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

The other kids also bought clay figurines, and one even asked the stall owner to sculpt one in their own likeness.

It's a pity that Li Lizhi and the others didn't come; the stall owner couldn't make it out based solely on their rather abstract descriptions.

So Xiao Ran planned to bring Li Lizhi and the others over next time he had the chance, and then take a family photo.

After strolling around the West Market for a while and buying a lot of delicious food, Xiao Ran and his group finally headed back home.

Although sugar is now expensive, it is no longer a luxury. Moreover, the national treasury is full. For ordinary people, there may not be much change, but at least people feel more at ease.

The various plans in the court were implemented in an orderly manner, the people lived in peace and prosperity, and some of the novel things brought by foreigners and merchants were found to be useful.

Li Shimin also issued a decree that if anyone discovered something that did not exist in the Tang Dynasty, as long as it was confirmed that it was not a weed but something useful, there would be a reward. Therefore, the people were very enthusiastic.

Now, the seasonings available in the Tang Dynasty have increased significantly, making the food more abundant. Even the variety of dried fruits and pastries on the market has increased considerably.

So when Xiao Ran and his group returned, they were carrying large and small bags.

They brought two carriages with them when they came, but they didn't expect that they wouldn't have enough carriages to go back, so they had to rent another one before heading home.

The sun hung low in the sky, its golden rays spilling across the bluestone path, casting a long, slender shadow of Xiao Ran.

They had arrived at their doorstep, and the little princess pushed open the door and ran inside.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Empress Zhangsun sitting on a rattan chair under the eaves, with Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang sitting beside her. There were also some pastries on the table.

"Mother~" The little princess ran over with her short legs and threw herself into her arms.

Empress Zhangsun smiled and caught the little princess, gently stroking her hair with her fingertips. Her gaze fell on Xiao Ran, Cheng Chumo, and the others, and she said in a gentle tone, "Thank you for your hard work today, taking so many children out."

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "They are all obedient and not tired."

Cheng Chumo and the others waved their hands repeatedly, saying that they were not tired.

Then, Xiao Ran took out a wooden box from his basket and said, "We passed by a jewelry stall, and Si Zi and the others each bought two pieces. These are the ones they picked out for you."

Li Lizhi stepped forward, took the wooden box, opened it, and saw that it was lined with light purple velvet and neatly arranged with several beaded flowers.

The few beaded flowers weren't made of any expensive materials, but their unique and novel designs made them very appealing.

The one in the very center is a begonia flower pattern with colorful threads wrapped around beads. Light pink glass beads are strung together to form petals, and light green velvet is used for the calyx. It is also adorned with two small rice beads, which sway gently in the wind.

The two on the side are also cleverly designed. One is a silver orchid bead flower wrapped with blue velvet. The fine silver thread bends out the orchid branches and leaves, and is paired with light blue pom-poms. It is elegant and lovely. The other is a pomegranate made of colorful glass beads. The round colorful glass beads are gathered into the shape of a small pomegranate, and a thin red rope hangs down from the bottom. It is lively and playful.

In addition, there were several small pom-pom beaded flowers and silver lotus beaded flowers, all novel trinkets on the stall.

The little princess shook the pom-pom on her head, "Mommy, look! Aren't I pretty?"

Empress Zhangsun gently patted the little princess's head.

"Yes, our Sizi is the most beautiful."

With just one sentence, he made the little princess beam with joy.

"This beaded flower is so beautiful, thank you so much, young man." Li Lizhi picked up the orchid beaded flower, put it in her hair, and even took out the small round mirror she always carried with her to look at herself. Her eyes were full of joy.

Princess Yuzhang picked up another one and said with a smile, "This beaded flower is really beautiful."

After distributing the beaded flowers, Xiao Ran took out the sugar paintings he bought at the market and distributed them to everyone.

Li Lizhi picked up a sugar painting of a large butterfly and handed it to Empress Zhangsun.

"Mother, please taste it and see if it's delicious."

Empress Zhangsun took the bottle, took a bite, and nodded. "Delicious, so sweet."

Li Lizhi picked up another sugar painting of a little rabbit, examined it carefully, and said, "It's amazing that someone can paint with sugar. This rabbit is quite well drawn."

Hearing Li Lizhi say this, Xiao Ran started talking about the sugar-blowing man again.

Li Lizhi and the others didn't go, so they listened with great interest until dinner time, when Xiao Ran finally stopped talking and started eating.

The little princess heated up the sesame cakes she hadn't finished and ate them.

After dinner, the kids went to rest, since they had to go to school the next day.

the next day.

What's different today is that Xiao Ran will be giving them a lesson as well.

The little princess and her friends walked into the classroom, greeted the village children, and started chatting before class began.

The main reason was that the children noticed the little princess and her friends weren't there yesterday, so they asked them where they had gone.

The little princess shook the pom-pom on her head again; she really liked it.

"Let's go out and play!"

Princess Chengyang stood aside, smiling but saying nothing. Princess Gaoyang and Third Sister, on the other hand, talked to the children about what they had seen yesterday, and even mentioned sugar painting.

Xiao Ran walked in at that moment.

"Little Nangjun~" The little princess spotted Xiao Ran at a glance.

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Alright, everyone, quiet down. I'm going to give you a lesson today."

The children in the classroom cheered instantly.

Xiao Ran didn't attend many classes, but the content of each class was always very interesting.

Xiao Ran lived up to everyone's expectations and said, "Today in class, we'll do a small experiment."

As he spoke, Xiao Ran took out several sheets of coarse paper, a pair of scissors, several ceramic basins, some small stones, and a few pieces of gauze.

"The experiment we're doing today is called 'paper boat load-bearing.' As you can see, I have some paper here. We'll fold it into a small boat, then put small stones on it and see what kind of boat can hold more stones without sinking."

As he spoke, Xiao Ran picked up a piece of paper and taught the children how to fold a boat step by step.

He first folded the paper in half, then folded the two corners into triangles, then folded the edges up, and finally tidied up the hull and bottom of the boat. A simple paper boat was then folded.

The children followed Xiao Ran's steps and carefully folded paper boats one by one.

Some children folded quickly and soon finished one, proudly holding it up to show their friends. Others, whose hands were not so nimble, frowned in frustration. Seeing this, Xiao Ran went over and patiently guided them.

The little princess's hands were small and a little clumsy, so Princess Chengyang took the initiative to help her. Together, they slowly folded a small boat. Di Renjie learned the fastest; he not only folded an ordinary paper boat but also tried to fold the bottom of the boat wider.

After all the children had folded their paper boats, Xiao Ran took out several ceramic basins, filled them with water, and placed them on the table: "Now, everyone put your paper boats into the water, and then put small stones into the boats one by one. Remember to put them in gently and don't capsize the boats. Let's see whose boat can hold the most stones."

The children immediately sprang into action, carefully placing the paper boats into the water, and then picking up small pebbles and gently placing them on the surface of the boats.

"I'll put one in!"

"I'll put two!"

Cheers and chatter filled the classroom.

The little princess carefully placed a small pebble into the paper boat. The boat wobbled but didn't sink. She clapped her hands happily: "My paper boat is so awesome!"

As she spoke, she placed another paper boat, but this time, the paper boat suddenly tilted and sank into the water. The little princess's smile vanished instantly, and she pouted in grievance.

Xiao Ran walked over and patted her head: "Sizi, don't worry, let's see why other people's boats didn't sink."

The little princess looked at the little princess Chengyang next to her. The little princess Chengyang's paper boat had already put three small stones on it and was still floating steadily on the water.

Princess Gaoyang's boat also had two darts placed on it, and Yan Yao and San Niang's boats each had two darts placed on them; none of them sank.

Di Renjie's boat, with five small stones already placed on it, remained steady, attracting the surrounding children to gather around.

Princess Gaoyang looked at Di Renjie and asked, "Why didn't your ship sink?"

Di Renjie pointed to his paper boat and said seriously, "I folded the bottom of my boat wider than yours, and I also folded the hull higher."

Xiao Ran nodded approvingly upon hearing this, "That's right, that's exactly it. Look, this is the bottom of the ship. Only a wide bottom can make it stable, just like a foundation. A wide bottom means a larger contact area with the water, so it can bear more weight."

The children seemed to understand, but Xiao Ran patiently explained, "It's like learning. The more knowledge we acquire and the more solid our skills become, the less likely we are to be defeated when we encounter difficulties in the future, and the more things we can do."

Some children understood what he said, and some did not, but it wasn't a big deal. Xiao Ran was just leaving an impression on them, and they would understand eventually.

So Xiao Ran didn't say anything more, but said, "Now everyone can try to improve their paper boats, such as folding the bottom of the boat wider, or using two pieces of paper stacked together to make the boat sturdier."

The children immediately got busy again.

After the experiment, Xiao Ran told them a few more short stories, such as the story of Zhong Yong, which the children listened to with great interest.

Before they knew it, Xiao Ran's class was over. Before leaving, Xiao Ran reminded them to listen carefully.

After leaving the classroom, Xiao Ran went home to get his fishing rod and went fishing.

Xiao Ran found a shady spot to sit down, took out his fishing rod, and then took out his bait.

Then, he gently swung the fishing rod, and the fishing line, with the hook attached, landed steadily on the water's surface, splashing up small droplets.

After doing all this, Xiao Ran sat up straight, looking calmly at the buoy on the water's surface, his expression composed, as if everything around him was irrelevant.

A moment later, the float on the water moved slightly. Xiao Ran glanced at it but did not immediately lift the rod, because it was just the fish testing the bait. If he lifted the rod at this moment, the fish would definitely get away.

After a while, the float suddenly sank and was quickly dragged into the water.

This time, Xiao Ran didn't hesitate. With a slight force in his wrist, he suddenly lifted the rod, and the fishing rod instantly bent into a beautiful arc. The fishing line was taut, and a series of pulling forces were felt, indicating that the fish that had taken the bait was quite large.

Xiao Ran held the fishing rod steadily, calmly maneuvering with the fish. The fish struggled desperately in the water, splashing up large sprays of water, but it could not break free from the hook.

Not far away, several village children came out to play after finishing their classes. As they passed by the pond, they saw Xiao Ran fishing and curiously gathered around, but dared not speak loudly for fear of disturbing the fish.

One of the children whispered to his friend, "Look at the young man, he's so amazing!"

The other child nodded: "Yeah, last time my dad went fishing, he fished all afternoon and didn't catch anything!"

Xiao Ran stared intently at the water's surface. After a while, the fish in the water gradually lost its strength, and its struggles became weaker and weaker. Xiao Ran seized the opportunity, slowly reeled in the line, and pulled the fish to the shore.

It was a carp, weighing about two pounds, hopping and jumping on the grass by the shore, its scales shimmering in the sunlight.

The children immediately cheered.

Xiao Ran took the fish off the hook and then cast it again.

This time, the float started moving again not long after. Xiao Ran remained calm and composed, and soon caught another crucian carp.

The children cheered, and the little princess and her friends ran over.

Originally, everyone left get out of class together, but these few children were too playful and ran out, while the little princess and her friends walked slowly behind and even went home, which is why they were a little late.

Looking at the fish on the ground, the little princess immediately thought of how delicious the fish meat was.

"Little Nang-kun~ Seven Fish~"

Xiao Ran smiled and nodded, "Okay, let's eat fish."

Then, Xiao Ran looked at Di Renjie.

Di Renjie is usually quite quiet, or you could say he's steady. Adults generally like this kind of child because they won't cause them any trouble. But in Xiao Ran's opinion, children should act like children. As long as they're not naughty, being a little mischievous is normal.

So Xiao Ran handed the fishing rod to Di Renjie and asked, "Want to give it a try?"

Di Renjie's eyes lit up, and he nodded, but then hesitated: "I'm afraid I won't be able to catch any fish and will scare them away."

"Don't be afraid, I'll teach you." Xiao Ran handed the fishing rod to Di Renjie and taught him how to bait the fish.

"You have to hold the bait tightly, or the fish will snatch it away."

Then, he taught Di Renjie how to cast the rod and how to observe the float: "When casting the rod, be gentle and don't use too much force. When you see the float sinking, don't lift the rod immediately. Wait until the fish has taken a bite before lifting it."

Di Renjie studied very diligently, following Xiao Ran's instructions, slowly casting the fishing rod until the bait landed steadily on the water's surface.

He imitated Xiao Ran, sitting up straight and staring intently at the float with a serious expression. His small body exuded a composure beyond his years.

Xiao Ran sat beside him, patiently guiding him.

After a while, the float moved slightly. Di Renjie's body stiffened slightly, and he wanted to lift the rod, but Xiao Ran held his hand down: "Don't rush, the fish is just testing the waters."

Di Renjie nodded, suppressing his excitement, and continued to wait.

A moment later, the float suddenly sank. Following Xiao Ran's instructions, Di Renjie jerked the rod up, causing it to bend slightly and feel a gentle pull. (End of Chapter)