The Tang Dynasty in the Sand Table: Starting by Feeding a Small Rhinoceros

"Buzz—"

The old electric fan emitted a dull whirring sound as its motor turned.

Three plastic fan blades spun rapidly, and a strong gust of cool wind rushed out, heading straight for the miniature Tang Dynasty inside the box.

……

In the eighth year of the Zhenguan era, in the height of summer.

Chang'an City seemed to have turned into a giant steamer.

Outside the Lizheng Hall, the cicadas chirped desperately, and even the leaves on the trees curled up from the heat.

Little Sizi squatted on the ground, feeling dizzy.

She was originally playing hide-and-seek with the palace maid Qinglan, but she ran too fast and got lost, ending up in this secluded corridor.

Mother has gone to handle palace affairs, while Father is holding a meeting in the front court.

She was hiding here all alone, feeling hot and scared, and didn't even have the strength to call for help.

"Mother... Sizi feels so uncomfortable..."

The little guy pouted, and tears streamed down his face.

Just when she thought she was about to be completely melted by the sun.

suddenly!

"call--!!!"

A sudden gust of wind descended from the sky without warning!

This wind wasn't the oppressive, sweltering wind of summer; instead, it was cool, dry, and carried a peculiar chill, like the cutting air from a modern industrial fan blade!

A strong wind swept across the entire plaza outside the Rikjeong-den (Imperial Hall).

The old locust trees under the eaves were being blown around wildly, their leaves rustling loudly.

The sweat on Xiao Sizi's body was instantly dried by the wind, and the ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) that was sticking to her body was also billowed by the wind.

"Wow!!!"

The little guy suddenly raised his head, his big, dark eyes filled with shock.

The intense heat that had enveloped her vanished instantly, replaced by an indescribable feeling of comfort.

She stood up, stretched out her little arms, and happily twirled around in the wind.

"The wind! What a refreshing breeze!"

"It's not hot at all! It's so comfortable!"

The little ox chuckled, its clear laughter echoing in the strong wind; the grievances and tears from before had long since vanished.

……

Outside the sand table.

Li Mo looked at the tiny creature dancing wildly in front of the electric fan inside the box and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Become!

Modern electric fans can really blow the wind into the time and space of the Tang Dynasty!

Looking at Xiao Sizi's radiant smile, Li Mo felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

This feeling was a million times better than when he closed a big deal with a client.

Just then, the little guy's soft, sweet murmur came from inside the box again.

"It's cool here... but I'm so thirsty..."

The little guy stopped spinning around, licked his chapped lips with his tiny tongue, and looked around longingly.

"Why isn't Sister Qinglan here yet? Sizi wants to drink some sweet cherry yogurt..."

Upon hearing this, Li Mo's gaze immediately fell on the refrigerator in the kitchen.

He didn't have any cheese cherries.

But on his way home from get off work today, he passed by a fruit stand and just bought a chilled Kirin watermelon!

Do they have watermelons in the Tang Dynasty?

Li Mo quickly went through the historical knowledge in his mind.

Watermelons were introduced to the Central Plains during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period or even later. Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin) during the Zhenguan era had never even seen what a watermelon looked like!

"Little guy, you're in luck today! You'll get to try some modern chilled watermelon!"

Li Mo immediately rushed into the kitchen and took out the half watermelon, which was still slightly chilly, from the refrigerator.

He picked up a fruit knife and cut off a small piece of bright red melon flesh from the very center, the sweetest part, completely seedless.

Holding the small piece of watermelon, Li Mo walked to the box and gestured with it.

"For her, this watermelon is probably bigger than her head."

Li Mo took a deep breath and slowly extended his hand towards the top of the box.

When his hand passed through that invisible barrier, he could clearly feel the surrounding temperature rise instantly.

……

Outside the Hall of State Administration of the Great Tang Dynasty.

The little rhinoceros was tilting its head back, enjoying the cool breeze that seemed to come from nowhere.

Suddenly, she realized it was dark.

It wasn't the kind of blackness that comes from dark clouds obscuring the sun, but rather something incredibly huge that covered the entire sky!

The little ox raised its head blankly.

The next second, her pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints.

In the sky, five flesh-colored giant pillars, like pillars reaching to the heavens, slowly descended from the clouds with a world-destroying pressure!

The giant pillar was covered with intricate patterns, exuding a suffocatingly terrifying aura.

Beneath the giant pillar, there was a small red "mountain" that exuded a chilling aura!

"ah!!!"

The little ox was so frightened that it let out a sharp scream, its legs went weak, and it collapsed to the ground.

She hugged her head tightly, closed her eyes, and trembled like a leaf.

"Mother, help! There's a monster! Waaaaah..."

……

Outside the sand table, Li Mo was startled and quickly sped up, gently placing the small piece of watermelon on the bluestone slab a few steps away from Xiao Sizi.

Then, as if he had been electrocuted, he quickly pulled his hand back.

"I was too hasty. To her, my hand was like an Attack on Titan." Li Mo slapped his forehead in annoyance.

……

Datang.

I felt the shadow overhead disappear and the sky regain its brightness.

Little Sizi then cautiously opened one eye.

"Huh? Where did the monster go?"

She boldly lowered her hand and looked around, and immediately spotted the bright red "huge thing" not far in front of her.

It was a piece of red fruit flesh that was bigger than her head.

Fine water droplets still condensed on the surface, emitting a fragrance she had never smelled before, sweet to the core.

"Gulp."

Little Sizi couldn't help but swallow.

The craving in my stomach instantly overcame my fear.

She crawled over on all fours, approached the watermelon, and sniffed it like a little kitten.

It smells so good! It's so refreshing!

She stretched out a small, fair finger, dipped it lightly into the juice seeping from the watermelon, and then put it in her mouth.

boom!

The ultimate sweetness and coolness explode in your mouth!

Little Sizi's eyes shone like two stars. She swore that she had never eaten anything so delicious in her entire life!

Even the sweetest tribute fruit from the Western Regions bestowed by Father is not even a tenth as good as this!

"Smack! Smack!"

The little one couldn't resist any longer and pounced on it, grabbing the watermelon that was bigger than her face and devouring it.

The icy watermelon juice dripped down her chin, staining her chin red, and even dripping onto her expensive ruqun dress.

But she didn't care about any of that, eating until her face was covered in red juice, like a greedy little kitten.

"Wow! So sweet! So cool! So delicious!"

The little ox gnawed on the food while cheering indistinctly.

She looked up at the sky, which had turned a clear blue again, her big eyes filled with innocence and gratitude.

"A deity! Is that you?"

"Thank you for the sweet fruit, Ni! Sizi loves it!"

Listening to the childish voice coming from the box, and looking at the little girl with watermelon juice all over her face, grinning foolishly at the sky.

Li Mo's heart felt as if it had been struck hard by something, leaving it completely soft and weak.

"This silly child..." he chuckled softly.

However, at this heartwarming moment...

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from the corner of the long corridor in the distance from the Rissei-den Hall.

"Princess! Princess Jinyang! Where are you?!"

A palace maid dressed in green ran over anxiously; it was Qinglan, who had been searching for Xiao Sizi for a long time.

When Qinglan turned the corner, she saw the scene under the eaves.

She felt as if she had been struck by lightning; her legs went weak, and she knelt on the ground with a thud.

In his sight, his most esteemed Princess Jinyang was slumped on the ground, clutching an unidentified object in her arms.

The princess's mouth, chin, and clothes were covered in shocking "blood"!

"ah--!!!"

Qinglan let out a heart-wrenching scream, and tears instantly streamed down her face.

"The princess is vomiting blood! Help! The princess is vomiting blood!!!"