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

Planting willow branches is also a custom at this time, mainly for health, peace, warding off evil, and praying for blessings.

Zhang Jinhe took a few thin willow branches and stuck them in the hair of Li Lizhi, Princess Yuzhang, and Zhang Erya, then looked at the little princess.

“Hey, come here, let me plant a willow branch for you.”

The little princess ran over, followed by a string of little ones. Not only the little princess from Chengyang, but also the children from the village came to join in the fun.

The last group of little ones each had a willow branch stuck in their hair, and they ran around.

The little princess touched the willow branch in her hair, shook her head, and out of the corner of her eye saw the willow branch swaying back and forth by her ear, making a crisp, cheerful sound.

Xiao Ran also had willow branches stuck in his hair. To be honest, this was the first time Xiao Ran had ever heard of this custom.

After lunch, people from Di Renjie's family came to take him back to pay respects to his ancestors.

Seeing their hurried expressions, Xiao Ran didn't ask any questions. He simply reminded Di Renjie to be careful and then let him go.

Tonight's dinner was still qingtuan (a type of glutinous rice dumpling). Seeing the way the little princesses of Chengyang looked as if the sky had fallen, Xiao Ran suppressed a laugh and said, "This is the last meal. When Di Renjie comes back tomorrow, I'll cook something delicious for you."

The little princess's eyes lit up instantly at the mention of delicious food.

"Little Nang-kun~ What's so good, duck~"

Xiao Ran pinched the little princess's nose.

"I haven't made the chicken you promised to make for Sizi yet. How about I make you fried chicken and beggar's chicken tomorrow?"

The little ones had never eaten beggar's chicken before, let alone fried chicken. They all fell asleep with anticipation in their hearts, and even in their dreams, the little princess drooled.

The next day, Xiao Ran got up early and followed Sun Simiao to exercise, even running two laps around the pond.

Usually, Di Renjie is with him, but today Di Renjie is not here, and he doesn't know when he will be back.

After finishing his run, Xiao Ran went back to have breakfast.

Breakfast still includes qingtuan (green glutinous rice dumplings), but there's also porridge, steamed buns, and pickled vegetables.

After eating so many qingtuan (green rice dumplings), I find porridge and pickled vegetables quite delicious now.

After breakfast, Di Renjie still hadn't returned. Xiao Ran looked at the little ones and said, "How about we go up the mountain to gather herbs this morning?"

Since we're going to eat something delicious, we should wait until everyone is here before we do. We can't leave out Di Renjie, can we?

For the little ones, going up the mountain, no matter what they do, is just like playing.

Last time we went to collect herbs, we brought the villagers along, and this time was no exception. Just like last time, we treated it as an outdoor practical teaching experience.

However, it's spring now, and there are many more medicinal herbs available than before.

Sun Simiao walked at the front, and whenever he picked a medicinal herb, he would hold it up so that the children could come and see it, and ask them questions about the herb's effects, etc.

Actually, most of the plants on this mountain are medicinal herbs, but most people don't recognize them.

Because many medicinal herbs use the underground rhizomes, it is difficult to identify them if the above-ground parts are removed.

Some villagers also went up the mountain with them. Even if they couldn't find any medicinal herbs, it was good to pick some wild vegetables. At least it was lively with more people.

"Little Nangjun~" The little princess called out with a hint of surprise in her voice.

Xiao Ran walked towards the little princess.

"What's wrong, Sizi?"

The little princess held up the mushroom in her hand.

"Little Nikon~ is a fan~"

Xiao Ran took a look; it was just an ordinary oyster mushroom.

“These mushrooms are huge,” Xiao Ran said.

Li Lizhi and the others also went up the mountain today, and they came over at this moment.

"The mushroom that Sizi picked is pretty good."

Xiao Ran glanced at Li Lizhi and noticed the basket in her hand, which was full of mushrooms.

"You picked so many mushrooms?" Xiao Ran said, somewhat surprised.

Zhang Erya laughed and said, "Once you find one mushroom, you'll find a whole bunch. After it rains, there will definitely be even more mushrooms."

While talking about mushrooms, Xiao Ran suddenly thought of bamboo shoots.

Since there's a bamboo forest, there must be bamboo shoots.

Seeing that Xiao Ran suddenly stopped talking, Li Lizhi nudged him, "Young master, what are you thinking about?"

Xiao Ran was brought back to his senses by her push.

"It's nothing. I was thinking about bamboo shoots. After it rains for a while, there should be bamboo shoots in the bamboo forest. We can go and dig some up."

Upon hearing the word "bamboo shoots," Zhang Erya looked disgusted.

“Young master, those bamboo shoots taste bitter and astringent. We usually don’t eat them unless we have absolutely nothing else to eat.”

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "That's because you don't know how to eat."

Bamboo shoots do come in sweet and bitter varieties. Sweet bamboo shoots are delicious, but bitter bamboo shoots can be just as good if cooked properly.

They believed what Xiao Ran said, so they didn't say anything more.

After wandering around the mountain, the kids, including Xiao Ran and Li Lizhi, didn't find any medicinal herbs, but each of them picked a large basket of mushrooms.

After returning home, Sun Simiao went to collect medicinal herbs and also processed the newly picked herbs.

In the past, Sun Simiao would do it himself, or Xiao Ran would help. But since Hongxiu came, she has been helping to share the burden.

Nowadays, Sun Simiao toothpaste has been produced in many versions, some focusing on whitening, others on eliminating bad breath, and still others on strong stain removal. There are many versions, including those for clearing heat and relieving swollen gums.

These toothpastes are selling incredibly well, which means they require even more medicinal herbs, but thankfully none of them are rare or precious.

Sun Simiao and Hongxiu were sorting through medicinal herbs, the little ones were playing by the slide, and Xiao Ran went out into the village to buy a few chickens.

Since we've said we'd do it, how can we do it without chickens?

On the way back, I also stopped by the pigsty for a quick look.

At this time, the sow was already pregnant and seemed to be in good condition, so Xiao Ran didn't pay any attention to her.

When Xiao Ran returned, he found that there was one more person among the little ones.

"You're back," Xiao Ran greeted Di Renjie.

Di Renjie looked at Xiao Ran and smiled, "Young master."

Xiao Ran nodded and asked, "Did something happen at home? Tell me if there's a problem."

Di Renjie felt a warmth in his heart and explained, "My grandfather caught a cold a couple of days ago, but he's much better now."

Xiao Ran didn't ask any more questions, only saying, "That's good." Then, Xiao Ran shook the few chickens that were still alive in his hand.

"You're back just in time. Let's make beggar's chicken and fried chicken for lunch."

Just then, a hearty laugh came from inside the house.

"Looks like I've come at the perfect time, hahaha."

Xiao Ran looked towards the living room and discovered that Li Shimin, Cheng Yaojin, and Qin Qiong had also arrived.

At this moment, Li Shimin stood in the middle, his smile still lingering. Cheng Yaojin also had a smile on his face, while Qin Qiong maintained a calm expression, only nodding slightly.

Xiao Ran handed the chicken to the servants and told them to clean it up, adding, "Don't throw away the chicken giblets either; we'll braise them later."

The servant nodded quickly and went to tidy up.

Xiao Ran approached Li Shimin and said with a smile, "Uncle, you've come too."

Li Shimin nodded, and Qin Qiong said, "It's just after Qingming Festival, so I came to take a look."

Just then, Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaidao were returning, so Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong came over together. As for Li Shimin, since it was just after Qingming Festival and he didn't have any urgent matters to attend to, he took a break for himself.

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "You uncles are in for a treat today."

Then, Xiao Ran looked at Li Shimin and said, "Didn't I tell you before that there are many ways to cook chicken besides tea-smoked chicken? Today, let's make the beggar's chicken and fried chicken that we talked about last time."

Actually, neither beggar's chicken nor fried chicken is very difficult to make.

The servants were quick to process the chicken. Under Xiao Ran's guidance, the cook evenly coated the prepared chicken inside and out with cooking wine, salt, ginger slices, scallion segments, and pre-ground peppercorns, star anise, and other spices. She also stuffed a few slices of ginger and scallion segments into the chicken's cavity to marinate it.

Then, take out lotus leaves, lay one on the table, place the marinated chicken on it, and then wrap it tightly with another lotus leaf. After wrapping it twice, take out the prepared yellow mud and spread it evenly on the outside of the lotus leaves.

From head to tail, not a single gap is left. Finally, it is shaped into a round mud ball and placed next to a pre-lit charcoal brazier to roast.

Looking at the lump of mud, Li Shimin asked a crucial question: "Can this be eaten?"

Xiao Ran smiled and said, "Uncle, just you wait and see, this beggar's chicken is absolutely delicious."

Beggar's chicken is already being made, along with fried chicken and braised chicken giblets.

Cut the chicken into evenly sized pieces and marinate them with various seasonings. While the chicken is marinating, put the chicken giblets, wings, and legs into a pot, add water, ginger slices, scallion segments, spices, and soy sauce, and simmer over low heat.

The kitchen was bustling with activity. Originally, Xiao Ran was just worried that the cook might not be able to control the heat properly, so he kept coming over to check on her. Later, the little princess and the others couldn't resist and also ran into the kitchen.

After seeing the clay dough for the beggar's chicken, Li Shimin became extremely curious about it and simply stood there, waiting for the beggar's chicken to be ready.

The cook naturally knew Li Shimin and his entourage's identities, and her hand holding the spoon was trembling, afraid that she might have done something wrong.

Seeing this, Xiao Ran said helplessly, "I'll do it."

As he spoke, Xiao Ran took the spoon from the cook's hand and told them to get to work.

Actually, there's not much left to do; the rest just takes time.

Once the chicken pieces are marinated, coat them with a thin layer of flour and put them into the oil one by one.

With a sizzle, oil splattered gently, and the chicken pieces instantly rolled in the oil, gradually turning from white to yellow, and finally fried until golden and crispy. The rich aroma of meat mixed with the fragrance of oil instantly overwhelmed other smells, filling the entire yard.

"It smells so good!" The little princess suddenly stood up, tiptoed and looked into the oil pan, her little mouth slightly open, drool almost dripping out.

She tugged at Xiao Ran's sleeve and said eagerly, "Little Nang Jun~ is it okay now~"

Xiao Ran smiled helplessly: "Don't rush, it tastes better when it's fried until crispy. Wait a little longer."

Li Lizhi stepped forward and pulled the little princess a little further away.

"Sizi, don't rush. Stay away from the pot, or you'll get splashed with oil."

The little princess nodded, her eyes still fixed on the pot.

Before long, the first batch of fried chicken nuggets was ready.

Xiao Ran used a slotted spoon to scoop out the fried chicken pieces and placed them on a plate. The golden and crispy skin was still steaming hot, sizzling with oil, and emitting an enticing aroma.

As soon as the chicken was plated, the little princess couldn't wait to reach for the chicken pieces, but Li Lizhi gently pressed her hand down: "Sizi, it's too hot from being fried. Let it cool down a bit before you eat it."

The little princess withdrew her hand, stamping her feet in frustration, but her eyes were fixed on the fried chicken nuggets on the plate. She sniffed the air, wishing she could eat them right away.

The other little ones also looked at the plate with expectant expressions.

Soon, the chicken nuggets were fried, and Xiao Ran also took out the mushrooms that had been blanched beforehand.

The mushrooms were already torn into pieces, coated in batter, and fried; they were incredibly fragrant.

Once the fried chicken and fried mushrooms are done, the beggar's chicken will be ready too.

Xiao Ran gently tapped the outer layer of yellow mud with a small hammer. With a few cracking sounds, the mud clumps split open, revealing the lotus leaves inside, still steaming. The rich aroma of lotus leaves mixed with the savory fragrance of chicken instantly wafted out, even more mellow than the aroma of fried chicken, with a faint grassy scent that made one's mouth water.

Wow~ It smells so good~ It smells amazing~

The little princess's eyes widened as she hurried over to the beggar's chicken, watching Xiao Ran lift the lotus leaf. As soon as the leaf was lifted, steaming hot chicken was revealed, its skin roasted to a golden-brown sheen, the meat tender and juicy, juices dripping down the grain, and an irresistible aroma filling the air.
Originally, Li Shimin had come to see the beggar's chicken, but knowing that he would have to wait a while, he went back to chat with Empress Zhangsun and Cheng Yaojin.

Now, hearing the noise outside and hearing things like "Beggar's Chicken," I know it's good to have beggar's chicken.

He looked at Empress Zhangsun and said, "I don't know how Xiao Ran made that beggar's chicken. It's just a mud ball. I don't even know if it's edible."

Empress Zhangsun said gently, "Since Xiao Ran said it's edible, then it is edible."

Li Shimin looked at Empress Zhangsun and said with a smile, "His mind is full of wonderful ideas. Let's go out and take a look at this beggar's chicken."

Empress Zhangsun nodded and followed Li Shimin out.

The closer you are to the kitchen, the more you can smell the aroma of beggar's chicken.

"It smells so good. I bet the little princess is drooling with envy." Empress Zhangsun couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the little princess's greedy mouth.

Li Shimin laughed, "That little glutton, Sizi, is probably saying he wants to eat more right now."

The two walked to the kitchen, followed by Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong.

The fried chicken was ready by then. Xiao Ran picked up a piece and handed one to each of the little ones.

"Try it and see if it tastes good."

The little princess took the fried chicken and couldn't wait to take a bite.

The fried chicken wasn't as hot anymore, but it wasn't cold either; one bite and you'd feel a burst of heat.

Fortunately, the little princess knew this, so she bit slowly. Although it was a little hot, she was reluctant to let go and forced the chicken into her mouth, chewing it continuously.

"Good, good, Seven Ducks~" The little princess's voice was muffled.

Just then, Li Shimin and his entourage arrived.

"What will the rhinoceros eat?" (End of Chapter)