How to adjust when you feel you have bad luck? The ancients explained the underlying logic of financial fortune decisions thoroughly with one hexagram.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a Boss Zhang who ran a silk shop. Not long after the New Year, he was so worried that he could neither eat nor sleep—he had made some silver last year, and someone on the street had invited him to partner in opening a cloth shop, claiming it was a surefire moneymaker. His heart itched with temptation, but he also feared that one wrong step would cost him his entire fortune. After much deliberation, he went to Mr. Li, a local man skilled in the *Book of Changes* divination, to have a random hexagram cast. The result was *Guai* (Resolve), with the first line moving, changing into *Da Guo* (Great Exceeding).

Mr. Li spread the hexagram on the table and first reassured him: "Your foundation is solid as a rock. What are you so flustered about?" The *Guai* hexagram has Qian (Heaven) below and Dui (Lake) above—five yang lines supporting one yin line, like a pot of boiling water just about to break through the final thin skin. In modern terms, the fundamentals are sound: cash flow, supply sources, regular customers—all these hard strengths are there. It's just that there's clearly a small gap that needs patching.

At this, Boss Zhang sat up straight. "Sir, do you mean I shouldn't rush to open a new shop right now?" Mr. Li pointed to the line statement of the first line—"Strength in the front toes; going forward without victory brings blame"—and smiled: "You lift your foot pretty fast, but the sole hasn't even touched the ground yet." Many people are eager to find answers on how to make the right decisions, but the ancients already wrote the truth in the hexagram lines—if you charge forward before your first step is steady, not only will you not win the battle, but you'll also run into trouble. Have you settled all your current accounts? Have you maintained relationships with your regular customers? Have you dealt with the batch of silk damaged by the leaky roof last month?

Boss Zhang's face flushed. He had been so preoccupied with the glamour of opening a new shop lately that he had indeed neglected many things in his current shop.

Looking at the inner hexagram, which was two stacked Qian metal trigrams, Mr. Li added: "Don't be too worried, either. The middle process will go smoothly. Your fellow merchants and the elders who supported you in your early years are all people who can help. If you really hit a snag with capital turnover, just ask, and there will be a way." The body trigram Qian metal and the function trigram Dui metal are of the same kind, like a fish in water—whatever your level is, the environment will treat you accordingly. There will be no pie falling from the sky, nor will you stumble badly for no reason. Income and expenses are generally stable.

When it came to the changed hexagram *Da Guo* (Great Exceeding), Mr. Li's tone became more serious: "This final step is a fork in the road." *Da Guo* means "exceeding the norm"—either you'll earn more than expected, or spend more than expected, all depending on how you choose. Many people, when facing such a juncture, wonder how to adjust when they feel unlucky. But in truth, there's no such thing as good or bad luck; it's all piled up from choices. If you're greedy and sink your entire fortune into the new project, that's "overload," and you're likely to capsize. If you first solidify what's in your hands, then expand gradually, that's "breakthrough," and you can rise to a new level.

As for how to deal with the problem, Mr. Li gave him three pieces of advice: First, clear up all old accounts first—collect what's owed, settle what's due, and don't leave messy books. Second, check for small leaks of wealth, such as unnecessary expenses or unclear contracts; patch them up, and your fortune will naturally stabilize. Third, don't believe in "invest a little, gain a lot" fantasies. Keep enough reserve money for half a year, and you'll fear nothing even if the sky falls.

After returning home, Boss Zhang first took stock of all the inventory in his shop, then collected several debts that had been overdue for half a year, and even canceled three completely useless chamber of commerce memberships—oh no, membership fees. When autumn came, on the recommendation of an old friend, he took out 30% of his savings to open a small branch. Sure enough, the business was even more prosperous than before.

In fact, the *Book of Changes* is not about predestined fate at all. It's a mirror that reflects your current situation and the hidden dangers lurking in the shadows. When you have good cards in hand, don't rush to play them all. First sort out your hand, patch up the gaps, then play steadily and cautiously. That is the decision-making wisdom passed down from our ancestors.