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

When they weren't in class, the three little girls liked to take Xiao Hei and Xiao Ran to the vegetable garden to look at the tomatoes and peppers.

There were also potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn in the field. Seeing Xiao Ran pulling weeds, the three little girls imitated him quite well.

The little princess lay directly on the ground, not worried about getting her clothes dirty.

It seems like they don't care at all, doing whatever makes them happy.

The three little girls, though young, remembered the seedlings of potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn.

Knowing that this is delicious, I know that it needs to be carefully protected.

Princess Yuzhang accompanied Zhang Erya to cut tender grass to feed the pigs.

These are things that need to be done every day.

Fortunately, not many people in the village raise livestock now, so cutting grass is easy.

You can cut anywhere.

Li Lizhi and Xiao Yu went to find Xiao Ran.

Seeing her two younger sisters lying on the ground, Li Lizhi breathed a long sigh of relief.

Xiao Yu, who was standing next to her, smiled and said, "Si Zi Fan Yin is still young. It's just a child's nature to act this way."

Li Lizhi nodded without saying anything.

Hearing the noise, the little princess turned around, "It's big sister!"

"Sizi, your clothes are dirty," Li Lizhi said calmly.

The little princess stood up, patted the ground casually with her tiny hand, and said, "Mmm-hmm~"

Xiao Ran did not stop him, thinking that this was just a child's nature.

If it were in the palace, there would definitely be no opportunity, so it's good to let the little princess experience it.

Xiao Ran neither believed in Buddhism nor Taoism, but he wanted to pray for the little princess's well-being.

Hopefully, these good deeds will accumulate merit for the little princess.

This little girl is so lovable; she shouldn't have left us so soon.

If this high-yield grain is promoted and benefits the people in the future, the little princess will also receive a share.

"Sizi, do you like taking care of the potatoes and corn?" Xiao Ran asked the little princess.

"Porridge~" The little princess pulled up a weed.

"Great job! Sizi can come more often in the future. Sizi has played a crucial role in the growth of the corn and potatoes."

"Hehe~ Yeah yeah~"

Li Lizhi glanced at Xiao Ran, sensing that there was something more to Xiao Ran's words.

Xiao Ran's "praying for blessings" and "accumulating merit" for the little princess were never the superstitious beliefs of "seeking divine protection and accumulating good deeds in exchange for blessings" in the traditional Buddhist and Taoist context.

Rather, it is a modern soul projecting its emotions onto a "cherished person" in an unfamiliar time and space.

It is a simple belief that "goodwill and values ​​can protect life" rather than gods or Buddhas.

As a modern person, Xiao Ran knew the fate of the little princess who died young in history.

This "prophetic" insight made Xiao Ran feel even more tender towards the vibrant little princess before him.

She should have been bound by rules in the palace, but instead, she crawled through mud and pulled weeds in Kaolao Village, laughing without any restraint.

She didn't understand the meaning of "high-yield grain," but she took great care of the potato seedlings, treating "taking care of good food" as a serious matter.

Xiao Ran doesn't believe that "praying to gods and Buddhas can change one's fate," but he does believe that "value can prolong the weight of life."

He said, "The corn and potatoes grew up, and the rhinoceros also played a significant role," which was actually giving the little princess's actions a "long-term significance."

When these grains are distributed throughout the land and feed countless people, the fact that "the little princess was involved" will become a tangible "mark of value".

Even if the future is uncertain, this value, which is tied to the livelihoods of "millions of people," is like adding a "protective shell" to her life, and is Xiao Ran's way of fighting against "historical regrets."

I can't rely on gods or Buddhas, so I'll rely on having her do "valuable things" so that that value can protect her.

In traditional understanding, "merit" is the "offering" to gods and Buddhas in order to seek a reward.

However, in Xiao Ran's modern values, "merit" is "doing something that benefits others".

It's not about asking gods and Buddhas for blessings, but about creating value so that goodwill can flow and ultimately benefit those we cherish.

He felt that the little princess was "lovable" and should not have died young; this affection was not unfounded.

The little princess is taking care of the crops to help feed more people.

These grains will ensure that people have enough to eat and reduce famine in the future. The stable lives of the people will make society more peaceful, indirectly creating a more stable environment for the little princess to grow up in.

This is a closed loop: the little princess's kindness → creating value → benefiting others → giving back to herself.

For Xiao Ran, this is "accumulating merit"—not praying to illusory gods and Buddhas, but making the little princess a link in the "chain of goodwill," using practical actions to "earn" a possibility of stability for himself.

This concept of "merit" has nothing to do with religion; it only concerns "human kindness and responsibility towards each other."

Xiao Ran was a "stranger" in the Tang Dynasty, with no blood relatives. The little princess's affection was a rare warmth for him in this era, free from any self-interest.

Everyone else had ulterior motives to some extent, but the three children were more innocent.

He doesn't believe in Buddhism or Taoism because he knows that gods and Buddhas can't provide "definite warmth," but he believes that "he can do something for this warmth."

He wanted to pray for the little princess, but what he really wanted was to protect this bond.

He hoped that this little girl, who was willing to roll around in the mud with him and listen attentively to his explanation that "corn can be eaten as a meal," would continue to smile.

He hoped he could do something for that smile—and “letting her participate in planting high-yield grains” would not only make her happy, but also give her happiness “practical meaning.”

For Xiao Ran, this was more real than kowtowing to gods and Buddhas. Gods and Buddhas wouldn't respond, but he could turn her happiness into "the value of supporting people," and this value was the best "blessing."

The little princess gently stroked the corn seedlings, saying, "Grow up quickly, duck!"

In the little princess's eyes, these corn seedlings were much the same as Little Black.

They all transcended their original meaning; to the little girl, they were all rather special beings.

In a child's eyes, whether it's Xiao Hei or any other child, they are all their friends.

Li Lizhi and the others could tell from Xiao Ran's attitude towards potatoes and corn that this must be very important.

Xiao Ran's interest in coal, glass, and printing technology was far less than that in these grains.

What could make Xiao Ran act this way must be very important.

Sun Simiao also came carrying a medicine basket and a small hoe. In Sun Simiao's eyes, many wild grasses that others ignored were good medicinal materials.

Sun Simiao was also interested in the potatoes and corn that Xiao Ran was interested in.

I'd never seen these before. I've eaten potatoes and sweet potatoes before, and I think they taste pretty good.

However, Xiao Ran never mentioned the production volume.

Upon seeing Sun Simiao arrive, the group stood up and greeted him with smiles.

Sun Simiao smiled and nodded, then looked at the corn and said, "The corn is growing very fast, it must be quite tall!"

"Similar to sugarcane," Xiao Ran knew that the others didn't know corn, but they definitely knew sugarcane.

Sun Simiao squatted down and took a look. "It does look somewhat similar."

“Young master, is this similar to sugarcane, also sweet?” Li Lizhi suddenly asked. “It is sweet, but much less sweet than sugarcane. Some of it can barely be eaten like sugarcane,” Xiao Ran explained.

Hearing Xiao Ran say it was sweet, the little princess's eyes lit up; she loved sweet things so much.

The little princess prefers sweet potatoes to potatoes because they are sweet.

Sun Simiao squatted down, brought his arm close to the corn leaves, and sniffed them.

"Corn and sugarcane look very similar, but I don't know how different their properties are."

Xiao Ran didn't know how to explain to Sun Simiao that the concept of "same subject" no longer existed.

"They look somewhat similar, but the differences are quite significant," Xiao Ran thought for a moment and could only say that.

Xiao Ran followed Sun Simiao and dug up some medicinal herbs.

During this period, Sun Simiao also taught other people a lot about medicinal herbs.

The weeds were mostly cleared, and the group didn't linger any longer.

"Grandpa, are you a Buddhist? What's your opinion on Buddhism?"

Sun Simiao pondered for a moment, “Although I study Taoism, I never use ‘sects’ as walls to separate people. As long as the principles of the world can help people live well, they have their merits, and Buddhism is no exception.”

“Buddhism teaches ‘compassion’ and sets up ‘compassionate fields’ to take in homeless elderly people and children and to provide porridge to the hungry. This is the same as the Taoist teachings of ‘cherishing life and abhorring death’ and ‘helping the world and saving people’.”

"Advising people not to steal or lie, teaching them to be law-abiding and to have fewer disputes, is good for the stability of the village and for the well-being of the people."

At this point, he squatted down, picked up a newly sprouted plantain, and gently traced the veins of the leaf with his fingertips, then subtly changed the subject:

"It's just that the old man has spent his whole life dealing with medicine and stones, so he has a more realistic view of the 'real world'."

“Buddhism speaks of ‘reincarnation and Nirvana,’ talking about the blessings of the next life. But the old man saved people by diagnosing their illnesses and prescribing the right herbs, not by asking for a better next life.”

"Taoism teaches 'following nature,' which means we should gather herbs according to the seasons and adjust our diet according to our constitution, so as to live our lives in a down-to-earth manner."

"I understand the Buddhist concept of 'afterlife' but I am not attached to it. I only want to protect the people in front of me so that they can suffer less today and have enough to eat tomorrow."

“Buddhist disciples ‘leave the world’ and abandon worldly affairs to cultivate themselves. The old man can understand this desire for a pure mind, but he believes more in the Taoist principle of ‘cultivating oneself in the world’.”

He picked up his medicine basket and walked back slowly, his voice carried on the wind: "In the end, whether it's Buddhism or Taoism, there's no need to be fixated on 'which is more right'."

"If Buddhist methods can bring peace of mind and help people overcome difficulties, then we will learn them; if Taoist principles can help people follow nature and live a stable life, then we will adhere to them."

"The core issue is never 'which religion you believe in,' but rather 'whether you have done anything to help others'—that's the most important principle to follow."

Sun Simiao could sense that Xiao Ran didn't have a good impression of Buddhism.

Xiao Ran was not surprised by Sun Simiao's answer.

He remains as open-minded and insightful as ever.

"Grandpa, do you believe that good people are rewarded?"

Sun Simiao stopped in his tracks. “‘Good people are rewarded’—if you were to interpret it in a more mystical way as ‘heaven determines good and evil,’ I, the old man, do not believe in that.”

"Taoism teaches that 'Tao follows nature.' Heaven and earth don't care who is 'good' or who is 'bad.' The changing of the four seasons, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning are never there to 'reward good and punish evil.'"

"Just like in the fields, diligent people don't necessarily have a good harvest every year, and lazy people don't necessarily have a poor harvest every year. There's no such thing as a 'predetermined' reward."

He paused, bent down to arrange the freshly picked dandelions in the medicine basket, and continued, "But it's not right to say that 'good people don't get good rewards.' Taoism says, 'Cultivate yourself, and your virtue will be genuine.' Good rewards are never 'gifts from heaven' that you wait for, but rather 'real rewards' that you cultivate by being a good person."

"You are kind to others, your neighbors trust you, and when you need help, someone will lend a hand."

"You do things right, so you can sleep soundly at night without worrying about having a guilty conscience."

"Just like when we gather herbs to save people, if we save someone, they will remember our kindness and will naturally lend a hand if they need our help in the future. This is not 'divine reward,' but 'reward for human deeds.'"

"Furthermore, Taoism says, 'The highest good is like water.' Water flows downhill, not to 'seek reward,' but to nourish all things."

“If a good person does good deeds but always thinks about ‘what reward I want’, then the good deed becomes mixed with the thought of ‘seeking’ and is no longer pure.”

"Therefore, 'good people are rewarded' is not a 'divine rule,' but a 'human principle.'"

“If you put your good deeds into practice, the reward will be hidden in the path you have walked and the people you have helped. You don’t need to ask for it or wait for it; it will come naturally with your good deeds.”

Sun Simiao's words were very pleasant to hear.

No wonder they live so long; their mindset is truly admirable.

It's estimated that very few things can make him angry.

"Grandpa, have you encountered anything particularly upsetting lately?"

Sun Simiao thought about it carefully, "Having seen so many people and things, I've gradually stopped getting angry. The last time I was angry..."

"It seems like a long time ago, I can't remember anymore."

Xiao Ran laughed too, "What if you encounter someone particularly unreasonable? Won't you get angry?"

"I'm not angry, after all, the old man knows a thing or two about martial arts!"

"Hahaha!" Xiao Ran couldn't help but laugh.

Ordinary people are indeed no match for Sun Simiao.

I wonder who was more powerful at their peak, Qin Qiong or Sun Simiao.

Qin Qiong is definitely no match for Sun Simiao now.

Xiao Ran felt he could argue with the now-aged Qin Qiong, but he had no chance against Sun Simiao.

At such an advanced age, to possess such remarkable skills, there's no way to argue with that.

Back in the courtyard, I saw Yu Shinan and Li Yuan chatting happily.

People of similar age can have a good chat.

"Young master, this tea is truly excellent," Yu Shinan praised Xiao Ran's tea highly.

Yu Shinan did remind Xiao Ran.

Spring has arrived, so it's time to prepare some tea leaves.

Although Xiao Ran doesn't know much, it's impossible for him to create something really good.

But I also know a little bit that it should be drinkable after being stir-fried.

At least you don't need to add various seasonings when cooking; just steep it.

"Sir, I'm glad you like it."

No one else knew how many Xiao Ran had.

There are always some, but not many.

This is how Zhang Erya, Li Lizhi, and others felt.

Xiao Ran exchanged a few pleasantries with the old men, then returned to the other side to ponder.

Li Lizhi, Princess Yuzhang, and the others exchanged glances. Seeing Xiao Ran's expression, they realized he was pondering something new.

"I bet the young master is thinking about tea; there should be more tea available in the future!" Princess Yuzhang whispered.

“I think so too.” Zhang Erya nodded.

"This tea must be quite expensive, and many people like it." Xiao Yu also drinks it occasionally and enjoys it very much.

Li Lizhi was also somewhat looking forward to seeing how Xiao Ran would arrange things. (End of Chapter)