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

Xiao Ran wiped the little princess's drool.

"Okay, cook them all for our Sizi."

Afterwards, Xiao Ran and Li Shimin chatted around the cement for a while, and Xiao Ran said, "I'll take Si Zi and the others out for a walk."

Li Shimin nodded.

Xiao Ran and his group had more than enough capacity to carry the little ones, and they headed towards the West Market.

Besides Xiao Ran and his group, Li Shimin also sent Fang Li to accompany them.

Fang Li and Xiao Ran were already quite familiar with each other, and Fang Li was even more familiar with the West Market.

On the way, knowing that Xiao Ran had taken the little princess and the others out to play, they started talking about the West Market.

"Young master, you don't know, but since the New Year, there have been a lot more things in the West Market, including sugar painting stalls. The stall owners can create all kinds of pictures with just a spoon, which is amazing."

Xiao Ran had seen many sugar paintings, but at this time, the Tang Dynasty did not actually have sugar paintings, because sugar painting required practice and sugar was expensive, so ordinary people simply did not have the capital to do it.

There was a painter, whose name Xiao Ran couldn't remember, but he did remember that the records said he could paint with sugar, but that was a hobby for literati and scholars, not a means of making a living.

However, there is now more sugar on the market, especially the white sugar handled by Li Chengqian, which is of high quality and in large quantity. As a result, the price of sugar will naturally drop.

People still enjoy sweets, but sugar is no longer a luxury like it used to be, so it's normal to see sugar paintings now; the creativity of the people should not be underestimated.

Upon hearing Fang Li mention sugar painting, the little princess quickly asked, "Is it sugar?"

Fang Li nodded, "Your Highness, it is made of sugar. The sugar is boiled into syrup and then turned into a painting."

The little princess swallowed hard at the mention of candy.

She learned about so many delicious foods today, but she hasn't tasted any of them yet. The little princess is so hungry, and she's even more excited to go to the West Market.

The carriage moved slowly along the road, gradually approaching the West Market, where the outside world was becoming increasingly lively.

The little princess lifted the curtain, looked outside curiously, and then thought of sugar painting.

"Little Nangjun~ I want to draw a duck with sugar~"

Xiao Ran smiled, "Okay, let's eat. We'll have him make a sugar painting of a little rabbit for our Si Zi later, okay?"

The little princess nodded quickly, "Okay~"

Soon, the carriage arrived at the West Market. Looking outside, one could see a bustling scene of people and vehicles, with various stalls lined up one after another. The sounds of hawking, bargaining, and laughter mingled together, creating a lively atmosphere.

There were vendors selling snacks, jewelry, fabrics, and all sorts of novelties. There were even many merchants from the Western Regions, dressed in exotic clothing and selling their specialties.

The air is filled with the aroma of wheat flatbread, the meaty fragrance of roasted meat, and the unique scent of spices, making one's mouth water.

As soon as she got out of the car, although she was still thinking about the sugar painting, the little princess was also attracted to her surroundings.

The last time they came to Xishi was on the night of the Lantern Festival; it wasn't as lively as it is now.

Xiao Ran carried the little princess down from the carriage, and the other little ones followed behind him. Cheng Chumo and the others stood around, surrounding the little ones.

The little princess looked around curiously, her head turning this way and that, her eyes full of excitement. She pointed at the bustling crowds and the dazzling array of stalls, chattering incessantly: "Little Nang-kun~ Nikon~ That's so cool~"

Xiao Ran looked in the direction she pointed and saw a merchant from the Western Regions, wearing a brocade robe embroidered with patterns and a pointed hat, who was hawking a string of agate beads.

"Does Sizi like this?" Xiao Ran asked.

The little princess nodded, "Great deal~ For big sister~"

Although there are countless places in the palace with far better quality, the point of going out to have fun is to have a good time.

So Xiao Ran stepped forward and bought a string of beads. It wasn't just agate beads; the other kids also picked out some things they had never seen before, as well as some pretty things.

After buying it, the little princess remembered sugar paintings as she smelled the sweet aroma in the air.

"Little Nangjun~ Seven Sugars Duck Painting~"

Xiao Ran looked around and saw a sugar painting stall not far away.

Fang Li said, "That's the only sugar painting stall over there. I heard that someone wants to learn this craft, but unfortunately, it's too difficult to paint with sugar. It's said that the stall owner used to come from a scholarly family, but he fell on hard times. In the end, he still has a foundation, which is why he can paint with sugar."

Xiao Ran nodded and said, "No wonder. Painting with sugar isn't much simpler than painting with a pen. Besides, painting requires conception, which ordinary people wouldn't be able to come up with."

However, once the sugar painting system is fully developed, there will only be so many basic shapes, and with more practice, you'll be able to get the hang of it.

The little princess knew nothing about painting; all she saw was sugar painting.

"Little Nang-kun~ Hurry up and go!"

Xiao Ran carried the little princess slowly, afraid that the crowd would squeeze her.

A group of people squeezed through the crowd to the sugar painting stall. The stall owner was an old master with white hair and beard. He held a copper spoon in his hand, which was filled with golden and translucent syrup. He flicked his wrist on a smooth bluestone slab, and the fine sugar threads flowed like silver threads.

In a short while, a proud rooster appeared on the stone slab. The old craftsman then gently lifted it with a small shovel, stuck a wooden stick in it, and handed it to a little boy standing on tiptoe next to him, which drew cheers from the surrounding children.

The little princess stared, her eyes wide. Clutching Xiao Ran's collar, she tiptoed closer, calling out in her sweet, childish voice, "Little Nang-jun~ I want my little bunny~ My little bunny~"

Xiao Ran carried the little princess forward and handed the money to the old man.

"Old man, a rabbit."

Then, Xiao Ran looked at the others and asked, "What do you all want?"

Some of the little ones wanted butterflies, others wanted tigers, and even Cheng Chumo joined in the fun.

Li Ke and the others looked at what the child was eating but were too embarrassed to speak up, so Xiao Ran took the initiative and picked out a few of the more appealing items.

Even Li Yuan and Sun Simiao, who were at home and couldn't come, as well as several great Confucian scholars, were all included; Xiao Ran simply bought them according to the number of people.

Li Lizhi and her friends bought pretty things like butterflies, rabbits, and small fish. The other men didn't care; they were just looking for something new and interesting.

When the experienced craftsman heard that this was a big order, his wrists became even stronger.

The first thing he did was for the little princess.

Scoop up some syrup, and with a gentle twist of your wrist, first draw a round head, then outline long ears, followed by a chubby body and a short tail, and finally add round, bright eyes. And there you have it, an adorable little rabbit.

Xiao Ran took the sugar painting and handed it to the little princess. The little princess held it carefully, as if it were a rare treasure. She brought it to her nose and smelled it again and again. The sweet fragrance filled her nostrils. She pursed her little lips, but couldn't bear to bite it. She only stuck out her little tongue and gently licked it. Her eyes immediately curved into crescent moons: "Little Pouch~ So sweet~"

Soon, the sugar painting of a tiger was finished, and Xiao Ran handed it to Princess Gaoyang, who had specifically asked for it. Princess Gaoyang took a bite, nodded, and said, "Delicious!"

Xiao Ran and his group were a large group, so they waited for a while before all the sugar paintings were finished. Afterward, they continued walking on the street with the sugar paintings in their hands.

I had only taken a few steps when the aroma of the flatbread wafted over again.

The little princess couldn't resist the aroma of sesame cakes.

"Little Nangjun~Seven~"

Xiao Ran touched the little princess's belly.

"You ate so much for lunch, can you still eat now?"

The little princess nodded without blinking.

Xiao Ran smiled and simply took the little princess to the sesame seed cake stall.

The stall owner, a middle-aged woman, was taking freshly baked sesame cakes out of the oven. The golden crust glistened with oil, and the sesame seeds sprinkled on top sparkled, making them look delicious.

"Madam, I'd like two sesame cakes."

Although Xiao Ran had just finished lunch, he had a big appetite and could easily eat another sesame seed cake. As for the little princess, it didn't matter if she couldn't finish it; they could just reheat it when they got back, so it wouldn't be a waste.

As for the other kids and Li Ke and the others, they all said they couldn't eat.

The stall owner took out two sesame cakes and handed them to Xiao Ran, who then handed them to the little princess.

The little princess held a sugar painting in her left hand and a sesame cake in her right hand, which was held by Xiao Ran.

She took a big bite of the sesame seed cake, the crispness of the cake mixed with the savory aroma of mutton spreading in her mouth. Her face was covered in crumbs as she ate, like a little hamster stealing a bite.

Xiao Ran took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her mouth and cheeks, saying softly, "Eat slowly, no one is going to take it from you, don't choke."

The little princess, with a sesame seed cake in her mouth, mumbled, "Okay, okay, seven ducks~ Little Nangjun, seven ducks too~"

Xiao Ran said, "Okay, I'll eat too."

Xiao Ran finished his sesame cake in a few bites. As expected, the little princess could only eat two bites before she couldn't eat anymore, so Xiao Ran put it away for her.

As the group walked and strolled along, they came across a stall selling blown sugar figurines.

The sugar sculptor holds a lump of warm sugar syrup in his hand, kneads and rubs it, then puts it in his mouth and blows gently. The sugar syrup in his hand puffs up and in the blink of an eye, it turns into a little rabbit or a little mouse.

The little princess couldn't tear herself away, and tugged at Xiao Ran's hand, pleading, "Little darling~ I want this duck~"

Xiao Ran was somewhat surprised, "They even make sugar figurines here?"

Fang Li scratched his head. "It wasn't here when I came last time. I guess it just opened in the last couple of days."

Xiao Ran nodded. Sure enough, there are many masters among the common people. In Xiao Ran's opinion, blowing sugar figures is even more difficult than sugar painting.

The little princess tugged at Xiao Ran, "Little Nangjun~ Seventh one~"

Xiao Ran was silent for a moment. Although the sugar figurines were not unclean, Xiao Ran still felt awkward. After all, they were blown out by someone else's mouth, and their hands would touch the sugar. Even if the master was very clean, Xiao Ran still couldn't get over the hurdle in his mind.

For the first time, he didn't grant the little princess's wish. Instead, he carried her a few steps to the side and said after they left the stall, "Sizi, let's not eat this. How about we have some sugar painting instead?"

The little princess didn't necessarily want to eat the blown sugar figurine; she was just curious. Besides, the blown sugar figurine was three-dimensional, unlike the flat sugar painting.

So the little princess said, "That looks really good!"

Hearing what the little princess said, Xiao Ran understood. As long as it wasn't something she absolutely had to eat, it would be fine.

"When we get back, let's make a little rabbit for Sizi out of glass, okay? It will be crystal clear too."

The little princess nodded eagerly, "Okay~ I'll make a jade duck~"

Xiao Ran smiled, "Okay, make a jade one."

After leaving the sugar-blowing stall, I unknowingly walked to the jewelry stall. The stall was filled with all kinds of hair accessories, hairpins, and sachets, all in a dazzling array of colors.

There were silk flowers embroidered with butterflies, beaded flowers adorned with small pearls, fluffy pom-pom flowers, and silver hairpins with small bells that jingled with the slightest movement.

The stall owner, a kind-hearted woman, saw that the little princess was exquisitely beautiful and immediately smiled as she took out several delicate hair ornaments and handed them to her: "Young lady, come and see which one you like? This pink silk flower suits you perfectly, and this pom-pom flower is so soft and pretty!"

The little princess handed the sugar painting to Xiao Ran, then carefully picked up a pink silk flower with her small hand. The flower's petals were layered and embroidered with tiny gold butterflies.

She held it up to her eyes and looked at it, then picked up a white pearl flower. The small pearls on the flower were shiny and sparkled in the sunlight.

"Little princess~ This is so pretty~ Both are so pretty~" The little princess held two hair flowers, her little brows furrowed in confusion, not knowing which one to choose.

"If you like them, buy them all and take them all back with you."

Xiao Ran smiled and ruffled the little princess's hair, then turned to the stall owner and said, "Wrap both of these up."

With so many children in the family, Xiao Ran couldn't show favoritism to any of them. He then looked at the little ones, including Princess Chengyang.

"Take a look and see which one you like, then choose one."

The children started discussing it in front of the stall, and even Di Renjie chose a sachet.

Seeing that so many items were sold in one go, the proprietress was overjoyed. She not only took the change but also gave her a sachet embroidered with a little rabbit. It smelled nice and she said it was a free gift.

After everyone had made their choices, Xiao Ran paid, picked up a pale yellow pom-pom flower, and gently placed it in the little princess's hair. The soft pom-pom flower made her little face look even whiter.

A gust of wind blew, and the little pom-pom swayed back and forth. The little princess reached out and touched it, grinning from ear to ear: "This is so beautiful!"

The West Market was indeed bustling. After leaving the stall and walking a little further, I saw a stall selling trinkets. The stall had various clay figurines, windmills, rattles, and clay whistles.

The little princess saw a small clay figure shaped like a rabbit, just like her sugar painting. Her eyes lit up, and she grabbed Xiao Ran's hand, pointing at the clay figure and saying, "Little rabbit~ I want this one~"

Xiao Ran picked up the little rabbit clay figure. The clay figure was made so lifelike, with long ears, a round body, and was painted pink.

He handed it to the little princess, who took it carefully and held it in her arms, as if afraid of breaking it.

Seeing the little princess with sugar paintings, clay figurines, and sachets, Xiao Ran laughed and said, "Sizi is covered in rabbits."

The little princess giggled, "Porridge with rabbit and duck~" (End of Chapter)