Back in the wooden house, the family sat together. Shen's wife carefully calculated the cost of building the house and said: "Not counting labor costs, just the green bricks, green tiles, stones, wood, etc., plus today's wine expenses, it's almost 80 taels. I prepared 100 taels for this, so there are still 20 taels left, which should be enough to pay the workers, right? This year's watermelon income was 220 taels, and before Mid-Autumn Festival, we sold yellow cucumbers, bean sprouts, and hairy beans for about 7 or 8 strings of cash. Oh, and those dozen or so castrated chickens and eggs were also worth about a string of cash. These are all I remember; if only I could read and write, I'd be able to keep track of accounts. But as time goes on, it's easy to forget and get things mixed up."

  "It doesn't matter, you're the one in charge, no one will question you even if there's more or less. What are you afraid of?" Zeng Rui Xiang said.

  "It's not just about talking, but also about having a plan in mind."

  "Mom, I can read and write a lot of characters. I'll help you with the accounts. If there's anything I don't know, brother will help me." Zi Qing volunteered herself. In fact, she had been taking care of household chores for half a year now. She took over the account book and from now on, she would be clear about the family's financial situation, which was just right for planning her own way to make money.

  Zeng Ruixiang and Shen Shi "puffed" with laughter, Shen Shi said: "I told you that you are a little housekeeper, but you didn't want to listen. You've always been someone who likes to worry since childhood. Alright, go ahead and manage then, it's better to learn early."

  "Isn't this nonsense? What can a child of this age remember?" Zeng Ruixiang stopped him.

  "Dad, Mom, don't worry, I've learned a lot of characters from my brother and also studied arithmetic. It's just right for me to practice now. You can save a lot of trouble too. If I don't do well, there's still my brother anyway." Zi Qing pleaded.

  "Let sister try it out then. Our family's account book, as long as we understand it ourselves, there's no need to take it outside for others to judge." Zi Fu said.

  "My sister is really capable, she learns everything faster than me. Moreover, my sister said that she will definitely earn money to send me to school, and my sister did it. I believe in my sister," Zilong said.

  "It's all thanks to our Xiao Qing that we're able to get by today. Let her try then. Today is also our Xiao Qing's sixth birthday, and Mother has been busy lately and hasn't had time to make a new dress for my dear daughter. Mother will make something delicious for you all later." Madam Shen agreed to let Zi Qing manage the household finances.

  Zi Qing excitedly pulled Zi Fu to cut paper, but there was no thick cowhide paper, so he found a red paper that had been left over from before to use as the cover. He used Shen's awl for sewing shoe soles to pierce three eyelets and sew it together. Then, he asked Zi Fu to write "Account Book" and "Beginning of the Year" on the cover.

  Zi Qing herself wrote on the first page, September 28th, and asked Shen Shi how much silver was in front of the house. Shen Shi said she could only count, but when the number got bigger, adding and subtracting would get confusing. After finishing speaking, Shen Shi opened the lock on the large box, took out several large silver ingots inside, and Zi Qing saw that there were still 150 taels left. Shen Shi moved out a wooden chest from under the bed, with several small pieces of silver and some scattered copper coins inside. She also pulled out two baskets of copper coins from the pile of firewood in the corner of the wall, saying they were accumulated from selling vegetables since Mid-Autumn Festival, and for convenience in paying wages, she hadn't exchanged them for silver. It just so happened that everyone could count and divide them into 101 strings.

  Then, Shen Shi, Rui Xiang, and Zi Fu counted the copper plates together. Zi Lu and Zi Qing strung them up with a thin hemp rope on the side. Finally, including the one in the box, they added up to nine taels and eight mace. The small change was not counted by Zi Qing. Zi Qing wrote down the total silver as 239 taels and eight mace. The house cost 80 taels of silver. Zi Fu walked over and took a look, then asked doubtfully: "Sister, why did you write horizontally? Isn't it supposed to be from right to left? And besides, your handwriting is really ugly. Let brother tear it up and rewrite it for you."

  "No, I want to practice writing. I don't like reading vertical text, it makes me dizzy. Anyway, my sister gave it to me and I can understand it myself. Later on, if I can explain it clearly to you, that's enough. Brother, stop nitpicking, this is my first time doing it, it's not bad at all. Don't look down on me just because of my age?" Zi Qing said with a pout.

  "This is also true. Brother praises you, my little sister is really clever and capable." Zifeng smiled and said.

  Zi Qing did the accounts according to modern accounting format, with every expense annotated, but unfortunately couldn't use Arabic numerals, and the additions and subtractions were quite unaccustomed.

  After calculating the account, the family discussed the furniture. Zeng Ruixiang still wanted to go to the city to see if there were any ready-made ones, and buy them early to move in early. Shen's idea was to find someone to make it at home, and besides, there was still a lot of wood at home, and if not enough, they could cut some more and exchange with others. Moreover, the size of the house was suitable for making things that fit perfectly.

  "Besides, we can ask the carpenter to make a bed first and paint it. We'll choose a good day to move in first, and then slowly fix up the rest. As long as it's done before the new year, that's fine. We're just a simple farming family, we don't need anything fancy, as long as it's sturdy and durable." Shen said this, and Zeng Rui Xiang agreed.

  Actually, Ziqing really wants to go out and take a look at the furniture of this era. At home, only her mother's bed and wardrobe can barely be counted as a piece of furniture. The carvings on the headboard are intertwined lotus flowers, alternating between pink and green, symbolizing continuous birth. In the past, she saw from TV that the wealthy families in ancient times had intricately carved wooden buildings, with beautiful red sandalwood and nanmu wood furniture. There were also antique appraisals of huanghuali wood furniture on TV, which made her very envious. This time, since they have money at home and the house is not bad, Ziqing wants to take the opportunity to persuade Shen Shi to make a few good things, but she doesn't know how skilled the carpenters in the countryside are.

  Just thinking that Zeng Ruixiang said the owner of the woodworking shop in the town is quite skilled, and has brought several apprentices. He usually specializes in making large furniture, and the wealthy families in the town also look for him to do it.

  Zeng Ruixiang went out early the next day to contact Master Carpenter and told him that he would come over again in five days after finishing his current work.

  Zeng Rui-xiang hurriedly led the ox to plow the land, and the soybeans were not yet plowed. Shen Shi took Zi-fu and Zi-lu to cut the late rice, saying that they would cut it first, and when Shen Wan-fu came on the second day of the lunar month, he would work with Zeng Rui-xiang to thresh the grain.

  With Shen Wanfu's help, the second day was finally busy until dark. Zeng Ruixiang hurriedly turned over the land and dried it in the sun, and after a few days, it would be time to sow rape seeds. The dry land on that side should be planted with wheat. Zi Qing felt that there were not many people at home, and even if they rented it out to others, they would still feel that it was not enough, saying that it was not too much but also tiring for the family, mainly because the family lacked male labor.

  After finishing these, Shen said that it's just right now in this season there aren't many leafy greens, the original peanut field had already sown radish seeds, and they've all sprouted, needing to be thinned. Shen pulled out the radish seedlings and stir-fried them as a dish, and the flavor wasn't bad either.

  The new house's construction was completed by Master Luo and his workers in two days, including the excavation of a large pit outside the toilet. A ten-character-wide bluestone path was laid in the small courtyard. Zeng Rui-xiang calculated their wages, which totaled fifteen taels and six mace. The ten workers received their pay and left happily.

  The Shen family took out the trash from their house, and Zi Qing looked at the newly built courtyard and the green-tiled house, feeling as if she was in a dream. This was something she had earned herself, and if only she had a set of perfect furniture, she could also decorate her own ancient-style boudoir.