Master Zhao's face showed both ecstasy and a hint of uncertainty.
This method of changing one's fate sounds mysterious, but what if my son doesn't believe it or has forgotten it?
Yu Luo saw through his thoughts.
She folded the note with the character "Luo" on it and put it away, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"If you are worried, sir, I can personally write down these auspicious characters and have your son carry them with him so that he can constantly sense the literary fortune of the Luo River. Wouldn't that be even better?"
Upon hearing this, Master Zhao's eyes widened like copper bells.
"Excellent! Excellent! Please, young master, bestow upon me a calligraphy!"
Yu Luo raised the corners of her mouth slightly and extended a finger.
“Sir, the calligraphy I use is made with blessed gold powder, drawing upon the literary energy of heaven and earth.”
"One character, ten taels of silver."
Ten taels!
The onlookers gasped in astonishment.
This money is too easy to make! Just by opening their mouths, they can earn enough to cover their food expenses for several months!
Master Zhao didn't even blink, and immediately took out a silver ingot from his pocket and slammed it on the table.
"Please continue writing, young sir!"
Yu Luo didn't stand on ceremony. She took out a new sheet of yellow paper and carefully mixed the gold powder into the ink.
With a flick of her wrist, she wrote with a flourish.
A golden, gleaming character, "渊" (Yuān), leaps off the page, exuding a powerful aura, as if the waters of a deep abyss truly lie within it.
Master Zhao was overjoyed and carefully rolled up the letter.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Yu Luo pulled out another talisman with strange patterns from his sleeve.
“Sir, this is a Wenchang talisman, which will ensure your son is clear-headed and writes with great skill during the examination. Paired with the character ‘Yuan,’ it forms the image of two dragons playing with a pearl.”
"This talisman will only cost five taels."
"Buy it! I'll buy it!"
Without saying a word, Master Zhao took out another five taels of silver.
A poor, pedantic scholar standing nearby stared in disbelief and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"My God! This is even more effective than those old Taoist priests at Qingyun Temple!"
That shout was like igniting a powder keg.
The area in front of Yu Luo's stall was packed with people all afternoon.
As the sun set and it was time to pack up, the loose silver in Yu Luo's arms had been replaced by a heavy hundred-tael silver ingot.
Manager Wang of the Wang Family Pawnshop on the street corner, half a street away, watched with eyes reddening, his hands gripping the abacus beads so tightly they almost crushed them.
Just as Yu Luo was preparing to return home with her nieces laden with their purchases, a loud shout suddenly rang out.
"That's him! Smash it!"
A sleazy thug, leading a few oddballs, charged over menacingly.
The leader was named Liu San, a notorious scoundrel in the county.
"You fake fortune teller! How dare you cheat and swindle people here!"
Liu San kicked over Yu Luo's table, scattering yellow paper and calligraphy brushes all over the floor.
"My brother prayed for peace and safety from you yesterday, and today he broke his leg while working in the fields! You have to pay for it!"
The nieces were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they hid behind Yu Luo.
The surrounding people also became agitated, pointing and whispering.
Yu Luo remained unusually calm, ignoring the clamoring Liu San, her gaze instead falling coldly on his wide sleeves.
A corner of it was inadvertently revealed, and she saw an inconspicuous king emblem embroidered there.
It is the mark of the Wang Family Pawnshop.
Yu Luo understood.
She calmly bent down and picked up the bamboo tube filled with notes from the ground.
With a whoosh!
She poured all the notes onto the ground, but held one tightly in her hand, raising it high.
"Fellow villagers, please take a look!"
Everyone stared intently, and there was a large character for "evil" on the paper!
Yu Luo's cold voice echoed through the street.
"The character for 'evil,' with a horizontal stroke above the heart, suppresses the king!"
She suddenly pointed at Liu San.
"You act as a henchman for Manager Wang of the Wang Family Pawnshop. Aren't you afraid of feeling guilty and having this extra stroke on your forehead?"
These words caused an uproar in the audience.
The Wang family pawnshop's usurious lending practices have driven countless families to ruin and death, a fact that is no secret in Yu County!
Liu San's face instantly turned as dark as a pig's liver.
Yu Luo curled his lips into a cold smile and continued speaking.
"Besides, my stall only opened today."
"And how did you manage to get your brother to get the calligraphy from me yesterday?"
"Could it be that your brother is a deity, capable of foresight?"
A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.
Just then, Master Zhao and several servants squeezed in.
"Stop! Who dares to touch the young master!"
Behind him followed several farmers who had received guidance from Yu Luo, each filled with righteous indignation.
Master Zhao announced loudly to the crowd, "I have already inquired! This young Master Yu An is a genuine scholar, with excellent learning! His calculations are definitely accurate!"
"Yes! The young man had us change the water system at home, and watering the fields went much more smoothly today!"
"Get these hooligans out!"
The crowd surged forward, and Liu San and his companions fled in a panic.
After packing up, Yu Luo, along with her chattering nieces, didn't go straight home.
She turned into a secluded general store and bought a large bag of white stones for a few taels of silver.
Saltpeter.
The weather is strangely hot these days, so she makes her own ice, which not only helps her cool down but also allows her to make some money.
Yu Luo naturally didn't plan to make a big fuss. He would take the ice to some wealthy households, and if they didn't want the hassle, they would definitely buy it.
She doesn't need to visit too many times; a few visits to each wealthy household a month is enough to earn her a sum of money, enough to feed the whole family.
As Yu Luo pondered this, she led the girls back.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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