The family relied on the benefits given by the family of the tax-free land registered under Lan Diqing's name to make a living.

After failing the imperial examination twice, Lan Diqing opened a private school at home to teach.

Things at home have started to look up.

Only the social class has changed, and so has the character of the Lan family.

Originally, a large family worked hard to support Lan Diqing's imperial examinations; now, it's Lan Diqing who supports the entire family's basic needs.

They also had to maintain the airs of a scholarly family, hence the fact that Lan Meihua was accompanied by a teenage girl.

This was after careful consideration; it was bought in the village for five taels of silver.

To save money, they haven't registered the sale with the authorities yet; there's only a private sales contract.

To put it bluntly, if that little girl were to steal the contract and bring it home one day, even if the Lan family reported it to the authorities, it would be to no avail.

Since Lan Meihao started working as a prostitute in the county town, she has been able to earn 50 coins a month.

It's a bit too little, almost like a joke, but that's all the skill Lan Diqing has.

Lan Meihao also loves all kinds of jewelry and ornaments. She often goes to various jewelry stores, hoping to take this opportunity to meet some wealthy ladies.

With her knowledge, manners, and beauty, she can win the favor of others and thus marry into a good family.

This is somewhat similar to going to gyms, golf courses, and horse farms in later generations.

Jealousy is a terrible thing, especially since Lan Meihua comes from a farming family and has not received the elite education of a wealthy family since childhood.

When I see others with money to buy expensive jewelry, and I can't afford it myself, I often can't hide my jealousy.

It naturally shows on your face.

Over time, Lan Meihao not only failed to gain the favor of any wealthy ladies and young women, but her reputation also became infamous.

Recently, Lan Disheng has been planning to marry Lan Meihua off to the owner of Ruyilou as a concubine.

This way, one can obtain a substantial dowry, enough not only to support one's family but also to use the money to prepare for the next imperial examination.

The future son-in-law also revealed that if the opportunity arises in the future, he might even pay money to help him get a minor official position.

Where else could you find such a good deal? Marrying off a daughter is like having an extra money bag. It's a win-win situation. How could Landison possibly miss out on such a lucrative opportunity?

Lan Meihao watched the Zhao family members walk past her and revealed a wicked smile.

She didn't just sit idle after going downstairs; instead, she ran to the teahouse across the street and found her cousin, Lan Youliang, who was there.

Lan Youliang was a good-for-nothing in the village, idle and doing nothing productive, but he thrived in the county.

Relying on his status as the nephew of a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, he had gathered a large number of street thugs around him. If it weren't for Magistrate Qiu's swift and decisive actions after taking office,

Now, the local criminal gangs in the county must have a place in the blue and grain industries.

After listening to her cousin's account, Lan Youliang's small eyes gleamed.

Tell my cousin to go back and keep an eye on things; give him a hint when the Zhao family members come out.

Lan Mei returned after leaving, and since it was inconvenient to go upstairs, she continued to wander around the first floor of the jewelry store.

Fortunately, the shop assistants at the jewelry store were all rigorously trained and extremely dedicated. They would never turn away a customer even if they didn't buy anything.

As soon as the Zhao family members came out, Lan Meihua gestured to her cousin, wondering what methods her cousin would use to deal with them.

The Zhao family members emerged from the silver shop, all beaming with joy, each clutching their spoils.

To thank the Zhao family for their patronage, the shopkeeper gifted each member of the Zhao family a handbag.

It's actually just a beautifully crafted cloth bag embroidered with flowers. A drawstring is tied at the top of the bag.

The bag was large enough for the Zhao family to put their jewelry boxes inside; they could simply pull it out and hang it on their wrists. The advantage was that the items wouldn't easily fall out.

The first stop is the jewelry store, and the second stop must be the silk shop.

The Zhao family walked ahead chatting and laughing, completely unaware that someone was following them.

Upon arriving at the silk shop, another large-scale shopping spree ensued.

They bought more than twenty bolts of cloth in total.

This time, the Zhao family paid the money and asked the shopkeeper to deliver it to Zhao's Snack Shop in two hours.

Manager Dong was a very straightforward middle-aged woman. She was quite surprised when she heard the delivery address.

"Are you from the Zhao family? Does your family own Zhao's Snack Shop?"

Huang nodded.

"Yes, shopkeeper, have you heard of my shop? You're welcome to come and have some barbecue sometime. I'll ask the shopkeeper to give you a discount."

Manager Dong smiled shyly and pinched his cheek.

"To be honest, the fat on my face has grown in just over a month."

Often, after closing time, my husband and I would go to your shop to eat. We'd have a great time eating there, then go home and sleep right away. I gained weight incredibly fast!

Once the conversation started, Manager Dong quickly became friendly with the women of the Zhao family.

Before leaving, Manager Dong gave the Zhao family a lot of silk thread, and Madam Huang said she would give Manager Dong a jar of chili sauce later.

This made Manager Dong extremely happy.

The Zhao family's food is renowned far and wide for its deliciousness. Don't underestimate this small shop; the food they serve is bound to be excellent.

Watching the women of the Zhao family chatting happily with Manager Dong, Zhao Qingyan began to wonder if she was a native and that her grandmother and aunts were from a later era.

After walking around for so long, I'm pretty much exhausted, so it's time to have a good meal.

And so, the family turned back towards the direction of Wangyue Tower.

They just happened to run into Lan Youliang and his group.

The perceptive Huang and Zhao Qingyan glanced at Lan Youliang and his group and quickly noticed something was amiss.

There was nothing they could do; these people were just too sleazy. Even the youngest, Qinghe, noticed something was wrong.

She ran over and grabbed Zhao Qingyan's sleeve. "Third sister, there's a bad guy."

Zhao Qingyan patted the little girl's hand and said,

"It's okay, don't look back. Your sister and grandma are here, as are your aunts and uncles. Everyone will protect you."

Now you know why girls are learning boxing too, right?

"Shouldn't we beat these punks to a pulp?"

Zhao Qingyan was constantly teaching the children to practice martial arts, and little Qinghe nodded in agreement.

He said with feigned seriousness, "Yes, I promise I won't sleep in tomorrow. Once I've mastered martial arts, I won't be afraid anymore."

Zhao Qingyan was very satisfied. The group walked slowly to Wangyue Tower as if nothing had happened.

Lan Youliang, who had just clashed with the Zhao family, started having other ideas after seeing the faces of the Zhao family women, especially Zhao Qingyi.

Now he has changed his mind. He not only wants to rob the Zhao family of their money, but he also wants the Zhao family members.

He stroked his chin slyly, following behind the Zhao family, thinking to himself,

"That brainless idiot actually did something worthwhile this time, otherwise how would I have run into such a good catch?"