liu Wenying pushed the contract over, then handed him paper, pen, and inkpad, urging him to sign it quickly, as if afraid it would run away.

"Then it's settled. You can come and settle the accounts tomorrow evening."

Xue Bi picked up the pen, pressed his fingerprint on it, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "I will be here promptly at 5:00 PM tomorrow."

After the job was settled, Xue Bi got up to take his leave.

After seeing him off at the door, Liu Wenying returned to her tent. Just as she sat down, Granny Wang brought in some wontons for a late-night snack.

After putting down the wontons, she didn't leave, staring intently at Liu Wenying.

That look in his eyes held a hint of teasing, making Liu Wenying feel completely out of sorts.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Granny? Just say what you want to say. You're making me feel uneasy."

Granny Wang stepped forward, pulled over a chair, and sat down.

"This old servant just thinks that you and Master Xue, no, no, I mean Accountant Xue, look quite well-matched standing together."

"Besides, his back view, from a distance, does resemble Second Master somewhat."

"Cough cough cough..." Liu Wenying choked on the wonton soup. "What did you say, Granny?"

Granny Wang's words were clearly loaded with meaning; it was unclear whether she was referring to herself as a good match for Xue Bi or for the Second Master.

Either way, it made her cheeks flush.

…………