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

Chapter 57 teaches methods!

By evening, Empress Zhangsun's condition had improved considerably.

Li Lizhi said again, "Father, I guess the young master is like the one selling roasted chestnuts, delivering persimmon cakes to Chang'an City in the morning. I want to go there as soon as possible."

"It doesn't necessarily have to be dried persimmons; if possible, persimmon frost will do."

"I can't leave tomorrow, so Li Wu, you can go with me!" Li Shimin had to arrange for someone to protect Li Lizhi and the others.

This bodyguard who had accompanied him on his campaigns was excellent in every way.

The security situation around Chang'an is actually quite good now, which should be sufficient.

"Father, I want to invite Iron Ring along."

Li Shimin immediately thought of Cheng Yaojin's daughter, "Good, good, it's fine for Tiehuan to go."

This is a girl who likes to play with knives and sticks, and prefers military uniforms to red dresses.

Cheng Yaojin's ideal daughter was probably similar to Li Lizhi: dignified, elegant, and well-educated.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Cheng Tiehuan was skilled in martial arts, and his skills were no less than those of his eldest son, Cheng Chumo.

His arms were as thick as a woman's thighs, and he was incredibly strong.

"Prepare more things to take with you, so as not to be impolite," Empress Zhangsun reminded her.

"Don't worry, Mother. I've already asked Yushu to make preparations. We'll go there first thing tomorrow morning."

"Alright, girl, you should go home early too!"

Li Lizhi rose and gave a slight bow before leaving Lizheng Hall with Yu Shu.

Li Lizhi was quite happy at the thought of going to Kaolao Village the next day.

Having spent too much time in the palace and Chang'an, I find the outside world quite nice. I like the lively atmosphere of Kaolao Village and the warmth of human relationships among neighbors.

These are different from those in the palace.

The imperial harem consisted of Li Shimin's entire family.

As dawn broke, Li Lizhi got up and began washing up, preparing to go to Kaolao Village.

The two little princesses still looked sleepy.

Princess Yuzhang also arrived at the Lizheng Hall early.

"Sizi Fanyin, you can play with Xiao Hei later. We'll go after we eat." Princess Yuzhang rubbed the faces of the two little princesses.

"Hehe~ And Little Nangjun~" Thinking of these things made the little princess a bit more energetic.

"Yes, that's right, and young master too. We'll go after breakfast." Li Lizhi pulled the little princess down to sit.

Breakfast at the Imperial Kitchen is also ready.

"Mother, how are you feeling?" Princess Yuzhang asked with concern.

"That medicine worked quite well; I didn't cough last night." Empress Zhangsun wasn't actually telling the truth; it was indeed effective, but not to that extent.

I don't want the children to worry.

Li Lizhi remained silent, wanting to find more persimmon frost for Empress Zhangsun.

The gifts were placed separately on the horse's back. Li Wu received the order last night and was waiting outside the palace early this morning.

Instead of leaving Chang'an, they went to the Duke of Su's mansion.

Li Shimin informed Cheng Yaojin in advance to have Cheng Tiehuan prepare.

"Girl, you're a girl, don't spend all your time wielding swords and spears. Learn from Princess Chang Le and study more."

"Father, you know I'm not cut out for this." Cheng Tiehuan tugged at Cheng Yaojin's arm, afraid to go to school.

Cheng Yaojin was also helpless; he had no way to solve the problem.

Upon seeing Li Lizhi's carriage appear, Cheng Tiehuan, leading his horse, said, "Father, I'm leaving now!"

"Okay, slow down on the road."

Cheng Tiehuan waved his hand, indicating that he understood.

Li Lizhi originally wanted to snatch the persimmon cakes, but she still missed out.

They didn't recognize Zhang Jialin when they met him on the street.

Li Wu rode a horse, leading another horse carrying gifts.

Yu Shu followed along and was in charge of driving.

Cheng Tiehuan rode his horse to guard the other side, occasionally chatting with Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang.

As long as he doesn't have to study at home, Cheng Tiehuan is happy to be able to go out.

Instead of going to the pond, they went straight to Zhang Erya's house.

The carriage stopped outside the courtyard, and the little princess poked her head out: "Aha~"

"Big doggy~" "Little pang~"

There were chickens, ducks, and geese in the yard, but hardly any people were around.

The dog and cat are not there either.

"Sister, it seems she's not home!" Princess Yuzhang said. "Did she go to the pond?"

"Wife, there's someone over there. I'll go ask them." Li Wu pointed to a spot not far away.

"It seems like a lot of people are heading that way. Is something going on?" Cheng Tiehuan, riding a tall horse, also noticed.

“The carriage is parked here, let’s go take a look!” Li Lizhi said curiously.

"Okay!" Li Wu tied up the horse.

More and more people gathered under the big locust tree. Zhang Mingde sat in the middle, with Xiao Ran and his third grandfather beside him.

Apart from Xiao Ran, they are all elders.

Xiao Ran is here because of his noble title.

It can bridge the gap caused by generational differences.

The people of Kaolao Village take this very seriously; every household has people coming, and many even bring their whole family to join in the fun.

Once everyone had arrived, Zhang Jinhe signaled to Xiao Ran that it was time to go.

There were no hills or high platforms here, so Zhang Jinhe gave his oxcart to Xiao Ran as a platform for convenience.

"Everyone's almost here, we can begin," Zhang Mingde said.

Xiao Ran took the persimmons and stood on the oxcart, only then did he see Li Lizhi, Princess Yuzhang, and the others behind him.

Zhang Erya and Xiao Hei, who was by San Niang's side, also noticed it and ran to the back.

San Niang and Zhang Er Ya went to find Xiao Hei and saw Li Lizhi and the others.

"Sizi!" This made Third Sister extremely happy.

"Hehe~ Big doggy~" The little princess gave the dog a hug first.

Zhang Jinhe also came over. Many people had seen Li Lizhi and her group before, so they weren't surprised.

Xiao Ran smiled and nodded, then picked up a few persimmons.

The others remained silent, their faces filled with anticipation.

Everyone wants to make money!

Xiao Ran didn't give a fancy opening speech either; everyone was quite busy.

"Making persimmon cakes isn't difficult, but there are some things to be aware of."

"First, we need to select persimmons. Choose the firmer ones, and peel them, but don't remove the stems." Xiao Ran pointed, afraid that others wouldn't understand.

"This can't be eaten either!" someone said.

"They can't be eaten, but we have to keep them. If we pick them and dry them, the dried persimmons might be rotten inside, which would affect the taste."

Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang had the same question before, and now they know the answer.

Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya knew that Xiao Ran had mentioned it before, otherwise they might have removed the stem.

Li Lizhi was pleased that Xiao Ran could teach others, but not surprised.

It's just my personality!

That's exactly how it should be!

"After peeling, you have to rinse it with boiling water."

"Also, the peeler knife needs to be washed clean and soaked in salt water. It's even better if you have some alcohol at home."

"This is for sterilization!"

Xiao Ran knew that the others didn't understand, so he continued, "This way, the persimmons won't rot easily when they're dried later."

Li Lizhi seemed to be deep in thought, not expecting there to be such intricacies.

"Once they wilt, gently squeeze them when turning them over to dry. This step is crucial; persimmons that aren't squeezed won't taste good."

The whole process takes only about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, so it doesn't affect other people's work.

After speaking, Xiao Ran walked over to Li Lizhi and the others. Xiao Ran felt that Li Wu was a trained martial artist.

He looks like a seasoned veteran; he's very strong.

The sight of Cheng Tiehuan standing beside him surprised Xiao Ran even more. Such a 'strong' woman was rare, not only in the Tang Dynasty but also in later generations.

Compared to Cheng Tiehuan, Zhang Jinhe seems to possess a gentler, more feminine beauty.

(End of this chapter)