The next day, Yu Luo woke up when a musty smell mixed with daylight seeped in through the crack in the door.
She leaned against the wall and managed to sit up.
The excruciating pain in my body had subsided, leaving only a numb, tingling sensation, but my mind was clearer than ever before.
With a creak, the door to the woodshed was pushed open.
Sun's mother peeked in with her heavily powdered face. When she saw Yu Luo sitting up, a hint of surprise flashed in her shrewd eyes.
"Wow, it actually came back to life."
She walked in, pinching her nose, and circled Yu Luo twice, as if she were examining a piece of merchandise.
"You look alright."
She clicked her tongue, seemingly satisfied that she hadn't wasted her one or two taels of silver.
"She's pretty tough."
Mother Sun gave instructions to a burly servant at the door.
"Get her something to eat, don't let her starve to death."
"From now on, I'll do some odd jobs in the building. We'll talk about it when I'm a little older."
The servant responded gruffly, walked over, and glared down at Yu Luo.
He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and threatened, "Little brat, you better watch your step from now on, and don't even think about running away!"
"Or I'll break your legs!"
Yu Luo raised her eyelids, glanced at him quietly, and said nothing.
His gaze was so calm that the handyman felt a chill run down his spine, instinctively taking a half-step back and muttering as he walked away.
…
At night, the door to the woodshed was quietly pushed open again.
Chunxue carried a small lantern, followed by several girls of similar age, who peeked in cautiously.
"Qiqi, we've come to see you."
Chunxue stuffed a small packet of osmanthus cake wrapped in oil paper into Yu Luo's hand.
"Eat quickly, this is something I secretly hid."
Another round-faced girl also took out a red date and smiled shyly.
"This is all I have."
Yu Luo looked at them and whispered, "Thank you."
Chunxue waved her hand and sat down next to her.
"No need to thank me. From now on, we're sisters. In this place, we have to help each other out."
The girls chattered and gathered around, instantly bringing a sense of life to the small woodshed.
Just then, a girl with a sorrowful expression gently touched another person's arm.
"Sister Mei, did that Magistrate Wang slap your face again?"
The girl called Sister Mei subconsciously touched a barely noticeable bruise on her cheek and smiled bitterly.
What can we do?
Her voice was full of helplessness.
“He is an official, and we are of lowly status. If we offend him, even the madam will skin us alive, and the entire Chunfeng Tower will suffer the consequences.”
The moment the name of Magistrate Wang was mentioned, the previously lively atmosphere instantly fell silent.
"The Wang family is like the sky in our county, who dares to mess with them?"
"Yeah, we should try to avoid him in the future."
The girls all sighed.
Soon, fearing that they would be discovered by Sun's mother, they quietly left again.
In the woodshed, Yu Luo slowly chewed on the osmanthus cake that had cooled down a bit. The sweetness melted on her tongue, but her eyes grew even more profound.
The Wang family.
County Magistrate Wang.
She silently memorized those two names.
And so, with the daily diet of bland soup and the occasional feedings from her older sisters, Yu Luo's health gradually improved.
Those gruesome wounds scabbed over and fell off at an incredible speed, leaving only faint pink marks in the end.
Even Grandma Sun was amazed, pinching Yu Luo's arm and looking at it over and over.
"You little rascal, you're incredibly resilient! You're really healthy! Even the King of Hell wouldn't take you!"
…
After recovering, Yu Luo began doing chores like cleaning and sweeping in the building.
She was small and quiet, but very quick and efficient. She always stayed quietly in the corner, like a little shadow.
She often helps Chunxue and the others tidy up their rooms.
Yu Luo soon discovered that Chunxue was not only gentle, but also had beautiful handwriting and was a master of painting.
That day, she looked at the butterfly that Chunxue was drawing, which was about to leap off the paper, and stared at it for a few more moments.
Chunxue noticed her gaze, put down her pen, and smiled gently.
"Qiqi, do you want to learn?"
She asked softly, "How about I teach you to read? It's always good for a girl to know more characters. The more you know, the easier it will be for you in the future."
Yu Luo raised her head and looked at Chun Xue's eyes, which were still bright under the dim light.
She nodded vigorously.
"good."
Days passed by like this.
Chunfeng Tower continues its daily routine of welcoming and seeing off guests.
In a corner of Chunfeng Tower, Yu Luo's progress was also very rapid.
Since I was originally from another world, I only need to familiarize myself with the language of this world a little before I can quickly master it.
Her learning speed is frighteningly fast.
Moreover, when Yu Luo was studying, he always had a very familiar feeling, as if he had written it a million times before.
She could remember the characters Chunxue taught her after just one look, and her handwriting was even neater than Chunxue's.
Another girl in the building, Sister Ling'er, who was also good at playing the piano, once jokingly taught her fingering techniques. In just two days, she was able to play a complete tune, albeit intermittently.
The group of women were stunned.
"My goodness, Qiqi, you're so smart!"
"When I first learned this piece, Sister Ling'er hit my palms with a ruler for half a month!"
Yu Luo just smiled and didn't say anything.
She herself found it strange; those words and those melodies seemed to have been engraved deep in her soul long ago, and now they were simply being awakened again.
Until one day.
Yu Luo was helping the cook empty the swill at the back door when he overheard a message from several little beggars squatting in the corner basking in the sun—a message that could change everyone's fate.
That evening, she invited Chunxue, Sister Mei, and several of her close sisters to her small woodshed.
The girls thought she had gotten some delicious treats again, and they all gathered around her with smiles.
Yu Luo's expression, however, was unusually serious.
She looked at them and spoke clearly, word by word.
“I heard some news from the little beggars outside.”
She paused, and in her dark pupils, it seemed as if a small flame was burning.
"The current emperor has opened a special imperial examination for women."
"It is said that regardless of background or past, as long as one is a woman, she can enter the imperial examination and be listed on the same list as the men!"
The entire woodshed fell silent instantly.
Looking at their faces, which were filled with surprise and disbelief, Yu Luo asked softly.
"Sisters, are you going to take the exam?"
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