Chen Ping'an locked his door and left Clay Vase Alley. After arriving in his pastry shop in Dragon Riding Alley, he found the little boy in azure sitting in a daze on the door threshold. When the little boy saw Chen Ping'an, he simply greeted his master in a listless manner. Chen Ping'an stepped inside and saw the little girl in pink standing on top of a stool.1

There was a serious expression on her face, and she was standing behind the counter and using an abacus to calculate the numbers on the account book. Her fingers were nimbly flying around like a butterfly circling a flower, and the sound of the abacus beads clacking against each other was also especially crisp and beautiful. Several women and young girls from the small town were standing around her with stunned and admiring expressions on their faces.0

When these modest-looking women and young girls saw Chen Ping'an, they all smiled and called him "Shopkeeper Chen."0

The little girl in pink looked up upon hearing this, and she said, "Master, I'm helping the shop work out its accounts. I'll be done very soon."0

Chen Ping'an nodded with a smile. He then walked behind the counter and asked someone to bring him paper and brush. He started to write up a gift list. When leaving the small town before, he had asked Ruan Xiu to help him deliver presents to many neighbors and residents in the small town. Back when Chen Ping'an had worked in the dragon kiln as a potter, it could be said that he had grown up on meals and necessities from everyone.1

For example, he had always gone to Gu Can's house for free meals, and he had often received some hand-me-down clothes from other families. To Chen Ping'an, each meal and each item of clothing had been a life-saving act of kindness. When leaving the small town, he had told Ruan Xiu that as long as he remained alive, he would deliver presents to these families each year. The presents wouldn't be worth too much, but to the small families on Clay Vase Alley and the surrounding streets and alleys, items worth seven to 20 taels of silver definitely couldn't be considered as little.2

At that time, Ruan Xiu had asked him why he didn't give them more taels of silver at once and completely...0