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"Little Nangjun~ Seven Chickens Again~" The little princess still remembered the tea-tea chicken that Xiao Ran mentioned.

Xiao Ran laughed and said, "No rush, the tea chicken isn't ready yet, let's have some milk tea first."

The little princess quickly replied, "Drink duck~ I want to drink lots and lots~"

At this moment, the servant was very perceptive and came up with a pot of milk tea.

This teapot is made of glass and is produced by a glass workshop.

Seeing the glass pot, Li Shimin looked at Qin Qiong and said with a smile, "I told you he didn't lack these things. Others use them for collection, but he just takes them and uses them directly."

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "The factory belongs to my family. I can have anything I want, except a kettle."

After saying that, Xiao Ran also looked at Qin Qiong, "So Uncle Qin, just say what you want. Putting aside everything else, your son is still working in the glass workshop, so this kind of benefit is only right."

At this moment, Qin Huaidao suddenly reached out and took out a glass pendant from his waist.

"Grandpa, look, this was specially made for me by my eldest son a while ago. Isn't it beautiful?"

The "elder brother" he mentioned refers to Zhang Dalang.

Qin Qiong accepted the glass pendant, which was crystal clear and without a single impurity in the sunlight.

The entire pendant is shaped like a persimmon, symbolizing that everything will go smoothly.

This can also be considered a hand-held item, made to further enhance the glassmaking craftsmanship. Xiao Ran also has one, but it's an Apple one, which symbolizes peace and safety.

However, there weren't many. I originally planned to give one to each of the little princesses, but they run around and jump all day, so it would be easy for them to break. Therefore, I didn't give them any.

Looking at the glass pendant, Li Shimin was struck by a thought, which reminded him of ice sculptures.

"Xiao Ran, do you think this glass could be made into an ice sculpture?"

Li Shimin really liked the ice sculpture of the white crane from last year. He even put it in an ice cellar to prevent it from melting.

Even though it was frozen in the ice cellar, it didn't look as crystal clear as it did back then.

Xiao Ran said, "We'll have to wait for Da Lang to come back and ask him."

Li Shimin nodded, indicating that he understood.

Just as everyone was chatting, a servant announced that the meal was ready.

When Li Shimin came over today, Xiao Ran specially asked them to prepare a lot of delicious dishes.

The dish placed in the very center is the tea-infused chicken.

Inside the casserole, a golden-yellow chicken lies quietly, the broth thick and rich, with a thin layer of brownish-red oil floating on the surface. Next to it are several round tea eggs, their shells cracked with tiny fissures, the aroma of tea mingling with the fragrance of eggs filling the air.

After everyone took their seats, Xiao Ran used a clean porcelain plate to serve a piece of stewed chicken leg meat that was tender and soft, carefully removing the bones before placing it in front of the little princess.

Normally, the little princess sits with Xiao Ran, but she hasn't seen Li Shimin for a while and misses him, so she sits next to him this time.

"Sizi, have a taste. This is tea-tea chicken. See if you like it?"

The little princess's eyes were instantly glued to the porcelain plate as she picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth.

The warm chicken melts in your mouth, with a subtle tea aroma that perfectly complements its deliciousness, without being greasy at all.

"Wow~ Good job, Seven Ducks~"

The little princess puffed out her cheeks, chewing rapidly with her little mouth, her eyes slightly narrowed, like a kitten that had just tasted honey.

She ate too quickly, and some soup got on the corner of her mouth, forming a faint oily mark, making her look adorable.

Upon seeing this, Li Shimin couldn't help but laugh out loud. He took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wiped the corner of her mouth, saying, "Eat slowly, no one will take it from you."

The little princess picked up a piece of meat and held it to Li Shimin's mouth.

"Grandpa, it's so sad!"

Li Shimin didn't eat it, but said, "Sizi, you can eat it yourself, there's still some left."

Li Lizhi served Li Shimin a bowl of chicken and half a bowl of broth. Li Shimin took the porcelain bowl and took a small bite of the chicken.

The meat is tender and firm, with the aroma of tea permeating every fiber of the flesh. It has a mellow taste and a long aftertaste. Take a sip of the broth, and you'll find it fresh without being salty. The aroma of tea and meat blend perfectly, making you feel relaxed and comfortable.

He nodded slightly, his eyes filled with amazement: "Xiao Ran, how did you come up with this tea-tea chicken recipe? It's really good."

Qin Qiong also took a bite, and indeed, it tasted better than any chicken he had ever eaten before.

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Besides tea-infused chicken, we also have tea eggs, which are delicious too."

Li Shimin picked up a tea egg, gently tapped the shell, and peeled it open. The egg white had faint brownish-yellow streaks, and the aroma was enticing. He took a bite; the egg white was smooth and tender, the yolk was sandy and creamy, and it had a rich tea fragrance—a truly unique flavor.

The little princess had just finished eating a piece of meat and was about to pick up another piece when she saw the tea egg in Li Shimin's hand.

"Grandpa~ This is fine whether it's true or not~"

Li Shimin, understanding the implied meaning, smiled and peeled a tea egg for the little princess as well.

Li Shimin smiled and handed the peeled tea egg to her. The little princess held it carefully and nibbled on it in small bites, eating very attentively.

Her little face was covered in egg crumbs, and her little hands were sticky, but she didn't care at all, only focusing on enjoying the delicious food in front of her.

Not long after lunch, Li Shimin had to head back. Before he left, Xiao Ran handed Li Shimin a piece of paper and said, "Uncle, this is the recipe for tea chicken and tea eggs. I know you like them, so just take it back and give it to the kitchen."

Li Shimin hadn't expected Xiao Ran to be so thoughtful, but he didn't hold back.

"Thank you very much."

The tea set that Qin Qiong had taken a liking to was also given to him, along with a small ornament.

Before leaving, Li Shimin talked to Empress Zhangsun for a long time. Xiao Ran naturally didn't eavesdrop, but the two of them didn't intend to hide it from anyone. He vaguely heard that it was nothing more than telling each other to take good care of their health.

Li Shimin and the others left, and the little princess and the other children went to take their afternoon nap.

Xiao Ran was reluctantly dragged into playing mahjong.

Upon seeing that they were about to play mahjong, Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaidao quickly made up an excuse to leave.

They could play mahjong, but they were terrible at it. If Xiao Ran lost because of bad luck, then they lost because they were complete noobs. So they were afraid of being dragged into playing mahjong, and as soon as they heard Princess Yuzhang say she wanted to play mahjong, they quickly ran to the glass workshop.

Only Xiao Ran was a step too slow and was pulled back.

Empress Zhangsun's health has improved a lot, so after dinner, she didn't rush to sleep, but sat aside and watched Xiao Ran and the others play mahjong.

After playing a few rounds, Empress Zhangsun suddenly said, "Xiao Ran has had pretty good luck today."

Xiao Ran also felt a pang of sadness and couldn't help but think back to what happened that day.

"Madam, you have no idea how badly I lost that day. Fifth Sister was just too lucky."

Xiao Ran originally wanted to tell Empress Zhangsun about what happened that day, but to his surprise, Empress Zhangsun nodded and said, "I already knew. Hongxiu told me when I came back that day."

Xiao Ran paused in his hand as he drew a card, suddenly remembering Li Shimin's inexplicable mockery of his card skills earlier that day. He had wondered how Li Shimin knew at the time, but now the mystery was solved.

"No wonder Uncle laughed at me earlier for not knowing how to play mahjong!"

Xiao Ran has made up his mind. Next time, he will definitely play mahjong with Li Shimin to prove his mahjong skills!

After playing mahjong for a while, the little princess came out of the room, rubbing her eyes.

"Little Nangjun~ Mother~"

The little princess smiled sweetly at them.

"Come to your mother." Empress Zhangsun called the little princess over, and the mother and daughter chatted.

We had only exchanged a few words when the conversation turned to the flowers the little princess had brought back.

Empress Zhangsun said, "Sizi, the ground is dirty, so we can't lie on the ground next time, understand?"

The little princess's attention was completely focused on her flowers, not on the ground, so she turned to Xiao Ran and asked, "Little Nangjun~ Fafa duck~"

Xiao Ran was taken aback. He was only thinking about asking the little princess what was going on, and then he sent them to change their clothes. He really didn't notice where the flowers went.

Just then, Li Lizhi won the hand. Xiao Ran stood up and said to Hongxiu, "You play first, I'll go find some flowers for Sizi."

After saying that, Xiao Ran picked up the little princess and walked out.

The people inside looked at each other, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Xiao Ran took the little princess for a walk in the yard before remembering that if no one had touched the flowers, they should still be inside the house. So he returned to the living room.

"Hey? Why are you back? Weren't you going to find flowers?" Li Li asked.

Xiao Ran looked around the living room and finally saw the flowers the little princess had brought back on the windowsill.

Then he replied, "I only remembered when I went out that no one had touched the flower, so it must still be in the living room. I came back, and sure enough, it was here."

Xiao Ran looked at the flowers on the windowsill; they were already somewhat wilted.

The little princess noticed too, "Did the hair fall out of the mouse?"

The pink and white wildflowers had indeed lost their former vibrancy. The pink and white petals had lost their luster and were slightly curled. The flower stems were also somewhat wilted, and the originally bright green leaves were drooping, looking lifeless.

Xiao Ran looked at it and saw that the petals and leaves were a little wilted, but the roots and stems still had moisture.

He looked at the little princess who looked distressed and said, "It's alright, the flower isn't dead. We can just replant it in the soil."

The little princess said anxiously, "Hurry up, duck!"

Xiao Ran had someone bring over a flowerpot, filled it with soil, and then used a small shovel to dig a small hole in the middle of the soil, just big enough to hold the roots of the wildflower.

Then I picked up the wildflower, gently combed out the remaining soil from its roots, placed it in the small hole in the flowerpot, covered the roots with the surrounding soil, and gently pressed it down.

The little princess stared intently, "Is this all there is to it?"

Xiao Ran shook his head. "We still need to water it."

Xiao Ran picked up the watering can from the side and asked, "Sizi, do you want to water the little flower?"

The little princess nodded, "Yes!"

Xiao Ran handed the kettle to the little princess; it contained some warm water.

Watering flowers with warm water can accelerate the decomposition of organic matter in the soil, promote the absorption of root cells, enhance the root's transport capacity, provide sufficient nutrients to branches and leaves, and promote early budding, early flowering.

However, the temperature must not be too high, otherwise it will kill the plant.

Then, Xiao Ran instructed, "When watering, water slowly, along the edge of the flowerpot, and do not water directly on the petals, otherwise the petals will easily rot."

The little princess listened attentively, picked up the watering can, and slowly poured water into the flowerpot. The warm water flowed down the soil, moistening the dry soil and also nourishing the roots of the wildflowers.

As she watered the plants, she muttered softly, "Little Fafa~ Get well soon~ Grow tall and strong~"

After watering, Xiao Ran moved the flowerpot to a sunny spot in the courtyard, where it would be neither scorching hot nor lacking in warm sunlight.

The little princess squatted down, looked at Little Flower, and asked, "Little Nang-jun~ Little Fa-fa is still like this~"

The little princess was right; even though it was planted in the soil, the little flower was still wilting.

Xiao Ran said, "They've only just been planted. In two or three days, once they've taken root, they'll slowly come back to life."

The little princess nodded, seemingly understanding, "That's the duckling that needs watering~"

Xiao Ran smiled, "Alright, then we'll leave the watering to Si Zi."

With the flower issue resolved, Xiao Ran returned to the living room with the little princess.

Empress Zhangsun was tired and had gone back to sleep, leaving only Li Lizhi and the others playing mahjong.

The little princess circled around them, trying to understand how to play mahjong.

A little while later, the other little ones woke up as well, and the little princess excitedly led them to see the flowers they had just planted.

Xiao Ran watched as they gathered around the wildflower, talking excitedly about something, and then, seemingly without reaching a conclusion, ran towards him.

The little princess ran alongside, shouting, "Little Nang-jun~ what's this hairy duck~"

These pink and white wildflowers are very common and plentiful in Kaolao Village, but Xiao Ran really doesn't know their name.

So Xiao Ran shook his head, "I don't know either, but I know about other flowers. Would you like to know?"

The little ones nodded quickly.

Xiao Ran had previously gone on a road trip and visited many scenic spots, taking a lot of photos. So he took out his phone and went to his photo album.

Many of the photos he took featured flowers.

Xiao Ran pointed to a photo and said, "Look, this purple flower is called lavender, this pink one is a rose, and there's also a peony."

Every time they flipped to a photo with flowers, Xiao Ran would explain it to them.

The little ones listened with great interest, and the little princess exclaimed "So beautiful!" every time she saw a flower.

After looking at the photos for a while, the little ones ran off to play.

They went to see Yu Yu first, but they didn't expect Coco to be there too.

When the little princess and her friends arrived, Coco was playing with Yu Yu. Yu Yu had a good temper and didn't get angry. When she was being poked, she would jump up, and then Coco would take two steps forward and continue to poke at Yu Yu.

Seeing this, the little guy ran over to find Xiao Ran again.

At that time, Xiao Ran was sitting in a chair, lost in thought.

Although the little princess and her group of children are adorable and not at all unruly, they are still children, and so many of them together can be quite noisy. Now that they've gone out to play, it finally gives Xiao Ran some quiet time. (End of Chapter)