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

After leaving the glass workshop, Xiao Ran went to find Li Wu.

"Fifth Uncle, thank you for your trouble."

Li Wu simply nodded silently and then returned to the palace.

"Your Majesty, the young master said that a batch of glass has been fired and is of the best quality. It can be used to make windows. As for other small items, we will have to wait."

Li Shimin did not expect that the glass would be fired so soon after he returned.

However, he still had some questions.

"Can't the glass used for telescopes be used for windows?"

Xiao Ran had indeed mentioned this issue before.

"Your Majesty, the young master said that the requirements for glass for the telescope are not that high. If the glass of the telescope is used to make windows, it is fine, but it will not be as clear, so we waited."

Li Shimin understood.

"I see. Then let's send someone to bring the glass back."

Li Shimin had already figured out what to do with this batch of glass. He planned to replace all the windows in his own palace with glass first, and if there were any left, he would use them to replace other places in the palace. In any case, the construction of the palace would definitely be the priority.

It's also a good opportunity to let the ministers see the glass window, so that they'll be interested and place an order.

Li Chengqian, listening from the side, was also intrigued.

"Grandpa, why don't you let me transport the glass this time?"

Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian, whose smile contained a hint of embarrassment.

"I haven't seen Jiko and the others in a long time, and I miss them a bit."

Li Shimin thought for a moment and nodded.

"Alright, then go ahead, and remember to come back soon."

Upon hearing that Li Shimin had agreed, Li Chengqian quickly took his leave, went back to change his clothes, and then set off with his men.

Fortunately, it wasn't snowing outside at this time, and the light snow that had fallen earlier had already melted, so Li Chengqian's travel speed remained unchanged.

Xiao Ran had no idea that Li Chengqian was coming over; he was making toothpaste with Hongxiu and Li Tai.

The little princess and several other girls were playing inside the house with Di Renjie, while Li Lizhi and the others were still making dolls.

As for toothpaste, Xiao Ran had enough for their daily use, but the glass workshop's demand for toothpaste had surged, so they planned to make some more.

Xiao Ran and Li Tai were grinding medicine powder, while Hongxiu watched the fire.

The three of them were making toothpaste with only basic ingredients, mainly for grinding glass, while Sun Simiao was making some small jars of toothpaste with added benefits.

Xiao Ran put down the medicine grinder in his hand and shook his hand.

"This job may look insignificant, but it can be quite tiring after a while."

Li Tai looked at Xiao Ran but didn't say anything.

Xiao Ran said to himself, "How about we find someone to do it?"

At this point, Li Taicai spoke up, saying, "Aren't you afraid of leaking the recipe if you hire someone to do it?"

Xiao Ran shook his head. "It's just a matter of finding someone to grind the medicine into powder. Besides, there's no recipe for this stuff. You just put everything together and stir it up."

With that thought in mind, Xiao Ran really decided to find someone to grind the medicine into powder.

Seeing this, Li Tai also let go. Anyway, someone else would take care of it in a while, so why should he bother?

Xiao Ran originally intended to set up a workshop, but unfortunately, the reserves of medicinal herbs were limited, so it was impossible to support a workshop. However, it was still possible to find a few people to work temporarily.

As for toothpaste production, we'll have to wait until next spring to collect herbs in the mountains and buy medicinal materials along the way before we can start making it.

Xiao Ran greeted Sun Simiao and then headed towards Zhang Mingde's house.

This was no different from hiring temporary workers. The work didn't require any skills. All he needed to do was find a few quick and honest people. So he simply let Zhang Mingde choose a few people.

Zhang Mingde thought for a moment and then named a few people.

Although Xiao Ran wasn't often in the village, he had heard the three Zhang siblings talk about the villagers when he chatted with them before. The people Zhang Mingde mentioned were either orphans and widows, or the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled, and their families were all struggling.

Although their lives were much better than usual because of Xiao Ran, they weren't really that much better.

However, Zhang Mingde wouldn't recommend people with bad character, so Xiao Ran was reassured about that and went home to ask Zhang Erya to find someone.

Soon, two seemingly honest-looking aunties and an elderly woman came over.

Xiao Ran didn't exchange many pleasantries and said directly, "Ladies and old lady, our job is very simple: just grind these medicinal herbs into powder."

The three of them looked at the powder that Xiao Ran had ground and knew what it should look like, so they were relieved.

It was just a little bit of trivial work, not tiring at all. The most important thing was that they were sure they could do it, so they sat down on the stools and started working without saying a word.

Seeing that they were working diligently, Xiao Ran felt relieved and went back to his room. He hadn't forgotten that he still needed to prepare hot pot for dinner.

Since we're planning to have our own pots each, there's no need to worry about what ingredients to put in the broth.

He first went to find Li Lizhi and the others.

"Fifth Sister, Sixth Sister, and Second Sister, how are your dolls coming along?" Xiao Ran asked from the doorway.

Zhang Erya had just gone to call someone for Xiao Ran, and she had just picked up her needle and thread when Xiao Ran came over.

Li Lizhi picked up a small bear doll from the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Young man, look, this is the toy we made."

Xiao Ran took it, squeezed it, and asked, "What's inside?"

Li Lizhi replied, "It's filled with some cotton."

Xiao Ran had previously obtained cotton seeds from Li Shimin. Since the seeds were to be obtained, the cotton was naturally also picked and sent to Xiao Ran along with them.

When making the dolls this time, Li Lizhi and the others thought of using this cotton.

There wasn't enough cotton, not enough for anything else, but it was just right for making these little toys.

Xiao Ran also remembered that there was such a thing as cotton.

"There were too many things to do, I forgot about them all."

Thinking this way, Xiao Ran decided to get a notebook to keep track of things so that he wouldn't always forget.

Just as Xiao Ran was lost in thought, Li Lizhi asked curiously, "Did you come here just to ask about the doll, young master?"

Xiao Ran then came to his senses and quickly shook his head.

"No, I came to ask if you can eat spicy food. We have both spicy and non-spicy hot pot for tonight."

The three of them exchanged glances, somewhat wanting to try the spicy food, but also worried that they might not be able to handle it.

Princess Yuzhang asked, "Young master, which flavor is tastier?"

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Everyone has their own taste. I personally prefer it spicier, but since this is your first time eating here, if you want it spicy, I can put in less spice so you can taste the flavor without being overwhelmed."

Li Lizhi turned to look at Princess Yuzhang and Zhang Erya.

"What do you think?"

They both nodded.

Seeing this, Li Lizhi decided to order it mildly spicy.

Afterwards, Xiao Ran consulted Li Yuan, Empress Xiao, and several other great Confucian scholars.

They are getting old and don't like strong flavors, so Xiao Ran plans to make them a mushroom soup base.

As for the smaller options, only mushroom and tomato and bone broth are available; spicy is out of the question.

Fortunately, the little princess preferred the sweet and sour taste of tomatoes. "Little Nang-jun~ I want it to be red~" the little princess said, tugging at Xiao Ran's clothes.

Xiao Ran smiled and gently pinched the little princess's nose.

"Okay, I'll take tomatoes."

Seeing that the little princess had ordered tomatoes, the other little ones decided to order tomatoes too.

Xiao Ran didn't forget Empress Zhangsun either, as she had been experiencing morning sickness lately, so she also ordered the tomato hot pot base.

After asking around, only Li Tai ordered bone broth.

After asking about his preferences, Xiao Ran went to the kitchen.

The bone broth over there was started when we were planning to make hot pot, but this spicy broth definitely needs to have beef tallow in it.

Fortunately, Cheng Yaojin brought over some beef, and although the rendered beef tallow wasn't much, it was enough for these few small pots.

Xiao Ran told them in the kitchen how to prepare the ingredients and the broth, and also had someone wash the pot.

Inside the house, the little princess had stopped running around and playing. Her eyes kept glancing towards the kitchen, her gaze filled with longing.

Princess Chengyang took the little princess's hand and said, "Sizi, don't worry, you'll be able to eat it at dinner time."

The little princess nodded obediently, "Woji Island~ I'm not in a hurry~"

That's what they say, but their little eyes are still fixed on the kitchen.

Snowflakes began to fall gently from the sky sometime during the day; they weren't heavy, but they were still noticeable.

Especially Li Chengqian and his group, who were almost at Kaolao Village, when unexpectedly, snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

Li Chengqian looked at Li Wu and asked, "Won't the snow get heavier and heavier?"

Li Wu shook his head in silence, "I don't know."

Li Chengqian sighed, "The roads are slippery with snow, so everyone should be careful."

They are heading towards Kaolao Village. Even if it snows, it's alright, especially since they are almost there.

Li Chengqian was worried that by the time they returned, the snow would be falling heavily, and they still needed to transport glass. Glass is fragile, and it would be such a pity if it broke accidentally.

However, this is ultimately beyond human control. Li Chengqian kept his worries to himself and watched the surrounding scenery slowly recede into the distance.

After walking a while longer, Li Wu's voice came: "Your Highness, we have arrived at the young master's door."

As Li Chengqian stepped down from the carriage, the gatekeeper opened the door immediately without him even having to say a word.

He didn't recognize Li Chengqian, but he knew Li Wu.

Stepping into the courtyard covered in snow, Li Chengqian immediately spotted Li Tai making toothpaste under the eaves.

To be fair, Li Chengqian's feelings for Li Tai are complicated. Although his position is now very secure and Li Tai clearly has no intention of taking anything from him, Li Chengqian still feels conflicted when he thinks about the past.

Noticing someone watching him, Li Tai turned around and saw Li Chengqian standing in the wind and snow.

Li Tai also fell silent.

He remembered everything Empress Zhangsun had said to him that day, and now he had found what he wanted to do. But looking at Li Chengqian, Li Tai didn't know what he was thinking.

To say I'm resentful doesn't seem like it.

But he couldn't bring himself to completely forget everything.

The two brothers gazed at each other from a distance of only a few steps.

Just then, Xiao Ran heard that someone had arrived, so he walked over and saw this scene.

"Si Lang, Da Lang, what are you doing?"

Li Chengqian withdrew his gaze and gave Xiao Ran a hearty smile.

"Grandpa said he would send the glass back, and I was also missing Sizi and the others, so I came to see them."

Xiao Ran pulled Li Chengqian into the house.

"Come inside and I'll tell you, it's still snowing outside. You're in for a treat, I'm planning to make hot pot tonight."

Then, Xiao Ran called to Li Wu, "Fifth Uncle, please make sure everyone is settled. If there's not enough room at home, they can go to the glass workshop."

Li Wu responded in a deep voice, and then left with his men.

Xiao Ran escorted Li Chengqian into the house, then turned and called for Li Tai.

"Come on, let's go inside. Dinner will be ready soon."

Seeing Li Tai's silence, Xiao Ran said, "What, you're not eating?"

Li Tai immediately replied, "Eat!"

He couldn't possibly skip meals just because Li Chengqian was here, especially since they were still brothers and had no blood feud. It was just that neither of them knew what to do when facing the other.

After pulling Li Tai into the house, Xiao Ran went to find Sun Simiao and Li Yuan.

As for the three workers, Xiao Ran calculated their wages for half a day and then sent them home.

The house was quite lively. Li Lizhi and the others came out of the house and went to the living room. Li Yuan came in with Empress Xiao, several Confucian scholars and Sun Simiao.

Empress Zhangsun was the last to arrive.

A large group of people gathered together, creating an unusually lively atmosphere.

Especially when Li Chengqian came, Li Yuan pulled Li Chengqian aside to chat about everyday things. The little princess hadn't seen Li Chengqian for a long time, so she ran around, showing him the shuttlecock and her building blocks.

She even showed off the dolls that Li Lizhi and the others had just sewed.

In this lively atmosphere, Li Chengqian also relaxed.

Xiao Ran didn't go inside, but went to the kitchen. The table and stove were all ready. Then Xiao Ran came inside and said, "Dinner's ready!"

The little princess was the first to run out.

"Seven meals are ready! Seven hot pots are ready!"

Xiao Ran scooped up the little princess, "Let's go, let's take our Sizi out for hot pot!"

When the group arrived at the restaurant, the first thing they saw was the pots and stoves on the table.

Xiao Ran pointed to the portable gas stove and said, "Twist this button to control the flame size. If you eat slowly, turn the flame down, and if you're done eating, you can turn it off."

Then, Xiao Ran looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "We have spicy, mushroom, tomato, and bone broth flavors. What flavor would you like?"

Li Chengqian thought for a moment, "I'll have bone broth."

Xiao Ran nodded, and the kitchen quickly prepared Li Chengqian's pot.

Everyone took their seats. By this time, the pot was boiling, and there were plates of food in the center of the table.

There were vegetables, meat, and mushrooms, but it was a pity there was no beef offal.

It seems that next time Cheng Yaojin kills a cow—no, if another cow falls to its death—he'll have to keep the offal.

Xiao Ran thought to himself.

Li Yuan looked at the pot in front of him, then at the dishes on the table.

"These vegetables are all raw, how are we supposed to eat them? Are we supposed to just put them in this pot and cook them ourselves?"

Xiao Ran gave Li Yuan a thumbs up.

"That's right, cook whatever you want to eat. Everyone's pot base is different, so the taste will be different too."

As he spoke, Xiao Ran first picked up a few slices of meat and put them into his own pot, then he also picked up a slice for the little princess and put it into her tomato pot. (End of this chapter)