A moment of clarity forced Zhao Qingyan to slip into her spatial dimension and collapse onto her large bed, falling into a deep sleep.

Whether it was because they were relaxed or really sleepy, the grandmother and grandson slept until the afternoon without waking up.

If someone hadn't knocked on the door around 1-3 PM, the two of them probably would have continued sleeping.

Zhao Qingyan flashed out of the space, only to realize that the table hadn't been tidied up yet. With a wave of her hand, she put everything on the table into the space, quickly tidied herself up, and went out to open the door.

After knocking on the door for a long time without getting a response, Constable Zhang Rong decided to leave.

However, the gate was bolted from the inside, and the house was large, so it's normal that there was no gatekeeper and they couldn't hear it.

So he waited patiently for a while longer before he heard a little girl inside asking who it was.

Zhao Qingyan opened the door and was surprised to see a young man dressed as a constable. Her first thought was that something had happened to her grandfather.

"Brother Cha, what's the matter?" Zhao Qingyan's voice unconsciously carried a hint of anxiety.

When Zhang Rong saw that the person who came looked very much like the one Tian Li had described, he figured it must be the little girl who had crippled the crutch. Although he was incredulous, he kept his mouth shut.

"Excuse me, is this the Zhao family's residence? I am Constable Zhang Rong."

Zhao Qingyan nodded. "It's the Zhao family. Officer Zhang, is there anything I can help you with?"

Afraid of startling the little girl in front of him, Zhang Rong forced a smile that he never wore.

"Is there a girl named Zhao Qingyan in your family?"

Zhao Qingyan instinctively leaned back, thinking to herself, "Why does this person's smile look uglier than a cry?"

"Yes, that's me. May I ask what's the matter?"

Zhang Rong looked around to make sure no one was there before quietly telling Zhao Qingyan that the city gate crook had been arrested, and that he would give Zhao Qingyan a reward after the prefect finished supervising the exam.

Zhao Qingyan was delighted to hear there would be a reward.

"Officer Zhang, may I make a request? When the Prefect distributes rewards, please don't make a big show of it. I'm afraid the kidnappers might have accomplices."

What if I get retaliated against? Not everyone in my family is as good at fighting as I am.

Also, when it comes to rewards, you can just give me silver directly; I don't need any other honors. What do you think?

I can stay in our prefectural city for another ten days or so before I have to go back to Zhao Family Village in Wufang Town.

Zhao Qingyan's last words were actually a message she wanted to convey to Zhang Rong.

"If you want a reward, just give it to me quickly. Otherwise, I'll be going back to my hometown in ten days, and you'll have to travel all that way again, which is too much trouble."

Officer Zhang was amused by Zhao Qingyan's request.

"Alright, I will convey your words to the Prefect."

"Then I'll head back. If you need anything, you can find me at the prefectural government office."

Zhao Qingyan fawned over him and even escorted Zhang Rong out of the alley.

"Brother Zhang, I'm so sorry, but my father and brothers have all gone to take the preliminary examination, so it's not convenient for us to invite you in for a chat."

"When my father and brothers return another day, I'll definitely have them treat Brother Zhang to a drink."

Zhang Rong knew that Zhao Qingyan was just being polite and didn't take it seriously, assuming that Zhao Qingyan's father and brother had gone to take the preliminary examination for the imperial examination.

Little did they know that the entire Zhao family was participating in the preliminary examinations for the imperial examinations.

After seeing Zhang Rong off, Zhao Qingyan returned to the living room, where Huang Shi had already come out of the bedroom.

"Who just came in? Why were they gone for so long?"

Zhao Qingyan then told Huang about what had happened to her the day before.

Huang looked at Zhao Qingyan and didn't know what to say.

"You brat, you're getting bolder and bolder. Why didn't you tell Grandma about such a big thing?"

"If anything were to happen to you, Grandma would be devastated."

Huang scolded Zhao Qingyan for not knowing her place, and then she started to cry.

Well, this is another case of overthinking. Although Zhao Qingyan was happy that her grandmother valued her, she was quite annoyed by the old woman's incessant chatter.

"Grandma, don't worry, it's all over now. Besides, those kidnappers have all been caught. It's alright. I'll tell you if anything happens in the future, okay?"

Don't cry, or I'll cry too.

And also, Grandma, don't forget, I traveled through a thousand years to return to your side. You know my abilities.

If we really encounter danger, my first instinct is to hide, so no one can find me. Don't worry. Okay, okay.

"At her age, crying and sobbing doesn't look good."

Well, Zhao Qingyan tried to persuade her for a long time but couldn't. Finally, the words "It doesn't look good" completely stopped Huang's tears.

With his swollen, red eyes wide open, he was about to punch Zhao Qingyan.

"You brat, your mouth is getting less and less appealing. Who are you calling unattractive? Your grandma was a beauty back in the day."

Zhao Qingyan chuckled, her words even more irritating, "Yes, that's right. Grandma used to only have one flower. Now it's..."

Upon sensing the hidden meaning in her words, Huang's eyes widened. "What now?"

Zhao Qingyan smiled obsequiously.

"Now it's a flower, a flower that's getting more and more beautiful. Back then, yours was just a bud, but now it's a blooming flower, so beautiful."

Huang heard her granddaughter's words of comfort, and although she knew they were lies, she still felt relieved to hear them.

He happily went to the kitchen to boil some water so he could take a bath later.

Zhao Qingyan was secretly relieved that she had stopped herself in time; otherwise, if she had dared to say the words "rotten tea leaves," she would probably have gotten a good beating today.

"Oh my god, I'll have to watch my mouth from now on. She's spouting all sorts of nonsense, she deserves a beating."

In the examination room, Zhao Qianci answered the questions exceptionally smoothly today. He had already finished typing all the questions and handed in his paper.

I'm having cucumber with cake and pickled vegetables right now.

Salty, sweet, and plain on the outside, all put together, this combination is really a bit strange.

However, it did provide a good balance of salt, sugar, and vitamins.

I felt a lump in my throat, so I took a sip of water and continued eating. Chewing slowly and carefully, I surprisingly found the combination quite delicious.

After eating and drinking my fill, I thought about my unlucky constitution. Everything had gone smoothly so far today, but I was afraid that God was planning something big for me.

Zhao Qianci quickly set up his oilcloth tent and laid out a sheepskin blanket inside.

After the students have all handed in their papers and are free to move around,

Zhao Qianci quickly went to the outhouse to relieve himself.

She also ran into her eldest son.

Zhao Changgeng's first reaction upon seeing his father was to look him up and down to make sure he was alright before he breathed a sigh of relief and went to relieve himself.

Zhao Qianci had no interest in waiting outside the examination hall. Besides, even after the exam papers were collected, talking to each other was not allowed in the examination hall. It was safest to go back to his own examination room.

Back in the examination room, Zhao Qianci quickly checked his tent and wool blanket inside and out, and only felt relieved after confirming that there were no strange creatures.