Falling into the mortal world

After explaining the details of the shop, Lan Qingqing asked He Dabao and Gu Heizi to sell tofu there. The two of them were dressed rather neatly today.

Dress neatly so you don't look so fierce, otherwise who would dare to sell tofu!

Lan Qingqing planned to have the other three make dried tofu. Before returning to the village, Lan Qingqing bought some fabric to make a work uniform for each of them.

After getting off the oxcart, the women didn't dare to say anything the whole way. Only after Lan Qingqing and her entourage had gone far away did they start talking about it. When they saw Lan Qingqing bring two men back, they all started chattering away.

See? It hasn't been long, and she's already shown her true colors. She's already brought the man home.

This is a plan to openly do business in the village!

Oh my god! They've completely lost all sense of shame!

Their family was attacked yesterday, and they're still injured.

This shameless woman started doing business.

I bet she couldn't afford medical treatment, so she hired two men to earn money for the medicine.

Everyone was saying things about Lan Qingqing being shameless, and the young women and wives, unable to bear listening to some of the comments, hurried home.

These young women spoke without any shame, saying whatever came to mind, even detailing how Lan Qingqing entertained her guests in vivid detail, as if they had witnessed it themselves.

One of the women said, "Your information is incorrect. I heard yesterday that Lan Da Ya's tofu shop was vandalized. The perpetrators paid 100 taels of silver for medical expenses, and each person who assaulted her paid 10 taels. Some of the assailants couldn't pay and had to settle their debts with wages. Also, half of Lan Da Ya's face is disfigured; she looks like a ghost. It happened at the county government office. Her veil accidentally fell down, frightening the county magistrate."

Another woman said, "What happened? Why are they at the county government office? And what's with that face? And..."

Several women were chatting enthusiastically.

And so, the topic of Lan Qingqing once again became a popular topic of conversation in Pear Blossom Village.

When Lan Qingqing returned home, she handed the person over to her mother to manage. Lan Qingqing had already taught her mother how to make dried tofu.

Lan's mother led the two women to work. Lan Qingqing entered the house and saw that Feng Caidie was already awake. She went up to her and asked, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Feng Caidie said weakly: I'm much better now, but I'm still weak and my steps feel a little unsteady. Otherwise, I'm fine.

"Does the wound still hurt?" Lan Qingqing checked the wound, but there were no signs of infection.

"It doesn't hurt," Feng Caidie said.

The wound heals quickly once it's stitched up, but you must not get out of bed for the next two days to prevent it from reopening. It will be fine in a couple of days.

Feng Caidie nodded to indicate that she understood.

Girl, you must take care of your health. You have a baby in your belly, so you can't keep jumping around. It's best to stop fighting, as it can easily hurt the baby.

Lan Qingqing looked at the silly girl on the bed, who was completely devoted to her. "Okay, I'll listen to you and we won't fight."

"You should rest well. I'm going for a walk outside. Just call my mother if you need anything," Lan Qingqing earnestly instructed.

"Okay, I understand," Feng Caidie replied.

Lan Qingqing stood at the gate of the courtyard, looking at the endless mountain range behind her. She hadn't been into the mountains since she came back.

This time, Lan Qingqing started her journey up the mountain.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Lan Qingqing remembered how she used to often wander up the mountain when she was a child.

While Ming Wang was listening to the report from his subordinates, the Fourth Prince said, "What did you say? Hong Lian is disfigured." How could this be? She was perfectly fine when she left.

Your Highness, I saw it clearly. Half of his face was rotten and covered in sores, as if he had contracted some kind of disease.

Not long after Lan Qingqing left, the Fourth Prince regretted his actions; this woman had successfully captured his heart. But just as he was trying to find Lan Qingqing, she vanished without a trace, as if she had evaporated into thin air.

The more he couldn't find it, the more anxious and restless the Fourth Prince became.

In the end, having no other choice, they could only turn to the King of Light for help.

The Ming King summoned Mother He to inquire about Honglian's original place of residence and her original name. However, Mother He knew nothing about it, as many years had passed.

Lan Qingqing never mentions it, so who would know where her original household registration was?

Mrs. He remembered that Honglian's father seemed to come every year. She thought she should ask the gatekeeper, Xiao Zhang; maybe he could know something.

And so, the Ming King sent Xiao Zhang to inquire. Only then did he learn that Lan Qingqing's father seemed to have come from Yiyang County. With a direction in mind, finding her became much easier.

Later, someone provided clues about Lan Qingqing, and Ming Wang's men naturally found her.

Upon receiving news of Lan Qingqing, the Fourth Prince was so eager to rush over that he couldn't wait to see her. When the Princess Consort heard that the Fourth Prince was keeping Honglian, a courtesan, as a mistress, she was so shocked that she arrived without stopping.

And so, the Fourth Princess Consort stayed with the Fourth Prince during this time. These past few days, the Fourth Princess Consort kept a close eye on the Fourth Prince, which caused some delays.

The Fourth Prince regretted that if he had gone to pick her up sooner, Honglian's face might not have turned out like this.

Fourth Brother, what are you thinking now? Do you still intend to bring her back? Now that things have turned out this way, bringing her back is a temporary solution. The Fourth Princess is keeping a close eye on things. You know Zhen'er's temper. If she finds out about Honglian, she'll probably chop Honglian up immediately.

So let's leave it at that for now! Since Honglian is living well there, let's not disturb her.

"Alright, I understand what Fourth Brother means." Ming Wang picked up his teacup and took a sip. He sneered inwardly. "Such nice words, but all he wants is to stay far away from Hong Lian after her disfigurement. It's just a pity to waste such a good pawn. He'll have to discard her for now."

Lan Qingqing went straight up the mountain. Looking at the withered and yellow leaves, it seemed that winter was not far away.

Villagers frequently travel up and down the mountain. Whenever they see Lan Qingqing, they deliberately detour around her, as if afraid of being tainted by something unclean. Lan Qingqing doesn't care. Why should she care about others' opinions when she's walking her own path?

Along the way, they saw a lot of mushrooms. In Lan Qingqing's memory, the people here did not eat mushrooms. They did not know how to distinguish between poisonous and non-poisonous mushrooms, so they all thought that all mushrooms were poisonous.

Lan Qingqing picked any edible mushrooms she saw and threw them into the basket on her back. She picked quite a few mushrooms and wood ear fungus along the way.

Before she knew it, she had picked half a basket of mushrooms. Lan Qingqing thought that when she got back, she could make a chicken stew with mushrooms to try.

A gust of wind blew by, carrying a strange smell to Lan Qingqing's nose. She sniffed it; the smell was so similar to Sichuan peppercorns. Following the scent, she found a Sichuan peppercorn tree as thick as a bowl not far away. Searching the surrounding area, she found more than a dozen other Sichuan peppercorn trees, laden with peppercorns. What incredible luck to have discovered them!

Sichuan peppercorns are a good thing. Lan Qingqing picked some and put them in her basket. She'd save them to make spicy tofu for dinner.