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Chapter 128 Watch cartoons!

The two young maids didn't act like outsiders; they pulled Third Sister along and took off their shoes to get onto the kang (heated brick bed).

"Xiao Ran, what are you doing?" Li Shimin couldn't understand what Xiao Ran was fiddling with.

"It's a long story, but I'll keep it short. Uncle will find out soon enough," Xiao Ran teased Li Shimin.

Princess Li Lizhi of Yuzhang smiled.

"You rascal!" Li Shimin sat down next to Sun Simiao and started drinking tea.

Xiao Ran quickly fixed the projector in place.

Xiao Ran checked it and found no problem.

Only then did I open it.

I'm going to show cartoons to other people.

Seeing the pattern appear on the screen, the little princess was both surprised and delighted, exclaiming, "Wow~ That's amazing~"

Because there were no electric lights, the room was quite dark.

The projection on the screen is even clearer.

Li Lizhi and the others also looked over.

The discovery that it was in color was even more astonishing.

The others knew that Xiao Ran was taking pictures with his phone.

Aside from taking photos, I don't know anything else about playing songs in the classroom.

Xiao Ran clicked on an episode of Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf.

As the music played, the cartoon sheep on the screen came to life.

"Wow~" The little princess was the first to exclaim.

She had been holding onto her aunt's hand, but suddenly broke free and ran to the wall. She reached out her little hand to touch the "grass," but her fingertips only touched the cold earthen wall.

"How come this grass is on the wall?" She turned to look at Xiao Ran, her eyes shining like starlight. "Little Nang-jun~ what's this~"

Princess Chengyang also leaned over, gently touching the wall with her little hand before quickly pulling it back, and whispered to Third Sister, "Third Sister, is it hot? It looks real to me."

Third Sister shook her head, but couldn't help staring at the wall with surprise in her eyes.

She had seen landscapes painted by artists, but she had never seen such vibrant colors. Even the ripples on the grass swayed slowly in the wind, as if the wind were really blowing into the house.

Li Lizhi paused in mid-air with the teacup she had just picked up, forgetting to blow away the steam rising from the rim.

She stared at the several snow-white lambs that suddenly appeared on the wall, their wool like fluffy clouds, even the pink tips of their ears were vividly clear, and her heart skipped a beat.
"How...how can this sheep move?"

She turned to look at Princess Yuzhang, her voice trembling without her even realizing it, "Is it a shadow puppet show? But shadow puppets don't have such bright colors."

Princess Yuzhang was also stunned, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her dress as she stared at the little lamb hopping and chasing butterflies, murmuring, "Why is the lamb like this?"

This is completely different from the sheep that Princess Yuzhang knew.

Although they are different, they look quite nice.

This makes the sheep look cuter.

Li Shimin, who had been leaning against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) drinking tea, suddenly straightened up, his brows furrowed slightly, and his gaze fixed on the wall.

As the lambs and wolves chased and interacted, he suddenly looked at the projector, his hand unconsciously tightening around the jade belt at his waist.

He had heard of shadow puppetry troupes and seen illusions from the Western Regions, but he had never seen anything that could project "living things" onto a wall and make such a sound.

"That sound..." He listened intently, wondering where it was coming from. "What is making that sound? Could someone be hiding behind the wall?"

Sun Simiao's hand, which was stroking his white beard, stopped in mid-air, his cloudy eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

He took two steps closer to the wall, then stepped back to look at the light projected from the projector, muttering to himself, "The light can project images and even produce sounds... I've lived for nearly a hundred years and have never heard of such a strange thing."

He reached out and touched the projector's light, feeling a slight coolness on his fingertips, but didn't touch anything. "It's not candlelight, not moonlight, where... where is this light coming from?"

Wang Ji was so startled that he stood up abruptly, the scroll in his hand falling to the ground with a "thud," but he didn't notice, his eyes fixed on the chasing sheep on the wall, repeatedly saying:

"How strange! How strange! This kind of skill is not recorded in the 'Kaogongji' (Record of Trades) nor mentioned in the 'Book of Han'... Is this the work of immortals?"

Li Shimin originally thought that printing was already an amazing technology, but he never expected that Xiao Ran would have such a treasure that could "bring paintings to life". If this thing were to spread, all the literati and scholars in Chang'an would probably come to Kaolao Village to find out.

Xiao Ran wasn't interested in the projector or the cartoons.

But I wanted to see the shocked expressions on Li Shimin's and others' faces.

The three little princesses walked to the corner and looked up at the screen.

I was completely captivated and mesmerized.

The others were also staring intently.

Xiao Ran walked over and carried the two little princesses and Third Sister back to the kang (a heated brick bed).

Zhang Jinhe, Zhang Dalang, and the others were in similar situations.

Seemingly afraid of disrupting the atmosphere of watching the cartoon, everyone refrained from making a sound.

Zhang Jinnian, who had been eating silently, stopped eating the pastries he was holding.

An episode actually goes by very quickly.

This kind of plot was just right for the children, but Li Shimin, Sun Simiao, Zhang Mingde and others also watched it with great interest.

They weren't watching the stories; they were enjoying something that didn't belong to this era.

Even with a confusing story, the picture quality is enough to keep a group of people entertained.

Xiao Ran pressed pause.

The group of people finally came to their senses.

The little princess turned around and hugged Xiao Ran's arm, "Little Nangjun~ Look at the sheep~"

"I want to see more!" Third Sister said with a smile.

"Xiao Ran, what is this thing? It's so magical!" Li Shimin asked hurriedly, eager to know.

"Uncle, this is a projector; it's playing cartoons."

It was something they had never heard of before, and Li Shimin and the others had gotten used to it.

"Is there any more? Can we take another look?" Not to mention the children, Li Shimin also wanted to see them.

"Yes, yes," Xiao Ran said, clicking to play.

All eyes were once again focused on the screen.

The little princess on the edge of the kang had long forgotten how to sit properly; her little feet dangled in mid-air, and her hands were clenched into tiny fists.

Her eyes were glued to the little sheep bouncing around on the screen. Seeing Pleasant Goat dodge the Big Bad Wolf's trap, she suddenly patted the edge of the kang (heated brick bed) and whispered:
"Sheep is so amazing~"

After shouting, she quickly covered her mouth, afraid of disturbing others, leaving only her bright eyes glued to the wall.

Princess Chengyang nestled close to her third aunt, her little hands tightly gripping her sleeve. Seeing Grey Wolf fall into the mud puddle, she secretly smiled, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Occasionally, she would lean close to her third aunt's ear and whisper:
"Third Sister, will the wolf feel pain?"

After asking the question, she immediately turned back, afraid of missing the next scene. She even forgot to brush away the stray hairs that were falling down her temples and blocking her view.

Third Sister pulled the two little girls closer to her, staring at the screen with a faint smile on her lips.

Seeing the lambs gathered together sharing the grass cake, she couldn't help but gently pat Sizi's head. Her eyes softened like the warm light on the screen, and even her usual gentle demeanor relaxed, completely following the lively atmosphere of the story.

Li Lizhi sat upright in the middle of the kang (a heated brick bed), her handkerchief clenched so tightly it was wrinkled, but she didn't notice at all.

She leaned forward slightly, her gaze following the brightly colored figures on the screen, even her breathing became soft.

The usually dignified and self-possessed eldest princess was now like a curious young girl. When she saw a pink flower field flash across the screen, a hint of amazement flashed in her eyes. She subconsciously exchanged a glance with Yu Zhang beside her, and they both saw undisguised surprise in each other's eyes. Yu Zhang was more direct. She sat cross-legged on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), propped herself up on the kang surface, and leaned forward to sit next to Zhang Jinhe in front of her.

When she saw Grey Wolf chasing after her with a frying pan, she couldn't help but exclaim "Ah!" before quickly covering her mouth. Then she burst into laughter, her cheeks flushed, completely losing her usual coquettish charm and becoming just as lively as if she were captivated by the story.

Li Shimin leaned against the headboard, his usually tightly pursed lips relaxed a little, and his hand was still on the jade belt at his waist, but his knuckles were no longer tense.

He stared at the flowing light and shadow on the screen, his eyes losing their usual courtly authority and instead filled with curiosity and wonder.

When the scene suddenly switched to the night sky, he subconsciously raised his eyebrows, as if wondering how the sky in this "shadow" could be brighter than the starry sky in Chang'an.

The Zhang Jinhe family and the Li Shimin family were all there to chat, but now they were all very quiet.

The only sound in the living room was the cartoon.

Xiao Ran leaned against the side and fell asleep without realizing it; he really wasn't interested in this kind of thing.

Without Xiao Ran pressing pause, the animated series played episode after episode.

The children couldn't bear to miss even the repeated opening and closing credits.

Before we knew it, the sixth year of the Zhenguan era had come to an end.
The seventh year of Zhenguan
Seeing that Xiao Ran was asleep, Li Lizhi did not disturb him, but picked up the blanket next to her and gently covered him with it.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ran woke up, "Fifth Sister!"

"Young Master" Li Lizhi couldn't very well tell Xiao Ran to go back to sleep, since Xiao Ran was the master of the house and it would be inappropriate for him to go back to sleep.

Xiao Ran picked up his phone and looked at it; it was already midnight.

"Oh dear, isn't it the seventh year of the Zhenguan era?" Xiao Ran pressed pause.

"Yes, it's the seventh year of the Zhenguan era!" Li Shimin nodded.

Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya added some hot water for the group.

With the pause, the children's gazes returned to Xiao Ran.

"Sizi, take a break. You can't look at things for too long, or your eyes will feel uncomfortable." You overslept earlier.

"Second Aunt, heat up the food. It's not right to eat anything else, let's have dumplings!" Xiao Ran remembered.

"Okay!" Zhang Erya nodded.

Zhang Jinhe and Princess Yuzhang prepared to go and help.

There was plenty of minced meat prepared beforehand, enough for Zhang Mingde's family and Li Shimin's family to come.

As previously prepared, the food was made in the living room.

Bring over the brazier and place the pot on it.

The appeal is simply the novelty.

Qin was not familiar with Xiao Ran's house, but she felt embarrassed to sit there, so she helped out.

Zhang Dalang then brought over some pastries and fruits.

Li Shimin, Sun Simiao, and the others chatted idly.

It suddenly became lively.

They were all acquaintances, but there was no awkwardness. Apart from Zhang Huaicai and Qin Shi, everyone else genuinely treated them like outsiders.

The three little girls had done it before, and they wanted to participate this time as well.

I ran to wash my hands and then packed my own bag later.

I really like eating dumplings, and the meat filling that Xiao Ran prepared was very fragrant.

"Don't underestimate a sheep just because it's a few sheep~ The wisdom of a sheep is unimaginable~" the little princess sang.

Princess Chengyang and Third Sister also started humming along.

I usually go to bed early, but today I couldn't sleep at all because of the cartoon.

The charcoal in the brazier was burning brightly, and the red-hot flames licked the bottom of the pot, while the clear water inside emitted thin wisps of steam.

Zhang Erya placed the rested dough in a bamboo basin, next to which was a plate of finely chopped, glistening meat filling, sprinkled with chopped scallions. This attracted Sizi, who came closer to sniff it, wrinkled her little nose, and exclaimed with a smile:
"It smells so good! I want to make so many!"

Empress Zhangsun watched as Li Lizhi skillfully pinched off a small piece of dough, kneaded it into a ball, flattened it, and then rolled it into a thin, round sheet with a rolling pin. Her movements were as fluid as if she were doing embroidery, and her eyes were full of wonder.

Although dumplings were served in the palace, they were always prepared by the imperial chefs. She had never touched the dough herself before. Now, watching everyone gathered around the workbench, rolling out the wrappers and filling the dumplings, she felt that it was more lively than the banquets in the palace.

Empress Zhangsun also wanted to participate.

The little princess volunteered to teach her elderly mother.

In fact, Empress Zhangsun couldn't understand the little princess's methods.

But by looking at the others, Empress Zhangsun knew how to wrap it up.

As before, Xiao Ran could only cook dumplings.

Unexpectedly, Li Shimin snatched this job away from him.

On the other side, Li Lizhi was the most skilled at rolling out dumpling wrappers. The rolling pin spun in her hands, and in no time she rolled out a stack of round dumpling wrappers, which were evenly thin and had nice curved edges.

The water in the pot was bubbling away, and the first batch of dumplings floated to the surface, plump and steaming.

Li Shimin scooped up a few and placed them in a small porcelain bowl. "Old sir, Old Village Master, please have a taste!"

If Zhang Mingde knew the identity of Empress Zhangsun's family, he would probably be shocked.

"Okay, okay," Sun Simiao picked up his chopsticks.

"Try it quickly, isn't the one you made the most delicious?" Li Shimin divided out the ones made by the children.

The little princess and her friends had different dishes than the others, making them easy to distinguish.

The little princess may be small, but the dumplings she makes are quite big.

The little princess likes to eat meat and wants more of it.

The little princess took a bite, the aroma of the meat filling spreading in her mouth. It was so hot that she gasped, but she still nodded, "It's so good!"

The living room was filled with talking and laughter, and the occasional humming of the little girls drifted over, "Don't look down on me, I'm a sheep~".

Empress Zhangsun wiped the grease from the little princess's lips, Li Shimin and Sun Simiao chatted about next year's harvest, and Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang competed to see who could make dumplings with the most pleats.
There was no royal formality, no neighborly awkwardness, only the warmth of the brazier, the aroma of dumplings, and the feeling of family reunion. This first lively gathering in the seventh year of Zhenguan was more comforting than any delicacy.

Empress Zhangsun loved this place very much, not just because her children were here.

It feels more like home here, and I completely forget my identity.

"I don't want to go anywhere else anymore. I can't get used to the food in other places!" Wang Ji dipped his finger in vinegar.

"Why do you think I haven't left?" Sun Simiao joked.

The food here at Xiao Ran's place is truly excellent.

It's just as good as the imperial palace.

"This meat filling is indeed delicious." Li Shimin looked at the dumplings and asked, "Even the imperial chefs in the palace couldn't make something like this."

After eating it last time, Li Shimin also ordered the Imperial Kitchen to make it again.

This is completely different from what Xiao Ran is talking about.

"Did Second Aunt make it?" Sun Simiao asked.

"No, it's the young master."

"This is not difficult, it's very simple." Xiao Ran didn't expect that he would be able to eat dumplings in the Tang Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)