Falling into the mortal world

Lan's mother said with some relief: "Luckily, I sent those flowers back in advance, otherwise I would have been heartbroken if they had been thrown away."

"Mother is so clever," Lan Qingqing said, flattering her.

Lan Shi affectionately tapped Lan Qingqing's forehead and said, "You have such a sweet tongue."

Lan Qingqing hugged her mother's arm affectionately and said, "It's so good to be your daughter."

Lan Xiaotian, spoiling the mood, said: "You guys are so mushy."

Lan Qingqing retorted: "None of your business."

The group chatted and laughed along the way.

Lan Qingqing was lucky to have left early, otherwise it would have been difficult for her to even leave the city.

After Lan Qingqing and the others left, Wen Yujue began searching the entire city for the two. Both Lan Qingqing and Lan Xiaotian had entered wearing veils, so Wen Yujue didn't know what they looked like, nor did he have any information about their identities. With Lan Qingqing deliberately concealing their identities, finding them was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Mr. Lan is now tending to the flowers and plants in the new yard. As soon as Mr. Lan received the flowers and plants that his mother had brought back, he started planting them in the flower beds in the new yard.

Lan Xiaoya was overjoyed to see so many beautiful flowers and planted flowers and grass with her father.

The workshops in the village have now started formal production.

The villagers were also busy with their work, full of anticipation.

It was already evening when Lan Qingqing and the others returned to the village.

Hearing the knock, Lan's father quickly got up to open the door. Seeing that it was his mother and children who had returned, he hurriedly inquired about the situation in the prefectural city. Upon learning that everything had gone smoothly, Lan's father felt relieved.

Upon returning home, Feng Caidie immediately boiled some hot water for everyone to take a bath.

Her daughter hadn't bathed the whole way and kept complaining of feeling uncomfortable all over. Feng Caidie quickly boiled the water.

Lan Qingqing took a hot bath and felt completely refreshed, and slept soundly until the sun was high in the sky.

When Lan Qingqing got up, everyone was busy in the courtyard.

Lan Qingqing called Lan Xiaotian over, handed him the meteorite and blueprints, and said: "Can this be damaged like this?"

Lan Xiaotian glanced at the drawings in his hand. There were five in total: one for a scalpel, one for hemostats, one for scissors, one for a needle holder, and one for a suture needle.

"There shouldn't be any problem," Lan Xiaotian said.

After reviewing the blueprints and the meteorite iron, Lan Xiaotian began to build the blacksmith's furnace.

For convenience, the blacksmith's forge was built in the backyard of the new house.

Lan Xiaotian planned to use the wood from the mountain to make the furnace, but Lan Qingqing stopped him, saying that buying the best charcoal would be more effective, as meteorite iron is very hard and must be heated at high temperatures.

Lan Xiaotian used wood in the blacksmith shop before, but his sister said that charcoal would be better, so Lan Xiaotian decided to try using charcoal.

The tiger skin had been retrieved some time ago, so Lan Qingqing decided to go to the county government office.

Lan Qingqing took the previously marinated tiger meat and went to the county government office with her father. After arriving in town, Lan Qingqing bought some snacks and then headed to the county government office. When they arrived at the entrance of the county government office, the guards stopped them.

"Who are you, and what brings you to the county government hall?" the guard inquired.

Lan Qingqing stepped forward and said, "It's like this. Some time ago, I encountered danger on the mountain. If it weren't for the brilliant and resourceful constables of the county government, who solved the case like geniuses, my family wouldn't have known I was on the mountain. Now that I've returned safely, I thought I'd give the young men at the county government some gifts to express my gratitude."

After Lan Qingqing finished speaking, she gave each of the guards at the door a bag of snacks and a piece of salted meat. The guards were surprised to receive such a good thing, as they all knew about Lan Qingqing's disappearance.

The Lan family emptied their savings, begging them to help find the person. Although they eventually found a general direction, it didn't offer any real assistance.

I never imagined there were such foolish people in the world, rushing to offer favors to others.

The gatekeeper told Lan Qingqing to wait outside and went inside to call for help. Soon, a number of people came out of the yamen. Lan Qingqing gave each constable a piece of cured meat and a packet of snacks as a token of her gratitude.

The constables, seeing that there really were such fools, accepted them with smiles.

Mr. Lan said: "We booked a table at Wanfu Restaurant as a way to thank everyone for their great help. Everyone was interested when they heard it was Wanfu Restaurant."

After all, a meal there isn't cheap! It was lunchtime, so everyone went together without hesitation, since it was a rare opportunity to be ripped off like this.

Upon arriving at Wanfu Restaurant, the waiter led the guests to a private room upstairs. Lan Qingqing ordered the restaurant's most expensive dishes and its signature wine. Originally, Lan's father was reluctant to spend so much, but Lan Qingqing's words, "You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub," persuaded him to splurge.

Seeing the Lan family's honesty, the constables gradually became more and more friendly with them.

Before long, Lan Dashu began to address everyone present as brothers.

Seeing that the time was right, Lan Qingqing pressed her advantage and said, "Uncle Daming, can I ask you something?"

Niu Daming, who was also enjoying his drink, said boldly, "What is it?"

Lan Qingqing said: That's right, my brother joined the army four years ago without telling the family.

There was no news from home for four years, and no one knew where he was serving in the army.

"Yes! Brother Daming, my eldest son has been gone for many years, and I don't know how he is doing now. Could you help me find out anything?" Lan Dashu said.

Upon hearing that Lan Qingqing's brother had joined the army, Niu Daming said, "Finding out where he is isn't difficult; it's just a matter of checking the household registration records. The information registration is managed by the clerks in the government office. If you want to help the clerks find documents, you'll definitely have to offer them some benefits."

Lan Qingqing understood that they wanted money. As long as she could find out her brother's whereabouts, giving him some money wouldn't be a problem.

Lan Qingqing took out a one-hundred-tael silver note and handed it over, hoping that Uncle Daming could help her more.

Upon seeing that it was a one-hundred-tael silver note, Niu Daming happily accepted it. He told his clerk to check the person's information, treat him to a meal, and that would be it; the rest would be divided among the brothers. This was truly a windfall! Niu Daming drank his wine with increasing merriment.

Lan Qingqing then mentioned that she possessed a tiger skin, which she intended to present to the county magistrate. She hoped that those seated there could make an introduction. Upon hearing this, the constables realized it was a tiger skin; normally, asking them to introduce her to the magistrate would be absolutely out of the question.

After all, the county magistrate isn't someone anyone can just see whenever they want. Yet the Lan family was willing to send a tiger skin as a gift to the magistrate. They were certainly willing; who wouldn't want such an opportunity to impress the magistrate!

Everyone in the surrounding villages knows that the young lady from the Lan family killed a tiger in the mountains. Even the constables from the county government know, without anyone needing to ask.

I never expected this girl from the Lan family to have such a high level of ambition. Even with a big belly, she still tries to seduce the county magistrate.

Everyone at the dinner table had their own thoughts.

Although Lan Qingqing sat at the table, she didn't touch her chopsticks at all. She also didn't take off her veil. Her job in the government office was quite lucrative, and she had several concubines at home. Naturally, she had no interest in Lan Qingqing, who was heavily pregnant.