Chapter 139: Make a Wish to Me

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.

The next day arrived before dawn.

Lu Chao Chao awoke early. Today marked her eldest brother’s provincial examination—the first step in reclaiming his destiny. How could she dare to sleep in?

“Young Miss, you’re up so early today,” Yu Shu remarked with a smile as she helped dress her.

“Where is Big Brother?” Lu Chao Chao asked.

“The Eldest Young Master just finished breakfast. Madam is preparing food for him to take along,” Yu Shu replied.

“Here, drink some milk first, then have your meal,” Yu Shu gently urged. “But no heavy food; you couldn’t digest the meat from last night, and I had to rub your belly for half the night,” she added with a doting smile.

Lu Chao Chao clung to her with gratitude and even grabbed two gold melon seeds.

After dressing, the little one hurried to the front courtyard.

“Big Brother! Big Brother!” she called, her small face flushed from running.

“Make wish for me…”

“Quick, quick, quick! Make wish for me. Give me gift…” Lu Chao Chao clutched her sleeve hem anxiously.

Lu Yan Shu was taken aback. “Big Brother has an exam today and hasn’t prepared a gift for Chao Chao. Can I give you one after the exam?” he asked earnestly.

Chao Chao shook her head hurriedly, her face sweating with urgency.

[Gift for me, gift for me. Wish for me, wish for me, quick, quick…]

[Offering is needed for wish…]

She glanced around and pointed to a flower by her feet. “Pick that and give to me, okay?”

Without hesitation, Lu Yan Shu plucked the flower and handed it to her. “For Chao Chao,” he said.

Chao Chao accepted it with both hands, her eyes sparkling brightly as she looked up at him expectantly.

“May Chao Chao grant me a bit of… luck,” he said, knowing his strength was sufficient and all he needed was fortune.

Lu Chao Chao’s brows curved happily. “The gods will bless you.”

[Yay, yay, yay! Big Brother prayed to me.]

Today, his luck would undoubtedly be flawless.

Lu Yan Shu boarded the carriage with his family and headed to the examination hall.

Although many people were en route to the venue, their path was remarkably clear. Once their carriage passed, the roads became congested.

They arrived at the hall’s entrance without delay. Despite the early hour, a long line had already formed outside.

The moment Lu Yan Shu stepped out of the carriage, an officer appeared with a directive. “This way, form a new line,” the officer announced, pointing at Lu Yan Shu.

By chance, Lu Yan Shu ended up at the front of the new line.

Lu Yuan Xiao’s eyes widened in amazement. “Wow, Big Brother’s luck is incredible today!”

Everything proceeded seamlessly.

Placing a hand over his heart, Lu Yan Shu glanced back at Chao Chao. She stood there, cheering for him energetically. It felt as though her wish had endowed him with clarity of mind and peak physical condition, as if he were a tiger growing wings. A strange premonition told him luck was on his side today.

Sure enough, upon entering the examination hall, he was assigned the best seat.

Meanwhile, Lu Jing Huai was seated near the toilets. It was the peak of summer, and the stench was unbearable. Lu Jing Huai gagged the moment he sat down.

“Chao Chao, shall we head home now?” Lu Zheng Yue suggested.

The provincial exam consisted of three sessions, each lasting three days and two nights, totaling nine days and six nights. Candidates provided their own food and stayed in cramped rooms, making it a grueling ordeal.

“Prepare medicine for Big Brother and pick him up in three days,” Lu Zheng Yue instructed, having planned meticulously.

“Bodhisattva bless him! Big Brother must not get a toilet seat!” Lu Yuan Xiao prayed fervently, hands clasped.

“What is a toilet seat?” Chao Chao asked, puzzled.

Lu Zheng Yue chuckled. “Rooms next to the toilets are called toilet seats. In summer, the smell is unbearable, yet candidates have to write, eat, and sleep there. It’s suffocating.”

Chao Chao’s confidence shone as she grinned. “My Big Brother no get toilet seat!”

The streets buzzed with activity.

“I’m betting on Lu Jing Huai.”

“Same here, Lu Jing Huai all the way! Quick, place my bet!”

“Lu Yan Shu may have become a scholar at eight, but he’s been bedridden for ten years. How could he possibly compare to Lu Jing Huai?”

“Poor thing. Lu Yan Shu’s father became Lu Jing Huai’s. His fiancée, too. Even his academic prowess has been overshadowed. He can’t catch a break.”

“I heard his mother was divorced and driven out of the marquis’ household. A woman without a husband… how could she survive?”

Lu Yuan Xiao’s eyes turned red with anger. “I’ll teach them a lesson! I’ll tear their mouths apart!”

“Why bother now? Once Big Brother’s results are out, they’ll face the truth,” Lu Zheng Yue reasoned calmly, unwilling to stir trouble at a critical moment.

[Bet, bet, bet! Quick, bet on Big Brother to win.]

[Jiang Yun Jin is about to marry Big Brother. Madam Pei coaxed the Jiang family into wagering thirty thousand taels on Lu Jing Huai!]

“I’ve got sixteen hundred taels. All on Lu Yan Shu,” Lu Zheng Yue declared.

“Three hundred and twenty taels, on Lu Yan Shu!” Lu Yuan Xiao added, both brothers placing their bets aggressively.

The bookmaker grinned widely. “Once the bet’s placed, there’s no going back.”

“No going back!” Lu Zheng Yue affirmed, his face stern.

As the exam commenced, more people bet on Lu Jing Huai.

Chao Chao directed Yu Shu to wager another ten thousand taels on her Big Brother. The rest of her money was allocated elsewhere.

“Hah! Betting on a cripple is a waste,” Lu Jing Yao sneered from a nearby carriage. Despite her young age, her eyes gleamed with cunning.

“If he wins, I’ll eat dung in public!” Lu Jing Yao declared, her tone filled with resentment. “Why does everyone favor Lu Chao Chao? It’s not fair!”

Chao Chao flashed a smile, revealing twelve teeth. “Okay, I feed you well!”

[Good, good, good! I’ll make sure you eat dung!]

[Count on it! Feeding guaranteed!]

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