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

The shape of this beaded flower is quite unique. It looks like an ordinary butterfly, but it trembles when it walks.

Xiao Ran bought this from a foreign merchant in the afternoon.

"So pretty, braised duck!"

The little princess looked at the pearl hairpin and quickly asked Xiao Ran to put it on her. Then she ran to the mirror and looked at herself from left to right. After she had looked at herself enough, she ran back to Xiao Ran.

"Little Nang-kun~ This can't be done, you duck~"

Although she liked the beaded flower very much, the little princess still missed it.

Xiao Ran smiled, took out an oil paper package from his bundle, opened it, and found some pastries inside.

"The good stuff is right here."

Xiao Ran wanted to buy something else, but the shop had very little stock, and many shops weren't even open yet at this time.

The little princess was very happy looking at the pastries in front of her, even though they were very ordinary.

"Little Nangjun is the best~"

After speaking, the little princess first handed a piece of pastry to Xiao Ran and Li Lizhi, and then shared the pastries with her friends.

The little ones gathered together to eat pastries. Xiao Ran finished his piece of pastry in a few bites and almost choked like a goose.

After finally managing to swallow a couple of sips of water, Xiao Ran said, "Sizi, remember to brush your teeth after you finish eating the pastries, okay?"

The little ones nodded in unison, looking both silly and adorable.

Xiao Ran touched each of the heads on his head, then washed up and went to bed.

He was a bit tired from running around all day, so he fell asleep soon after going to bed.

The next day, Xiao Ran was awakened by the dazzling sunlight outside.

Although the winter sun doesn't provide much warmth, it's bright!

Xiao Ran groggily opened his eyes, looked at the sun outside, and remained silent for a while.

Didn't I draw the curtains last night?

As it turns out, no, otherwise Xiao Ran wouldn't have been awakened by the light.

Fortunately, Xiao Ran had rested well yesterday, so he didn't feel sleepy and simply got up to wash up.

Without Sun Simiao around this morning, Xiao Ran had to practice by himself.

After finishing his Tai Chi practice, Xiao Ran went back and had breakfast.

The little ones, with beads in their hair, rushed over to Xiao Ran as soon as he returned.

"Little Nangjun~" The little princess pounced on Xiao Ran.

Seeing the little ones surrounding him, Xiao Ran asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Is there something you need?"

The little princess nodded, and Third Sister said impatiently, "We want to see fireworks!"

The other little ones quickly nodded in agreement.

The little princess tugged at Xiao Ran's sleeve.

"Little Nangjun~ Kangfafa~"

Xiao Ran was surprised that even after several days, these little guys still remembered the fireworks.

But that won't do, there really aren't any fireworks! Even the gunpowder that was made was all taken away by Sun Simiao.

He's in a real bind now, like a skilled cook without rice!

Seeing the expectant looks in the children's eyes, Xiao Ran thought for a moment and said, "We're out of fireworks, how about we make ice lanterns instead?"

Fearing the little ones might disagree, Xiao Ran deliberately described the ice lanterns to entice them: "Ice lanterns are so beautiful, so bright and clear. They're made of ice and look just like glass lanterns. Plus, they can be made into all sorts of shapes, like rabbits and flowers."

The little ones were now very interested.

"Let's make ice lanterns!" The little princess decisively gave up on fireworks.

The other little ones also clamored to make ice lanterns.

“Okay, these ice lanterns are easy. Let’s make a few simple ones first, and then we can make small animals, okay?” Xiao Ran asked for their opinions.

The little ones nodded quickly.

Making ice lanterns is indeed simple. Xiao Ran took out two smooth porcelain jars. These jars were not the round-bellied kind, but rather somewhat like modern water cups. They were cylindrical, but the bottom of the jars became wider and wider towards the mouth.

It's also bigger than a water glass.

There are two porcelain jars in total, one large and one slightly smaller.

Xiao Ran poured half a jar of water into the large porcelain jar, and then added some fine salt.

The little princess tilted her head as she watched Xiao Ran pour fine salt into the container.

"Little Nang~ Is this water salty~?"

Xiao Ran nodded, "That's right, if you add salt, it will naturally be salty."

The little princess suddenly swallowed hard. "Then, can we put sugar in it?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran immediately smiled.

"Does Sizi want to drink sweet water?"

The little princess nodded, "It's sweet~ and delicious~"

Xiao Ran said helplessly, "We're making ice lanterns, and we can't put sugar in them. But I'll have someone make some honey water, and we can drink it after we finish making the ice lanterns, okay?"

The little princess nodded quickly, "Okay~"

As Xiao Ran stirred, the salt in the large porcelain jar gradually dissolved. Then, Xiao Ran placed the small porcelain jar inside and added some stones. He stopped stirring when the gap between the large and small porcelain jars was only about a finger's width wide.

Finally, place the oil-soaked cotton thread into the gap, press the end down, and place the other end on the edge of the porcelain jar. That completes the process.

After placing the porcelain jar outside, Xiao Ran said, "Let's leave this ice lantern here for now. We'll be able to see it tonight."

The little ones looked around the ice lantern, but couldn't figure it out.

"Come and drink some honey water!" Xiao Ran called out, and the little ones immediately ran over.

Each of them received a bowl of honey water, which tasted sweet and the little ones all enjoyed it.

Xiao Ran remembered what the little princess had said about adding sugar to the water. After thinking for a moment, he decided to make some popsicles, so he asked the kitchen to cook some red bean paste.

Once the red bean paste is cooked, pour some water, red bean paste, sugar, and salt into the bamboo tube, stir well, and then insert a clean stick. The red bean popsicle is now ready.

The popsicles that are made have to be left outside to freeze first, and they can only be eaten in the evening.

So the group of little ones began to look forward to the arrival of night.

Finally, as they had been waiting, it got dark.

Right after finishing dinner, the little princess couldn't wait to go outside.

"Little Nangjun~ Kang Bingdeng Duck~"

Xiao Ran smiled and stood up.

"Okay, let's look at the ice lanterns."

Two porcelain jars. First, pour some hot water on the outside, then twist it off.

When the small porcelain jar was taken down, there was still some water inside that hadn't frozen.

Ice lanterns will only be translucent if they are not completely frozen.

Then, Xiao Ran had someone bring an oil lamp, put the cotton thread inside, and lit it.

A tiny candle flame shone brightly along the thin ice-covered exterior, much brighter than a regular candle flame.

Moreover, the ice lanterns look crystal clear and are very beautiful.

"Wow~" the little princess exclaimed, her mouth agape. "So beautiful!"

Although the ice lanterns were simply designed, they were enough to amaze the little princesses. Even Empress Zhangsun came over to see what was going on.

"These ice lanterns are quite novel and very beautiful."

Li Lizhi, supporting Empress Zhangsun, said with a smile, "And it's not difficult to do either."

Cheng Chumo even touched the ice lantern and asked, "Young master, won't this ice lantern melt?"

Xiao Ran shook his head. "If it's hot, of course it will melt, but if it's just a lamp, it won't melt."

Cheng Chumo nodded thoughtfully, "Truly amazing."

Everyone looked at the ice lantern, while Xiao Ran went to retrieve the bamboo tube.

Unlike ice lanterns, ice lanterns were placed in a spot that Xiao Ran specifically chose, a place where they could be exposed to the sun, so that the ice wouldn't freeze solid.

However, the bamboo tubes were for making popsicles, so they deliberately found a cold, shady place and even buried the surrounding area in snow.

The popsicles are made according to the number of people, one for each person.

As usual, I scalded the outside with hot water, then gently twisted the wooden stick to remove a whole popsicle.

"Everyone! Let's go back and get some popsicles."

Cheng Chumo and the others didn't need Xiao Ran to greet them at all; they simply followed Xiao Ran into the house as he walked in.

Girls like pretty things, so the young girls and Empress Zhangsun were looking at the ice lanterns, but for Cheng Chumo and the other men, it was just something novel to see.

"Seven Ice~" The little princess quickly abandoned the ice lantern and ran into the house.

The other little ones followed behind and ran after them.

One by one, popsicles were taken out, including those for Li Tai and several great scholars, as well as those for Li Yuan and Empress Xiao.

Li Yuan took a bite of the popsicle. The red bean paste had a sandy texture and tasted sweet with a hint of sweetness.

"Not bad, delicious. I wish I could have one of these in the middle of summer," Li Yuan remarked.

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "It's not difficult at all. I'll make it again if you want to eat it this summer."

Li Yuan was pleased and nodded in satisfaction.

Then, Xiao Ran looked at the little princess and instructed her, "Sizi, you can't eat too many of these popsicles, understand?"

When making them, Xiao Ran specially selected a few small bamboo tubes to make for the little ones.

Otherwise, I'm afraid they'll get diarrhea from eating too much cold food.

The little princess licked her popsicle and nodded quickly when she heard Xiao Ran's words.

"Wow, I guess I'll be seven tomorrow~"

The little princess blinked as she looked at Xiao Ran.

She now understands that she should listen to what Xiao Ran says, and if he doesn't allow her to eat, she shouldn't, but she can negotiate!

If you behave today, you'll have something to eat tomorrow.

As expected, Xiao Ran nodded.

"Yes, but you can't eat it every day. If you eat it tomorrow, you can't eat it the day after tomorrow."

The little princess nodded quickly, "Okay~"

I finished the popsicle in no time.

Fortunately, it was warm inside; otherwise, if that ice pop had gone down, not only would the little princesses have been freezing, but even an adult like Xiao Ran would have been quite cold.

After finishing their popsicles, Xiao Ran took Li Yuan and the others to see the ice lanterns.

Looking at the ice lanterns in front of him, Li Yuan said, "These are comparable to glass lanterns. If there were ice lanterns like these everywhere, it would be so beautiful."

Xiao Ran said, "These ice lanterns are simple, it's just that I'm clumsy. There are also those carved into various shapes, such as lions, birds, and even pavilions and towers. Then you put a wick inside and light it, and it looks very beautiful."

Li Yuan's brow twitched. "Hmph, you shouldn't be saying that to me."

After saying that, Li Yuan led Empress Xiao and her entourage to rest.

Watching Li Yuan's departing figure, Xiao Ran chuckled, then turned and went back into the house.

Inside, the little princesses were still chattering about the ice lanterns when they saw Xiao Ran return. One of the little princesses grabbed Xiao Ran and said, "Little Nang Jun~ I want a bunny lantern~"

Xiao Ran nodded, "Okay, let's do it tomorrow."

Then, Xiao Ran looked at Princess Chengyang, Princess Gaoyang, and the maids Yan Yao and her third sister.

"I'll make some for you too, but I don't know how to make anything too difficult. How about we make some simple ones?"

The girls nodded repeatedly and then began to discuss what kind of ice lanterns they wanted.

Xiao Ran sat to the side, listening to their discussion.

Some people said they wanted the moon, others wanted the stars; it was all quite simple.

As they continued their discussion, and it was almost bedtime, the little ones became increasingly excited, so Xiao Ran quickly interrupted them.

"Alright, it's late, you should go to sleep. Don't forget, you have class tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, the little ones immediately looked distressed.

They've had so much fun these past few days that they've completely forgotten they still have school to go to.

However, when it comes to school, Yan Yao has returned, but Di Renjie hasn't. We don't know if something happened to him.

Thinking this through, Xiao Ran decided that if Di Renjie hadn't returned by tomorrow, he would go to his house to check on him.

The next day, Xiao Ran remembered to draw the curtains this time and slept until he naturally woke up.

The small ice lamp in the courtyard has long since gone out, standing there all alone.

After breakfast, Xiao Ran took the little ones to school. Before class, the little princess tugged at Xiao Ran's sleeve and reminded him not to forget to make ice lanterns.

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Okay, I'm in a hurry. You'll see it when you get home from school."

The little ones were now completely satisfied.

After Xiao Ran returned, he did indeed start making ice lanterns.

This time, however, the lamp wall is thicker because it needs to be carved.

So this time the two porcelain jars were quite different in size.

The steps are the same as yesterday. After finishing, we wait for it to freeze. Only after it freezes can we start carving.

While waiting for the ice lanterns to freeze, Xiao Ran was not idle.

With the Lantern Festival approaching, I'm planning to make some lanterns for my little princesses.

However, he certainly couldn't make it with paper, so he went to a glass workshop.

The glass workshop had already been operating for some time, and the glass furnaces inside were burning hot. As soon as Xiao Ran entered, he felt a wave of heat.

Seeing Xiao Ran enter, Zhang Dalang put down the glass he was holding.

"Xiao Langjun."

Xiao Ran nodded and pulled Zhang Dalang over to start gesturing.

"I plan to make a few lanterns. They don't need to be too complicated. Just make them like glass lampshades, but they should be smaller and have the opening on the side."

Xiao Ran described the scene to Zhang Dalang, who listened silently. After Xiao Ran finished speaking, Zhang Dalang said in a deep voice, "I'll give it a try."

Xiao Ran said, "Don't be too fixated on this. I just mentioned it casually. There's no rush. If we can't make it right now, we don't have to force it. Let's just make the window glass first."

Zhang Dalang nodded.

They've already made the lampshade; according to Xiao Ran, they can make the lantern with just a few minor modifications.

After speaking with Zhang Dalang, Xiao Ran turned and went home. (End of Chapter)