Falling into the mortal world

The villagers' perception of the Lan family changed without them even realizing it.

Lan Qingqing looked at the empty basket; even the toast she had prepared for her master was gone.

I have to start all over again.

The house is now finished, but it's a mess inside. Mother Lan is cleaning it up now.

The house looked particularly imposing on this open space.

Lan Qingqing took a stroll around the new courtyard. It was a two-courtyard house, the first of its kind in the village. Although the village chief's house was also a large brick and tile house, it was only a single-courtyard house. Before Lan Qingqing's house appeared, the village chief's house was very impressive in the village.

There is no harm without comparison.

Lan Qingqing went into the cellar in the backyard and was quite satisfied with it.

Lan Qingqing decided to move all of Aunt Li's shelves to the cellar right now.

After a whole afternoon of cleaning, the group finally managed to clean up all the trash in the new house. The soil on the ground was compacted very firmly.

Lan Qingqing felt it wasn't aesthetically pleasing, so she decided to order some tiles anyway. Making tiles is relatively simple and shouldn't take too long, but she needed to make sure the dimensions were accurate. While the clay blanks were being made, the corners could be adjusted, but once fired, there were no cutting tools available.

Lan Qingqing drew out every corner of the room and the size of the tiles on a blueprint.

The others were puzzled by Lan Qingqing's actions and curiously stepped forward to ask her.

"What are you drawing, sis?" Lan Xiaoya asked first. The others were also waiting for Lan Qingqing's answer.

Lan Xiaoya asked the same question that they were curious about.

Lan Qingqing explained: "This floor looks uncomfortable. I'm thinking of laying a floor over it, which will improve the visual appeal. When the visual appeal is improved, the mood will naturally improve as well."

"Oh," the crowd murmured in understanding.

Everyone knew that Lan Qingqing was about to cause trouble again. Lan's mother sighed; her personality was still just as mischievous as when she was a child.

Lan Dashu said: If the girl wants to cause trouble, let her do it. It would be strange if she didn't.

With a somewhat sorrowful expression, Lan's mother said, "If only Dalang were home. I wonder how he is now, whether he has eaten enough, or whether he is cold."

Lan's father felt a pang of sadness as he thought of his eldest son. Lan Qingqing also overheard their conversation.

"Mother, do you know where my brother joined the army?" Lan Qingqing asked, stepping forward. Some things had to be faced sooner or later.

Lan Qingqing cannot accept the outcome of someone disappearing without explanation, whether alive or dead.

Mother Lan said sadly, "I don't know either. I only know that he joined the army and the government gave him a subsidy of ten taels of silver."

As for where to join the army, your father and I had no idea. At the time, your father and I inquired from many sources, but to no avail.

Those who joined the army and received subsidies first, like my eldest brother, must have been registered by the government.

It seems I need to find a way to establish a relationship with the people in the county government first.

Lan Qingqing comforted the two, saying, "Brother will definitely come back."

Lan's mother wiped her eyes and said, "Yes, your brother will definitely come back."

"Alright, let's tidy up the yard later," said Mr. Lan, changing the subject.

"Okay, let's hurry up and pack. There's no room over there. Once the gate here is installed, we can move everything over here," said Mother Lan.

Lan Xiaotian pulled the donkey cart back to retrieve the shelves, and the group worked together to move them into the cellar.

The cellar was quite spacious, with rows of shelves neatly arranged, leaving room for walking, making it easier to put in and take out goods.

The entrance to the cellar was placed inside the woodshed, making it convenient to come and go. If it were placed outside, there would be concerns about the inconvenience of going down to the cellar on cloudy or rainy days.

The cellar was pitch black, but there were oil lamps on the walls; you could just light them when you came in.

The shelves were all set up, and in the evening, while there was still time, Lan Qingqing made some more bread.

The next day, Lan Qingqing brought bread to the clinic, where the old doctor was just finishing prescribing medicine for a woman.

The assistant took the medicine and began to prepare it.

Lan Qingqing walked over, and the old doctor said somewhat angrily, "So you finally decided to come over!"

Your dad's home, so you don't have to study anymore, right?

Lan Qingqing said somewhat guiltily: Master, I was just researching food for you, wasn't I?

As he spoke, he handed over the basket in his hand. In fact, the old doctor had smelled the fragrance as soon as Lan Qingqing came in.

"At least you have a conscience," the old doctor snorted.

Seeing that Lan Qingqing still remembered her master, he decided not to be angry with her. He took the basket, opened it, and looked inside. There were foods he had never seen before.

The old man picked one up and took a bite; it was soft, sweet, and delicious. The old doctor ate it with a look of pure bliss.

The people around were drooling with envy! The woman swallowed nervously and quickly left the clinic, afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would start drooling. The sound of the waiter swallowing made the old doctor reluctantly hand her a piece.

The waiter quickly reached out and took it, as if afraid the old doctor would change his mind.

The old doctor carefully hid the basket in the inner room. When he came out, he was holding a medical book. Medical books of this era could not be bought outside. Medical skills were passed down from generation to generation. Lan Qingqing took the book with great care.

"You need to study this carefully when you go home, because I'll be checking it when you come back next time," the old doctor said seriously.

"Understood," Lan Qingqing said, Master.

"Alright, you look restless. If you have something to do, then hurry up and leave!" The old doctor gave him the order to leave.

"Master, I'll be going now. I'll come see you again in a couple of days," Lan Qingqing said as she stepped out.

When Lan Qingqing arrived at the porcelain shop, the shopkeeper greeted her warmly, "Girl, you're here! Your order is ready, and the shop assistant has already delivered it to your home."

"I have other things to do," Lan Qingqing said, taking out a drawing from her sleeve.

Lan Qingqing handed the blueprints to the shopkeeper. It was relatively simple; all she needed to do was make them into 80*80 cm flat surfaces. The shopkeeper examined them carefully. They were indeed quite simple, but there were many pieces, and a small portion had different dimensions. All the details were written on them. Lan Qingqing was worried about them being easily damaged, so she ordered them to be thicker to avoid damage during transport.

The shopkeeper calculated the price and said: This will cost at least three hundred taels. Lan Qingqing wants a lot, and she has also ordered tiles for the front and back yards of her house.

Lan Qingqing thought for a moment and then said: Three hundred taels, three hundred taels it is! Can you make it faster for me?

The shopkeeper said: "We will deliver it to the young lady in five days. Lan Qingqing settled the balance of the previous payment and paid a deposit of one hundred taels."

That's finally done. Next, I need to find some limestone. Limestone has good adhesion, which is perfect for paving bricks. If it weren't for the regulated iron ore mines here, I would also be planning to make some cement for that purpose, as it would be more effective.