Little Sizi came to my house and became the family's darling, and Li Shimin got anxious.

Time flew by, and two days later, Empress Zhangsun was confirmed to be out of danger and could go home to recuperate.

After completing the discharge procedures, Li Yinxun packed her things into a canvas bag. "Sister, to celebrate your discharge, I'll take you to the countryside for a drive, to get some fresh air and get some fresh air. It'll be good for your health."

Empress Zhangsun nodded. "Very good. I've been in the hospital for several days, and I feel like I'm going to mold."

Having stayed in the deep palace for decades without ever leaving, I never felt bored. Now, seeing the colorful world outside my phone...

The world is so big, she wants to see it.

The rented black SUV was parked in front of the hospital.

Empress Zhangsun led the little princess to the entrance of the building. Upon seeing the enormous thing, she instinctively pulled the little princess behind her and stared at the iron behemoth.

Although she already knew about transportation in this world through her phone and knew that the metal box in front of her was called a car, she still found it incredible.

Li Yinxun opened the car door and patted the seat: "Sis, this is the car, get in quickly, I'm here, you don't need to worry."

The little princess broke free from Empress Zhangsun's hand and tried to climb onto the back seat, but the chassis was too high, and she couldn't climb up despite being covered in sweat.

Everyone laughed.

The little princess didn't understand what was being laughed at and kept trying to climb up. Li Yinxun couldn't stand it, so she scooped her up and put her in the back seat.

Once up there, he just sprawled out, panting heavily.

"I'm so tired Ծ‸Ծ, Qi Youyou."

She needs to eat lots and lots of meat to make up for it!

After this incident, Empress Zhangsun's tension lessened considerably.

After all, it was my first time consciously riding in a car.

Li Lizhi stepped forward first, sat in the back row, and then reached out her hand to Empress Zhangsun.

"Mother, come up here."

Empress Zhangsun got into the carriage.

Li Yinxun got into the driver's seat, fastened her seatbelt, and glanced back at them.

Empress Zhangsun's body was stiff, her hands gripping the handrail above the carriage door tightly.

"Sister, Lizhi, you two pull this belt over and fasten it too." Li Yinxun pointed to the seat belt. "Sister, you don't need to be so nervous. Just think of it as a carriage that's going a little faster."

Empress Zhangsun followed Li Yinxun's example, pulled the belt over, and fastened it with a click.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh."

Li Yinxun started the car. "Sis, let me tell you, the first time I rode a bus was when I was 12 years old. I think it was on the way to a relative's house. The road was narrow and had many curves, and the driver was driving really fast."

"It took half an hour to get to my relative's house, and guess what happened?"

"What's wrong?" All three of them looked curious.

"I threw up; the noodles I ate this morning came out of my nostrils."

"Sis, even on your first ride in a car, you weren't this out of control. You're much better than me."

Empress Zhangsun: "That's because you're a good driver."

Li Lizhi: "Yes, Auntie, you drove very smoothly."

The little princess stood up, clung to the seat, and put her little head close to the air conditioning vent above the back row.

"So fast!" she exclaimed with delight, reaching out to touch the cold air blowing out. "Mommy, this big iron horse is so fast!"

"This is an air conditioner; every car has one."

Empress Zhangsun and Li Lizhi also reached out to feel the air conditioning. Li Lizhi asked, "Auntie, is the air conditioning always on at home?"

"Yes, I've been staying home the whole time, so I've kept it on the whole time."

Li Lizhi nodded. No wonder she always felt that the house was chilly.

Empress Zhangsun closed her eyes to feel the movement. The expected bumps and overturning did not occur. The carriage was surprisingly stable, like a small boat gliding on still water.

I opened my eyes and looked out the window; the scenery was rushing past me.

Li Yinxun would occasionally point things out to them: "Sister, look over there, those are windmills for generating electricity."

"Those are vegetable greenhouses, so you can grow vegetables in winter and eat summer vegetables too."

Empress Zhangsun listened, nodding occasionally, but remained silent.

She silently measured the depth of this world in her heart.

Before today, I only thought the medical skills in this place were amazing, but today I realize that this prosperity is far more than just medical skills.

The fields along the road were even neater than those on the Guanzhong Plain.

The irrigation canals are as straight as lines, and the roads are crisscrossed like a chessboard.

There were no oxen plowing or people hoeing, but countless enormous iron objects moved across the fields.

Four hours later, the car slowed down.

The car window was opened a crack, revealing distant mountains like dark eyebrows and nearby water shrouded in mist. The air carried the scent of earth and vegetation, dry and slightly sweet.

Empress Zhangsun let out a long breath.

The car was parked at the entrance of a large courtyard.

"We're here." Li Yinxun turned off the engine. "This is the farm."

The farm was much larger than Empress Zhangsun had imagined.

White walls and black tiles are hidden among green trees. There is a large pond in front of the door, with lotus leaves covering the surface. Willows droop along the bank and fruit trees are in the distance. There are large orchards in the distance.

Empress Zhangsun looked around.

In Chang'an, only the wealthy and noble could afford to live in such a large manor. But this place was just an ordinary rural farmhouse, a place for people to eat and play.

"This place... is it affordable for ordinary people?"

"It's affordable," Li Yinxun said, holding the little princess and gesturing for them to follow. "It's not expensive. We're just here to have a meal and pick some fruit."

Empress Zhangsun did not ask any further questions, but the shock in her eyes deepened.

Lunch was arranged at the farm's restaurant. Don't be fooled by its remote location; you'll need to make a reservation to eat there.

The food was served quickly.

The first dish is stewed free-range chicken over a wood fire.

The soup, served in a large, rough earthenware bowl, is golden in color, with fine specks of oil and piled high with chicken.

The aroma of the food wafted over, and Empress Zhangsun smelled it before even touching her chopsticks.

Empress Zhangsun scooped up a spoonful of soup and took a sip.

Unlike the rich broth used in the imperial kitchen, this is the natural umami of the chicken itself—rich, intense, as if the essence of the whole chicken has been simmered into the soup.

Pick up another piece of meat; the skin is yellow and the meat is white, it melts in your mouth, even the bones are tender.

Empress Zhangsun slowed down to maintain her etiquette, but her chopsticks never stopped.

This rustic cooking method, though seemingly simple, is more authentic and flavorful than the elaborate imperial dishes served in the palace.

The little princess nestled in Li Yinxun's arms, eating with her face covered in grease.

"Auntie, why don't you let Sizi stand on the chair to eat?" Li Lizhi felt it would be too much trouble for Li Yinxun and was a little embarrassed.

"I want Auntie to hold me." The little princess is becoming more and more attached to Li Yinxun.

"Sizi, you always eat by yourself at home."

"I just want to celebrate with Auntie." The little princess turned her head away, avoiding looking at Li Lizhi, preferring to stay out of sight and out of mind.

Li Yinxun laughed and said, "It's okay. I really like Sizi. Lizhi, you should eat quickly, or Sizi will eat it all."

"Lizhi, listen to Xiaoxun, eat quickly." Empress Zhangsun didn't feel like she was bothering Li Yinxun at all. The better the relationship between Li Yinxun and Sizi, the more beneficial it would be for them to cooperate in building the Tang Dynasty in the future.

Moreover, she could tell that Li Yinxun genuinely liked Sizi.

The little princess nodded vigorously.

Seeing that Empress Zhangsun and Li Yinxun were spoiling Sizi so much, Li Lizhi couldn't say anything.

Next came a plate of roast goose, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and typhoon shelter prawns.

The goose skin was roasted to a bright red color, like amber, glistening with oil.

Empress Zhangsun picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.

The skin is crispy, the flesh is tender, and most importantly, it has a sweet fruity aroma that melts in your mouth.

She tasted it carefully again, then looked up at Li Yinxun, her eyes filled with astonishment: "This goose meat... has a lychee aroma? It's not lychee season now, how can it be infused with the flavor of fresh fruit?"

Li Yinxun explained with a smile, "This isn't made with fresh lychees; it's roasted with lychee wood and seasoned with special condiments. This is plum sauce; you can dip it in it for a unique flavor."

After eating, everyone had their own opinions. The little princess thought it was delicious with its sweet and sour taste, Li Lizhi didn't like it, and Empress Zhangsun thought it was optional.

Cantonese people can't win an argument about whether roast goose tastes better dipped in plum sauce or plain.