Falling into the mortal world

The shopkeeper called over a waiter to weigh it, and the waiter weighed it and it came to a total of 32 jin and 1 liang.

The shopkeeper calculated that it was 32 catties and 1 tael, totaling 802 taels and 5 mace of silver.

The shopkeeper took out eight one-hundred-tael silver notes and two and a half taels of loose silver.

Lan Qingqing took the money, checked it, and seeing that there was nothing wrong, she bid farewell to the shopkeeper.

Although Lan Xiaotian was somewhat shocked that the Dendrobium had sold for a high price of eight hundred taels, he thought that this was money earned by his own daughter with her life, so he didn't feel so bad about it. Lan Xiaotian felt the same way.

Feng Caidie had a lot to negotiate, after all, she had seen Lan Qingqing's jewelry and silks before, and any one of them was quite expensive.

Lan Qingqing held the eight hundred taels in her hand, plus the one thousand taels she already had, for a total of one thousand eight hundred taels, still three thousand two hundred taels short.

Back at the inn, Lan's mother said somewhat discouragedly, "The entrance fee alone is five thousand taels, and you only have one thousand taels. Even with today's eight hundred taels, it's still not enough. We're still this short."

Lan Xiaotian and Feng Caidie were also somewhat discouraged. Yes! They were still so far short. Where were they going to raise the money?

Lan Qingqing said optimistically: "Things will work themselves out. There's always a way. Let's eat first!"

Seeing that worrying was not a solution, the group went to eat.

That night, Lan Qingqing lay in bed, her mind filled with thoughts of money and how to get it.

Lost in thought, Lan Qingqing fell asleep.

When Lan Qingqing woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.

Lan's mother woke up early and went to buy breakfast.

As soon as Lan Qingqing got up, she quickly washed and brushed her teeth. The brushing here was not a modern toothbrush, but rather the cleaning effect of chewing and rubbing the fibers of willow branches in her mouth.

Just as all this was done, Mother Lan returned.

Lan Qingqing decided to go for a walk on the street after breakfast, hoping to find some inspiration.

After finishing their meal, the group went to stroll around the market.

The streets were bustling with people, and the vendors on both sides were enthusiastically promoting their wares, creating a lively and vibrant atmosphere.

It's laughable, really. I've been in this city for over five years and I've never really explored it properly.

Lan Qingqing walked into a jewelry shop, thinking of buying some jewelry for her family.

As Lan Qingqing and her companions entered the jewelry shop, the shop assistants quickly came forward to greet them and ask what they needed.

"It's alright, let's take a look first," Lan Qingqing said.

"Please take a look, sir. If you need any help, just let me know," the waiter said politely.

Okay. After Lan Qingqing finished speaking, she lowered her head and focused on looking at the jewelry.

When Lan's mother saw the dazzling array of gold and silver jewelry, she subconsciously turned her gaze elsewhere.

This was the first time in her life that Lan's mother had entered a jewelry shop, and she was somewhat hesitant and uneasy. Lan Qingqing seemed to sense her mother's unease.

Lan Qingqing pulled her mother's arm and pointed to a gold bracelet on the counter, saying, "Mom, how about this one? You'll definitely look good wearing it."

The waiter next to her praised, "Madam has good taste." Seeing that Lan Qingqing was pregnant, the waiter naturally addressed her as Madam Lan Qingqing.

Lan Qingqing picked up the bracelet and showed it to me. It really looked quite nice.

Wearing this bracelet makes the old lady look even younger and more elegant.

This bracelet looks as if it were made to fit the old lady perfectly.

The young man was going all out to close the deal, showering the customers with compliments as if they were free.

Lan Qingqing also thought it was suitable, so she asked: How much is this?

"One hundred and twenty taels. If you, Madam, are willing to buy it, I can give you a discount of two taels of silver," the shopkeeper said.

Upon hearing how expensive it was, Lan's mother quickly took off the bracelet and placed it on the counter.

Then he whispered in Lan Qingqing's ear: This is so expensive, and we're short of money right now, so let's not buy it!

"Mom, it looks good on you. We're not short of money, so saving a little won't make a big difference." Before Lan's mother could say anything more, Lan Qingqing spoke first.

Upon hearing that it was done, the shop assistant quickly took out a wooden box and wrapped it up.

Lan Qingqing pointed to a silver hairpin and a pair of gilded hair ornaments and asked: What are the prices of these two?

"A plum blossom silver hairpin costs ten taels of silver, and a gilded hair ornament costs six taels of silver," the shopkeeper said, introducing each item one by one.

Lan Qingqing looked at the waiter and said, "Then wrap these two up too!"

Mother Lan sighed inwardly. Her daughter was good at making money, but she was also quite good at spending it, never even haggling over prices.

Lan's mother looked at the shop assistant and said: "Don't we get a discount when we buy these things?"

"Madam, this price is already very reasonable; it really can't be any cheaper," the shopkeeper said sincerely.

Lan's mother said, "If you don't give me a discount, we won't buy it." Lan's mother didn't really want to buy it anyway, mainly because she thought it was too expensive.

The waiter said somewhat awkwardly, "Madam, please wait a moment, I'll go ask the manager." He then called over a nearby waiter and whispered a few words in his ear.

The young man then ran to the backyard to find the shopkeeper. At that moment, the shopkeeper was in the backyard, cuddling intimately with his concubine.

Hearing the shop assistant knocking, the shopkeeper got up to open the door. Knowing the shop assistant's purpose, the shopkeeper followed him to the front.

After all, nothing is more important than making money. Upon arriving at the shop, they saw several people working there. They asked the clerk about the situation, and the clerk explained Lan's mother's needs.

After understanding the situation, the shopkeeper said to Madam Lan: "Madam, the price really can't be lowered. If you are sincere in wanting to buy it, how about we give you a pair of silver earrings worth three taels?"

As he spoke, the shopkeeper took out a pair of silver earrings from the counter. The style of the silver earrings was exquisite and unique.

Lan's mother thought it was alright, so she didn't say anything more.

Seeing that the old lady was satisfied, the shopkeeper had his assistant wrap it up. Finally, he also gave her a few red ribbons as a gift.

Lan Qingqing paid 134 taels of silver, then took out the silver hairpin from the box and put it on the head of Feng Caidie, who was standing quietly to the side.

Before Feng Caidie could react, Lan Qingqing had already put the hairpin on her head. Feng Caidie touched the hairpin and was about to take it off when Lan Qingqing stopped her, saying, "Keep it on! It's quite pretty."

"But this is too expensive, miss, I can't accept it," Feng Caidie said hesitantly.

"After you come with me, I will buy you even more beautiful jewelry and dress you up beautifully." After saying that, he got up and left the jewelry store.

Feng Caidie touched the hairpin in her hair, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart. She then quickly followed behind Lan Qingqing.

The shopkeeper felt a sense of familiarity when he heard Lan Qingqing's voice, but he couldn't quite place it.

Lan Qingqing used to come here often to buy jewelry.

After all, as the top courtesan of Menghua Tower, she couldn't avoid wearing gold and silver jewelry. With the embellishment of these pieces, she could better seduce the crowd. Therefore, every few days, Madam He would have someone bring Lan Qingqing to choose jewelry.

As soon as they left the jewelry shop, Lan's mother said, "Why did you buy this for me? It's ridiculously expensive. You should have saved the money for my future grandson."

Lan Qingqing said, "Mother, you can't think like that. We should enjoy life while we can. Don't wait until you're old and can't move anymore before it's too late to enjoy life. I'll earn lots and lots of money in the future, so you can have a bunch of servants to take care of you all day long."

"You just know how to make your mother happy. The happiest thing for your mother is your happiness." Mother Lan said with doting affection.

You guys are so mushy, Lan Xiaotian thinks he can't bear to watch.

Lan Qingqing rolled her eyes at Lan Xiaotian and said: You're just jealous, jealous that Mom is good to me.

Pshaw, how could I, a grown man, be jealous of you? That's a thought only girls like you have.

Feng Caidie followed quietly behind Lan Qingqing. She always saw herself as the young lady's maid, so she rarely showed her emotions.

But at that moment, Feng Caidie encountered someone she didn't want to see: her mother, stepfather, and their child.