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

The village is very efficient now, the wages are quite generous, and the houses that need to be built are being constructed very quickly.

At first, Yan Liben was worried that his daughter would not adapt to life here.

The Yan family lived a much better life than ordinary people, which was thought to be a hard life in the village.

I didn't realize I was overthinking it.

Yan Yao had a great time in Kaolao Village, quickly integrating herself into the group with the two little princesses and her third aunt.

The pastries were made by the same imperial chefs as usual.

The food was of a quality that even the imperial palace couldn't match.

Now, when asked if she wants to go home, Yan Yao says she doesn't want to go back.

Although it's no longer cold, the little girls still prefer to sleep on the kang (heated brick bed).

It's quite spacious here, enough for four people.

The house that Xiao Ran needed was built quickly.

Yu Shinan, Kong Yingda, and Chu Liang, along with several other older people, also moved in.

It's quite convenient to eat here.

The houses in the village have also been built.

The story of Yan Liben and the sketch had already spread throughout Chang'an.

Gradually, more and more people began to have ideas about establishing a school in Kaolao Village.

As the chill of spring dissipated, Xiao Ran changed into short sleeves.

He was standing at the gate of his own yard, watching the craftsmen carry the last batch of timber into the house, when he saw a horse-drawn carriage coming this way.

The blue cloth carriage slowly came to a stop at the intersection. When the curtain was lifted, a servant dressed in a blue cloth robe stepped out first, holding a food box and bowing in waiting. Then, a refined-looking man stepped out.

The man wore a brocade robe embroidered with dark patterns and had a silver belt hook at his waist. Although he was covered in the dust of his journey, he could not hide his calm and composed demeanor. He was none other than Di Zhixun, the chief clerk of the Kuizhou Governor's Office.

He was holding a child in his arms, about three years old, wearing a light blue padded jacket with small cloud patterns embroidered on the collar.

Clutching a piece of sesame cake in her little hand, she looked around at the newly built house in the yard with her round eyes and asked curiously, "Grandpa, is this Kaolao Village? All the houses are new."

"Here."

Di Zhixun smiled and patted the child's head, then looked at Xiao Ran's courtyard.

Xiao Ran didn't recognize them, but he knew these people were not simple, so he took the initiative to go out.

Li Lizhi also saw it and quickly followed.

Upon seeing Xiao Ran approaching, Di Zhixun quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Is this young master Xiao?"

"Yes, may I ask who you are, sir?"

"My name is Di Zhixun. I have long heard about your school, young master, and I have come here today to bother you."

Xiao Ran had absolutely no recollection of this name and didn't recognize it.

Di Zhixun did not recognize Xiao Ran, but he recognized Li Lizhi who was standing next to Xiao Ran.

This eldest princess of the Tang Dynasty was very outstanding; she had met almost all the high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty.

"Fifth Sister!" Di Renjie greeted her.

Li Lizhi smiled and nodded, unable to remember Di Zhixun either.

Xiao Ran led them into the courtyard: "Mr. Di, you're too kind. Please come in and we'll talk inside."

As they were talking, Yan Liben came out of the house and greeted Di Zhixun with a smile and a cupped-hand salute: "Brother Di, you've come from afar, is it for the school?"

"That's exactly why."

Di Zhixun sighed and moved the child in his arms closer to him. "This is my son, Di Renjie. He is only three years old and not old enough to start school properly. I am away from home most of the year, so it is inconvenient to have him with me."

Xiao Ran's eyes changed upon hearing the name Di Renjie.

I never imagined this one was already three years old.

Isn't this the Executive Vice Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty?
Di Zhixun looked at Xiao Ran, "I wonder if it's possible for you to study in Kaolao Village?"

Di Zhixun had inquired and found out that whether this matter could be accomplished depended on Xiao Ran's decision.

Judging from Di Zhixun's words, he couldn't teach in rural areas; he simply sent his children to study.

Judging from this, it still feels a bit like a boarding house.

Xiao Ran might consider other people, but he naturally couldn't refuse Di Renjie.

“No problem, you can stay. But Mr. Di, the teaching situation in the village is different from that in the schools in Chang'an. Our initial goal is to teach people to read and write, and we can't compare to regular schools in all aspects.”

Di Zhixun quickly replied, "I understand, thank you, young master!"

Di Renjie quickly replied, "Thank you, sir!"

When Xiao Ran saw the little boy, the image of 'Fatty Di' came to mind.

"You are welcome!"

Di Zhixun stepped aside to let the servant behind him pass, and said, "This is Di Chun. He has been with me for many years. He is meticulous and thoughtful. I have asked him to stay and take care of the eldest son's daily life. He will manage all his needs, including food, clothing, and lodging."

The implication was that they wouldn't trouble Xiao Ran and the others, and wouldn't cause any trouble except for attending classes at the academy.

As for Xiao Ran's house, Di Zhixun hadn't considered it.

I had inquired beforehand and found out that the people living in Xiao Ran's house were all extraordinary.

Li Yuan and several princesses were all there.

The Di family was not an ordinary family, but they were far inferior to these.

Di Chun quickly stepped forward, "Greetings, young master."

Although Xiao Ran's title is low, he is definitely a relative by connections.

This should be treated with caution.

Xiao Ran agreed, but Di Chun still had to go back to get Di Renjie's clothes and such.

Di Zhixun took Di Renjie to meet Li Yuan, Empress Xiao, Sun Simiao, and others.

Yu Shinan and the others went to the school.

“This young man seems quite extraordinary,” Princess Yuzhang said, looking at the courteous Di Renjie.

Li Lizhi had also noticed that Xiao Ran's attitude was abnormal.

Xiao Ran's attitude towards Di Zhixun was fine, and his attitude towards Yan Liben and others was similar.

However, Di Renjie and Xiao Ran were clearly treated differently.

Di Zhixun held a low official position and was not actually known to Li Yuan or Empress Xiao.

Those who could make these two remember were both high-ranking officials of the imperial court.

Compared to the others, Di Zhixun was rather ordinary.

As for accommodation, arrangements have been made.

Di Zhixun said he would pay for the house he was staying in, which was newly built in the village.

Xiao Ran did not refuse. The money was not for Xiao Ran, but for Kaolao Village.

The Di family doesn't lack this money, but Kaolao Village does.

The previous school was not very good; it was rather rudimentary.

The new school is still under construction.

The reason for building it wasn't because it was rudimentary, but because it was a bit small and not big enough. Even with the current number of students, it's a bit crowded.

Children from Kaolao Village can come; no one wants to miss out on this amazing thing, and there's no one who misses it.

Going to school is expensive, so we definitely have to go to the free school in the village.

When they arrived at the school, Chu Liang was already teaching.

Yan Liben took Di Zhixun to visit Yu Shinan, Kong Yingda, Wang Ji, and others.
These talented individuals are the school's most valuable asset.

In particular, Yu Shinan and Kong Yingda had a tremendous influence.

People you might not even see at their homes normally, you can see here now.

Di Renjie was young, but when facing these great scholars, he was neither nervous nor afraid, and his manners were impeccable.

Yu Shinan and the others nodded in satisfaction.

After class, it was Yu Shinan's turn to teach, and he personally took Di Renjie there.

This situation is likely to become quite common.

Xiao Ran won't ask for an exorbitant fee; normal payment is fine.

The money is for Kaolao Village.

This made Zhang Mingde a little excited; he hadn't expected it to be like this.

In his entire life as a village head, he had dealt with villagers and neighborhood leaders, and had never seen such a "respectable" family.

Sending their children to Kaolao Village to study, and even paying the village's fees before leaving, is not "causing trouble" at all; it clearly brings "confidence" to the village.

What pleased him even more was that the "weight" of the school had changed.

In the past, when villagers talked about the school, they would always say, "It was run by Xiao Xiaolangjun, and you only need to know a few characters." Not many people knew about it.

But now, "respectable people from outside" are sending their children here, and from now on, when people in the village talk about the school, they can hold their heads higher.

This isn't some makeshift classroom set up by the village; it's a place where outsiders can confidently send their children.

Perhaps more people will come in the future, the school can last longer, and the children in the village will always have access to education.

Unlike their parents, who spent their entire lives only recognizing their own names and couldn't even read the words on the land deeds.

The school's development far exceeded Zhang Mingde's expectations.

Actually, Xiao Ran didn't expect it to turn out this way at first.

Not only Xiao Ran, but everyone else could see that Di Renjie was no ordinary person.

They are very different from the children in the village.

Wearing a clean padded jacket, speaking politely and without any shyness.

The village children used to hide from outsiders, but Di Renjie was different.

He spoke with the elderly gentlemen Yu Shinan and Kong Yingda in a poised and generous manner.

“These houses aren’t finished yet, so cooking isn’t convenient. Di Renjie can just eat with Si Zi and the others,” Xiao Ran and Li Lizhi said.

“Okay!” Li Lizhi did not object, showing how much Xiao Ran valued Di Renjie.

After giving his instructions, Di Zhixun returned home. He wasn't worried about Yan Liben, who could help take care of things here.

After taking over the tea business, Xiao Yu did not leave Xiao Ran's house, but stayed there to take care of Empress Xiao's daily life.

Although he was in overall charge of the tea business, the specific execution and implementation were handled by members of the Xiao family of Lanling.

He only needed to relay the methods taught by Xiao Ran to his clansmen and guide them to act in accordance with the rules.

The assistance Xiao Ran provided went far beyond just tea-frying techniques.

Those workshop operation ideas that were never before seen in the Tang Dynasty included the modification of special tools for tea frying, such as changing ordinary iron pots into wide-bottomed stoves that are easier to control the temperature.

From the breakdown of the process, including picking, sorting, fixing, rolling, and drying, to the overall planning and site selection of the workshop, which required proximity to tea mountains and water sources, and the need for functional areas within the workshop, Xiao Ran explained everything to Xiao Yu in detail, without any ambiguity.

This systematic approach caught Xiao Yu's eye.

He had previously only known how to make tea based on experience, and never imagined that "doing things" could be so organized, with so many intricacies to be found in tools, processes, and venues.

Empress Xiao and Li Yuan, who were standing nearby, were also amazed when they heard this. They were used to the traditional handmade model, and this workshop concept of "keeping things separate from people" was indeed a novel thing that had never happened in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang also learned of this.

The meticulous Li Lizhi not only recorded the details of the workshop and its operational logic as described by Xiao Ran, but also added her own thoughts and insights, such as "whether the division of labor can be extended to industries such as planting and iron smelting." She then compiled these contents into a letter and sent it to Chang'an to be presented to Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.

While the actual efficiency of this workshop model remains to be seen, its organization and planning alone suggest it will be quite effective.

Only then did Xiao Yu truly understand how wise Empress Xiao's decision to insist on giving Xiao Ran a larger share and to bring him into the cooperation was.

What Xiao Ran provides is never just a single technology, but a "foundation" that enables a business to operate sustainably and even scale up.

With these, the tea business of the Xiao family of Lanling could truly transform from "scattered handicrafts" into "a stable livelihood".

Li Lizhi held the hemp paper that recorded the details of the workshop, her fingertips repeatedly tracing the words "division of labor," "functional zoning," and "tool modification."

The workshop model taught by Xiao Ran was never, for her, a "method of frying tea," but a key that could unlock a new era of prosperity for the people and the nation in the Tang Dynasty.

What struck her even more was the inspiration this model offered for "order".

In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, local artisans often quarreled because there were "no rules to follow," or farmers abandoned their fields because they "did not know how to cultivate them better."

In Xiao Ran's workshop, there are clear rules for everything from the standards for picking tea leaves to the temperature of the withering process, and even the division of the room is carefully considered.

This kind of "rules to follow and regulations to abide by" approach, if extended to local management, could allow village heads to assign farmers tasks such as growing grain, raising silkworms, and weaving cloth according to their "division of labor."

Wouldn't it be better to have the county magistrate regulate the craftsmen's work according to the "rules" and thus reduce chaos and increase stability?
The more Li Lizhi thought about it, the more insights she gained.

This model was something we could never have imagined before.

Li Lizhi once again took up her pen, preparing to write a letter to Li Shimin:
Having lived in Kaolao Village for a long time, I saw a young man teaching Xiao Yu the method of tea making. At first, I thought it was just an ordinary skill, but upon closer inspection, I realized that it contained the "order of success," which was not only designed for tea making, but could also inspire the thinking of all industries in the Tang Dynasty. So I recorded it.

The tea workshop built by Xiao Lang is very different from the old-fashioned handmade tea workshop.

Its stove is not an ordinary small pot, but a wide-bottomed one with an air duct, so the fire temperature can be adjusted according to the needs of tea frying. Tender leaves are fried quickly over a high flame, while older leaves are fried slowly over a low flame, so as not to burn them.

The work is not done by one person alone; the pickers specifically choose one bud and two leaves, while the sorters remove damaged stems and old leaves.
I suddenly realized: the difficulty in accomplishing things in this world often lies in "disorder." If everything could be done in this way, with "things in their proper place and people fulfilling their responsibilities," why would anything fail?
Xiao Ran was aware of Li Lizhi's behavior all along.

Li Lizhi didn't hide anything from Xiao Ran. Fortunately, she took the initiative to discuss it with him and asked him questions if there was anything she didn't understand.

Xiao Ran knew Li Lizhi and Li Shimin's identities, so he wasn't surprised; it was all perfectly reasonable.

Xiao Ran started playing cartoons again in the living room.

Now we have Di Renjie and Yan Yao as well.

When cartoons were shown, Li Yuan and Empress Xiao would go and join in the fun.

It seems that several elderly people also find this kind of thing quite interesting and don't think it's childish.

"When the weather gets warmer, we'll find some time to let the other villagers see it too." Xiao Ran pressed pause. "Sizi, Third Aunt won't go see it for now, she's going out to play."

"Hmmmm~"

The little princess ran out of the living room with a few friends.

“Everyone in the village is watching, I’m afraid the house can’t hold so many people!” Princess Yuzhang said.

"Going outside is fine too. We can find a spacious place tonight so everyone can watch." Xiao Ran thought of it as an open-air movie screening.

"The more people, the more lively it is, the better!" Li Yuan picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Li Yuan's mindset wasn't like this before, but it changed a lot after he arrived in Kaolao Village.

The main influences were Sun Simiao and the atmosphere of Kaolao Village.

This almost made Li Yuan forget that he was the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty; he was now the retired emperor! (End of Chapter)