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"This is an ice lantern~" The little princess struggled to utter the words "ice lantern".

A group of children stood around the stone lion for a long time. Seeing this, Xiao Ran invited them into the courtyard to look around. There were also many different kinds of ice lanterns in the courtyard, including the flower that the little princess wanted.

The group of kids spent a long time admiring the scenery in the yard before going out to play.

It was supposed to be playing, but it was really just running around and jumping. The little princess even took out her beanbag, so a group of children started throwing beanbags together.

The place they were playing was very close to Xiao Ran's place, so Xiao Ran felt at ease.

When the parents of the village children started calling people back, these little guys even took the little princess and her friends back before heading home.

Xiao Ran squatted down, looked at the little princess, and asked, "Sizi, could we share some of these ice lanterns with them?"

Xiao Ran was referring to the ice lanterns that the servants in his household made while he was away for the past two days. They were the same as the one Xiao Ran made at the beginning, with only a simple shape.

They look nice even when placed around the yard, though not particularly exquisite.

The little princess looked at the children, then at the ice lanterns, and nodded generously.

“Good duck~”

So Xiao Ran called the children to a stop.

"Here, one ice lantern for each of you. You need to put these in the yard when you get back. They'll melt if you leave them inside, understand?"

The group of children were already very curious about the ice lanterns, and they were surprised to actually get their hands on one, so they all blushed.

"Young master, we don't need it."

"Yes, yes, we can't accept it."

Seeing their blushing faces as they declined, Xiao Ran smiled and said, "You are friends of Si Zi and the others, so this is a gift for you."

The little princess nodded in agreement.

They were still just kids; their curiosity outweighed their shyness, so they all left with blushing faces.

Once home, he excitedly talked about the ice lanterns with his family.

Although it's unclear why Xiao Ran's ice lanterns are so crystal clear, it's possible to make one simply by chiseling a hole in the ice.

So the next evening, we saw that every household had put up simple ice lanterns in their yards and on both sides of their doorways.

Time flies, and spring has arrived in the blink of an eye.

The winter snow has gradually melted, and the willows on the riverbank have sprouted tender buds.

The little princesses and the others even changed into spring clothes.

"Little Nang-kun~ Fat Butterfly~"

Xiao Ran looked in the direction the little princess was pointing, where a pale yellow butterfly was flitting about, trying to find a place to land.

The little princess chased after the butterfly, which frightened the butterfly so much that it quickly flapped its wings and ran away.

Undeterred by not catching the butterfly, the little princess simply ran around playing. Even if she saw a blade of grass, she would squat down and chatter away with it.

"Xiao Langjun!"

Cheng Chumo's loud voice was still as eye-catching as ever.

Xiao Ran looked at Cheng Chumo and asked, "What's wrong?"

Cheng Chumo smiled and said, "We have enough glass already. Shall we start replacing it now?"

Xiao Ran was pleasantly surprised, "Change it! Change it now!"

Installing glass isn't difficult; the people at the glass workshop could easily do it. However, Xiao Ran still went back.

One by one, the glass panes were sent up the mountain, and then the old glass was removed and replaced with new glass.

Li Lizhi, Princess Yuzhang Zhang Erya, Empress Zhangsun Li Tai, Sun Simiao, and several Confucian scholars all came out and stood in the courtyard watching the glass windows being installed.

All the windows were replaced with glass windows, which shimmered in the sunlight.

When I went inside, the living room was much brighter than before, especially when I looked out, the view was crystal clear.

"These glass windows are really nice," Empress Zhangsun said.

Li Lizhi smiled gently from the side, "Mother, glass has also been installed in the Lizheng Hall."

Empress Zhangsun's expression softened instantly.

After a while, the little princess and her friends returned, exclaiming in surprise at the completely changed glass window in front of them.

When Zhang Mingde came to find Xiao Ran, he saw the glass window and his mouth dropped open.

Xiao Ran noticed Zhang Mingde and looked over.

"Muramasa."

Zhang Mingde snapped out of his daze, smiled, and said, "Young master."

Xiao Ran asked, "What brings the village head here?"

Zhang Mingde said, "It's like this, is it time to plant our potatoes, ah, no, we mean cowpeas?"

As he said this, Zhang Mingde glanced at the little princess who was playing with San Niang and the others.

Xiao Ran nodded. "It's definitely time to plant them."

Planting potatoes was a big deal, not just in Kaolao Village. Li Shimin had been extremely anxious ever since the snow started to melt.

However, he knew that being anxious was useless, so he just kept waiting for Xiao Ran to give him news.

Upon learning that it was time to start planting potatoes, Zhang Mingde unusually lost his composure.

"That's wonderful! I'll tell them right away!"

With that, Zhang Mingde hurriedly left.

He not only had to tell the villagers, but also the village head, because this was a major plan concerning people's livelihood.

At the same time, Xiao Ran also had Li Wu send a message to Li Shimin.

Upon learning of this, Li Shimin immediately stood up.

"Good! Give the order to plant rhinoceros beans!"

Last year's potatoes have all been stored in warehouses. Now, the task is to distribute them and teach those who have never grown potatoes before how to plant them.

However, this cannot be completed in a day. After all, it takes time for instructions to be given at each level. It will probably take several days before planting can actually begin.

However, planting has already begun in Kaolao Village. Xiao Ran shuttles back and forth in the fields. Even if he doesn't find any problems, as long as Xiao Ran is there, he is a pillar of stability.

The villagers worked together, and the fields were filled with the "crack" of hoes turning the soil, mixed with the villagers' laughter, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Most of the men were barefoot, their feet sinking into the soft mud, feeling the warm touch of the soil beneath their feet. They held hoes in their hands, making holes with each stroke, each one exuding a seriousness.

The women gathered in small circles on the open ground by the field, carefully cutting the potato seeds. Their movements were gentler and more delicate than the men's, their knives gliding lightly over the potatoes, as if afraid of damaging the tender sprouts.

Several women sat on small stools, holding knives in their hands, their eyes focused intently on the potatoes. Their fingers gently pressed down on the potatoes, and with a slight force in their wrists, each cut was just right, ensuring that each potato had a sprout without wasting a single bit of flesh.

Planting more potatoes in one plot means harvesting a longer bunch, and everyone tries their best not to waste any.

Even the village children were busy trying to plant the potatoes as quickly as possible.

Some children helped the adults pass potato seeds, carefully handing them to the villagers who had dug holes, afraid of accidentally dropping them on the ground. Other children took their own small shovels and tried to dig in the ground like the adults. Although they couldn't dig a decent hole, they did it quite well, looking very focused.

The sowing lasted for three whole days. During those three days, the villagers went to the fields before dawn and didn't return home until sunset, barely having a quick lunch on the edge of the field. Only after all the potatoes were planted did the villagers finally breathe a sigh of relief.

At this time, apart from the villages around Chang'an, the crops had not yet been planted elsewhere.

Seeing that the potatoes had been planted, Xiao Ran breathed a sigh of relief.

These past few days, Xiao Ran has been leaving early and returning late. Although he hasn't been working in the fields, some villagers aren't familiar with potatoes, so naturally there will be some problems. Xiao Ran goes with them so that they can come to him if they have any questions.

So even the little princess has rarely seen Xiao Ran these past few days.

The little princess was overjoyed when she discovered that Xiao Ran was home this morning.

“Little Nangjun~” The little princess looked at Xiao Ran with bright eyes.

Xiao Ran smiled and picked up the little princess.

"What has Sizi been doing these past few days?"

The little princess pointed to the rocking horse in the living room and said, "Let's play with this!"

Xiao Ran looked over and saw a very simple rocking horse that could swing back and forth. He immediately knew that it must have been made by the craftsmen brought by Li Shimin.

The craftsman's surname is Liu, and he said he could just call him Craftsman Liu.

Since arriving at Xiao Ran's place, aside from occasionally making a few ice lanterns at the beginning, Craftsman Liu hasn't had anything else to do.

Especially now that spring has arrived, ice lanterns can no longer be made, leaving craftsman Liu with even more nothing to do.

Here at Xiao Ran's place, the food and lodging are excellent, the windows are all glass, and there's no need to worry about accidentally making a mistake and implicating the clan. It can be said to be the best place in Liu Jiangren's heart.

But now that there's no need to make ice sculptures, Liu the craftsman was afraid that Xiao Ran would think he was useless and return them, so he made a few wooden horses for the little princess and the others to play with.

Xiao Ran looked at the wooden horse and nodded, "This wooden horse is not bad."

Then, Xiao Ran looked at the little princess and asked, "Does Sizi want to go out and play?"

The little princess's eyes lit up, and she nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"I want to go out and play!"

Xiao Ran then looked at Li Lizhi and the others, "Shall we go out for a spring outing?"

That's great, now is the perfect time for spring outings.

Princess Yuzhang said with great interest, "Shall we go to Jing'an Temple? I've heard the scenery there is beautiful."

Xiao Ran naturally had no objections, so the group packed their things and set off.

However, Empress Zhangsun is now in her late pregnancy and it is inconvenient for her to go out, so she can only stay at home. The rest of them, including Li Tai, all went to Jing'an Temple together.

At this time, spring is everywhere. The grass on the ridges of the fields is sprouting, a lush green expanse, like a velvet carpet. The willows by the stream hang down thousands of silken ribbons, swaying gently in the wind and reflected in the water, stirring the spring water to ripple with green.

Xiao Ran, Cheng Chumo, Qin Huaidao, and the others rode on horseback, while Li Lizhi and the other women sat in a carriage.

However, the little princess couldn't resist looking at the spring sunshine outside through the curtain.

"Little Pouch-kun~ Little Pouch-kun~"

Hearing the little princess calling him, Xiao Ran steered his horse over.

"What's wrong, Sizi?"

The little princess said to Xiao Ran, "I want to go out and play!"

Li Lizhi shook her head. "Sizi, listen to me. Let's wait until we get there before we go out to play. We're on our way now."

The little princess didn't speak, but looked at Xiao Ran with expectant eyes.

Who could resist that look? Xiao Ran shook his head helplessly and chuckled as he looked at Li Lizhi.

"Don't worry, Fifth Sister, let Sizi ride on the same horse as me. I'll keep an eye on her."

So they called for the caravan to stop, and then carried the little princess onto their horse. Princess Chengyang, Princess Gaoyang, and the third daughters Yan Yao and Di Renjie were also accompanied by their respective attendants.

They're all kids, who wouldn't want to come out and play?
Since we're going out, we should all come out together.

Xiao Ran held the little princess in his arms. The little princess looked around excitedly.

"So beautiful!" The little princess smiled happily as she looked at the scenery around her.

Sitting on the horse, the view was much higher, which was very novel for the little princess.

"Little Nang~ I've grown taller~"

Xiao Ran laughed, "Yes, when our Sizi can grow this tall in the future."

The little princess giggled.

Xiao Ran then looked at Li Lizhi.

"Does Fifth Sister want to come out for some fresh air?"

Li Lizhi shook her head, "Young master, just play with Sizi."

She was chatting with Princess Yuzhang and Zhang Erya inside the carriage.

Zhang Erya used to live in the village and knew a lot of things. Although they were all gossip, Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang still listened with great interest.

Rather than going out and riding on horseback, Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang preferred to stay in the carriage and listen to Zhang Erya's gossip.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Okay."

He then instructed the convoy to continue its journey.

The little princess sat on horseback, looking around with wide eyes, as if afraid of missing any scenery.

Suddenly, the little princess stopped looking and pointed to something in the distance, saying, "Little Nangjun~ Fafa~"

Xiao Ran looked in that direction and discovered that it was actually a peach orchard.

So he turned around and discussed with Li Lizhi and the others that they planned to rest there for a while.

After entering the peach grove, the caravan stopped. Xiao Ran lifted the little princess off the horse and looked up at the peach grove above.

A gentle breeze blew by, scattering peach blossoms one by one.

"Wow~ So pretty~" The little princess chased after the peach blossoms everywhere, with the Chengyang little princess and her friends following behind.

Li Lizhi and her companions also got off the carriage. Since they were planning to enjoy the spring outing, all the necessary tools had been prepared in advance.

There was a waterproof mat on the ground, several folding chairs, and various kinds of food.

Xiao Ran discovered that there was a small pond in the peach grove, so he quickly ordered his men to keep an eye on the little princess and the others and not to come this way. As for himself, he took a fishing rod and went fishing.

He had only brought a fishing rod because he had heard that there was a pond near Jing'an Temple where you could fish. He didn't expect to use it before he even got there.

Li Lizhi and the others sat on folding chairs chatting and eating pastries.

The little princess and her group of children got tired of running, so they ran towards Li Lizhi and the others.

"Sister~ I want some water~"

Li Lizhi poured a glass of water for each of the children and watched them gulp it down.

After finishing her water, the little princess shook her head and looked around, only to find that Xiao Ran was nowhere to be seen.

"Big sister~ Little Nangjun~" the little princess asked, tilting her head. (End of this chapter)