Mai Ge paused for a moment, then quickly realized that Amy must be upset because she hadn't managed to complete the checkout independently and felt she hadn't been helpful.
Putting down the bowl, Mai Ge looked at Amy's little eyes and felt a pang of heartache. It seemed the little one still lacked confidence. In his eyes, Amy, at just over four years old, had already done a fantastic job.
"Who says that? How could our Little Amy be useless? Selling four servings of fried rice today was mostly thanks to Little Amy. Secondly, at the checkout, four bowls of fried rice cost 2400 copper coins, and Little Amy calculated it correctly. It's just that Grandpa Mo Bai didn't have that many copper coins, so he had to use these prettier and more valuable gold coins as a substitute." Mai Ge looked into Amy's eyes and shook his head earnestly.
"Really?" Little Amy's eyes brightened as she listened to Mai Ge's words, but she still seemed a little insecure.
"Of course it's true. Little Amy had never seen gold coins before. It's my fault, because I hadn't earned a single gold coin before. If I had to say who was wrong, it would be that I didn't tell Little Amy early that silver coins, gold coins, and dragon coins, like copper coins, could all be used to buy things. I should reflect on that. I hope our Little Amy can forgive me." Mai Ge nodded, a look of self-reproach on his face.
"No, how can blame Daddy? Daddy is the best to Little Amy." Amy shook her head vigorously, her eyes downcast, a little aggrieved. "Teacher Luna taught me, but… but so many copper coins turning into so few gold coins, I just couldn't bring myself to do it, and there were just too many to change, so…"
Mai Ge's eyebrows twitched; he almost couldn't help but laugh. Amy's explanation was just too adorable, but seeing the little girl's somewhat timid gaze, he felt a pang of sadness.
External environment has a significant impact on a person's character development, especially for someone like Amy, who is slowly shaping her values and habits.
Her previous life of poverty, and the disdain humans and elves held for half-elves, had instilled in her a degree of inferiority and a lack of confidence.
But thankfully, Amy was still young, and this feeling was only just beginning to sprout. Mai Ge believed he could gradually help her adjust and become a confident little girl.
"From now on, I can't let Amy be ridiculed or looked down upon by others anymore. I must cherish her and raise her into a happy little princess." Mai Ge told himself.
However, when it comes to arithmetic, the math level in this world is indeed somewhat worrying, even worse than the arithmetic skills of the foreign passersby in his previous life. They take quite a while to calculate addition and subtraction of numbers greater than two digits.
In a world where culture isn't widespread, this isn't particularly strange. However, Mai Ge suddenly had some ideas about building Amy's confidence.
When it comes to countries with the highest average mathematical ability on Earth, China is undoubtedly one of them, with the multiplication table (nine nine multiplication tables) playing a significant role in this early education.
"Eat this bowl of fried rice first. After you finish, Daddy will teach you a Arithmetic Formulas. Once you learn it, you'll be even better than those students at Chaotic Academy, making collecting money much easier." Mai Ge reached out and ruffled Amy's hair, placing the small bowl in front of her with a smile.
"Really? Better than all those older brothers and sisters?" Amy's eyes lit up instantly, looking at Mai Ge with disbelief. In her eyes, those older brothers and sisters sitting in classrooms, taking lessons with Teacher Luna everyday, were incredibly talented.
"Of course it's true. When has Daddy ever lied to you?" Mai Ge nodded.
"Mmm, Daddy would never lie to Little Amy. Little Amy will study hard and be a good girl." Amy nodded earnestly, then began to eat obediently.
Watching Amy's adorable eating, Mai Ge also picked up his spoon and started eating. The nine nine multiplication tables formulas were a magic weapon; if Amy mastered them, it would be easy to crush those kids still counting addition and subtraction on their fingers. The first step in boosting her confidence would begin here.
After finishing his meal, Mai Ge cleared the dishes into the kitchen. Looking at the slightly greasy plates in the sink, he hesitated, reluctant to reach for them. After a moment's thought, he mentally asked the system, "System, do you sell dishwashers?"
"This system is not an appliance store." the system replied.
"One word: Sell or not? I'll pay." Mai Ge scoffed.
The system paused for a moment, then displayed a price: "Basic model dishwasher, washes five plates and ten spoons at a time, price: 3 gold coins."
"This system is really greedy, it has no principles whatsoever..." Mai Ge rolled his eyes, completely seeing through the system's bottom line. However, the price was quite acceptable. Without hesitation, he said, "So cheap? I'll take one. Deduct the money from my credit limit first."
"Payment successful, dishwasher delivered." Another line of text appeared.
Mai Ge's eyes lit up when he saw the bright silver dishwasher already plugged in on the stove. It looked quite high-tech. He opened the lid, put several plates and spoons inside it, pressed the start button, and the lid opened automatically in less than a minute, revealing that the plates inside were brand new and shiny.
Modern technology is indeed convenient. Mai Ge put the plate and spoon away with satisfaction. Amy stood in the kitchen doorway, looking at Mai Ge expectantly, and asked, "Daddy, what are we going to learn?"
"The nine nine multiplication table. Amy, wait for me, I'll go get paper and a pen. Let's try memorizing a few lines today." Seeing that no guests were coming anytime soon, Mai Ge said this, went upstairs to get a piece of paper and a pen, and then sat down at the table and wrote out the nine nine multiplication table in a ladder-like format.
The writing system in this world is naturally different from that on Earth, but the common script is somewhat similar to the oracle bone script of Chinese characters. The numbers are the same as Arabic numerals; historical developments always have some striking similarities.
Mai Ge inherited the memories of the original owner of this body, so he has completely mastered the writing system and language of this world.
"Daddy's handwriting is so beautiful!" Amy clapped her hands and praised Mai Ge as he wrote the multiplication tables, looking at him with adoration. She used to think Luna's handwriting was the best, but her father's was even better, each character seemingly carved from stone.
Mai Ge, flattered by Amy's praise, looked at him with even more admiration. The hour of handwriting practice he'd been forced to do everyday as a child suddenly felt worthwhile; finally, someone appreciated his beautiful handwriting. He smiled and said, "Then, how about Daddy teaches Little Amy to write sometime?"
"Okay, okay!" Amy nodded happily, then looked at the rows and columns of numbers on the paper with some confusion. "Daddy, is this the nine nine multiplication table?"