There are five guys in the shop, three of them weigh the rice for the customers, one is in charge of counting, and one of them is more plain-looking and stands at the door to greet the customers.

Seeing Chi Fei come in, the white guy standing at the door immediately shouted with a cold face: "Go out, this is not the place for you to beg for food." ”

"I'm not here to beg for food, I'm here to apply for the job of Mr. Ledger."

"You're here to apply for Mr. Ledger? Are you kidding! Get out, get out right now, and I'll beat you up if you don't leave. "If it weren't for the fear that Chi Fei would be dirty, that guy would have started to drive people away.

Chi Fei didn't want to waste time arguing with this kind of person, so he suddenly lowered his body and got past him, and then ran to the shopkeeper who was sitting inside.

"You little beast dare to run, catch him! Get him! The guy chased and called for help.

This call immediately attracted the attention of other guys and guests.

"What happened?" The shopkeeper, who was originally reading the account book, was noisy and raised his head in displeasure.

As soon as he looked up, he saw a little beggar dressed in tatters running in front of him.

Before the shopkeeper could get angry, Chi Fei first clasped his fists and saluted, then looked directly at the other party and said in a very calm voice: "The shopkeeper is polite, the kid is not a beggar, he is just temporarily in trouble in the capital." I saw that your store posted a notice at the door to hire a bookkeeper, and it happened that the boy had a slight talent for arithmetic, so he came to apply. If there is any disturbance, please forgive the shopkeeper. ”

Seeing that the little beggar spoke clearly and elegantly, obviously reading a book, the shopkeeper couldn't help but feel very surprised, so he stopped the janitor who wanted to take Chi Fei away forcibly.

I looked at the young man in front of me again, and saw that although the other party was ragged and thin, his face was yellow and thin, but his face, hands and feet were clean, and his eyes were bright, and he was not afraid to look at people, and he really didn't look like an ordinary beggar.

"Do you really know how to do arithmetic?" The shopkeeper asked as he carefully observed the other party's expression, trying to see if he was lying.

Chi Fei smiled: "If I say yes, you may not believe it." Why don't you let me give it a try? ”

"How do you want to try?"

"If it's convenient, the shopkeeper, you can give me the revenue account book of the past few days, and it will be clear."

The shopkeeper thought about it for a moment and finally agreed. Tell them to bring the account book and abacus of the day before yesterday.

After the ledger and abacus were delivered, the shopkeeper said, "Let's begin, time is within a pillar of incense." ”

"Thank you, shopkeeper." Chi Fei picked up the account book and flipped it up directly.

Seeing that he just flipped through the account book page by page, but never touched the abacus at all, the shopkeeper couldn't help asking: "Why don't you use the abacus?" Don't you know how to use it? ”

"You don't need an abacus, you can do mental arithmetic."

"Well, bragging, and not making drafts." The guy standing at the door sneered.

Chi Fei ignored it and continued to flip through the ledger page by page.

The shopkeeper watched him without saying a word.

In less than five minutes, the ledger was quickly turned over.

After turning the page, Chi Fei started to turn the page again.

This time it was faster than the first time, and it took less than three minutes to finish.

After turning it over for the second time, he put down the account book, and then said to the shopkeeper: "A total of one hundred and six hundred and seventy-seven dollars and fifty-three wen, please verify it by the shopkeeper." ”

The shopkeeper took the white paper that had been pasted on the last page of the ledger, but he had torn it off in advance, and the total amount was written on it, and he turned it out of his sleeve and looked at it.

After looking at the amount on the paper clearly, he couldn't help but change his face and showed a very shocked expression.

It turned out to be word for word.

At this time, there is still a lot of time before the time of a pillar of incense (thirty minutes).

What's more, this kid was obviously checking the results when he just flipped through it for the second time. That is, he could have figured out the answer earlier.

Such amazing mental arithmetic ability is simply a prodigy. How could this not shock the shopkeeper.

If Chi Fei knew what he thought, he could only say hehe.

What kind of prodigy is he, he has only been doing mental arithmetic since elementary school.

His level, in the eyes of modern real mental arithmetic masters, let alone green onions, hair is not counted.

However, the shopkeeper guessed one thing correctly, he was indeed checking the results when he went through it a second time.

Because there was only one chance, he didn't dare to be careless, and he had to ensure that there was no mistake in the amount, so he checked it again.

Anyone who has learned mental arithmetic knows that the principle is very simple, that is, imagine that there is an abacus in your heart, and then use this imaginary abacus to calculate addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

People who are average in mental arithmetic also need to use their fingers to simulate the action of the plan to assist in calculation when calculating.

And people who really learn well, all the actions are completed in the brain, and there is no need for finger cooperation. Chi Fei belongs to this category of people.

Since the action of dialing the abacus with your fingers is completely omitted, it is naturally much faster than the person who actually uses the abacus.

Although the principle sounds very simple and it is quick and convenient to use, mental arithmetic is like the piano, which needs to be practiced from an early age, and it is very difficult for adults to practice.

The ancients, who had never learned mental arithmetic or other quick arithmetic methods, would naturally be shocked to see that someone was able to extract results from such a large amount of data at once, and the other party was only a teenager.

Seeing the shopkeeper staring at him with wide eyes, Chi Fei knew that he had made the right bet, so he deliberately said: "If the shopkeeper still has doubts, you can take the test again." ”

The shopkeeper shook his head and said, "No need, the little brother's mental arithmetic ability is amazing, and the old man admires and admires." ”

Arithmetic is different from poetry and essays, and a wrong number is also wrong, and there is no room for confusion at all. What's more, he stared at the whole time, there could be no fake.

As soon as these words came out, the other guys and the guests watching the excitement looked at the ragged teenager in disbelief.

Knowing that there are many people here and it is not suitable to talk in detail, the shopkeeper invited Chi Fei into the inner hall alone, and also served tea and snacks.

After looking at the tea and snacks on the table, Chi Fei said very frankly: "Don't hide it from the shopkeeper, the kid hasn't eaten for a few days." I'm not welcome to do this, I hope the shopkeeper won't be surprised. ”

For his calmness, the shopkeeper smiled and said, "Little brother, please feel free, you don't have to be polite." ”

Chi Fei picked up the snack and ate it slowly.

Although he was already hungry, he resisted the urge to gobble up and slowly tasted it.

He knows very well that he is still in the "interview" stage, and he is only one step away from the door, and he must maintain his style and demeanor in order to make a good impression on the other party.

Sure enough, when the shopkeeper saw that the young man was eating elegantly and calmly, he looked like a well-born and well-educated person, and he couldn't help but feel a little good in his heart, and his expression became more kind.

After eating two pieces of dim sum to quench his hunger, Chi Fei put down the cup and said, "The shopkeeper has something to ask, the kid has nothing to say." ”

"Then what is the name of the little brother and where does he come from? Why did you live in the capital? ”

"The boy's surname is Su Dan's name, a real character, originally from Zhangjia Village, Bolai County, Jing'an Prefecture, and his parents and uncles are farmers. The boy is the only son in the family, and he has been studying in the village since he was a child.

However, last year, there was a severe drought in the north, and barbarians invaded the country, making it difficult for the family to make a living. What's more, one day, a gang of horse thieves suddenly broke into the village to burn, kill and loot.

In just one day, hundreds of people in the village, including the boy's grandparents, parents, and uncles, were all killed by horse thieves. It happened that the boy happened to go into the mountains to pick wild fruits, so he escaped. Speaking of this, Chi Fei's tone was heavy, his eyes were red, and he looked very sad.

Of course, this grief was performed by Chi Fei, although he was also sympathetic to Su Zhen's suffering, but he was not himself after all, so he couldn't empathize, so he could only be an extra.

These performances are necessary, because Su Zhen's life experience is so miserable, if the person concerned acts indifferent when talking about this experience, how can outsiders believe it?

Sure enough, when the shopkeeper heard this, he couldn't help but look at him with great sympathy.

Gently wiping the corners of his eyes, Chi Fei continued: "As a last resort, the kid can only migrate to the south with the other displaced people until he comes to the capital. ”

"Does the little brother have any relatives in the capital?"

"No, if there is, you won't even be able to eat."

Chi Fei observed the shopkeeper's expression as he spoke, and found that he frowned inadvertently, knowing that the other party wanted to retreat.

In fact, this is normal, because it is very troublesome to invite him, a foreigner who has no relatives and no reason, not only to give him a place to live, but also to help him apply for a "white nationality".

Chi Fei also knew his weakness, and he had already thought of a way to deal with it before he came in, so he continued: "Don't hide it from the shopkeeper, the kid hasn't done the work of the account before, but he has a little talent for arithmetic, and he is forced to make a living, so he has the shame to apply." The kid knew that he was only a shallow learner, so he didn't dare to ask for any luxury, just a place to live and two full meals. ”

When the shopkeeper heard him say this, his expression suddenly softened a lot.

He is a businessman, so he is naturally good at calculating costs.

Ask an experienced bookkeeper to ask for as little as a dozen taels and as much as twenty or thirty taels a month. During the New Year's holidays, there are also some boxing annuities, which are about 300 taels to 400 taels a year.

If you invite this young man, even if he has not done the accounting room, he has such amazing mental arithmetic ability, and it will be easy to get started as long as he finds someone to teach him.

And all he has to pay is two meals a day, and if he lives, he lives with other guys.

The only place that needs to spend money is to find a middleman to help him get a "white book" back, which is only fifteen or six taels of silver.

Even the cost of eating and applying for a "white nationality" is about 30 taels a year.

And this young man is still young, plus he has no relatives and no reason in the capital, how can he become an adult here. This is much more stable than those who have experience but may change jobs at any time.

It's a good deal no matter how you calculate it.

After thinking about it for a while, the shopkeeper finally spoke: "Little brother, since you are so sincere, and the old man is not an unkind person, you can stay here with peace of mind." In the future, the old man will arrange your food and lodging for you. As for your "white nationality", the old man will also help you get it.

It's just that we have ugly words ahead, you work here with the old man, and you must abide by the rules of our store. Once a mistake is made, the first warning is given, and the second time is directly expelled.

If you steal or do other illegal things here, the old man will immediately report it to the police. Are you okay with any of this? ”

"The shopkeeper can rest assured, the kid has read the book of sages since he was a child, although he only knows a little about the skin, but he still knows the etiquette, righteousness and shame, and he will never dare to insult the ancestors by doing evil things. To be able to win the favor of the shopkeeper, the kid is grateful. ”

The shopkeeper was very happy, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Okay, then you can do things well here, and I will not treat you badly." The old man's surname is Liu, so you can call me Shopkeeper Liu. ”

"Thank you, shopkeeper Liu."

Finally didn't have to starve to death, Chi Fei couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief in his heart.