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

Li Tai shook his head, "What I did could have been done by someone else, it was just the ideas that the young master provided."

“When we don’t know what to do, we ask the young man for advice, and he can always provide solutions and ideas.”

Li Shimin nodded. "He is indeed different. Qingque, you did a great job."

Li Ke said the same thing before, next to the furnace where he fired glass.

Xiao Ran doesn't handle specific matters, but when it comes to technical problems, you can only go to Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran always has a way of thinking, things that others can't even come up with no matter how hard they try.

Whether it's coal mining, printing, or glassmaking, there's only one core person: Xiao Ran.

Everyone else can be replaced, but Xiao Ran is not!

Previously, it was Li Shimin who valued Xiao Ran, but now others have also noticed Xiao Ran's uniqueness.

These changes can all be attributed to Xiao Ran.

When Li Shimin and Li Ke were looking at it, Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaidao came over.

Invite the two of them to dinner.

Seeing the two men bow, Li Shimin waved his hand, "No need for that, everything is the same here."

"Yes!"

It would be much easier to meet Empress Zhangsun, the wife of Emperor Taizong of Tang, in Kaolao Village, something that Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaidao had never dared to dream of before.

That's exactly how it is.

As soon as you step into the courtyard, you can smell the aroma of food.

I've eaten here many times, and it's still amazing.

"Grandpa, time for dinner!" The little princess couldn't wait any longer and ran up to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin picked up the little princess and asked, "Is Sizi hungry?"

"Mmm, mmm~" the little princess rubbed her tummy, "I miss Qi again~"

"Hahaha, hahaha, eat meat." Li Shimin thought to himself, he should send more meat.

Although Xiao Ran has plenty of meat and won't go hungry, he still needs to prepare more for the little princess.

Others gradually returned, and the house became very lively.

Zhang Jinnian, who was at home before, also came over.

Zhang Jinnian really wanted to play with the two little princesses, but the two girls were not very willing and preferred Third Sister.

However, since Zhang Jinhe was there, Zhang Jinnian could naturally stay and play with them.

Compared to the previous dishes, there was a lot more fish today.

Steamed, braised, and carp stew with tofu—these dishes all evoke special memories.

After the meal, Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun did not stay long. Having obtained the medicine, they could return home early.

Li Yuan and Empress Xiao don't need to stay; it's just right for them to remain here.

Zhang Jieyu and Xiao Yu were also left behind.

Wanting to taste different kinds of pork, Xiao Ran asked someone to go to Chang'an City to buy some piglets.

When they saw the pig, the others were puzzled.

"Young master, what does this mean?" Li Lizhi pointed.

"Raise pigs, so we can eat meat later!" Xiao Ran herded the piglets into the pigpen.

Princess Yuzhang, Li Ke, Li Tai, and the others also heard it.

The others all looked on with incomprehension.

Xiao Ran preferred pork, feeling that it didn't have the gamey smell of mutton.

Xiao Ran didn't say much.

Others may have prejudices against pigs, but Xiao Ran does not.

Xiao Ran liked it quite a bit.

This is Xiao Ran's own home, so no one else can say anything.

On second thought, Li Lizhi was actually a little hopeful.

What Xiao Ran makes can't be bad.

Xiao Ran and Zhang Erya discussed how to raise it.

There aren't actually that many leftovers at home.

There were a few people with very good appetites, so there were basically no leftovers.

Feed them more dishwater and other things, and some not-so-good millet.

It's early spring now, and there are still tender grasses.

Actually, feeding them millet is a bit of a luxury.

Xiao Ran felt a little guilty. It wasn't that he couldn't afford to feed them, but he just felt that this wasn't quite right.

Many ordinary people eat millet, so it's not appropriate for Xiao Ran to feed him that.

From then on, Zhang Erya had one more job to do.

Xiao Ran said that Zhang Erya didn't need to worry about the farm work; she could just take care of the household chores.

Zhang Erya was quite happy about this.

Zhang Jinhe and Princess Yuzhang helped out, and Li Lizhi also did her best to help with housework.

Zhang Jinhe and Zhang Erya didn't know, but Xiao Ran did; both of them were princesses of the Tang Dynasty.

Now that Xiao Yu can also lend a hand, Zhang Erya's situation is relatively easier.

Therefore, Xiao Ran's family did not hire any other workers.

There are actually quite a few people working in Zhang Jinhe's household.

A few days later, many people finished planting their crops.

Zhang Jialin and Wang Shen also approached Xiao Ran, wanting to start work as soon as possible.

Xiao Ran understood the villagers' desire to make money, so he let the others start working.

Zhang Dalang never went back to burn glass because he hadn't finished cultivating his land.

Compared to farming, Zhang Dalang definitely wanted to make glass.

Although he was illiterate and had no formal education, Zhang Dalang found that making glass was a more promising career path than farming.

However, since I said I wanted to farm, I definitely have to farm all this land myself.

Except for the land contracted to Zhang Jinhe, all the other plots must be planted.

As coal mines and workshops gradually resumed operations, others became even more anxious.

But none of the land was abandoned; they genuinely wanted to make money, and the land couldn't be left to lie fallow.

The people of Kaolao Village both hoped to earn money in coal mines and workshops, yet they were unwilling to neglect their farm work. Ultimately, they held tightly to their "fundamentals of survival" and "hope for the future."

The soil in the fields is the foundation passed down from our ancestors, and the work in the workshop is the tangible sweetness of the present moment; without either, we feel uneasy.

In the hearts of the people of Kaolao Village, the land is "the root that will keep them from starving."

Even if coal mines and workshops are profitable now, no one can guarantee that this work can continue indefinitely.

What if the coal runs out someday?

What if the workshop prints enough books?
When there's no work and all the money in hand is gone, the crops in the field can still be used to cook a bowl of hot porridge, so they won't go hungry.

The saying passed down from their ancestors, "With grain in hand, one has nothing to fear," is deeply ingrained in the villagers' bones.

Just like Zhang Mingde, every time after distributing the money, he would urge everyone to "plant the land first, then go to the workshop to work." Even if the village rented a curved plow and prepared oxen to help everyone rush to plant, he would not allow anyone to leave their land uncultivated.

And the elderly people, every day they would go for a walk along the ridges of the fields to see if the millet was growing well.

In their eyes, leaving the land barren is to lose the hopes of their ancestors, which is more unsettling than earning less money.

Hunger is an unpleasant feeling, and unfortunately, most people have experienced it.

Xiao Ran would check on the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn he had planted every few days.

The potatoes are definitely fine, but I don't know what the yield will be.

Xiao Ran had no experience growing sweet potatoes and was afraid of not being able to grow them well.

As for corn, one can only pray for a miracle. Xiao Ran would be content as long as even one seed sprouts.

Xiao Ran valued these things highly, so no one else dared to touch them carelessly.

Considering that everyone loves tomatoes, Xiao Ran prepared a variety of them.

I'm planning to start a vegetable garden and grow a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Especially tomatoes.

Xiao Ran put away the freshly refreshed tomatoes; they couldn't be eaten for the time being.

Before tilling the soil, some preparations need to be made.

Seeing Xiao Ran take the tomatoes, the little princess ran over excitedly.

Tomatoes are best eaten stir-fried with eggs, but they're also delicious eaten plain.

"Little Nang-kun~ What are you doing, duck~"

"Sizi, do you want to eat tomatoes?" Li Lizhi rubbed the little princess's head.

"Hehe~" the little princess giggled.

It's obvious they want to eat it.

“We can’t eat these, but we’ll plant them and then we’ll have more tomatoes to eat later,” Xiao Ran said with a smile.

"Oh, that's a good idea, I almost forgot about it." Princess Yuzhang also chimed in, "Young master, is it easy to grow?"

"It shouldn't be difficult." Xiao Ran had never planted it before.

Before, we could just buy it whenever we wanted to eat it, since we didn't grow any at home.

"How are the production figures?" Li Lizhi asked as well.

"I don't know either, we'll have to try."

Compared to planting tomatoes directly, the most scientific approach is to select the seeds, cultivate seedlings, and then transplant them.

Xiao Ran, holding a tomato, squatted by the stone table in the courtyard, turned and smiled at the people who had gathered around him:

"To cultivate seedlings, we first need to obtain seeds. We'll use the simplest method, without using anything fancy."

As she spoke, she brought a rough earthenware bowl from the kitchen and had Zhang Erya scoop out half a bowl of warm water—not too hot to handle, just right to put her hand in.

He cut the tomato in half, revealing bright orange flesh surrounded by glistening seeds. Si Zi, watching, stood on tiptoe, leaning against the edge of the stone table, and whispered, "Little Nang~ can these seeds grow into a red duck~"

"Yes, we can wait until they wake up."

Xiao Ran used clean bamboo chopsticks to gently scrape the seeds and sticky pulp into the ceramic bowl, stirred it to make sure the warm water covered them, and said, "Soak them for fifteen minutes to remove the dirt from the seeds so they won't rot."

Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang didn't understand, but it was simple and very powerful.

These things are beyond the understanding of even a few princesses who never work the land, and other farmers also don't know how to do them.

They were all watching from the sidelines.

Fifteen minutes later, Xiao Ran found a clean, coarse cloth left in the RV, poured the seeds and water from the bowl onto the cloth, wrung it out slowly, and then rinsed it twice with mineral water to remove the pulp and mucus.

Only the tiny, shiny black seeds remained stuck to the cloth. "We need to wake the seeds up,"

He folded the cloth into a small bundle and stuffed it into the earthenware jar on the stove. The jar still held the warmth of the cooking. "It's warm here. In two or three days, the seeds will sprout tiny white tips."

In the days leading up to the whitening of the seeds, Princess Yuzhang and Li Lizhi had already prepared two broken earthenware pots.

It was a piece of furniture that was replaced at home before, and there were a few small holes drilled in the bottom with nails that caused it to leak.

They also followed Zhang Erya to the locust grove outside the village, dug up some decaying leaves and soil, mixed it with some rotten vegetable leaves collected in the yard, and the soil was loose and could be crumbled in the hand.

The day the seeds sprouted, the three little girls were more eager than anyone else, squatting by the earthenware pot early in the morning to wait.

Xiao Ran poured the leaf mold into the ceramic pot, leveled it, pressed small pits into the soil with his fingers, placed a white seed in each pit, and then covered it with a thin layer of soil.

So thin you can see the shadows of the seeds beneath the soil.

"Don't cover it too thickly, or the seeds won't be able to sprout." Xiao Ran said, while having Princess Yuzhang scoop some water with a ladle and gently pour it onto the soil. "Just water it thoroughly, don't drown them."

The ceramic pot was placed at the base of the south-facing wall in the courtyard, where it could receive sunlight all day.

Every morning, the little princess would go to check on the soil, touch it with her little finger, and if it was dry, she would call Xiao Ran to water it.

The little princess dared not mess with it, and neither did Li Lizhi and the others.

She was afraid of breaking it, even though she didn't know how, but she was aware of the risks and didn't want to cause trouble for Xiao Ran.

Five or six days later, tiny green shoots emerged from the soil, each topped with two round little leaves, like little insects that had just woken up.

Xiao Ran squatted down and ruffled the soil: "It's done. Once it grows two more leaves, it can be transplanted to the vegetable garden."

Looking at the new green shoots, Li Lizhi smiled and said, "I didn't expect it to be so simple. I thought it would require a more complicated method."

“The simpler the better,” Xiao Ran patted the little princess’s head. “In two or three months, we’ll be able to pick a basket of tomatoes.”

The little princess's eyes sparkled, her tiny hands clutching the hem of her dress: "Hehe~ Seven-color red~"

"Young master, so fast?" Zhang Jinhe also took a look.

"Hmm, this growth cycle isn't long, let's cultivate more."

In Xiao Ran's vegetable garden, there are only chili peppers and tomatoes.

Other vegetables can be grown elsewhere.

I just want to grow more tomatoes, which weren't available in the Tang Dynasty before.

With the farm work mostly done, it's time for school to resume.

Several children also returned to the school.

After finishing planting, Zhang Dalang returned to the stove and started making glass.

Li Lizhi and Yu Zhang, along with several others, cultivated several batches of tomato and pepper seedlings.

The vegetable garden is indeed very large; we need to plant more vegetables.

The princesses were so engrossed in Kaolao Village that they almost forgot their identities.

In their spare time, Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang would visit the vegetable garden to check on the tomatoes and peppers.

The three little girls did the same thing when they came back from school.

Everyone knows that the vegetable garden is full of tomatoes, which is something everyone likes to eat.

So they took it all very seriously.

Li Lizhi wasn't simply greedy; she knew that tomatoes would allow more people to enjoy them in the future.

This is something that didn't exist in the Tang Dynasty before.

It adds a "new flavor" to ordinary days.

This wasn't some rare delicacy, but it was a "fresh taste" that the people of the Tang Dynasty had never experienced before, adding a touch of "enjoyment" to what was originally just a meal to fill their stomachs.

It added a "new option" to agriculture in the Tang Dynasty, providing an extra layer of security for the people's "rice bowl".

This is not a high-yield staple food, but it is a "nice-to-have" supplement that gives the monoculture agricultural structure more "risk-resistant" resilience.

Every two days, Li Lizhi would have Li Wu deliver a letter to Li Shimin in Chang'an.

Not only did the methods for growing tomatoes and cultivating seedlings inspire Li Lizhi.

These methods are valuable, effective, and worth promoting.

Li Lizhi felt that more people should see it.

The vegetable garden made Xiao Ran's days much more fulfilling.

What made Xiao Ran happiest was that the potatoes and sweet potatoes were growing very well.

The most unexpected thing was that there were about ten extra corn seedlings in the place where corn was planted.

I thought one would be enough, but I didn't expect there to be so many.

Leave more seeds next year so you can plant more.

Xiao Ran rarely concerned himself with coal, printing, or glassmaking, focusing all his attention on the grain and vegetable garden.

These things will soon bring the Tang Dynasty a tremendous surprise.

Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang could also tell that Xiao Ran was particularly interested in things like corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes.

The group realized that it wasn't just because it tasted good; there must be a deeper meaning behind it.

Unfortunately, we still don't know what it is. (End of Chapter)