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

Soon, a small crucian carp was pulled to the shore, where it hopped and jumped on the grass.

Di Renjie quickly put down his fishing rod, ran over and grabbed the fish, his face full of joy: "Young master, I caught a fish!"

Seeing Di Renjie's unusually lively demeanor, Xiao Ran smiled. This was the kind of vivacity a child should have.

"Great, I'll use this fish to make fish soup for you later."

Afterwards, Xiao Ran played a few more rounds and then took the kids home.

When we got home, we handed the fish over to the kitchen. We braised the carp, made soup with the crucian carp, and kept the grass carp alive for a while.

Some small fish are simply deep-fried until crispy, and every bite is filled with the aroma of fried food. Plus, you don't have to worry about fish bones, as even the bones become very crispy.

They still vividly remember the boiled fish that Xiao Ran made before.

Not long after they arrived home, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of food. In addition to fish, there were sesame cakes and cold dishes, as well as several plates of osmanthus cake and pea flour cake, which the children loved. They were steaming hot and looked very appetizing.

"It's time to eat!"

Xiao Ran told the little ones to wash their hands. After they finished washing their hands, the little princess pulled Xiao Ran and sat down next to him.

As soon as she sat down at the table, she stared intently at the braised fish, pointing her little finger at the plate: "Little Nang-kun~ I want seven of these fish~"

Xiao Ran smiled and agreed, picked up his chopsticks, carefully removed the fish bones, and placed a piece of tender fish meat into her bowl: "Eat slowly, don't rush."

Empress Zhangsun sat opposite her, with Li Lizhi next to her, occasionally placing some light dishes on her plate: "Mother, please eat more vegetables and a piece of fish to nourish your body."

Empress Zhangsun nodded, her face full of gentle smiles. "Alright."

Empress Zhangsun is now past the point where she needs to rest. It's better for her to go out for walks from time to time, as long as she doesn't overexert herself.

Moreover, seeing Li Lizhi and the little princess would make Empress Zhangsun feel better.

Being alone in the house every day with nothing to do for entertainment would drive even a good person crazy.

So Sun Simiao told Empress Zhangsun to go out for walks whenever she felt she had the energy. So these past few days, Empress Zhangsun has been with Li Lizhi and the others, only going back to rest when she was tired.

At the dinner table, the lunch, which could be described as a whole fish feast, continued.

Cheng Chumo, Li Ke, and Qin Huaidao sat together, eating and chatting. Cheng Chumo picked up a large piece of fish and said indistinctly, "Young master, your fishing skills are truly amazing. We'll never lack fish to eat. This fish tastes so fresh!"

Qin Huaidao nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, the meat is tender and has no fishy smell at all."

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "It's all thanks to the cook's excellent skills. Please eat more."

Third Sister, Yan Yao, and Princess Gao Yang sat together, the three little ones taking turns serving each other food and steamed buns, eating with great enjoyment.

The little princess of Chengyang is already showing the demeanor of an older sister. Every now and then, she would put a piece of green vegetable on the little princess's plate: "Sizi, don't just eat fish, you have to eat green vegetables too."

After lunch, the children played in the yard, while Xiao Ran sat outside with Empress Zhangsun, basking in the sun.

Lying back in the rocking chair, basking in the warm but not scorching sunlight, was incredibly comfortable.

Li Lizhi, Princess Yuzhang, and Zhang Erya did not come out, as they were afraid of getting a tan.

Empress Zhangsun didn't mind at all. Sunbathing was good for her health. As for getting tanned, she was a mother of so many children and didn't care that much anymore.

As for Cheng Chumo and the others, although they were no longer in charge of cement, the glass workshop was still operating, so they went to work after lunch, while only Xiao Ran was slacking off.

Days passed by, and soon it was April.

April has a major festival, Qingming Festival, and one or two days before Qingming Festival is Hanshi Festival.

There are many origins of the Cold Food Festival, but in general, no fire can be lit during the Cold Food Festival; at least it has to wait until after the Qingming Festival.

So, as soon as April arrived, Xiao Ran told the little ones that he would take them to make qingtuan (a type of glutinous rice dumpling) and go up the mountain to pick mugwort and cudweed. The little ones were very excited.

The courtyard was bustling with activity early this morning.

Everything was ready, such as glutinous rice flour, rice flour, and fillings. Xiao Ran also asked the kitchen to prepare them while they were going up the mountain, so that they could start cooking when they returned.

"Little Nangjun~ Little Nangjun~ Let's go, everyone~" The little princess, dressed in a light green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and carrying a small basket on her back, skipped and hopped to Xiao Ran, her little face full of excitement.

The other children also took advantage of Xiao Ran's inattention and picked up their baskets.

Looking at the little ones all ready to go, Xiao Ran couldn't help but laugh: "Everyone's ready, let's go! Remember, stick close to me on the mountain, don't run around, and don't pick any unfamiliar grass, understand?"

The little ones quickly replied, "Okay!"

"Jidao~" The little princess's sweet, childlike voice was very prominent.

Li Lizhi and the others went along this time as well.

The group walked up the mountain in a grand procession. It hadn't rained for the past few days, so the path was easy to walk. The roadside was covered with green grass and wildflowers, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and trees. Every breath felt refreshing.

Not long after we walked, clumps of lush green mugwort appeared by the roadside.

Xiao Ran stopped, squatted down, and pointed to the mugwort, saying, "Look, this is mugwort. Its leaves are serrated, feel fuzzy to the touch, and have a faint fragrance. We mainly use it to make qingtuan (green glutinous rice dumplings)."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of mugwort leaf and handed it to the little ones, letting them smell it.

"It smells so good~"

The little princess smelled it, then reached out and touched the mugwort leaves, "So soft~"

Xiao Ran then pointed to a clump of shorter grass not far away and said, "That's cudweed. It has round leaves, is covered in white down, and has small yellow flowers. It can also be used to make qingtuan (a type of glutinous rice dumpling), and it tastes very good."

"Alright, everyone, you can start picking now. Pick some mugwort and cudweed, and make sure to pick the tender leaves. You can leave the roots; they'll grow back next time." As soon as Xiao Ran finished speaking, the little ones immediately scattered and squatted down to start picking herbs.

The little princess squatted in front of a clump of mugwort, carefully pinching the tender leaves with her little hands, and gently plucked a piece of mugwort.

She imitated Xiao Ran, putting the mugwort into the bamboo basket, and then picking another leaf. Her movements were slow but serious, and she was not careless at all.

Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang also squatted down and picked a few mugwort plants.

Li Lizhi picked the leaves very carefully, only picking the tenderest ones. Princess Yuzhang, on the other hand, liked to pick cudweed, finding the small yellow flowers particularly lovely.

"Sister, look at the cudweed I picked, it's all blooming with little yellow flowers!" Princess Yuzhang said to Li Lizhi with a smile, holding up the cudweed in her hand.

Li Lizhi couldn't help but laugh, "You're so old, yet you're still like a child."

Princess Yuzhang didn't take it to heart and continued to smile.

The little princess was diligently picking mugwort, but there were just too many temptations. Suddenly, a beautiful butterfly flew by, fluttering in front of her eyes.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, there are more and more butterflies of all kinds, no longer just small yellow and white butterflies like before.

Xiao Ran didn't recognize this butterfly; he only knew it was very beautiful.

The little princess also thought it was beautiful, and couldn't help but stop what she was doing and chase after the butterfly.

"Lucky Butterfly Duck~" The little princess let out a string of silvery laughter.

Xiao Ran turned around and saw the little princess chasing after butterflies.

"Sizi," Xiao Ran called out to the little princess.

"Little Nangjun~" The little princess ran towards Xiao Ran.

"Little Nangjun Nikon Duck~" The little princess handed her basket to Xiao Ran, which was filled with mugwort.

Xiao Ran smiled and patted the little princess's head, "Sizi is really amazing."

The little princess smiled so hard her eyes crinkled up when she received the praise.

Xiao Ran handed the water bottle to the little princess, "Have some honey water."

The little princess's eyes lit up. Although she wasn't thirsty, she wanted to drink honey water.

Afterwards, Xiao Ran also called the other little ones to come and drink water.

After drinking the water, Xiao Ran said, "Alright, everyone, let's continue picking."

Xiao Ran called them to drink water because he was afraid the little princess would run too far away or fall while chasing the butterflies, which is why he called a pause.

By the time the little princess finished drinking the water, the butterflies had long since disappeared. The little princess was not disappointed and continued to pick mugwort and sage.

Before we knew it, we had been picking for more than an hour. Everyone's bamboo basket was full, with mugwort and cudweed piled up like small mountains. The little princess's bamboo basket was also decorated with a few colorful wildflowers, which looked especially beautiful.

Xiao Ran glanced at the sun and said, "Alright, we've picked enough. The sun will get too strong if we wait any longer. Let's go down the mountain and make qingtuan!"

"Quickly, quickly~ Seven green rice dumplings~" The little princess had been thinking about green rice dumplings for a long time.

Back in the courtyard, Empress Zhangsun was already waiting under the eaves. Seeing them return, she smiled and asked, "You've picked so much? You must be exhausted. Come and rest for a while and have a drink of water."

Empress Zhangsun was also drinking honey water, and the little ones all rushed over to her.

The little princess ran up to Empress Zhangsun, looked up at her, and said, "Mother, look! There are so many grass ducks!"

Empress Zhangsun looked and indeed, the little princess's basket was full. So she patted her head and said with a smile, "Good girl, our little princess is so capable."

Several little ones surrounded Empress Zhangsun, chattering about the scenery on the mountain. The little princess even talked about the butterfly.

Xiao Ran then instructed his servants to process the mugwort and cudweed.

Put the mugwort and cudweed into a basin, rinse them with clean water, then put them into a pot, blanch them for a few minutes, take them out and cool them with cold water, squeeze out the water, and chop them into small pieces.

These green rice dumplings are still mainly eaten by people in the Jiangnan region. They have only recently been introduced to Chang'an, and very few people eat them there.

It seems that it will take a few years before qingtuan (green glutinous rice dumplings) truly takes root in Chang'an and becomes an essential food for the Qingming Festival.

Moreover, the original main function of qingtuan was ancestor worship, and it only gradually evolved into a snack later. There are many origins for it, but Xiao Ran doesn't know which one is the real one.

However, this doesn't stop Xiao Ran from being the only one in the courtyard who knows how to make qingtuan (a type of glutinous rice dumpling).

The servants brought out all the ingredients for making qingtuan. A large earthenware basin contained ground glutinous rice flour and rice flour, with white sugar, warm water, and two large bowls of red bean paste and sesame paste, all prepared in advance, exuding a sweet aroma.

Several little ones gathered around, tiptoeing to peek inside, their eyes full of anticipation. The little princess, in particular, was practically drooling from the sweet smell of the red bean paste.

"Alright, let's start making qingtuan."

Xiao Ran rolled up his sleeves, mixed glutinous rice flour and rice flour evenly according to the ratio, added an appropriate amount of white sugar, then poured in chopped mugwort and cudweed, and gradually added warm water, kneading it into a smooth dough.

The dough was kneaded until it was a vibrant green, emitting a faint scent of mugwort, which made the little ones' eyes light up.

“Little Panda~ This isn’t white~” the little princess said, pointing to the green dough.

The little princess had naturally seen dough before, but in her memory it was always white; this was the first time she had seen green.

Xiao Ran pointed to the remaining mugwort and sage powder on the side and said, "Sizi, look, this mugwort and sage are green, so when you put them in the dough, the dough turns green, just like the clothes you're wearing, which are the color they are because of the dye."

The little princess instantly understood Xiao Ran's words, "Wow, that's amazing! Little Nangjun is so clever!"

As she spoke, the little princess clapped her hands.

Xiao Ran couldn't help but laugh out loud. He didn't know what he was so impressive about, but the little princess's behavior made it seem like he had done something great.

Then, the little princess looked at the dough and said, "Little dumpling~ I'll help you too~"

“Okay, let our Sizi help out too.”

Upon hearing this, the other children also quickly offered to help, and Xiao Ran naturally agreed.

Xiao Ran first divided the large dough into small pieces and gave them to each child, as well as Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang.

"Look, we first roll the small dough balls into round shapes, then use our thumbs to press a hole in the middle, put the filling in, and then slowly close the opening, rolling it into a round shape."

As Xiao Ran spoke, he demonstrated, his movements skillful, and he quickly made a round, green glutinous rice ball that looked exceptionally beautiful.

The little ones all followed Xiao Ran's example, picking up their own small dough balls and kneading them earnestly.

The little princess's tiny hands held the dough, kneading it little by little, her brows furrowed slightly, showing her exceptional focus.

She first placed the dough in her palm and kneaded it clockwise a few times, then counterclockwise a few times. Although her movements were a bit clumsy and the dough was kneaded crookedly, she was not impatient at all. She slowly adjusted it until the dough was kneaded into a round shape.

"My dough is so round!" The little princess happily held up her dough ball to show Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran smiled and nodded: "You're really good. You've rolled the dough into a perfect round shape. Now you can put the filling in."

The little princess obediently put down the dough, pressed a small hole in the middle with her thumb, then picked up a small spoon, scooped up a little red bean paste, and carefully put it into the hole.

It looked a bit too little, so I added another spoonful. (End of Chapter)