The Little Taoist Sees Affection Scores

The five-year-old youngest daughter of the Wen family, who had been sent to a Taoist temple to recover from an illness, came home.

The eldest son of the Wen family had once been a distinguished young nobleman admired throughout the capital. After injuring both legs while saving someone, he could no longer sit for the imperial examinations. Then his uncle seized his title, and he gradually grew despondent and weary of life. When he heard the news, his expression remained indifferent.

"Oh. Just think of it as one more mouth to feed. No need to pay her any attention day to day."

Wen Zhaozhao glanced at the favorability score above his head: Oh! A perfect hundred!

The second daughter of the Wen family had once been a reader to the princess. Talented and brilliant, she had dreamed of a life of freedom, but her cousin, who had grown up with her, betrayed her. She lost her position as the princess's reader, was falsely accused of plagiarizing someone else's poems, and was framed into losing her eligibility for the imperial examinations. Disillusioned, she no longer trusted anyone, not even her five-year-old little sister.

Wen Zhaozhao glanced at the favorability score above her head: Oh! Another perfect score!

The third daughter of the Wen family was the second daughter's twin. She preferred practicing with weapons and dreamed of fighting on the battlefield, but an unexpected poisoning left her frail and sickly, gasping after every few steps. More than once, she had wanted to die and refused to see anyone.

Wen Zhaozhao peeked over the wall and glanced at the favorability score above her head: Oh! Still a perfect score!

The fourth son of the Wen family was unruly and often got into fights with the young scions of the capital. The young ladies of the city went out of their way to avoid him, while the refined young nobles wanted nothing to do with him. When they heard the youngest Wen daughter was coming home, everyone speculated that he would beat his little sister senseless. He even declared that he had no family.

Wen Zhaozhao glanced at the favorability score above his head: Oh! A perfect score! Still a perfect score!

Everyone in the capital knew that the Wen family's second branch had lost its title. Now they had a little Taoist girl who wore her hair in buns every day and set up a stall by the roadside with a small folding stool. Her banner read: "Fortune-telling and physiognomy, feng shui and geomancy, divination and auspicious dates, acupuncture and prescriptions."

They thought the child had merely learned a few tricks to swindle people and shook their heads.

"The Wen family's second branch has truly fallen into ruin."

Who could have guessed that before long, the eldest Wen son would get back on his feet, the second daughter would find the culprit who framed her, the third daughter would recover and punch a cow to death, and the fourth son would turn from a lone wolf into a clingy homebody?

And plenty of powerful nobles would rush to have the little Taoist girl tell their fortunes.

Later, a headless ghost from the princess's residence would plead for justice, and the truth behind the massacre of the Liu family would come to light...

Capital residents: "If you have a problem, go to the little Taoist!"

Capital ghosts: "If you've been wronged, go to the little Taoist!"

(First draft written on December 4, 2023) (Second draft written on February 23, 2024, with an added ghost-exorcising section)

Reader's Note:

1. Told from the female lead's perspective. There is a male lead, but the story focuses mainly on family love.

2. Mild supernatural elements: fortune-telling and physiognomy, feng shui and geomancy, divination and auspicious dates, acupuncture and prescriptions, ghost exorcism and warding off evil.

Theme: Never abandon one another, never give up. We are family.