The next day.

Yu Luo, dressed in a blue robe, walked out against the light and looked at her grandmother gently.

Mother Li Yuan had already prepared the meal.

On the rough wooden table were several multigrain steamed buns and a pot of plain white porridge.

The bowl of porridge in front of Yu Luo was so thick that the rice water was almost invisible.

The bowls in front of her nieces contained only thin broth and water, with the grains of rice countable on one hand.

Not only that, but three large boiled eggs were also neatly placed on the side of Yu Luo's bowl.

Li Yuan set out the bowls and chopsticks, and carefully said to Yu Luo, "Eat quickly, An'er. Studying is hard on your brain, so you need to eat more."

Yu Luo stopped moving.

In the original owner Yu Xinran's memory, eggs were a luxury, and meat was a rare treat that could only be seen during festivals.

All the best things in the house will always belong to my younger brother, Yu An.

My grandmother and mother often said that male children should study and take the imperial examinations, as it was a great matter that brought honor to the family and should not be neglected.

Therefore, she and her nieces have almost never tasted what a whole egg tastes like, growing up.

Now the tables have turned, and this unique privilege has fallen on her, but Yu Luo feels no sense of relief.

She picked up her chopsticks and divided half of the thick porridge in her bowl into a portion for her eldest niece, who was watching eagerly from the side.

Then, she cut the three eggs in half, making sure that each of her nieces' bowls had an extra half of a white egg.

What are you doing?!

Grandmother's face immediately darkened, and she slammed her cane on the ground with a dull thud.

"The rules are broken! You are the only male in our Yu family, and you are the one who will support the entire family business in the future! How can we give these precious things to them!"

Li Yuan also became anxious and desperately tried to wink at Yu Luo.

His eyes seemed to say, "My little darling, please don't give yourself away!" This behavior is nothing like that of a man!

Yu Luo seemed not to see them. She calmly raised her head and glanced at her grandmother and mother.

“Grandmother, Mother, as long as you want to support this family, there will always be a way.”

"We are already doing very well now."

She silently added a sentence in her mind.

At worst, we'll just give up on the imperial examinations.

This world is plagued by frequent disasters, and evil spirits lurk in the shadows.

Right now, ensuring the safety and well-being of this family is the most important thing!

Seeing that they couldn't persuade her, Grandmother and Li Yuan could only sigh and sit down, while they began to think about where to find more money-making jobs.

This child is kind-hearted, but the rice jar at home is really almost empty.

That afternoon, Yu Luo pondered the matter repeatedly and made up his mind.

She found the few pieces of yellow paper she had left at home, went to the general store at the street corner, and used her last few coins to buy a small pinch of gold powder and a half-worn calligraphy brush.

After making all the preparations, she led her several nieces, who were full and energetic, in a grand procession toward East Street, the busiest street in the county.

Finding a secluded corner, Yu Luo spread out a piece of yellow paper and weighed it down with a stone.

She dipped her brush in ink and wrote four large characters on the yellow paper.

[Character Analysis for Changing Your Fate]

Not only that, Yu Luo also placed bamboo tubes next to him, which had been filled with various texts in advance, just waiting for the person to draw one.

Several nieces surrounded her curiously, their eyes filled with admiration as they gazed at the powerful characters in the sunlight.

Yu Luo chuckled inwardly.

The books I read in my spare time in my past life, such as "Cold Reading" and "Sales Psychology," have been worn out. I never thought they would come in handy here.

The stall had barely been set up when it attracted a lot of attention.

Soon, the first customer arrived.

He was a wealthy merchant dressed in fine clothes, surnamed Zhao, followed by two burly servants, his face full of worry.

"Young master, can you really change my luck?" Master Zhao asked, half believing and half doubting.

Yu Luo, mimicking the manner of the old scholars in his memory, slowly made a gesture of invitation.

“Sir, you’ll know once you try it.”

Master Zhao gritted his teeth, seemingly driven to desperation, and pulled a slip of paper from the divination box, handing it over.

Yu Luo unfolded it and saw that there was only one word on it.

fall.

Master Zhao's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

"Failed, failed the exam, it's all over, it's all over! My son's chances of passing the provincial exam this time are definitely gone!" He beat his chest and stamped his feet, filled with regret.

The onlookers burst into laughter and sighs.

This character is so unlucky to draw.

Yu Luo remained expressionless, lightly touching the character "落" with her finger.

“Sir, you are mistaken.”

Her clear, cool voice reached everyone's ears.

Master Zhao suddenly raised his head, as if grasping at the last straw.

What do you mean?

Yu Luo smiled slightly, confident and composed.

"The character '落' has the radical '艹' on top, which is the first of the grasses and trees, and it also represents the character '才' with its top part sticking out. This implies that your son is exceptionally talented and is already an outstanding individual."

If my memory serves me correctly, this wealthy man's son was indeed quite learned.

She remembered that her younger brother had complained to her that the rich man was too much of a worrywart, to the point that his classmates couldn't stand it.

"The lower part is Luo, does the gentleman know the Luo River?"

"A divine tortoise emerged from the Luo River, carrying a divine book on its back. This is an omen of flourishing literary fortune, a metaphor for the descent of the God of Literature!"

His words flowed smoothly, quoting classical texts, leaving Master Zhao and the onlookers completely bewildered.

Master Zhao stared blankly at the character "落" (luò), and found it increasingly pleasing to the eye.

"Then... then why is it the character '落' (luò)?"

Yu Luo's smile deepened.

"This is the finishing touch. Everything is ready except for the east wind. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Your son's literary fortune is just missing a little bit of water to give it a boost."

She looked at Master Zhao and said slowly.

"If you wish to help your son change the situation, you might as well have him choose a name with the water radical (氵) in it during the examination."

"It is like bathing, it is like an abyss."

"By nurturing talent with water and harnessing the power of the Luo River, we will surely achieve unstoppable progress and pass the imperial examination with flying colors!"

Master Zhao's eyes lit up instantly. This is great!

"But, but..." He rubbed his hands together excitedly.