Even the noble eldest imperial princess Li Lizhi had never eaten these things.
“Do you want some grilled fish?”
“Yes~”
“Young master, I want some too.” Little Princess Chengyang chimed in.
“All right, we’ll grill some in a little while!” He selected several fish and prepared them, removing their fishy smell.
As he prepared to gather dry firewood nearby, Li Lizhi placed the cat on the folding stool and followed along.
Zhang Anan did not stay behind to guard Li Shimin and Cheng Yaojin either.
Watching them walk away, Li Shimin smiled. “I didn’t expect to discover these problems as well. Not bad.”
“Strictly speaking, the imperial court has provided land. In a year of abundant harvest, even after paying taxes, there should still be enough to eat.” Li Shimin also looked toward the hillside on the other side.
Third Lady began walking back with the kaolao Basket.
“Your majesty, there may be special circumstances. The imperial court can take care of the vast majority of people, but it is impossible to attend to every detail.”
Li Shimin nodded. “That’s right! If one cannot satisfy everyone as a person, how much less can the imperial court?”
“The young master’s clothing and appearance indeed do not seem like those of someone who has always lived here, but he seems to know quite a bit about the Great Tang as well.”
“I have the same feeling. Regarding the charity granary earlier, he definitely left some things unsaid. He should know much more. Interesting.”
Coming here to find Xiao Ran was not only for fishing, but also for a free meal.
The grilled fish was prepared the same way as before, wrapped in aluminum foil.
Besides carp and tofu soup and steamed grass carp, Xiao Ran also prepared to make tomato and egg stir-fry.
He had originally thought the tofu was gone, but now he no longer had to worry about that.
Li Lizhi holding the cat sat nearby watching, while the two little princesses likewise sat on folding stools and watched Xiao Ran.
The seasonings had been added too quickly earlier, so Li Lizhi had not paid much attention.
Now that she could see clearly, she asked, “young master, what is this?”
What attracted Li Lizhi was its snow-white color.
“This is salt!”
Li Lizhi leaned closer. “Salt? So white and so fine?”
In this era, ordinary people could still only eat coarse salt. Those with poor circumstances could not even afford coarse salt, and there were also things such as salt cloth and vinegar cloth.
The royal family’s salt was certainly the finest of this era. It could be considered refined salt, but it still could not compare with Xiao Ran’s.
The purification technology was limited. Although there were fewer impurities and it was considerably finer, it still contained other flavors.
It was unavoidable for dishes to have a bitter taste as well.
Nor could its color be made so snow-white.
Li Lizhi was secretly astonished. This was something even better than the Palace Food Bureau’s imperial salt.
Xiao Ran picked up several pieces of rock sugar. “Sizi, Fanyin, try this.”
The little princess held out her little hand. “Yes~”
Seeing the rock sugar in their hands, the two little princesses did not recognize it.
“Little Gentleman~ what is this~”
“Sizi, try it and you’ll know.”
The little princess picked up a small piece and put it in her mouth. “Wow~”
The little girl was both surprised and delighted. “So sweet~ It’s so delicious~”
“It’s sugar. So sweet.” Little Princess Chengyang said excitedly.
Li Lizhi looked at the rock sugar, and Xiao Ran placed some in her hand.
“This flavor is so special, and it’s really sweet.” Li Lizhi looked at Xiao Ran. “Young master, what kind of sugar is this? I’ve never seen it before.”
“This is rock sugar!”
The most common sweetener in the Great Tang of this era should be Maltose, followed by honey.
In this era, both were luxury goods.
The several Princesses could certainly eat them, but they could not possibly have very much.
Li Shimin also liked to eat sugar. He was especially fond of rock honey and had even sent people to learn sugar-making techniques.
The little princess ran over to Li Shimin and Cheng Yaojin with the sugar and directly fed Li Shimin. “Father, it’s delicious~”
Li Shimin did not think much of it and opened his mouth to eat.
The next moment, Li Shimin wore an astonished expression. “Mm, it’s really sweet! Sizi, where did you get it?”
“The Little Gentleman gave it to me~”
“It’s a good thing. This is delicious.” Li Shimin nodded.
The two little princesses also gave some to Cheng Yaojin and Zhang Anan.
Sweet things always made people feel happy, especially children.
Third Lady had gathered almost enough and returned home with the kaolao Basket.
Zhang Dalang and Zhang Erya were both there. They were not idle either, but sat on rocks in the courtyard weaving kaolao Baskets.
“Third Lady is back!” Zhang Erya called out.
“Elder sister, elder brother.” Third Lady ran over, took out the bread, and excitedly told Zhang Dalang and Zhang Erya about Xiao Ran.
She also told them that the bread was special and delicious.
Zhang Erya tasted a little as well, but did not eat much.
The calcium milk biscuits from earlier had also been put away; she could not bear to finish them all at once.
People who had gone hungry liked to store food and would not finish it all in one sitting.
Third Lady placed the biscuits and bread Xiao Ran had given her inside a delicate little kaolao Basket.
Worried that mice or something similar might steal them, she hung the kaolao Basket up.
Zhang Dalang thought they were delicious too, but said nothing and simply kept weaving the kaolao Basket.
“Elder brother, the young master isn’t a bad person.” Zhang Erya spoke softly.
“He gave us so many things. Invite him home for a meal!”
Hearing Zhang Dalang say this, Zhang Erya was still very surprised.
“All right, then I’ll go look around the water pool later.” Zhang Erya did not know where Xiao Ran was.
As noon approached, Xiao Ran’s several dishes were ready as well.
Li Shimin and Cheng Yaojin used up all the bait without wasting a bit.
The fish had also filled the bucket.
“Time to eat~”
“It smells wonderful! We’re lucky to have another feast.” As Li Shimin spoke, he put away xiao ran’s fishing rod.
“Uncle, the food is ready!” Xiao Ran called out.
“All right, all right.” Li Shimin no longer held back. He had brought many gifts earlier precisely so he could stay for meals with a clear conscience, without feeling that he owed Xiao Ran anything.
Li Shimin, Cheng Yaojin, and Zhang Anan sat down and were drawn to the tomato and egg stir-fry on the table.
They had seen the other fish before; only this dish was unusual.
“Worthy nephew, your culinary skills are truly extraordinary. Are you sure you haven’t considered opening an eatery?” Li Shimin asked with a smile.
“No, no.”
“What is this?” Li Shimin pointed at the tomato.
“Father~ it’s red tomato~”
“Huh?” Li Shimin did not understand.
“Red tomato~” the little princess said very seriously.
“Father, what the young sir said is ‘tomato.’” Little Princess Chengyang explained.
Only then did Li Shimin hear clearly.
“It looks good and very appetizing.”
“Try it and see if you like it.” Xiao Ran handed bowls and chopsticks to them.
“Wow~ It’s delicious~” The little princess suddenly felt that even the carp and tofu soup was no longer appealing.
“Sweet and sour, refreshing and delicious. A rare delicacy indeed!” Li Shimin said with a smile. “What a pity your mother did not come. She missed out on such delicious food.”
The pot Xiao Ran used to cook rice was indeed not large; it was only meant for one person.
Li Shimin, Cheng Yaojin, and Zhang Anan still could not eat rice and could only eat fish.
Xiao Ran cooked several fish.
Li Lizhi wanted to ask Xiao Ran to help prepare a meal for Empress Zhangsun.
After eating the dishes Xiao Ran made, she felt that nothing from the Palace Food Bureau tasted good at all.
That was why Li Lizhi had watched so attentively whenever Xiao Ran cooked before.
But she still could not figure out how he did it.
Yet the dishes Xiao Ran made were indeed perfect in color, aroma, and flavor.
“Worthy nephew, when you have time, help your uncle make a meal.” Li Shimin had the same idea as Li Lizhi.