At the end of the thirty-first year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty, it seems to be no different from previous years.

Probably because of the two days of going out early and returning late every day, Gu Huai got some cold, took medicine and slept earlier, so he got up very early today, and when he walked out of the main house and crossed the courtyard gate, the people in the back house who had been a little familiar in the past two days smiled and asked: "Uncle, is this going out again?" ”

Gu Huai, who was dressed in a cyan scholar's Confucian robe and put on a bun, smiled very clearly: "I have nothing to do, and it's not good to stay all the time, so I want to go to the shop to take inventory, by the way, is Mrs. going out?" ”

"Miss usually gets up early, but now I'm afraid I'm going out for dinner," the servant bent over, "Uncle wants to use the carriage?" ”

Gu Huai nodded: "It's okay, let them go to the front yard and wait, it's not convenient to walk when it's snowing." ”

The angry figure with some books walked away, and the subordinate who was still humble a second ago slowly straightened his waist and spat on the ground: "Do you really think you are the master?" Inventory? Cut..."

Gu Huai naturally didn't know how much these subordinates looked down on him, but he didn't care, he drank tea in the front yard and waited for half a pillar of incense, and the carriage had already stopped at the door.

took Xiaohuan and got into the carriage, on the slightly muddy road after the snow, Gu Huai told Xiaohuan the story he made up again.

“... At that time, I saw the sword light and sword shadow, and the figures were flying, the assassin actually learned excellent martial arts, eight meters away, a move reversed Kunlun, and directly rolled back the knife that my uncle and I threw out, and I used a move to descend the dragon eighteen palms, stopping the menacing knife in mid-air, and killing the assassin..."

The small ring that weaved the handh cloth for Gu Huai stopped moving, and his eyes were full of stars: "Uncle is so amazing!" ”

Coaxing the little maid who is not deeply involved in the world is obviously one of Gu Huai's few hobbies, seeing the little maid's face full of admiration, Gu Huai's bandaged hands are more energetic: "The assassin is also a good man, and when he saw someone approaching, he sat on the ground in a hurry..."

Xiaohuan became more and more nervous: "And then? ”

"And then it's gone," Gu Huai lifted the curtain, "the shop has arrived." ”

The most annoying thing in this world is the person who only tells half of the story, but the little maid has always been gentle, and when she saw that Gu Huai was a little distracted, she didn't make a fuss, and slowly helped him out of the carriage.

The shopkeeper Chen in the counter lowered his head and counted the accounts, and picked up the teapot from time to time to take a sip, which was very leisurely.

But if you really want to talk about it, in fact, there is nothing to calculate, just to pass the time, the business of the shop has always been light, the Song family's biggest entry now is to rely on the previous relationship to collect medicinal materials, and then Pu Hong's horse shop resold them in large quantities, and these accounts, Chen's shopkeeper's heart is simply clear, and every goods out of the shop are personally stared at by him.

"Shopkeeper Chen, it's been a while."

Shopkeeper Chen raised his head, and his face changed: "Ouch, what kind of wind blew the owner here today?" ”

Gu Huai was helped by Xiaohuan to sit down at the table, his face pale: "It's okay, I'm thinking about it, so I want to go out for a walk, and take stock of the accounts by the way." ”

He patted Xiaohuan: "Let's go and count the inventory, and I'll be back later." ”

Shopkeeper Chen had an ominous premonition in his heart, he picked up the account book and put it in Gu Huai's hand, and smiled very kindly: "The accounts are all here, the owner calculates slowly, but today's accounts have not been filled in, if the owner feels that there is something wrong, just command." ”

Gu Huai didn't open the account book, and tapped the table with his fingers: "Shopkeeper Chen, don't be busy, sit down and talk?" ”

He coughed lightly: "What things did Pu Hong's horse shop transport?" ”

Shopkeeper Chen, who sat down, was stunned: "This... The proprietor asks what this does? ”

"Tell me, I'm interested in this."

Shopkeeper Chen thought for a while: "Generally, it's some medicinal silk, and I come back with some fur... It's been three or four times a year. ”

"Nothing else?" Gu Huai closed his eyes.

"No... bar. ”

"I heard Pu Hong say that there is still salt, if I am not mistaken, the Ming Law stipulates that this thing is an official camp and cannot be sold privately? Not to mention transported to the steppe. ”

Probably because Gu Huai's attitude was too kind, Shopkeeper Chen also let down some of his guard: "The owner doesn't know something, the imperial court has such regulations, but private salt... What's missing? In this place in Beiping, some garrisons are doing business with the Mongols, and Boss Pu's horse shop has been set up again, and it will not be in the way to transport some salt to the past. ”

"What about iron?" Gu Huai's gaze sharpened a little, "The grassland lacks iron, iron pots and the like, has Pu Hong ever transported it?" ”

Shopkeeper Chen was stunned for a moment, and then smiled after a while: "The owner is joking, this is to be killed if he is caught, how can Boss Pu..."

Gu Huai gently put the two pages of rice paper on the table: "Tell the truth." ”

"This is..."

"The deficit of the shop, I'll help you figure it out," Gu Huai closed his eyes again, "It's close to two thousand taels of silver... I'm curious, how high is the pile? ”

Shopkeeper Chen's face changed drastically, and he stood up suddenly, looking at the thin two pages of rice paper on the table in disbelief.

The answer to this question he knows is that his bed... It was made of this silver!

It's just that how could Gu Huai know?

He looked down at the account books, then shook his head violently.

How could it be calculated by Gu Huai? How long did he count that day?

"The owner... The joke is getting bigger and bigger, I've been looking at this shop for the Song family for so many years, where is it..."

"Collect at a high price, sell at a low price, enter the warehouse the day before and leave the warehouse one day after the warehouse, I don't evaluate whether you can do this kind of business for so many years, the two extremely similar medicinal materials are mixed, and I don't evaluate the inexplicable disappearance of a few hundred taels of silver, but can you tell me, why is this account book so clumsy?"

Gu Huai pointed to some places: "The paper for three months in a row, the degree of yellowing is the same, the account book from a year ago, there is basically no trace of turning, even the corners are not creased, an account book written every day, will it look like this?" ”

He withdrew his hand and put it into his sleeve: "But you reminded me that there is a deficit of two thousand taels in two years, and you have worked for so many years, so you can't bury the Song family in a big hole?" ”

Shopkeeper Chen's face suddenly became a little hideous.

"Don't think about being ruthless, and don't think about threatening me, because I know what you want to say," Gu Huai smiled, "Yes, I am a poor and white son-in-law, and I am also an unpopular proprietor, no one may believe me when I say it, and my relationship with Song Jia may not be as close to you, but Song Jia is a woman, and a woman... It is the hardest to trust people. ”

"As long as this matter is stabbed, I don't know if you will be arrested and sent to see the official, but I am sure that the shopkeeper of the Dejitang medicinal herb shop, you will definitely not be able to do it, and it is not good to say whether the money can be kept."

Shopkeeper Chen's face changed several times, and finally collapsed in the chair, Gu Huai's face showed pity: "Pu Hong started from scratch, he has been so big in such a short time, I don't believe it if he doesn't get out of the way, you don't have to say it, but if I turn over the previous account books, your face will be even more ugly." ”

"Now, can you tell the truth?"