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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Yang embraced the task with great enthusiasm, meticulously checking the accounts. Even dinner was interrupted when Liu Bei dragged him out of his room. He did not disappoint Ye Xiaohan's trust and quickly organized a portion of the accounts to present to her.
"Very good, everything matches," Ye Xiaohan said, closing the account book and handing it back to him. "Make sure to finish the rest when you have time. I'll calculate your pay based on the accounts."
Liu Yang raised his chin and refused, "I'm just helping my family; I don't want any payment."
Ye Xiaohan smiled, "You have quite the sense of responsibility, able to support your family now. Alright, since you feel that way, I won't push you. But remember, your studies come first. If I find out you've fallen behind in your schoolwork, I won't let you help anymore. Do you understand?"
"I understand! The things you taught me are easy; I won't fall behind," Liu Yang said confidently, puffing out his chest as he carried the account book away.
After a month of finishing the accounts, Ye Xiaohan nodded in approval; Liu Yang had performed even better than she expected.
She called Liu Yang into her room and took out a box, handing him the key.
Curious, Liu Yang opened it to find it filled to the brim with silver coins.
"Money! Let's buy candy!" Liu Qi exclaimed joyfully, leaning over the table and clapping at the sight of the silver.
Liu Yang looked at Ye Xiaohan in confusion. "Sister-in-law, what is this for?"
Ye Xiaohan tossed the account book into the box and sighed in relief. "This is the shop's monthly funds, including last month's surplus and this month's income and expenses. We still need to calculate this month's surplus. The remaining profits will be saved for future use; from now on, this will all be your responsibility."
"This can't be!" Liu Yang and Liu Bei exclaimed in unison.
Liu Yang hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law, this is too important to leave with me; I can't take that responsibility." He turned to Liu Bei for help. "Elder Brother, you talk to her."
"Six Bei said, 'It's fine to settle the accounts, but money is something that cannot be touched. You should keep it yourself.'
Ye Xiaohan had finally found a substitute and enjoyed a few comfortable days; he no longer wanted to return to the tedious task of scrutinizing the dense accounts. Seeing that the two were adamant, he had no choice but to compromise.
'If the money isn't on hand, how can we settle it? The account book and the money need to match. Right now, the account book is with Six Yang. Once he finishes calculating, I still have to come back and count the money. It's troublesome on both sides. If you think this isn't appropriate, how about this: let's keep the money box in the storeroom from now on. Only Six Yang and I will have the keys. Whenever Six Yang goes to the storeroom to check the accounts, he can lock the door after he's done,' Ye Xiaohan proposed.
After a moment of stalemate, they ultimately conceded to Ye Xiaohan's suggestion.
Finally relieved of a burden, Ye Xiaohan felt light-hearted and shifted his focus to other matters.
Six Yang guarded the storeroom, cautiously going through everything for several days. Once everything was running smoothly, he gradually relaxed.
Upon learning of this development, Second Uncle's family was overjoyed, believing that Ye Xiaohan was no longer a threat and that the power of the Six family would soon return to their hands.
The three of them felt even more at ease living in the Six household, treating Ye Xiaohan with even greater disdain than before. Whenever Ye Xiaohan ignored them, they would still approach him to mock him.
Every time Six Bei tried to mediate, Second Uncle would take the opportunity to slander Ye Xiaohan, urging him to suppress him completely. Second Aunt even spread rumors that Ye Xiaohan had fallen out of favor with Six Bei and would likely no longer be able to act with impunity in the Six household.
While everyone harbored their own thoughts and maintained a facade of calmness, turmoil was brewing beneath the surface.
As usual, Six Yang went to the storeroom to take inventory. After counting once, he realized that the amount of silver did not match up.
Panic set in for Six Yang; this was the shop's money—every single coin was hard-earned. Ye Xiaohan trusted him enough to entrust such an important matter to him. If something went wrong, how could he explain it when he returned?
Suppressing his anxiety, Six Yang counted again twice more and confirmed that indeed there was less silver. It wasn't a large amount—only two taels—but Six Yang was meticulous about the account book and knew there couldn't possibly be any discrepancies."
Moreover, he had settled everything last night, and the numbers were still correct then.
The theft from the storeroom was a serious matter, even if only a single coin was missing.
Liuyang made a decisive move and went to find Ye Xiaohan to clarify the situation.
Ye Xiaohan pondered for a moment while touching his face, then followed Liuyang to the storeroom to check.
"The account book is here; I've settled everything. Sister-in-law, take a look," Liuyang spread everything out for Ye Xiaohan to review.
Ye Xiaohan counted through it and confirmed that it was indeed so.
Their commotion caught the attention of others, who gathered around. Upon hearing about the stolen silver, they were all taken aback.
Liubei was somewhat angry and questioned Liuyang, "How could you let this happen? Just a couple of days ago, Xiao Han praised your meticulousness. How could you mess up so quickly? Ask yourself if you guaranteed this before!"
"I..." Liuyang felt both anxious and wronged. The silver had been lost under his watch, and he bore undeniable responsibility. "I'm sorry, Sister-in-law."
Liuer Aunt shouted sharply from the side, "Such a big issue, and all you can say is 'I'm sorry'? Liuyang, it's not just me; you're being too careless. Luckily, only two taels were lost this time. What if next time it's twenty taels or even two hundred? Will 'I'm sorry' be enough then?"
Liuyang chose to ignore her and lowered his head to Ye Xiaohan. "Sister-in-law, the money was lost on my watch. I will find a way to make it up."
Liuer Aunt scoffed, "Make it up? With what? You live off the family; you use the family's resources. How many coins have you earned over the years? Two taels of silver is an entire year's household expenses. You talk big for your age; aren't you afraid of tripping over your own tongue?"
Liuyang paid her no mind; he was only worried about making Ye Xiaohan angry.
Ye Xiaohan stared silently at the money box, and Liu Yang couldn't help but feel tense.
"Sister-in-law... please don't be angry. It's all my fault. If I had been more careful last night, this wouldn't have happened," Liu Yang said regretfully.
If he lost Ye Xiaohan's trust because of this, he would regret not sleeping in front of the storeroom door for the rest of his life.
Second Uncle saw this as a good opportunity and seized the moment to make a suggestion: "Liu Yang is still young and lacks attention to detail in many matters, which is why this happened. Liu Bei, I think we shouldn't let Liu Yang handle the money anymore. After all, it's better to keep the finances in the hands of adults."
Liu Bei was also dissatisfied with the situation. Hearing Second Uncle's suggestion, he nodded and said, "That's fine. Liu Yang still needs more training; for now, he shouldn't go to the shop."
"Elder brother!" Liu Yang exclaimed in shock. His elder brother was indeed angry. He glanced at Ye Xiaohan in a panic, fearing she would agree.
Ye Xiaohan flipped through the account book and asked, "Let's not worry about the missing two taels of silver for now. We need to figure out where exactly these two taels were lost."
She turned to Liu Yang: "Are you sure you didn't make any mistakes in your calculations? Two taels of silver isn't a small amount, but in the shop, it’s just one entry. Could it be that you recorded something incorrectly?"
"That's impossible," Liu Yang replied firmly. "To avoid mistakes, I calculated all the accounts using two different methods and verified them twice before recording them. There’s no way I could have made an error."
Ye Xiaohan nodded: "Since the accounts are correct, it means there has been a theft." She glanced at the overflowing money box; it was hard to tell that two taels were missing.
"This is precisely the problem," Ye Xiaohan pointed at the money box and said, "What kind of thief would break into someone else's house in the middle of the night and only steal two taels of silver from a box full of gold and silver?"
Liu Yang was momentarily stunned by this line of reasoning; he hadn't considered that angle and was left speechless.
Liu Bei was also puzzled and asked, "Xiao Han, what exactly is going on? How did this money go missing?"
Suddenly, the quiet Sixth Brother spoke up, "Who knows what's going on? We don't have the key to the storeroom, and we've never seen what’s inside. If you want to ask, go ask the person who has the key."
Only Ye Xiaohan and Sixth Yang had the key to the storeroom. All the money in the house was earned by Ye Xiaohan; if she wanted to spend it, she could just take it herself without needing anyone's permission. His words clearly shifted the blame onto Sixth Yang.
Upon hearing her son's words, Second Aunt seemed to realize something. She jumped up and shouted, "Oh, so it's you, you little rascal! You stole the money yourself and then tried to frame someone else! You thought we would all be fooled into thinking a thief broke in and stole something, allowing you to quietly hide the money!"
She tightly grabbed Sixth Yang's arm, trying to drag him out. "Thank goodness my son is clever; otherwise, you would have tricked us all. With a mind as twisted as yours at such a young age, what will you be like when you grow up? No way! I have to take you to see the authorities. Someone like you deserves to rot in jail!"
Sixth Yang broke free from her grip and shouted, "You're crazy! I didn't do it!"
He quickly turned to Ye Xiaohan and explained, "Sister-in-law, I didn’t! This money is from the shop. If I needed money, I could just ask you for it. How could I possibly steal from myself? You have to believe me!"
Sixth Brother scoffed, "A thief would never admit to being a thief. Even if it was you who stole it, you'd deny it now. Otherwise, how could you stay in this house?"
Second Uncle lamented, "Sixth Yang, what are we supposed to think of you? You usually seem so smart; how come when it really matters, you act so foolishly? If you were going to steal, you should have taken the whole money box instead of just two taels. Doesn’t that just scream that something is off here?"
Sixth Yang retorted angrily, "Don’t slander me! Which one of your eyes saw me steal? Maybe it's you who are stealing from us while living off our hospitality! Who knows if you've taken anything else!"
"You...you little brat! Not only did you steal but now you're denying it too! We must take you to see the authorities; let them punish you!" Second Uncle joined Second Aunt in trying to drag Sixth Yang away.
Sixth Yang was quick on his feet; the two elderly people were no match for him. They quickly grew tired and breathless while cursing him as he darted around.
Watching this farce unfold, Sixth Bei felt his pent-up anger reach its peak. He shouted, "Sixth Yang, come here! Clear this up properly!"
Sixth Yang yelled back, "Big Brother, don’t you believe me? I didn’t steal the money!"
Sixth Brother pouted, standing at an awkward angle, disdainfully saying, "Who else could it be but you? You're the only one with a key. You can open the storeroom whenever you want and take as much silver as you like."
"Did you see me take anything?" Sixth Yang stood in front of him, glaring with a surprising intensity.
Sixth Brother was taken aback, instinctively stepping back half a pace, but still retorted stubbornly, "It's because you have this suspicion. Besides you, none of us have a key; we can't even get in."
"Enough arguing! It's so annoying!" Ye Xiaohan said displeased. "This matter ends here and should never be mentioned again. Everyone disperse and go about your business. Sixth Bei, get them all out!"
Sixth Second Uncle wanted to say something more but was persuaded by Sixth Bei and left grumbling, with Sixth Second Aunt quickly following behind.
Seeing Sixth Yang's agitated expression, the brothers hurriedly slipped out, fearing he might act impulsively.
The surroundings fell silent. Sixth Yang let out a sigh, leaning against the wall with a gloomy face. "Sister-in-law, I really didn’t steal it. I swear on my elder brother!"
Ye Xiaohan glanced at him. "You need to swear on someone else for your own innocence? That's quite something. Alright, I understand the situation now; I believe you didn't do it."
"Really!" Sixth Yang suddenly perked up. "Sister-in-law, you really believe me!"
Ye Xiaohan patted his shoulder. "Trust those who are trustworthy and doubt those who are suspicious. Since I've chosen you, of course I believe in you."
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