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

Xiao Ran nodded. "Yes, I wanted to ask you if you have any plans to learn carpentry?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo quickly asked, "Is it to make a clairvoyant?"

Xiao Ran shook his head. "That's not entirely true. My great-grandfather can make those mirror tubes himself. Even if he doesn't have enough manpower, there are other villagers. I just don't want to keep bothering my great-grandfather when we need to do something in the future."

Cheng Chumo scratched his head, "That's true. Since the young master has a need, then I'll learn it."

Xiao Ran patted Cheng Chumo on the shoulder and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Cheng Chumo quickly waved his hand, "This is no trouble at all, and I'm quite interested in these things."

At this point, Cheng Chumo smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "It's just that I'm clumsy, and I don't know if I can learn it."

"What's the big deal? We don't need to learn anything about carving or anything like that. As long as we know the general idea and can get the hang of it, that's fine. After all, what we make won't be anything intricate; we just need to get the basics right."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Chumo breathed a sigh of relief, "Then I can do it."

Xiao Ran was shocked, "You can?"

Cheng Chumo nodded, "But I only know the basics. If I have blueprints, I can probably make it, as long as it's not something particularly intricate. But if you ask me to make the mortise and tenon joints and draw the blueprints myself, then I can't do it."

Xiao Ran truly didn't expect that he had such talented people around him.

"That's enough."

Then, Xiao Ran thought of how Cheng Chumo shaved bamboo and asked curiously, "But you seemed very stiff when you shaved bamboo? Shouldn't you be able to do everything once you get it right?"

When the topic came up, Cheng Chumo said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm very strong, and those bamboos break easily, so..."

Xiao Ran understood.

Yes, they used bamboo to make toothbrushes, so the bamboo they used wasn't mature bamboo. To be precise, it should be called "bamboo branches".

Some of the thinner ones could even be broken off by hand, so it's no wonder Cheng Chumo couldn't handle them well.

Upon learning that there were now carpenters available, Xiao Ran couldn't wait to drag Cheng Chumo to his third grandfather's house to buy timber.

This timber took someone time to process, and there's also the price of the wood itself, so of course it can't be taken for free.

Before leaving, Xiao Ran mysteriously said to his third grandfather, "Third grandfather, you mustn't go out tomorrow, no, I mean these next few days. Something good is going to happen."

My great-grandfather was puzzled, but since it was cold and he had nowhere else to go, he readily agreed.

Xiao Ran brought Cheng Chumo home, and the servants had already brought over the timber.

"Young master, what are you planning to do?" Cheng Chumo asked.

Xiao Ran even used gestures to describe it to Cheng Chumo.

"First, cut these pieces of wood into small, uniform squares, and then cut them into different shapes, like this."

As he spoke, Xiao Ran drew triangles, circles, and other patterns on the ground, even dividing the triangles into right triangles, isosceles triangles, and so on.

This was easy, so Cheng Chumo grabbed a stool and plopped down on it.

"Young master, just watch, I'll be done in a minute."

Xiao Ran instructed, "These are toys I plan to give to Si Zi and the others to play with. They're called building blocks. Remember to sand them smooth."

Upon hearing that it was made for the little princesses, Cheng Chumo became even more attentive.

"Okay, I'll make sure I don't miss a single burr."

Xiao Ran and Cheng Chumo deliberately found an empty room to sit in. There was a stove burning inside, and the two of them were dressed in thick clothes, so they weren't cold.

Cheng Chumo did his carpentry work with all his heart, while Xiao Ran assisted him from the side.

The wind outside had stopped sometime ago, but the sun still hadn't come out. The clouds in the sky were very thick; if someone in a bad mood saw that, they might feel depressed.

A few barks came from Kaolao Village, followed by the sounds of adults calling their children to eat.

"it is done!"

Cheng Chumo put down his carpentry tools, which he had gotten from his third grandfather.

Looking at the pile of wooden blocks at Cheng Chumo's feet, Xiao Ran picked one up and examined it. Not only was it well-shaped, but it was also very smooth.

"Wow, with your skills, you call this just fur? It's so well done!" Xiao Ran exclaimed.

Cheng Chumo scratched his head. "I was just messing around with this, and that's all I know."

Xiao Ran smiled, put the wooden block into the wooden box, and said, "This is already very impressive. I certainly couldn't make it."

"Young master, dinner is ready."

Xiao Ran turned around when he heard the sound and saw Li Lizhi standing at the door watching them.

"Have you eaten?" Cheng Chumo stood up.

Li Lizhi nodded, "Yes, Hongxiu stewed chicken soup tonight. It smelled so good. I think she also added some medicinal herbs, saying it's good for your health."

Hearing this, Xiao Ran also felt a bit hopeful.

"Let's go, let's go, I'm starving."

Xiao Ran rubbed his stomach. Although he hadn't done any physical work that afternoon, he was still hungry.

So Xiao Ran took Cheng Chumo and Li Lizhi to dinner.

Tonight's dinner was different from usual not only because Empress Zhangsun was present, but also because there was chicken soup on the table and a separate small bowl in front of her.

As soon as Xiao Ran sat down, the little princess snuggled up to him.

"Little Bag~"

Xiao Ran pinched and rubbed the little princess's face; it felt exceptionally good.

"Sizi, eat your food properly, and I'll give you a present after you finish eating, okay?"

The little princess's eyes lit up instantly.

"Good~"

Then Xiao Ran added, "But this gift, Sizi, is for everyone to play with."

The little princess was never a stingy child, so she readily nodded.

Hongxiu's chicken soup was delicious. Although it contained medicinal herbs, it had almost no medicinal taste, so even the little princess didn't mind and drank a small bowl of the soup.

After finishing a delicious dinner, Xiao Ran took the building blocks over.

"Sizi, come and see, this is a toy for you."

These building blocks are the color of wood. Actually, they would look better if they were painted, but they don't have any paint.

But it's just a toy after all, so it's fine if it's not painted.

Looking at the pile of wood, the little princess didn't know where to start.

"Little Nang-kun~ This guy's a blockhead~"

The little princess raised her tiny face to look at Xiao Ran, her eyes filled with confusion.

Xiao Ran sat down next to the little princess and said, "Yes, this is made of wood, it's called building blocks."

"Building blocks~" the little princess repeated.

Xiao Ran picked up a few building blocks and built a simple house.

"Look, this is the house."

Then, Xiao Ran looked left and right, took out a few small items from the basket, and said one by one, "This is me, this is Si Zi, this is Fan Yin and Seventeen, and this is Third Sister."

Xiao Ran put these little things one by one into that simple "house".

"Look, now everyone is together."

Xiao Ran said.

The little princesses were attracted by Xiao Ran's actions. Without Xiao Ran saying anything more, the group of children each took a block and started playing. The little princess even used the blocks to make a flower.

"Little Nang-kun~ Is it cute or not~"

The little princess pulled Xiao Ran aside and asked her if the flowers she had arranged were pretty.

Xiao Ran readily nodded in agreement, "Beautiful, the flowers Si Zi made are the most beautiful."

The little princess smiled contentedly.

After playing for a while, the little princesses and the others went to bedtime.

The kang (heated brick bed) was warm, and the little girls lay on it, falling asleep almost immediately. The next day...

As soon as Xiao Ran opened his eyes, he felt as if he had been jolted by something.

He went to the window and looked out, only to find that everything outside was covered in white.

"Is it...snowing?"

Looking at the snow-covered landscape outside, Xiao Ran suddenly realized that this was his second winter here.

Then, Xiao Ran pushed open the door and went out.

Sun Simiao was meditating in the courtyard when he heard the sound and opened his eyes.

Xiao Ran greeted Sun Simiao with a smile, and then they did morning exercises together.

Di Renjie didn't go for a run this morning. The roads were slippery due to the snow, and it wouldn't be good if he got injured.

Li Lizhi and Princess Zhang Erya's training plan also collapsed midway.

Regardless, they are girls, so they still need to take precautions against the cold.

It's too cold outside after the snowfall for them. They don't want to catch a cold because they haven't been properly prepared. That would be a loss.

So this morning when Xiao Ran was exercising, Li Lizhi and the others could only watch through the window.

window
Xiao Ran suddenly remembered something he had forgotten.

A window was installed in the classroom; I wonder how it is now.

So after breakfast, Xiao Ran went to the classroom first, which also served as a way to take the little princess to class.

Upon arriving at the classroom, Xiao Ran went inside first.

The classroom also had a heated wall and a stove, so it wasn't cold at all.

Xiao Ran then carefully examined the window, even getting closer to feel it. The window was not cracked and there was no draft, which put Xiao Ran at ease.

"Little Nang-kun~ You're in class too~"

The little princess tilted her head and looked at Xiao Ran.

Under the little princess's expectant gaze, Xiao Ran shook his head.

“I don’t go to class, but Sizi does.”

The little princess instantly wore a pained expression.

Seeing the little princess looking like a little bitter gourd, Xiao Ran couldn't stop laughing.

"Haha, how can Sizi be so cute?"

Xiao Ran couldn't resist and went up to pinch the little princess's cheek.

The little princess didn't struggle, but just asked longingly, "Can I skip class then?"

Xiao Ran shook his head decisively, "No, you can't."

The little princess simply placed her head in Xiao Ran's palm and turned her head away from him.

Xiao Ran's laughter was unstoppable.

However, more and more children were filling the classroom, and Wang Ji had already reached the podium. Xiao Ran shook the little princess's head and then withdrew his hand.

"Sizi, study hard, and I'll make you something delicious when we get home after class."

"Okay, that's great!"

The little princess sat up straight instantly.

Xiao Ran nodded, "Yes, it's delicious, so Sizi should listen to the lesson obediently."

The little princess nodded quickly, "Okay~ I'll be your good girl~"

Xiao Ran smiled at the little princess and then went to the glass workshop.

This time, it wasn't just Qin Huaidao and his group grinding glass in the workshop; some villagers who were skilled and patient also joined in.

Glass is rare, so everyone is very careful. Qin Huaidao has repeatedly emphasized that speed should be avoided and quality should be guaranteed.

Upon seeing Xiao Ran enter, Qin Huaidao greeted him.

"Xiao Langjun."

Xiao Ran nodded. "How's it going on your end?"

Qin Huaidao said with a smile, "Not bad. They've already finished one this morning. It really does take a lot of people. I think they're all doing a great job."

Knowing that nothing went wrong here, Xiao Ran felt relieved.

The telescope is currently unique to the hall and will be used for military purposes, so there will definitely not be many produced, and there is no rush.

So as long as Xiao Ran knows there are no problems, nothing else matters.

Xiao Ran asked Cheng Chumo and Li Ke to play jigsaw puzzles again.

This time, they simply pieced together several windows and planned to replace them all for him during lunchtime.

They were all experts at piecing together broken glass; each of them had a pane, and they finished quickly.

Then you apply the glue and let it dry.

After a busy morning, Xiao Ran finished making the windows and headed home.

He hadn't forgotten that he'd promised to make something delicious for the little princess that morning.

Although he no longer needs to cook himself, he still needs to tell the kitchen the recipe.

Actually, this isn't a particularly rare recipe. It's just that Xiao Ran heard about medicinal cuisine yesterday and remembered a type of Chinese pastry he had eaten before called Poria cocos cake.

It has a soft texture and a slightly sweet taste, somewhat like glutinous rice cake, but not as sticky.

Xiao Ran first went to Sun Simiao to get the Poria cocos, and then went to the kitchen.

The cook listened to Xiao Ran's description and pondered for a moment before saying, "This looks like steamed cake?"

Xiao Ran didn't know what the "steamed cake" she was talking about was, but since the recipe was there, as long as it could be steamed, that was fine.

Soon, the cook started cooking, while Xiao Ran went to fetch the little princess and the others.

As soon as he arrived at the classroom, he saw the little princess and a group of children playing in the snow.

"Little Bag~"

The little princess ran towards Xiao Ran as soon as she saw him.

Xiao Ran picked up the little princess, "Sizi, why didn't you go home after class? Aren't you cold?"

The little princess shook her head, "It's not cold~"

Then the little princess pointed to the children in the village and said, "Let's play together!"

Xiao Ran touched the little princess's face, which was already ice-cold, and then touched her hands, which were even colder.

"Let's stop playing now and go home for a nice meal."

Upon hearing that there was something delicious to eat, the little princess immediately nodded.

"Fat family, so good!"

The little princess was going home, so Princess Chengyang, Princess Gaoyang, and the others naturally went back with her.

Upon arriving home, Xiao Ran carried the little princess inside first and then took off her shoes.

Fortunately, the snow wasn't deep, so the little princess's shoes were still dry and her feet weren't cold to the touch, which put Xiao Ran at ease.

He was worried that the cold air would seep in through her feet and that the little princess might get sick.

But the little princess didn't think that far ahead; all she could see were the delicious food Xiao Ran had mentioned.

"Little Nang-kun~ Good morning~"

The little princess craned her neck to look towards the door, wondering if the delicious food was still there and hadn't come in yet.

Xiao Ran was amused by the little princess's impatient manner.

"The food will be ready soon. Let's sit down and warm up first." (End of Chapter)