Falling into the mortal world

When they got home, Lan's mother had already prepared the meal and was waiting for them to come back for dinner. He Dabao gave Lan's mother the money they had earned from the shop that morning. Lan's mother counted it, and finding nothing wrong, she put the copper and silver coins into the money box. They knew exactly how much money they could make each day.

The price of a block of tofu is fixed. Dried tofu also costs one yuan and one coin, and the quantity is also fixed.

Lan Qingqing called over Ah Er and the others, saying she had something to say to them.

Ah Er took the lead and said: "Miss, is there anything you want to tell us?"

Lan Qingqing sat down and poured herself a cup of tea.

Then, speaking slowly and deliberately, he said: "You've been working for me for quite some time now."

It's clear you're not the kind of people who are utterly wicked. Perhaps you're just forced into this situation by life's circumstances.

You don't need to pay back the ten taels of silver. If you want to stay and continue working, I'll give you thirty coins a day, and lunch will be provided. If you don't want to work, I won't force you. However, I still hope that even if you don't work for me, you won't do anything that is immoral or immoral again.

The group exchanged bewildered glances, all with expressions of disbelief.

"Girl, I want to work for you. Lately, because I've had some decent work, even Zhuzhu from the neighboring village has agreed to marry me," Gu Heizi said with a simple, honest expression.

Lan Qingqing sighed inwardly, "People in love! They turn a perfectly normal man into a silly goose."

I, Ah Er, am deeply grateful that the young lady is willing to let us work. We were just confused before; we had nothing to eat at home, so we had no choice but to gamble. I never expected that the young lady would forgive us for such a big mistake. I, Ah Er, hereby swear that as long as the young lady needs me, I, Ah Er, will never betray the young lady Lan Qingqing. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death.

The group then swore an oath never to betray Lan Qingqing. Lan Qingqing knew that oaths were of utmost importance in ancient times, so she naturally believed them.

Since they were willing to sign a long-term contract with Lan Qingqing, Lan Qingqing was naturally happy to do so as well. In this way, all of them signed a long-term contract with Lan Qingqing.

It involves secret recipes and such, and if anyone leaks the family's secret recipes, the family has the right to kill them or hand them over to the authorities. All of this is written in the contract.

Lan Qingqing explained every word of the contract very clearly, wanting them to think it through before signing.

After hearing this, the group didn't think much of it. After all, they wouldn't reveal the secret recipe themselves. With a stable income, the elderly and children wouldn't have to go hungry or cold, and those without wives could even find them.

After signing the contract, Lan Qingqing told everyone to hurry up and eat, as there were still many things to do afterward.

Today, Lan's mother invited You Niang and the others to stay for lunch, since they had been helping to wash jars and prepare hawthorns all morning.

Since there wasn't enough room at both tables today, Lan Qingqing and the others simply ate in the kitchen.

After finishing her meal, Youniang went to the kitchen to tidy up. As soon as she entered the kitchen, she saw Lan Qingqing, who had just finished eating. This was the first time Youniang had seen Lan Qingqing without her veil. The person in front of her was like a fairy descended to earth. She was so beautiful that Youniang was mesmerized. How could there be such a beautiful person in this world?

She seemed out of place in this dilapidated house; such a woman should live in the Heavenly Palace, an existence that is unattainable.

"Sister-in-law, little sister-in-law!" Lan Qingqing's calls woke You Niang, who was still in a daze.

Give this to me! Lan Qingqing pointed to the bowl and chopsticks in You Niang's hand.

"No need, no need, I'll take care of this," said You Niang, and she quickly went into the kitchen to start washing the pots and dishes.

After rinsing her mouth, Lan Qingqing put on her veil. Seeing that You Niang insisted, Lan Qingqing didn't stand on ceremony and got up to leave the kitchen.

The village chief had collected 321 taels of silver in two or three days. He held a meeting to announce that the fundraising was over. Looking at the dozen or so families who hadn't contributed, he realized they were all relatively well-off, including the Lan family's old residence. Those families who were so poor they couldn't even afford food had all taken a gamble.

They scraped together everything they could sell, pawn, or borrow, and managed to gather an ounce or two of silver.

The village chief had timber and bricks purchased and brought into the village. The villagers were very eager to help, after all, that was their only hope.

The village chief didn't even have to wait for the construction of Lan Qingqing's new house to be completed. The workshop had already started work, and the villagers spontaneously stepped forward to work, so the progress was very fast. The village chief also arranged for several young women to go to the Lan family to learn.

Because Lan Qingqing shared her recipe for fan products, most of the villagers started speaking up for her.

Fewer people gossiped, as no one wanted to offend the Lan family, especially since rumors were circulating in the village that Lan Qingqing was a reincarnation of a lucky star.

They all went into that filthy place and managed to get out unscathed. Who doesn't know that once you enter such a place, you either die of illness or are thrown out when you're old and faded? Even if you are redeemed, you'll just be kept in the inner quarters as someone's plaything for their amusement.

Who would have thought that the eldest daughter of the Lan family could return to her hometown? Everyone started saying that the eldest daughter of the Lan family was extraordinary from birth. After being said so many times, everyone came to believe it and automatically ignored the fact that Lan Qingqing was a courtesan.

Lan Qingqing led the group to start washing the jars. She had Lan Qingqing lay blue bricks around the well so that they wouldn't get their feet covered in mud while washing things.

The house is now complete, and they're starting to build the courtyard wall. Lan Qingqing took out the broken porcelain shards and told Lan Xiaotian that they should be placed on the top of the courtyard wall to effectively deter thieves.

Lan Xiaotian understood what his sister meant, so he went to relay her words to the uncles who were building the houses.

The day Lan Qingqing ordered the shelves, the deliveryman had a shop assistant bring them over. Lan Qingqing checked the quality of the shelves and found it to be quite good; she was very satisfied.

But where to put the shelves was a problem for Lan Qingqing, since the new house was not fully built yet and was still a bit messy.

Lan's mother was also worried!

There are so many shelves, they can't fit in the yard, and we can't just throw them outside, but we can't put them in the new house for the time being.

Aunt Li came over and said, "How about we leave it at my house for now, and move the shelf over here once we've tidied up here?"

Lan Qingqing had someone dig a cellar in the backyard, a space of over fifty square meters, but it's not finished yet. Once the yard wall is up, the cellar should be almost done too.

The people working here are paid daily by Lan Qingqing, so they naturally do their best.

Who wouldn't be happy to see money? Earning money provides motivation, and people will naturally work harder.

Nowadays, everyone squeezes and jostles when they enter the house. With so many more things in the house, it naturally feels even more crowded.

Lan Qingqing had noticed a significant increase in her appetite these past two days, and her stomach felt like it was inflating like a balloon. She decided to cook something nice for Lan Xiaoyu the next day, so she asked Lan Xiaoyu to set up a makeshift oven outside the courtyard. She planned to bake some small bread rolls for Lan Xiaoyu to take to the academy.