Xu Lanyin pulled Qin Hongyu to sit on the beauty couch and said, "We are different from you. Before, Zhao Wu was a small police officer and I was a small peasant girl. We were a perfect match. He was also a tenant in my house. My mother and brothers knew him very well and liked him. Later, my father came back to be an official, and Zhao Wu saved my father's life. It was natural for us to be together. But you are different. You are the daughter of an official from a high and mighty family, and Li Luo is just your father's staff member now."

Qin Hongyu pouted and said, "My father has often praised Master Li, saying that he is intelligent and forward-looking, not pedantic, and very knowledgeable. If given the opportunity, he will definitely become a rare talent."

If given the chance, he would undoubtedly be a true genius. Wen Zhuofeng was the eldest grandson of the Wen family's eldest son. If his brothers could return to the Wen family, he would undoubtedly inherit the title. But he didn't know if that day would ever come true, and how many years it would take...

Xu Lanyin said, "Your father, my uncle, also said 'there must be a chance'. His true identity... my uncle should have revealed some of it to you, right?"

Qin Hongyu nodded and said, "My father told me that the life stories of Master Li and my cousin's husband are not as simple as they seem."

Xu Lanyin said, "Their identities are indeed a bit troublesome. But Li Luo is different from Zhao Wu. Zhao Wu is good at martial arts and became an official from a police officer background. He is a scholar, and his only chance to succeed is to take the imperial examination. However, the imperial examination requires a clean family background, which he does not have. My uncle is worried about you and is afraid that his future will be uncertain and you will suffer in the future..."

Qin Hongyu pulled at her handkerchief and said, "If you're not afraid of being wronged, then neither am I. Some officials are worse off than ordinary people. Your mother, Miss Min, and Little Xingxing all came from official families, and their past experiences were horrible. As long as you're a good person and have a simple family, it doesn't matter if you don't become an official..."

Xu Lanyin couldn't continue. She couldn't say anything bad about Li Luo. However, it was a pity to let this pair of lovers miss each other.

Li Luo is truly excellent. While the book portrays him as a gloomy, perverted man, it's entirely from the perspective of the female protagonist, Su. Even Su has now realized that Wen Zhuofeng isn't evil and wants to avenge him, which suggests he's definitely a truly good man. Furthermore, in both past and present lives, Li Luo has always been very self-disciplined. Even when he was bored alone in the courtyard, and Wen Yan was constantly offering women to him, he never indulged in them.

Xu Lanyin secretly thought that she would wait for Zhao Wu to come back and call Li Luo back to see what Li Luo meant. If Li Luo also remained infatuated, she would shamelessly beg Qin Che to give Li Luo some time.

Qin Che wasn't someone who cared about the rich and the poor. What he was most worried about was probably Li Luo being in danger in the future...

Qin Che returned to the backyard from the front yamen to have lunch. When he heard that Xu Lanyin had arrived, he sent someone to ask her and Qin Hongyu to go to the main courtyard to have lunch, and by the way, he lifted the ban on Qin Hongyu.

After dinner, Xu Lanyin told Qin Che about what Su Qing had asked him to do.

She didn't dare to tell him about the hairpin. This matter was too important and too secretive. She had to discuss it with Brother Zhao Wu first and then talk about it after there was some progress.

She just said that she and Su Qing shared the same fate, and Gu Wangchen was too bad and too hateful, so she wanted to help.

Qin Che also despised Gu Wangchen's greed and shamelessness. He cursed, "It's disrespectful to the cultured and a disgrace to scholars." After a moment's contemplation, he said, "Let them go to Shanglin County. The county magistrate there, Han, has a close relationship with me, so I'll ask him to help look after them. Shanglin County is twenty miles away from Ningzhou Prefecture and is under my jurisdiction. The population flow is not large, so it's not easy to run into acquaintances from the capital..."

In the afternoon, Xu Lan got her household registration, so she declined the Qin family's invitation to have dinner and went directly to Penglai Inn by sedan chair.

The small courtyard where Mei lived was very small, with only three rooms. The small courtyard was full of clothes and diapers drying in the sun.

Mrs. He smiled and invited Xu Lanyin and Zhangqi into the house, while Mei lay on the bed to rest.

Seeing Xu Lanyin coming, she gritted her teeth, sat up, and said with a smile, "Grandma Zhao."

Perhaps because of something that forced her to hold on yesterday, she was in much better shape than today and even talked all afternoon. But at this moment, Su Qing was panting with every movement, her face flushed, and sweating.

Seeing that she still wanted to get out of bed, Xu Lanyin held her down and said, "Hurry and lie down. Tomorrow I'll ask someone to get a gynecologist to take a look. You can't tolerate any more stress on your body. Also, let Nanny Ye come and cook a meal for you every day. She's an excellent cook and knows how to combine ingredients to nourish you and increase your milk production."

Mei lay down again and said with a wry smile, "Thank you. I never dreamed that you would be the only one to help me when I was desperate, and you are the only one who cares about me."

Xu Lanyin sat at the head of the bed and said, "This is our fate. I've taken care of all your affairs. After you've completed your confinement, I'll have someone send you there to be settled. Recover there, live a good life, and raise Xiao Qian'er..."

She handed the household registration to Mei and picked up Gu Qian to play with him. Gu Qian grinned at her with his toothless mouth, looking very cute.

Mei smiled brightly as she held the household registration. With status and plenty of money, she could buy some land and collect rent, and she could raise her child.

She smiled and said, "I'll ask Sister He to buy some cooked food. Grandma Zhao can eat here."

Xu Lanyin shook her head and teased Gu Qian for a while before getting up to say goodbye.

Mrs. He sent Xu Lanyin and her servant out of the door, locked the courtyard door, and scooped out a large bowl of chicken soup from the pot on the stove and handed it to Mrs. Mei.

She held Gu Qian in her arms and said with a smile, "Now that our brother Qian has a status, he will be able to take the imperial examination in the future."

Mei shook her head and said, "Brother Qian should study and become a great scholar when he grows up, not take the imperial examination. I don't want him to be like his father, who pursued fame and fortune at the expense of even his loved ones." She sighed deeply and said, "I don't know if my frail body can hold out until he grows up. If not, you must remember my words: don't let him take the imperial examination. If he can't become a scholar, then he can do business and become a local landlord."

Mrs. He's tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "For my brother's sake, you shouldn't say such discouraging words."

Mei smiled bitterly and said, "For my brother's sake, I don't want to die early, but just in case." She then took Sister He's hand and said, "I'm sorry, I've made things difficult for you. You ran away with us as a woman before you even got married."

Sister He shed tears and said, "As long as I am with you and my brother, I don't feel any hardship."

Penglai Inn was very close to home, so Xu Lanyin held Zhangqi's hand and walked slowly home.

The sun was setting, and smoke drifted from the rooftops of every house. Today, the two little girls would go home again. Xu Lanyin bought a lotus leaf chicken at the street corner, which they loved.

The next morning, Xu Lanyin asked Uncle Jia to find a doctor for Mei and asked Madam Ye to cook her a meal before going to the Min Mansion with the two girls. The girls went to the front courtyard for class, while Xu Lanyin went directly to the main courtyard.