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

Li Lizhi and Xiao Ran walked to the other side and did not participate in the discussion with the others.

These grain yields shocked not only Li Shimin and Li Yuan.

Xiao Ran hadn't mentioned it before, but he was also quite shocked by Li Lizhi, Princess Yuzhang, and the others.

Aside from a few children who had no idea, Zhang Erya, Xiao Yu, and the others understood just how terrifying the production volume was.

No one would believe it unless they saw it with their own eyes.

Li Lizhi asked softly, "Young master, did you already know? Why didn't you say so?"

Previously, everyone assumed that Xiao Ran cared about the taste, and no one thought about the production volume.

“I know the yield is higher than that of millet, but I don’t know exactly how much higher,” Xiao Ran said. “The places where it was grown before were different from those in the Tang Dynasty. I really don’t know what it was like in the Tang Dynasty.”

“These things didn’t exist in the Tang Dynasty before.”

Li Lizhi thought Xiao Ran's explanation was acceptable.

“This grain is of great significance to the Tang Dynasty, and my grandfather and uncles value it highly,” Li Lizhi said excitedly. “Young master, what reward do you desire?”

"As long as it's not too outrageous, Grandpa and the others will agree."

Xiao Ran thought for a moment, and it seemed there was nothing he particularly wanted.

"I'm fine. I don't lack money now, and I don't have any other ambitions. I'm quite happy in Kaolao Village."

Xiao Ran had never visited the house that Li Shimin had bestowed upon him.

The mansions in Chang'an have been vacant for a long time.

Occasionally, Li Lizhi would have someone clean up.

"I have no objection to anything else, but there is one thing I have to mention."

Li Lizhi, curious, quickly said, "Young master, tell me, and I will tell Grandpa and the others as soon as possible."

"Whether it's sweet potatoes, potatoes, or corn, it's not just my achievement that they can be grown."

"It's the result of everyone's hard work. Fifth Sister, Sixth Sister, and Second Sister all participated."

"Including Sizi, Second Sister, and Third Sister."

Xiao Ran mentioned many people in one breath, and Li Lizhi understood that Xiao Ran did not want to take all the credit.

Actually, the work done by others was very limited; it was mainly Xiao Ran who did it.

"Mainly, Sizi, Wu Niang, and the rest of you, especially Sizi."

Li Lizhi deliberately said, "In the end, young master still favors Sizi!"

Pretend you're jealous.

Xiao Ran took Li Lizhi's hand and said, "I don't believe in ghosts or gods, but I want to pray for Si Zi's well-being."

"I hope that when these high-yield grains that benefit the world and bring blessings to countless people, they will remember the goodness of the rhinoceros."

“It is true that Sizi was involved.”

Xiao Ran spoke very seriously, and Li Lizhi could tell.

Li Lizhi simply didn't understand why Xiao Ran acted this way.

Xiao Ran doted on the little princess even more, and the others noticed it too.

But no one said anything, since the little princess was the youngest and everyone else doted on her.

Previously, Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang thought that Xiao Ran was like this because the little princess was young, but now Li Lizhi has discovered that this is not the case.

There seems to be more to the story!
Now Xiao Ran is giving these repeated instructions, as if he's sharing the merit with the little princess.

“Young master, I’m not jealous of Sizi. I just want to know why you are like this. Is there some hidden reason?” Li Lizhi stared straight at Xiao Ran.

It seemed she wanted to see through Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran shook his head, "Si Zi is the youngest, so everyone spoils Si Zi!"

It was clear that Xiao Ran was unwilling to tell the truth, so Li Lizhi did not press him further.

Li Lizhi looked at Xiao Ran with some hesitation, "Young master, you've reached the age to settle down and start a family. You should start thinking about marriage."

Xiao Ran actually lives alone in his home.

None of the others can be considered family in the true sense.

Xiao Ran smiled, understanding Li Lizhi's meaning.

"Fifth Sister, are you in a hurry?" Xiao Ran teased Li Lizhi.

Li Lizhi blushed; she knew she had to be quick to speak up about this.

"Hmph! I'm just afraid others will gossip about the young master!"

Xiao Ran took Li Lizhi's hand and gently stroked it, "I want to too! But the person I like is still too young!"

Li Lizhi's hand tightened suddenly, her fingertips gripping Xiao Ran's sleeve until her knuckles turned white.

Her cheeks, which had just been flushed with embarrassment, instantly lost all color, and her eyes were filled with disbelief and astonishment.

Following Xiao Ran's words, his gaze involuntarily drifted to the little princess who was squatting on the ground playing in the mud not far away.

The little princess was still wearing a light pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her short legs were covered in mud.

Clutching half a sweet potato peel, she laughed carefree, speaking in a childish voice. She looked like a baby who needed to be coaxed, hardly resembling someone who was "married".
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out for a long time; her mind was buzzing.

Although some women in the Tang Dynasty married at the age of thirteen or fourteen, Si Zi was only two or three years old, not even in her teens yet, so how could Xiao Ran have married her?
Did he say something wrong?
Or did I mishear?
Panic instantly overwhelmed her previous embarrassment, and she quickly turned to look at Xiao Ran, her voice tinged with urgency:

"Young master! What did you say? How old is Sizi? She's still a baby who needs to be held and coaxed. How could you..."

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing it was inappropriate, and quickly shut up, but the anxiety in his eyes was unmistakable.

She recalled how she had just been secretly hoping that Xiao Ran would propose marriage, and even secretly wondering if he would be interested in her. But now, this misunderstanding made her feel flustered and confused.

What's alarming is that if Xiao Ran really had such thoughts, it would not only be shocking if it got out, but it would also be unfair to Si Zi.

What's confusing is that the feelings I've been longing for all this time turned out to be based on the wrong ideas from the very beginning.

The "person he liked" wasn't any of the eligible women she thought he was talking about; instead, it was a clueless child.

But looking into Xiao Ran's open and honest eyes, she felt something was off.

Although Xiao Ran usually dotes on Si Zi, it is all out of the affection of an elder for a junior, and he has never overstepped the bounds in the slightest. Why would he suddenly say such a thing?

Was he deliberately teasing me?
Or was the "small" he mentioned not referring to the rhinoceros at all?
Amidst a flurry of thoughts, her cheeks slowly flushed again, but this time not from embarrassment, but from anxiety. She bit her lower lip, and couldn't help but gently push Xiao Ran away, her tone tinged with reproach, yet also concealing a barely perceptible hint of disappointment:
"Don't talk nonsense! Sizi is still a baby. If your grandfather hears you saying that, he will definitely punish you!"

"Are you kidding me? Or is the 'small' you're referring to not actually the rhinoceros?"

Her gaze was fixed on Xiao Ran's face, hoping he would say, "I was just teasing you," hoping he would say he misheard, but she also felt a little panicked inside.

If he wasn't talking about Sizi, then who is the person he likes?

Is that person younger than me?
Xiao Ran was taken aback when he saw Li Lizhi's anxious and flustered appearance, with a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

It was only then that I belatedly realized what had happened.

He then realized that his earlier comment, "still young," had been misinterpreted by her as referring to the little princess!

He couldn't help but chuckle softly, reaching out to gently rub Li Lizhi's furrowed brows, his tone tinged with a helpless indulgence, yet brimming with seriousness:
"Fifth Sister, what are you thinking? Sizi is only two or three years old. She's a child we need to cherish and protect. How could I possibly think of her like that?"

Seeing that the astonishment in Li Lizhi's eyes hadn't faded, he tightened his grip on her hand, his tone becoming more serious as he earnestly explained:

"When I say 'young,' I don't mean as young as a rhinoceros. I mean that it's not good for a girl's health to get married too early."

“Look at our Tang Dynasty, many girls got married at the age of thirteen or fourteen. But at that time, their bodies were not yet fully developed. After marriage, they had to take care of household chores and give birth. If they were not careful, they could easily damage their health and suffer from illness for many years to come. How miserable would that be?”

Xiao Ran, recalling modern understanding of women's health, and fearing Li Lizhi might not understand, specially changed the wording to one she could comprehend:
"Just like crops in the field, they can only withstand wind and rain after their roots are firmly established and their stalks are thick."

"The same applies to a woman's body. She should wait until she is older, when her blood and energy are sufficient, and her bones and muscles are strong, before talking about marriage and childbirth, so that she is less likely to have any problems."

"I always think that the person I like should be allowed to grow up properly. I should wait until she is fully healthy before marrying her in a grand and glorious way. How can I let her suffer so much so early?"

As he spoke, Xiao Ran's gaze gently fell on Li Lizhi's face, a hint of tenderness hidden in his eyes: "I didn't say I wanted to wait until I became an old maid, I just felt that there was no need to rush in the next year or two."

"Look at you, you can still follow me to the fields to watch over the crops and learn how to grow grain. If you had married too early, you wouldn't have been able to live such a carefree life."

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that his words contained a subtle implication, and his ears tingled slightly. He quickly added, "I didn't mean to tease you. It's my fault for not being clear earlier and making you worry unnecessarily."

Now, Li Lizhi finally understood completely.

When Xiao Ran said "small," he meant that he felt sorry for the suffering that women endure when they marry young, and he hoped that the person he liked could grow up healthy. He was not referring to Si Zi at all!
The panic and disappointment from before vanished instantly, replaced by an uncontrollable burning sensation on her cheeks.

She quickly looked away, her fingertips gently twisting the hem of her clothes, her voice barely audible:
"Who, who's being so anxious? I'm just afraid you'll say the wrong thing."

But a smile quietly crept into her lowered eyes.

It turns out that his concerns were for the woman's health, and for the good of the "person he liked".

So the "person he likes" must be himself, right?
Xiao Ran always says strange things and does things that are hard to understand.

But none of these things disappointed.

Xiao Ran's statement must have some merit.

Li Lizhi was secretly delighted. "Young man, what is a suitable age to get married?"

"He has to be at least 18 years old!"

In the Tang Dynasty, it was perfectly normal for a girl to get married at the age of thirteen or fourteen.

The Tang Code also implicitly recognized fifteen as the upper limit for marriage.

Ordinary families longed for more laborers and to continue the family line as soon as possible, and even scholar-official families rarely kept their daughters until they were eighteen or nineteen.

After all, life expectancy is short these days, so early marriage and childbirth can prevent the family line from dying out, and also provide more hands to work in the fields.

Who would prioritize "waiting for my body to fully heal"?

But Xiao Ran's statement that he was "at least eighteen years old" was not just some wild, fabricated nonsense.

Li Lizhi had seen many women in the palace since she was a child. Those older sisters who married at the age of thirteen or fourteen often secretly said that they were physically weak. Some had suffered greatly during childbirth, and some had developed chronic coughs.

The village elders often say that a young girl who hasn't fully grown up is like a crop that hasn't taken root; she'll fall over if the wind blows. How can she withstand the hardships of managing a household and raising children?

On the contrary, girls aged seventeen or eighteen have rosy complexions and strong bodies, suffer less during childbirth, and recover quickly after giving birth.

Getting married before your body is fully developed is just wasting your life.

Besides, not every family is in a hurry to get married early.

Some scholars who valued health and wellness were willing to let their daughters stay for a few more years.

We should wait until she is well-educated and her body is fully developed before discussing marriage, so that she can establish herself in her husband's family and not be mistreated.

Even the widowed women in the village who remarry are mostly around twenty years old, and no one will force them to follow the fifteen-year-old rule.

Li Lizhi herself understood that someone of her status didn't need to worry about a lack of labor in the fields or the extinction of her family line. What she cared more about was whether she could live a stable life in the future and whether she could maintain good health.

She understood immediately when Xiao Ran used crops as an analogy.

If you pick corn from the field before it's fully ripe, the kernels will be shriveled and useless.

If a woman marries before she has fully matured, it's like picking corn too early; she suffers, and her future is uncertain.

Moreover, he also said that he doesn't want to become an old maid, he just doesn't need to rush in the next year or two.

These words not only relieved her concerns but also revealed genuine tenderness and concern.

Compared to those who only talk about rules and family, Xiao Ran's prioritization of her health made her feel more at ease.

Li Lizhi got up, walked to the other side, and worked with Sun Simiao to air out the herbs.

"Grandpa!" Li Lizhi also called out to Sun Simiao, just like Xiao Ran.

"Fifth Sister, is something the matter?" Sun Simiao smiled, clearly seeing that Li Lizhi wanted to ask something.

Sun Simiao was old and knowledgeable. Whenever there was a problem, Li Lizhi, Princess Yuzhang, and even Xiao Yu would consult this old man, Sun Simiao.

"Grandpa, I want to ask, is it bad for a woman's health to marry young?" Li Lizhi was very direct and didn't beat around the bush.

Sun Simiao stopped turning the herbs he was drying, his fingertips twirling a piece of dried astragalus root, his gaze gently falling on Li Lizhi:
"It's kind of you, Fifth Sister, to ask this. From a medical perspective, it is indeed harmful to a woman's health to marry too early."

Sun Simiao squatted down, picked out a few grains of freshly dried millet from the bamboo basket, and showed them to Li Lizhi in his palm:

"Look at this millet. It's not fully ripe until the ears of grain sink and the kernels are round."

"If you pick the ears of grain while they are still green, they will be bitter and shriveled when cooked, making them difficult to swallow. The same applies to a woman's body."

“A girl of thirteen or fourteen years old may look tall, but her internal blood and qi are not yet sufficient, her muscles and bones are not yet strong, and her internal organs are not yet fully formed. She is like an unripe millet that has not yet ‘fully grown’.”

"If you get married at this time, you will not only have to manage the housework and deplete your energy, but also have to give birth to children and damage your health."

"Think about it, how can a new life be steadily supported when the mother's body hasn't even fully developed?"

"In my years of practicing medicine, I've seen many young women who marry too early: some can't endure the pain of childbirth, suffering for two or three days without being able to deliver, ultimately damaging their health." (End of Chapter)