“Yes, your majesty!” Zhang Anan replied. Although he was an eunuch, Zhang Anan also had another identity: he was a military general who had followed Li Shimin onto the battlefield.
In a one-on-one situation, he naturally had nothing to fear from an ordinary person.
Li Lizhi led the little princess along the edge of the pond toward Xiao Ran.
Zhang Anan followed behind the two Princesses.
Xiao Ran also saw them approaching.
The float suddenly plunged beneath the surface. Xiao Ran hurriedly pulled the rod and discovered that it was a big fish. There was no way he could pull it straight out, so he had to tire it out first.
Li Shimin and the Others had yet to make a move, but they saw that Xiao Ran had caught a fish, and it seemed quite large.
“Oh, that reaction looks pretty strong!” Qin Qiong exclaimed when he saw xiao ran’s fishing rod suddenly bend.
“Indeed!” Li Shimin nodded.
“Woof, woof, woof!” The Samoyed began barking. Every time Xiao Ran caught a fish, the Samoyed barked.
Hearing the barking, Li Lizhi was certain that it really was a dog.
Li Shimin, Qin Qiong, and the others heard it as well.
“It’s a big doggy~” Although the little princess was young, she knew what it was.
Xiao Ran’s attention was on the fish as Li Lizhi led the little princess over.
Li Lizhi also got a clear look at Xiao Ran’s appearance. His short hair looked rather unconventional, but he appeared spirited.
The white short-sleeved shirt, black athletic pants, and hiking shoes were all things Li Lizhi had never seen before.
If not for Xiao Ran’s Eastern features, Li Lizhi would have suspected that he was one of the hu people.
The common people of the Great Tang did not dress like this.
Xiao Ran did not look at Li Lizhi and the little princess. The fish was larger than he had imagined.
Li Lizhi’s attention shifted to the things beside him: a folding chair, two boxes, and several other unfamiliar objects.
This made Li Lizhi rather curious.
Li Shimin, Qin Qiong, and the others were also staring intently at the commotion on Xiao Ran’s side. Xiao Ran had been unable to pull it out for quite some time, which showed that the fish was very large.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Xiao Ran pulled out a carp weighing more than three jin.
“It’s a fishy~” The little princess saw it too.
That dazed and adorable voice made Xiao Ran unable to resist turning his head.
Only then did he notice that the older and younger beauties were already standing not far away.
The little princess was about two years old. Her hair was tied into adorable buns, and her chubby little face was dazed and cute, making her look as though she had stepped out of a fairy tale.
Beside her, Li Lizhi wore a moon-white high-waisted ruqun dress, with a cicada-wing gauze shawl draped over it and a brocade belt embroidered with a paired-fish pattern tied around her waist.
There were no ornaments on her tall coiffure. It was simple yet far from plain, distinctive and beautiful.
The shawl hanging from her arms fell like drifting clouds, accentuating skin whiter than snow. She truly possessed the bearing described as, “Her manner is rich, her thoughts far-reaching; gentle and genuine, with delicate skin and well-proportioned flesh and bone.”
“Holy crap! She’s gorgeous!” Xiao Ran could not find a suitable adjective for a moment, so he could only resort to “holy crap” to express how he felt.
“Elder sister~” The little princess tugged at Li Lizhi. “What a big fishy~”
Li Lizhi nodded. “Mm, it is!”
Li Lizhi smiled. “Young master, what breed of dog is this? Its fur is as white as snow, and it’s truly beautiful.”
Although the Samoyed was large, it was obviously not fierce, and it constantly wore an auntie-like smile.
“This is a Samoyed.” Xiao Ran did not know where they came from, but he answered honestly.
Xiao Ran knew that the title “young master” had been commonly used during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
Looking carefully at the two Princesses’ clothing, the high-waisted ruqun dress was indeed characteristic of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
After the Song Dynasty, clothing was not like this.
They might be from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, but Xiao Ran had no way to determine the exact period.
“Little Gentleman~ Can I pet it~” The little princess was not afraid. Seeing the Samoyed’s fluffy fur, she wanted to touch it.
Xiao Ran placed the fish in the bucket beside him and said with a smile, “Of course.”
Zhang Anan stared fixedly at Xiao Ran, afraid that he might make some dangerous move.
Being watched like that made Xiao Ran very uncomfortable.
Li Lizhi had previously focused on Xiao Ran’s face, while Zhang Anan noticed that Xiao Ran had a tall, well-built physique filled with strength.
He was no ordinary person either. He seemed to have spent time in the military.
In fact, Xiao Ran really had.
After receiving permission, the little princess took small, short-legged steps and slowly walked toward the Samoyed.
Li Lizhi and Zhang Anan slowly followed as well.
“Big doggy~ Let me pet you~” The little princess had a smile on her face.
The dog seemed to understand. It wagged its tail and glanced at Xiao Ran.
“Mm, go ahead! Xiao Hei!”
Only after receiving Xiao Ran’s permission did the Samoyed slowly walk over and stop in front of the little princess.
The little princess extended her small hand and gently stroked the dog’s fur. “Wow~ It’s so soft~”
“Hee-hee~”
The little princess was overjoyed.
Li Lizhi also squatted down and began gently stroking it.
With such exceptional looks, this was the first time Li Lizhi had ever seen such a beautiful dog.
It was not that the other dogs were ugly, but none of them were as beautiful as this one.
It looked very docile.
Girls had little resistance to such fluffy little animals.
The Samoyed also gently rubbed against the little princess and Li Lizhi.
“So big~ big doggy~”
Since they were unfamiliar with each other at first, Xiao Ran could not find much to talk about. The dog helped tremendously, easing the awkward atmosphere of their first meeting.
Xiao Ran stopped looking at the little princess and the Samoyed and cast his line again. This really was an excellent place for fishing.
Li Lizhi once again sized up Xiao Ran. The fishing rod in his hand surprised her slightly; she had never seen one before, and it looked very unusual.
It was not just the fishing rod. Li Lizhi had never seen most of the other objects either.
Perhaps the fish of this era had never tasted this kind of bait, because one quickly bit the hook again.
Xiao Ran caught another fish weighing around half a jin.
Li Shimin, Qin Qiong, and the others had arrived first, yet they still had not caught anything.
In the eyes of Li Lizhi and Zhang Anan, Xiao Ran was an expert at fishing.
As for the little princess, her eyes held only the dog, and she paid no attention to Xiao Ran’s fishing.
The ball of red bait in front of Xiao Ran also caught Li Lizhi’s attention.
Xiao Ran looked sunny and cheerful, with a kind face. Thus, Li Lizhi was not overly wary of him and felt that he did not look like a bad person.
Li Lizhi walked a few steps closer.
Zhang Anan also moved a few steps closer to ensure Li Lizhi’s safety.
When another fish took the hook, Xiao Ran stood up from the folding chair and rapidly turned the fishing reel. He could feel that this fish was even larger than the previous one.
The last time he had caught such a big fish was during the beginner protection period, when he had just started fishing.
As a veteran angler, he was also highly skilled at tiring out fish.
After the fish struggled until it was exhausted, he slowly dragged it to the shore.
Xiao Ran turned to Li Lizhi beside him. “Madam, could you help me and use the landing net to scoop it up?”
Hearing the other party call himself “young master,” combined with the high-waisted ruqun dress, Xiao Ran could roughly determine the era. In this period, calling her “madam” was appropriate. In any case, he definitely could not call her “beautiful lady.”
Xiao Ran glanced at the landing net beside him.
“Certainly!” Li Lizhi understood immediately and picked up the landing net. Its unusual texture surprised her greatly.
Li Shimin and the others had no use for a landing net, nor did they have one.
But the moment Li Lizhi saw it, she knew how to use it.
“Madam, let this old servant do it!” Zhang Anan was not entirely reassured.
“Uncle Zhang, there is no need!” Li Lizhi stepped forward and directly used the landing net to pull the fish out.
Xiao Ran could have hauled it ashore himself, but he spoke up anyway because he wanted to interact with them.
Xiao Ran also knew that if he asked at a time like this, the other party certainly would not refuse him.