Sister-in-law from a poor family

Chapter 17 Teaching Numbers
This Ma Laowu was really nimble with his hands and feet. As soon as he entered the house, he started to boil water and prepare a basin.

In just half an hour, he had repaired a wild boar cleanly.

Even the wild boar blood that was released had been processed, and he quietly told Qin Mianmian that he could take some pieces of blood back later for a tooth beating ceremony.

The people who came with them surrounded Ma's yard, and some were blocked outside and couldn't get in.

When the meat came out, some spectators sneaked out.

These days, not everyone can afford meat.

Even if someone buys it, it is weighed half a catty, and everyone knows the exact weight.

It was only at this moment that Qin Mianmian felt that the world was unbearable.

If it were left to future generations, such game would probably be snatched up as soon as it was put on display.

Think again about the times when she used to buy vegetables by herself, such as ribs, beef, mutton, fish and shrimp. She didn't just buy whatever she wanted.

Even though she is not a rich person, she has never worried about eating meat.

She used to complain every day that living was so tiring and stressful, but she was transported to a barren era, and she realized how comfortable her previous life was.

With Ma Laowu in charge, this wild boar sold quite quickly.

He cut Qin Mianmian's flesh and collected the money. The two of them cooperated very smoothly, leaving Fu Jingbo sitting there alone.

Today is a gathering, and many people from ten miles and eight villages are here.

Some people who buy meat will tell people they know when they go out, saying that everyone is coming and going, and the threshold of the Ma family is almost crossed.

Fortunately, the family split up early because of inheriting the blacksmithing craft. This small courtyard was built by the Ma family for Ma Laowu. Otherwise, with so many people coming and going, his brother and sister-in-law would have had a disagreement.

Although everyone didn’t buy a lot of meat, just half a pound, but it’s too powerful to be able to withstand more people.

At the end of the sale, there were only a few bones left on the table that were disliked by everyone, and wild boar offal that had not been processed.

"Little lady, look, the gross weight of our wild boar was 110 pounds at the beginning." Ma Laowu wiped the sweat from his head and looked at Qin Mianmian, who was still counting the money.

Qin Mianmian looked up and saw that his eyes were burning, and he was looking at the copper plates greedily.

"Okay, 110 pounds." Qin Mianmian quickly counted 110 copper coins and handed them to him.

Ma Laowu chuckled, took the money and walked into the house.

"Wait a minute." Qin Mianmian frowned and called him.

"What's wrong, the little lady wants to regret it? We just agreed." Ma Laowu hugged the copper in his hand tightly, with a look on his face.

Qin Mianmian frowned tightly: "Why don't you count it? I won't admit that the money is missing when I enter the house later."

Knowing people but not knowing their hearts, who knows if Ma Laowu will complain about the lack of money after he comes in.

It would be better to clarify this matter in person to avoid unnecessary arguments later.

"No, no need." Ma Laowu dodged for a moment and said with a smile.

Seeing him like this, Qin Mianmian became even more worried.

"It's better to count it. If you don't count money clearly, it's easy to fall out."

Ma Laowu:.
"Okay, let's count." He looked reluctant.

Qin Mianmian didn't care if he forced it or not, she insisted on counting the money in person.

But as she clicked it, she realized something was wrong.

Ma Laowu looked wrong just now. He probably wasn't trying to trick her into getting more money from her.

It's because he's not very good at counting.

People who count from ten to ten are very clear, but when it exceeds ten, people become a little confused.

The more I counted, the more I stuttered, until I finally counted 38, 37, 38, 39, 37.
Qin Mianmian's mind was filled with black threads. She felt like a mouthful of old blood was stuck in her heart and she couldn't spit it out. She couldn't swallow it.

"If you count like this, how many copper coins will I have to give you?" She put her money away, wiped the sweat from her head and was speechless.Ma Laowu looked up when he heard this and smiled sheepishly.

"I never went to private school, and my father never took me with him when he was making money from blacksmithing. He's not very good at counting."

Qin Mianmian:
Yes, this is not the future of compulsory education. It is completely normal for some people to not know how to count or read.

"If you want to be a butcher, how can you do it if you don't know how to count?" Qin Mianmian asked with a sigh.

"I can learn slowly. My father didn't know how to do it before. He will get better at counting." Although he always counts wrongly, Ma Laowu will not say it out loud.

Qin Mianmian felt a headache for no reason as she watched him clumsily pulling the copper plate.

You can do it if you practice, but you will inevitably be in a hurry when you are busy.

"Well, I'll teach you a trick." She thought for a moment and took the copper plate Ma Laowu put on the table.

Ma Laowu subconsciously pulled the copper plate back, looking wary.

"I'm not taking it back, I'm going to teach you how to count money." Qin Mianmian had a headache.

"What method?" Ma Laowu didn't believe it.

He is a boy who has never gone to private school. How can Qin Mianmian, a girl, go to school?

Even if she can count, so what, she can still teach others how to count like a private school teacher.

But just as the idea came to his mind, he saw Qin Mianmian carefully picking up the copper coins on the table and slowly counting them like one, two, and three.

Count to ten, then pull those ten coins into a pile, start again with dozens of coins, and pull another pile into a pile.

"What are you doing?" Ma Laowu thought she was bored and wasting her time.

Qin Mianmian ignored him and continued counting coins.

He kept dividing the 110 copper coins into eleven piles, and then looked up at Ma Laowu.

"Did you see, after you have arranged ten and ten like this, you can count like this, ten, twenty, thirty, forty."

She just used the method she was taught when she first learned mathematics as a child.

"When you don't understand how to count, just count like this. It's very simple and clear."

Ma Laowu:.
I was even more confused as to what was going on.

"If you can count to ten, then you can count like this. You can't go wrong."

"Here, count them for me."

She used the greatest patience in her life and taught Ma Laowu well.

Ma Laowu:.
"Ten, twenty, thirty." He counted them one by one according to Qin Mianmian's method.

When he counted to one hundred, Qin Mianmian asked him to take out a small stone and put it next to him, and then counted another pile.

Sure enough, after counting, he understood.

It's just that the copper coins are limited, and he doesn't know if he can continue counting after counting to two or three hundred.

"If you still think you can't do it, then use a reed stick and break it into small sections, fold it a little more, and practice this way.

It won't take more than two days for you to keep it, and you will be able to count it clearly. "

Qin Mianmian raised his eyebrows and explained again.

"Then, it's more than a thousand." Ma Laowu asked again.

The money he could get from selling meat in a day should be more than a thousand copper coins. He had to ask clearly.

"Then take out your own fingers, one for every thousand, and then clear the small stones."

(End of this chapter)