The facts proved that nothing is impossible.
Those two people hadn't touched their abacuses again after finishing their calculations, and Director Ma had verified the results immediately.
This was the number on the abacus!
"Wei Xiaoyun, are you finished calculating?" Director Ma asked in a deep voice.
In fact, whether she had finished or not was no longer important.
The two people called over were both veterans of the finance department; they had used abacuses their entire lives.
The possibility of both of them making a mistake, and moreover, arriving at the exact same wrong number, was almost zero.
Wei Xiaoyun still couldn't believe it. "Director Ma, please wait, let me calculate it one more time."
Her unwillingness to accept reality was her own business, but Jiang Si was not willing to waste any more time here with her.
"As everyone can see, the result is clear. She definitely miscalculated, overcharging us by more than thirty-five yuan."
Hearing this, the crowd was first astonished, then immediately turned looks of condemnation towards Wei Xiaoyun.
"My goodness, thirty-five yuan is almost a whole month's wages for me!"
"Thankfully this little girl was careful, noticed something was wrong, and insisted on checking the bill."
"If they hadn't discovered it, how upsetting would it have been when they got home!"
"Exactly! It's fortunate they're locals. If they were from out of town, they couldn't very well make a special trip back to Shanghai just for these few dozen yuan."
"I always thought the department store had a great reputation. I never expected they'd make a mistake with the bill."
"It seems from now on, when shopping, you really have to keep your wits about you."
"Absolutely. But then again, the First Department Store has over a thousand counters. If each counter made just one mistake a day, the total in a year would be no small amount."
Seeing the crowd's discussion starting to veer towards the store's overall accounts, Director Ma broke out in a cold sweat.
But he reacted quickly, immediately putting on a stern face and addressing Wei Xiaoyun, "How many times have I said it? If you're not feeling well, don't force yourself to work! Even if a customer forgets to double-check, you should actively remind them and offer to do it for them!"
"I think your brain is addled from fever today. Hurry up and apologize to them!"
After saying this, he promptly addressed the crowd, "Comrades, we will deal with this matter seriously. Also, regarding account issues, please rest assured, this is an isolated incident. After all, people aren't machines; they can make mistakes occasionally. We ask for your understanding and supervision!"
Wei Xiaoyun finally grasped the seriousness of the situation. "I... I'm sorry."
"What's the use of just saying sorry?"
It was the same young man who spoke up earlier, his face looking even happier than if he'd found money himself. "Hurry up and pay them back! You've already wasted enough of everyone's time!"
With so many people watching, Wei Xiaoyun dared not refuse. All she wanted now was to send these troublesome customers on their way.
After pooling money with a few colleagues, she finally scraped together thirty-five yuan.
If only she had double-checked properly back then, she thought. Embarrassment was one thing, but this was far worse—humiliation, losing money, and possibly even her job.
But then again, who could have imagined that child would remember everything after hearing it just once? Not only did she remember, but she also calculated the total, and the key point was, her parents actually believed her...
All these impossibilities piled up, and in the end, she became the unluckiest one of all!
Jiang Si was unaware of Wei Xiaoyun's internal grumbling.
After this little incident, she had lost her desire to continue shopping. So, after settling the bill, the family headed home.
After finishing dinner that evening and tidying up, Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou finally had time to ask Zhaozhao how she had managed it.
The shopping list was made by Jiang Si; no one knew better than her what they had bought. With so many items... Zhaozhao had calculated the total without even using an abacus!
Zhaozhao said, "Mommy, I have an abacus."
Hearing this, Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou exchanged a glance and were about to ask more.
Then they saw Zhaozhao point to her own little head. "There's an abacus in here."
This was something Teacher Zhuo had told her. He said everyone has an abacus in their mind.
She imagined it and found there really was one.
"Unbelievable, I'm going to call Old Zhuo." Is this how he teaches my daughter?
"Wait a moment," Jiang Si stopped him.
Even after two or three minutes of trying to calm down, she still couldn't suppress her excitement.
Could it be she had given birth to a little mental prodigy?
Thinking it over, Jiang Si continued to ask, "And you remembered the prices of all those things after hearing them just once?"
Zhaozhao nodded. "Mommy, I remember numbers quite well. I don't remember clearly what the items were."
After a pause, she added, "I can still remember about half of them now. If I think harder, I could probably remember them all, but thinking too much makes Zhaozhao very tired, and my head feels a bit dizzy."
Looking at her daughter's slightly weary little face, Jiang Si's heart ached. She pulled Zhaozhao into her arms and gently massaged her temples.
"Zhaozhao is already amazing for remembering so much."
"You're still little. From now on, if you can't remember something, don't force yourself to think too hard, okay?"
"Mhm," Zhaozhao nodded vigorously.
After a moment, she said softly, "Mommy, I was very happy today."
Jiang Si went "Oh?" "Why were you happy?"
Zhaozhao lifted her little face. "Because Mommy believed me. You didn't think I was just talking nonsense because Zhaozhao is little."
Jiang Si's heart melted.
Perhaps the shocks from their daughter were too many, for the couple lay in bed that night, unable to sleep even very late.
As if remembering something, Jiang Si asked, "Do you think, having such a clever little sister, Suisui might feel a bit inadequate or under a lot of pressure?"
Huo Tingzhou understood her concern and reassured her, "No, he'll only feel proud to have such a sister."
Although he said that, Jiang Si couldn't help but worry. "From now on, we must be careful. When we praise Zhaozhao, we must also affirm Suisui's strengths. We need to let him know that he and Zhaozhao are both our precious treasures!"
Huo Tingzhou listened quietly as Jiang Si spoke.
After she finished, he finally said, "They were born to the same mother. If one is smart, they both are. Suisui is just..."
"Just what?" Sensing there was more to his words, Jiang Si pressed.
Huo Tingzhou then described what he had inadvertently seen. "This afternoon, Suisui took a screwdriver and dismantled the newly bought '10,000-ton hydraulic press' model."
"Dismantled it?"
Jiang Si felt it wasn't that simple. "And then?"
"And then he spent an hour putting it back together."
Now Jiang Si couldn't stay calm. She did have some talent in painting and had achieved a bit of success through it.
But all of that was earned through solid, diligent practice.
Even though the two little ones were her own children, Jiang Si at this moment felt a sense of defeat, as if being outshone by "naturally gifted players."
With a sigh, she secretly made up her mind.
Once back in Beijing, she needed to work harder too!
On this matter, the couple was quite in sync. Huo Tingzhou was also inwardly reflecting that he needed to strive and push himself even more in the army from now on.
It truly echoed what Jiang Si had said before: their family of four really did each have their own track, and their own ways of striving.
...
Early the next morning, the family went to Sheshan with the things they had prepared in advance. The magnolia flowers bloomed exceptionally early this year.
Knowing her mother liked them, Jiang Si had specifically bought a bouquet when passing by the flower and bird market.
Perhaps sensing they were going to pay respects to their ancestors, the two little ones were unusually quiet along the way.
After the rituals were complete, before Jiang Si could even speak, the two little ones properly kowtowed three times before the grave.
With their small hands pressed together, they devoutly tossed many folded paper ingots into the fire basin.
As they tossed them in, they recited word by word:
"Grandma, Great-grandpa, Great-grandma, please bless Mommy to be happy every day and have a strong, healthy body."
After Suisui finished, Zhaozhao added: "Don't worry about Mommy. We will listen to Mommy, always stay with Mommy, and be Mommy's little joys!"
"..."
Thanks to the children's innocent words, Jiang Si's low spirits were lightened considerably.
