Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 72 A Miscalculation of Public Sentiment, A Humble Abode Cannot Conceal Warmth

The north wind of December, like shards of ice, howled against the blue brick walls of the Hongxing Courtyard. Lin Chen had just finished sorting the old copper wire Liu Guangfu had brought when he heard the street official, Xiao Zhang, shouting from the courtyard gate: "Attention everyone! Meet at the central courtyard at 2 PM to check this month's grain coupon distribution accounts. Teacher Yan Bugui will be in charge of the calculations. Everyone bring your own grain ration book!"

As soon as the sound faded, the rapid, loud clatter of an abacus echoed from the front yard, clearly indicating that Yan Bugui was starting to warm up. Lin Chen smiled and shook his head. This arithmetic teacher valued these kinds of jobs that showcased his "cultured" status. Last time, when he helped the neighborhood check accounts, he told everyone he met, "I'm the most accurate accountant in the whole neighborhood." This time, he naturally had to put on a show of utmost seriousness.

He had just put the fused copper wire coil into the storage room when he heard a knock on the door. Opening it, he saw Yan Jiekang standing there, clutching a crumpled exercise book, his nose red from the cold. "Director Lin," he said, "my father asked me to ask you about the temporary workers on the street we talked about last time. Any news yet?"

"Don't worry, I just spoke with Officer Li yesterday, and she said she'll give us an answer in the next couple of days." Lin Chen stepped aside to let him in, poured a cup of hot water, and handed it to him. "Is your dad practicing his abacus again? We can hear the noise from two streets away."

Yan Jiekuang took a sip of hot water, nodded with a wry smile, and said, "My dad said this accounting review is related to the selection of 'Outstanding Teacher,' so there can't be any mistakes. He got up before dawn to memorize the grain ration coupon distribution standards. Oh, and he also told me to tell you that if he gets too busy during the accounting review, he wants you to help keep an eye on things, saying you're quick-witted." Lin Chen understood the implication in Yan Jiekuang's words; Yan Jiekuang was afraid he would find fault during the accounting review and was trying to curry favor with him beforehand.

Just after seeing Yan Jiekuang off, Liu Haizhong came over carrying half a bundle of firewood, a rare smile on his face: "Xiao Lin, Guangfu said you asked about the technical backbone for his brother? This firewood is hardwood cut from the back mountain, it burns well, I brought it for you." Lin Chen quickly took it and found that the firewood was neatly chopped and of uniform size, clearly showing that care had been taken. "Guangtian's skills are indeed excellent. I mentioned it to the director, and he should be fine for the assessment in a couple of days." As the two were talking, Qin Huairu's voice came from the middle courtyard: "Master Liu, Director Lin, come quickly and check this ration book for me, why is half a jin of fine grain coupons missing?"

When they arrived at the middle courtyard, many neighbors were already there. Qin Huairu was standing by the stone table holding the grain ration book, Jia Dang was helping to hold it up, and Jia Geng was squatting on the ground drawing something on the mud with a twig. Yan Bugui sat upright at the head of the stone table, with an abacus and thick account books in front of him. He wore reading glasses and looked as serious as if he were proctoring an exam. "What's the rush? We'll check it together when everyone's here. You'll get your share!" Yan Bugui said without looking up, his fingers flying across the abacus, making a crisp sound.

Yi Zhonghai strolled over leisurely, carrying an enamel mug with a few tea leaves floating in it. "Old Yan, has there been any change in the distribution of grain coupons this time? Make sure my quota of fine grains corresponding to my technical allowance isn't mixed up." He sat down at the stone table, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Lin Chen, where he nodded slightly. Ever since Lin Chen helped him fix his coal stove, their relationship had improved considerably, at least outwardly they were more polite to each other.

Just as it struck two o'clock, Officer Zhang arrived on time, carrying a roll of mimeographed distribution sheets. "Dear neighbors, the distribution standard for grain coupons this month remains unchanged, but there are two adjustments: first, each family member of a steel mill worker will receive an additional two ounces of coarse grain coupons; second, each household of elderly people living alone will receive an extra half a pound of fine grain coupons." Officer Zhang posted the distribution sheet on the wall. "Teacher Yan, let's begin. Everyone, please report your numbers by household for verification."

Yan Bugui cleared his throat, picked up his brush, and dipped it in the inkstone. "The first household, Yi Zhonghai's family, two people, eighth-grade worker benefits, thirty catties of refined grain, fifty catties of coarse grain, and a technical allowance of five catties of refined grain, totaling thirty-five catties of refined grain and fifty catties of coarse grain. Is that right?" Yi Zhonghai took a sip from his cup. "That's right, the same as last month." Yan Bugui's abacus clicked, and he wrote down the numbers in the ledger, his handwriting neat and powerful.

"The second household is Liu Haizhong's family, five people, a level six blacksmith, with 25 jin of fine grains and 75 jin of coarse grains. The employee family subsidy is one jin of coarse grains, totaling 25 jin of fine grains and 76 jin of coarse grains." Yan Bugui looked up at Liu Haizhong, who was scratching his head and counting on his fingers. Liu Guangtian whispered to him, "Dad, with the employee family subsidies for me and Guangfu, it should be two jin of coarse grains."

Yan Bugui frowned: "Liu Guangtian is an apprentice, not a formal employee yet, so he shouldn't be included!" Liu Haizhong immediately retorted: "Why not? Guangtian received apprentice wages last month, it's all recorded in the workshop!" The two started arguing, and Xiao Zhang, the clerk, quickly explained: "An apprentice who has completed three months is considered a family member of an employee. Liu Guangtian qualifies, so he should get an extra two taels." Yan Bugui's face darkened, and he reluctantly changed the number in the ledger, muttering, "Why didn't you explain earlier? You've wasted time."

When it was Qin Huairu's turn, the atmosphere became even more lively. "Qin Huairu, a family of three, employee dependents, receives 15 jin of refined grains and 45 jin of coarse grains, plus a 6 liang (approximately 300 grams) employee dependent allowance, totaling 15 jin of refined grains and 45.6 jin of coarse grains." After Yan Bugui finished reading, Qin Huairu quickly waved his hand, "Teacher Yan, that's not right! I took over the shift last month and am now a full-time employee. It should be calculated according to the employee standard, which is 20 jin of refined grains!"

"Your apprenticeship isn't over yet, you're not considered a full-fledged employee!" Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses, his tone certain. Qin Huairu's eyes reddened with anxiety: "I received my apprenticeship wages last month, and the workshop foreman told me I was considered an employee!" Jia Geng also stood up to chime in: "My mom goes to work every day, why shouldn't she be?" Yan Bugui, annoyed by the commotion, slammed his hand on the table: "I said you're not, and that's final! I'm following the rules!"

"Teacher Yan, the regulations state that 'those who receive wages during their apprenticeship period will be paid according to the standards for family members of employees, and will be converted to the standards for formal employees after six months.'" Lin Chen spoke up at the right time, taking out a crumpled distribution standard from his pocket. "This was issued by the neighborhood committee last time, and I kept it on purpose. Sister Qin just received her wages last month. Although it hasn't been six months yet, she should receive eighteen jin of refined grains and fifty-four jin of coarse grains."

Everyone crowded around to look, and Xiao Zhang, the clerk, nodded in confirmation: "That's right, Comrade Lin is correct, that's the standard." Yan Bugui's face flushed red. He hadn't carefully looked at the latest standard at all; he was still calculating according to last year's old rules. He tried to appear calm as he flipped through the ledger: "Oh, I was looking at last year's old watch, my mistake." As he spoke, he picked up a brush to make corrections, his abacus work becoming clumsy and he was clearly flustered.

The next few households all went relatively smoothly until it was Yan Jiecheng's turn. "Yan Jiecheng, two people, temporary workers, twelve jin of fine grains, thirty-six jin of coarse grains." After Yan Bugui finished reading, Yan Jiecheng frowned: "Dad, I worked overtime for ten days last month, and according to regulations, I should have received one jin of overtime allowance grain coupons. Why wasn't that included?" Yan Bugui was taken aback: "You didn't tell me that!" "I told you last week, and I even showed you the overtime slip!" Yan Jiecheng raised his voice.

"Nonsense! When did you give it to me?" Yan Bugui slammed his hand on the table and stood up, and the father and son started arguing on the spot. Lin Chen remembered what Yan Jiekuang had said yesterday: Yan Bugui had secretly hidden his son's overtime allowance food coupons, saying it was "to offset the five yuan he borrowed before." He was about to speak when he saw Yan Jiekuang tug at his sleeve, shake his head, and look at him with pleading eyes.

Xiao Zhang, the clerk, quickly tried to mediate: "Stop arguing. There are records of overtime pay. Let me check." She flipped through the ledger in her hand. "That's right, Yan Jiecheng does indeed have one jin of overtime pay ration coupons." Yan Bugui's face turned pale and then red. He reluctantly added it, muttering under his breath, "Wasteful brat, making such a fuss over such a small thing that the whole hospital knows about it!"

After checking everything, Yan Bugui began to tally the totals. The abacus clattered for a while before he announced the figures: "This month, the entire hospital should receive 235.6 jin of refined grain and 702 jin of coarse grain." Officer Zhang checked the ledger and frowned: "That's not right. My count is 237.6 jin of refined grain and 705 jin of coarse grain. There's a difference of two jin of refined grain and three jin of coarse grain."

Yan Bugui's heart tightened, and he quickly recalculated. The abacus clattered again and again, but each time the result was different—either too much or too little. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his hands began to tremble; his once fluent fingers became stiff. The neighbors could all see that he had made a mistake, and some began to whisper among themselves: "What's wrong with Teacher Yan? He's usually so good at math." "He's probably distracted by arguing with his son earlier."

Yi Zhonghai coughed and said, "Old Yan, why don't we take a break before calculating again? Or let Xiao Lin take a look; he's quick-witted." Yan Bugui was a hundred times unwilling, but he really couldn't figure it out, so he had no choice but to nod reluctantly, "Then... then I'll trouble Xiao Lin."

Lin Chen walked over, picked up the ledger and flipped through it. He quickly found the problem: "Teacher Yan, you counted the technical allowance for Uncle Yi's family as five jin, it should actually be seven jin; you only added one liang to the employee family allowance for Liu Haizhong's family, it should be two liang; and you undercounted three jin of coarse grain for Sister Qin's family." As he spoke, he pointed to the numbers in the ledger, his words clear and easy to understand.

Yan Bugui leaned over to take a look and, sure enough, he had made a mistake—a series of basic errors. His face flushed red, and he wished he could disappear into the ground. Lin Chen picked up the abacus and his fingers flew across the keys. In less than half a minute, he reported the numbers: "237.6 jin of refined grains, 705 jin of coarse grains, consistent with Xiao Zhang's ledger."

The neighbors exclaimed in admiration, "Xiao Lin is really amazing! He can calculate even faster than Teacher Yan!" "He's a key technical staff member; his brain works really well!" Yan Bugui stood to the side, his abacus falling to the ground with a "clatter," the beads scattering everywhere. He squatted down to pick up the beads, his back looking particularly disheveled.

After the accounts were settled, the neighbors gradually dispersed. Lin Chen helped Yan Bugui pick up the abacus beads and handed them to him, saying, "Teacher Yan, it's probably because it's too cold today and your hands are frozen that you made a mistake. Don't take it to heart." Yan Bugui took the abacus, didn't say anything, turned around and left, his steps heavy as if filled with lead.

As soon as he got home, he heard Yan Bugui's roar coming from the front yard: "It's all your fault, you spendthrift! If you hadn't argued with me, would I have made a mistake in the accounts? It's so embarrassing!" Then came Yan Jiekuang's crying and Aunt Yan's attempts to reconcile them. Lin Chen sighed and was about to close the door when he saw Qin Huairu carrying a bowl of sweet potato porridge over: "Director Lin, I just made it, and I added some red dates. Please try it."

"Thank you, Sister-in-law Qin, but you don't need to be so polite," Lin Chen declined. Qin Huairu shoved the bowl into his hands: "If you hadn't spoken up for me today, I would have lost those three catties of fine grains. You must drink this porridge." She paused, then added, "Teacher Yan is quite pitiful too. She stayed up all night preparing lessons for that 'Outstanding Teacher' award, but she miscalculated this time, and I'm afraid she won't get it."

Lin Chen sipped the hot sweet potato porridge, feeling a warmth in his heart. He recalled Yan Bugui's disheveled appearance earlier and couldn't help but understand. In this era of scarcity, the title of "Excellent Teacher" not only brought honor but also a few pounds of refined grain as a subsidy, which was indeed very important for a large family like Yan Bugui's.

As evening fell, Yan Jiekuang secretly came to find Lin Chen, holding a paper package in his hand: "Director Lin, this is from my father, he asked me to give it to you, saying it's to thank you for helping with the accounting today." Lin Chen opened it and saw a few roasted peanuts inside, not many, but each one was plump. "Where's your father? I want to say a few words to him." Lin Chen followed Yan Jiekuang to the front yard and saw Yan Bugui squatting at the door smoking, the ground littered with cigarette butts.

"Teacher Yan, it's not your fault what happened today. The allocation standards changed, and you didn't notice." Lin Chen squatted down beside him. "I told Xiao Zhang, the clerk, that you're very meticulous with the accounts, it was just a momentary oversight. She also said she'd put in a good word for you with the street leaders." Yan Bugui looked up, his eyes full of surprise: "Really?" "Of course it's true," Lin Chen said with a smile. "Everyone has witnessed your arithmetic skills. Just look at your ledger, no one can compare."

Yan Bugui looked at Lin Chen, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only managed to stammer out, "The overtime allowance and food coupons that Jie Cheng received last time, I... I'll give them to him tomorrow." Lin Chen nodded, "We're family, there's no need to be so calculating. It's not easy for the kids working away from home." Yan Bugui sighed heavily and stubbed out his cigarette, "You're right, I used to be too stubborn."

That evening, Lin Chen was studying the system in the storage room, trying to integrate a more precise calculation tool, when he suddenly heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he saw Yi Zhonghai holding a wooden box. "Little Lin," he said, "this is the slide rule I used when I was young. Back then, I relied on it for technological innovation in the workshop. Here, take it; it's more convenient than an abacus." Lin Chen took the box, opened it, and saw that the slide rule inside was very well-preserved, with clear markings. "Uncle Yi, this is too valuable; I can't accept it."

"Take it. I'm too old for this now." Yi Zhonghai patted his shoulder. "I saw it in you during today's accounting. You're a thoughtful and considerate person. I was so foolish before, always thinking about my retirement and neglecting our neighborly relationship. If you ever need anything, just let me know." Lin Chen looked into Yi Zhonghai's sincere eyes and took the slide rule: "Thank you, Uncle Yi."

Back in the storage room, Lin Chen placed the slide rule on the table and opened the system panel. The system prompted: "High-precision calculation tool detected. Can be fused and upgraded to 'Precision Measurement Calculator'. Fusion?" Lin Chen clicked "Yes" and placed the slide rule together with the previously fused copper wire coil. A faint light flashed, and a palm-sized instrument appeared on the table. It could not only perform calculations but also measure lengths and angles with extremely high precision.

The next morning, as soon as Lin Chen stepped out, he saw Yan Bugui fixing a window for Qin Huairu. "Teacher Yan, you can fix windows too?" Lin Chen asked with a smile. Yan Bugui scratched his head: "I used to do it at school, so I can handle minor problems." Qin Huairu also smiled and said, "Teacher Yan won't accept money, he said it's a thank you for the sweet potatoes I gave him yesterday."

Liu Haizhong also came over with Liu Guangfu, holding a small, newly forged hook in his hand: "Xiao Lin, what do you think of this? It's for hanging your slide rule." Lin Chen took the hook; it was still warm from the forging, and the workmanship was exquisite. "Great, thank you, Master Liu."

Sunlight streamed through the clouds, illuminating the bluestone path of the courtyard and casting shadows on everyone. Lin Chen watched his busy neighbors, his heart filled with emotion. The courtyard had once been rife with calculation and conflict, but now, small acts of kindness, like warm sunshine, were melting the ice in people's hearts. He knew this was just the beginning; in the future, this courtyard would become even more lively and welcoming because of this warmth.

Just then, Xiao Zhang rushed in, holding a certificate: "Teacher Yan, congratulations! The street leaders said you were meticulous in checking the accounts. Although there was a small mistake, you corrected it in time, so the title of 'Excellent Teacher' is still awarded to you!" Yan Bugui took the certificate, his hands trembling with excitement, and a long-lost smile appeared on his face. Neighbors gathered around to congratulate him, and the courtyard was filled with laughter and joy; even the cold wind seemed to have become much gentler.