Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

Chapter 51: A Perfect Integration!

Li Lizhi held a cat and kept company with the three little girls.

To Li Lizhi's surprise, her two younger sisters ate half a bowl of millet rice and sesame flatbread.

Nothing was wasted.

Li Shimin, Qin Qiong, and the other two returned to their fishing spot and continued fishing.

Princess Yuzhang squatted on the shore and chatted with Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya.

The little princess, accompanied by Little Blackie, ran to Xiao Ran's side, looking at him with innocent eyes, "Little Nangjun, play with me~"

"Sizi, would you like some roasted chestnuts?"

Hehe~ I want it~

Xiao Ran looked at Li Lizhi beside him, "Fifth Sister, shall we go to the village and roast some chestnuts for Sizi Fanyin?"

Li Lizhi, holding the cat, said, "I'll talk to my father."

"Okay!" Xiao Ran squatted down and looked at the little princess. Her little dress was very delicate and beautiful.

Li Lizhi walked to Li Shimin's side and said, "Father, the young master said he would roast chestnuts for Sizi. I also want to go to the village to take a look."

“Yes, go! Anan, you come along too,” Li Shimin said.

"It's Ah Lang!"

Xiao Ran returned to the shore and put away his fishing rod. "Uncle, you guys fish, I have something to do."

"Okay, go ahead and get busy."

Xiao Ran prepared another portion of bait for the three of them.

Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya, carrying pots and pans, led a group of people away from the shore.

Princess Yuzhang quickly became acquainted with Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya, and even helped them carry things.

When we got to the yard, we saw a lot of persimmons drying in the sun.

"Hey~ what's this?" the little princess pointed.

"Persimmons, perhaps!" Princess Yuzhang suggested.

"Yes, it's a persimmon." Xiao Ran nodded.

This is the season for eating persimmons.

Zhang Jinhe brought over some chestnuts, intending to roast some for the princesses.

Princess Yuzhang leaned closer to the persimmons and said, "Is this used to make dried persimmons? It looks a bit different!"

Zhang Erya walked over, turning the persimmons over and squeezing them as she went, saying, "They're not dried persimmons, the young man says they're persimmon cakes."

Princess Yuzhang nodded. "Second Aunt, is the white stuff on top flour?"

"No, it's persimmon frost."

"Why are you still pinching it?" Princess Yuzhang noticed.

"The young master said that you have to squeeze it to get the persimmon frost, and that's how you make it taste good."

"Is there such a saying?" Princess Yuzhang had never heard of it, but she also started pinching it.

Although Zhang Erya's family was poor, Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang, being well-mannered, did not show any unusual expressions.

The two little princesses would be even less likely to do that; children of that age are innocent and naive.

Third Aunt took the two little princesses into the house and took out her treasured calcium milk biscuits to eat.

It's a bit damp and not as crisp as before, but it's still pretty good. The texture is a little different, giving it a unique flavor.

There were still a few pieces of rock candy left from what Xiao Ran had given them, which were also given to the two little princesses.

It's been a long time since I've played with people my own age, and San Niang is very happy.

So he took out the good food that he was reluctant to eat and treated his two friends.

Zhang Anan wasn't idle either; he helped start a fire to prepare roasted chestnuts, and also wanted to see how they were made.

Li Lizhi, holding a cat, approached Princess Yuzhang and said, "Sixth Sister, you're just drying them, why are you squeezing the persimmons? They've been peeled, can't you squeeze them and ruin them?"

"Sister, Second Aunt said it tastes better if you squeeze it. After squeezing, there will be persimmon frost, which is the white stuff on top."

Li Lizhi leaned closer, "I've never heard of such a custom before."

"That's what the young master said."

"Young master knows so much." Li Lizhi gently put the cat down and started pinching it as well.

Third Aunt sat on a small wooden stool with her two little princesses, eating calcium milk biscuits.

Upon seeing the cat, Third Sister went to get some cat food.

Put it in a small bowl to feed the cat.

The two little princesses squatted down beside her, eating calcium milk biscuits and watching. Princess Chengyang asked, "Third Aunt, what is this?"

"This is cat food, the young master said it's for Coco."

"Is it good, Seven Ducks?" Seeing the cat eating so happily, the little princess wanted to try some too.

“The young master said that people can’t eat it,” Third Sister said earnestly.

The little princess couldn't resist picking one up and sniffing it.

When Zhang Erya brought out the pastries, she noticed that San Niang had an extra dew-collecting pouch on her waist.

This is a type of purse.

It can hold things like sachets, but it's mostly for decoration.

Adults wear it on their belts, but for little princesses who are too young, it's more appropriate to sling it across their shoulders.

Xiao Ran and the others had seen it before; it was a very pretty and delicate little bag that matched the little princess's dress perfectly, as if they were a set.

"Third Sister, why are you carrying the young lady's things?" Zhang Erya knew that these things were not cheap.

"Sister, it was Sizi who gave it to me," Third Sister quickly explained.

“It’s duck~ It’s my darling~” the little princess said.

“No, give it to the young lady. We can’t give her something so valuable.” Zhang Erya felt that this was inappropriate.

Li Lizhi smiled gently, "Second Aunt, it's alright. Si Zi is for Third Aunt, so Third Aunt can just take it."

Although it was indeed very expensive, Li Lizhi naturally wouldn't ask for the little princess back once she had been given away.

This shows that the little princess was given enough respect.

The dew-collecting pouch is made of Shu brocade and features exquisite embroidered patterns.

It was practically tailor-made for the little princess.

Xiao Ran also heard it. Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang were impeccable in their conduct and dealings with others.

Seeing Xiao Ran roasting chestnuts, the princesses also gathered around.

"Are there pebbles in the pot?" Princess Yuzhang asked.

"Yes, these pebbles were collected by the young master and his wife from the riverbank. Many of them are unusable and need to be carefully selected," Zhang Jinhe explained.

As soon as Xiao Ran put the sugar and chestnuts in, everyone around could smell the aroma.

"It smells so good!"

"This freshly made food will definitely taste delicious." Princess Yuzhang wanted to try it herself when she got back. She wasn't trying to do business with it; she just wanted to make it for herself.

"This isn't difficult, Sixth Sister can give it a try." Xiao Ran never hid the production process.

This thing itself doesn't involve any advanced technology.

The little princess couldn't wait for the chestnuts to be cooked.

The little princess just couldn't peel it; the chestnut shell was a bit hard.

Princess Li Lizhi sat beside her, peeling chestnuts for her.

Although the houses here can't compare to the palace, they have a more down-to-earth feel.

The little princess loves feeding the chickens, ducks, and geese, and enjoys the feeling of scattering corn and watching them scramble for it.

After feeding them, I took Little Black and chased the geese all over the yard with a bamboo stick.

"Hee hee~"

“Fun~”

"Slow down, Sizi, don't fall!" Li Lizhi called out while holding the cat.

"Hmmmm~"

Seeing Zhang Erya and Zhang Jinhe washing chestnuts, Princess Yuzhang was not idle either.

I've never done these things in the palace, and I'd like to experience it.

The two sisters exuded elegance and composure in every move they made, yet they never came across as pretentious.

After getting to know them a little better, Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya found that Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang, Li Weiyang, were also very easy to get along with. Although they were of noble status, they did not have an overbearing attitude.

The little princess ran breathlessly to Xiao Ran, "Little Nangjun~"

"Sizi, what's wrong?"

"I miss Seven Fish~"

Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang were too embarrassed to say it, but the little princess had no such reservations.

"You little rascal, didn't you already eat?" Li Lizhi said with a smile.

"Hehe~ I'm hungry~" the little princess said.

"Perfect, let's stew fish." All the ingredients are in the cave, so stewing fish is the only option for now.

We can't do anything else.

Cheng Yaojin took a stroll in the ravine and exclaimed, "They've worked really fast!"

“I saw it before, everyone was working very hard.” Li Shimin could feel the good atmosphere at work.

This is completely different from the situation of performing corvée labor; this is something that is done willingly and with great enthusiasm.

“My nephew is being treated well, and the villagers haven’t let him down.” Cheng Yaojin picked up his fishing rod and looked at it; there wasn’t much bait left.

Xiao Ran led the three little girls and Xiao Hei to the edge of the pool.

Zhang Anan stayed in the village to guard Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang.

He was more familiar with Xiao Ran and trusted him more.

"It seems the three uncles have had a good harvest." Xiao Ran noticed that both buckets were full, but there were still no small fish.

"We caught quite a few small ones before! This is indeed a great place for fishing!" Li Shimin also liked it; there were no other places where he could catch fish one after another so easily.

"Sizi, which one do you like?" Xiao Ran asked the little princess.

"I want this one~" the little princess pointed and picked out a large one.

"What are you trying to do?" Li Shimin asked, looking at the group.

"Let's make fish soup, Uncle, you should go and try it later!" Xiao Ran began selecting fish.

"No need for this, I already ate, I'm not hungry." Li Shimin felt embarrassed to go to the village to eat.

I already had a free meal, so I'll just take a short walk at most.

Watching Xiao Ran leave with the fish and the three little girls, Qin Qiong felt a little envious, "Nephew, you seem to be having a very leisurely time here."

Li Shimin nodded, "That's right, it's very relaxing and pleasant."

"My nephew seems to be in good physical condition; he must have served in the army." Cheng Yaojin could sense that people from other units were different.

"It's a pity that they don't have any ambitions to achieve great things." Li Shimin glanced at Xiao Ran and the others who had walked away.

At times, Li Shimin also envied this lifestyle, which had no great ambitions and preferred to take things as they came.

Luckily, we still had some seasonings to use, but we didn't have any rice, so we could only eat flatbread.

Xiao Ran was cooking chestnuts in a large pot outside, while the three little girls sat obediently beside him watching.

I am indeed a bit hungry.

Princess Li Lizhi accompanied Zhang Erya as she dried persimmons.

Zhang Anan squatted down beside them to add firewood and peel chestnuts for the three little girls.

"It smells so good!" Princess Yuzhang turned around and looked in Xiao Ran's direction.

Li Lizhi and Zhang Erya had eaten Xiao Ran's cooking and missed it dearly.

"It should be ready soon." Zhang Erya also took a look.

"Second Aunt, bring me bowls, chopsticks, and flatbread," Xiao Ran called out.

"Okay!" Zhang Erya ran back into the house.

Princess Yuzhang gently pinched a persimmon. "Sister, I think this place is quite nice. I can't quite describe the feeling, but I feel very comfortable here."

“Hmm, it’s really nice.” Li Lizhi looked at the cat on the rammed earth wall.

"Fifth Sister, Sixth Sister, time to eat!" Xiao Ran called out.

"Okay!" Li Lizhi didn't stand on ceremony; she was indeed hungry.

To make things easier for the three little girls, they simply moved the table from the house into the yard.

After taking a bite of the flatbread and a sip of soup, the little princess looked completely satisfied.

"Good Seven~"

After seeing Xiao Ran cook several meals, Li Lizhi had her own guesses.

Xiao Ran's delicious dishes may be related to other seasonings.

Anyway, Xiao Ran always brings out a lot of bottles and jars every time he cooks.

Putting everything else aside, MSG is a game-changer. Modern people might not be able to feel the difference in flavor enhancement because they're used to it, but people in the Tang Dynasty could clearly feel the difference between having MSG and not having it.

"Little Nangjun~ another bowl~" The little princess handed the small bowl to Xiao Ran.

"Okay!" Xiao Ran accepted it.

The princesses in my mind are supposed to be arrogant and unreasonable, but none of these are like that.

The two little princesses were especially down-to-earth; when they got tired of playing, they sat down directly on the steps at the entrance.

They don't care at all whether their little skirts will get dirty.

Li Shimin and his companions only put down their rods after they had used up all the bait; they had had a great time this time.

I originally planned to go back earlier, but now I want to stay a little longer.

Li Shimin carried the fish to his third grandfather and gave him a fish, which immediately shortened the distance between them, and the two chatted.

Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong could only accompany them.

As noon approached, Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang knew it was time to go back; they couldn't stay any longer.

Xiao Ran and Zhang Anan led several princesses back to the pool, but they did not see Li Shimin and his two companions on the shore.

"Huh~ Where's Father~?" the little princess asked.

The carriages and horses were still there not far away, so they hadn't left.

With the princesses still here, Li Shimin couldn't possibly leave.

“It’s over there!” Princess Yuzhang pointed to the ravine.

Xiao Ran was also dumbfounded, while Li Shimin rolled up his sleeves and joined in digging the foundation.

What the hell!

The villagers, including Wang Shen and Zhang Dalang, didn't know, but Xiao Ran did!
This is the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and he's doing this kind of work.

Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong were not idle either. Qin Qiong was carrying a shovel, while Cheng Yaojin was carrying a basket to move soil.

Zhang Anan was also embarrassed; who would have thought that Li Shimin and the other two would go to do chores?

As the group walked over, Xiao Ran teased Li Shimin, "Uncle, your wages are too high for me to afford!"

It's killing me!
"As long as you provide meals! Hahaha!" Li Shimin didn't feel that doing some work was beneath him or made him lose face.

I mainly wanted to chat with the people of Kaolao Village.

When Zhang Mingde heard that Xiao Ran knew some important people around the pool, he also wanted to come and see for himself.

Let's also take a look at the place where Xiao Ran built his house.

Zhang Jinhe helped Zhang Mingde to this side of the ravine. Zhang Mingde said with a smile, "It's so lively. It's a pity I'm too old, otherwise I could have joined in."

"Hey, Old Village Chief, what brings you here!" Wang Shen walked over to Zhang Mingde.

"Let's see how the young master is doing." As she spoke, she inadvertently noticed Qin Qiong holding a shovel.

Zhang Mingde had met Qin Qiong once before and was deeply impressed by him.

Zhang Jinhe was not present, so he did not recognize Qin Qiong as the "boss" his grandfather had mentioned.

Zhang Mingde strode towards Qin Qiong. Qin Qiong turned around and saw Zhang Mingde, and naturally remembered him.

Before Zhang Mingde could speak, Qin Qiong interjected, "Old man, are you here to help too?"

Qin Qiong gave Zhang Mingde a look and gently shook his head.

Zhang Mingde understood Qin Qiong's meaning and said with a smile, "I'm too tired to work anymore. I heard it was lively, so I came to take a look."

Zhang Mingde truly couldn't understand why Qin Qiong, the Duke of Ji, was working here.

Why is this happening?

This is a very important person who is beyond the reach of ordinary people!
If it weren't for the significant differences in clothing, Li Shimin and the others would have blended in very well and didn't seem out of place at all.

At first, Wang Shensan's grandfather and others were also shocked. Li Shimin explained that they were just doing nothing anyway, so they went along to help out and maybe even get a free meal.

(End of this chapter)