Chapter 220: Chapter 202, Teasing_1
Dong Yuanyao already knew how to ride a horse. After choosing a good name for the horse, she vaulted onto its back with ease. With a flick of the riding crop, she was off, cantering around the corral.
Although not as fast as Xiao Yeyang and the others, her skilled horsemanship still stunned both Daohua and Zhou Jingwan.
“Jingwan, we need to hurry up and learn too,” Daohua said to Zhou Jingwan, then turned her gaze to the date-red horse as if she was getting ready to mount.
“I’ll help you on!” Xiao Yeyang suddenly spoke up and walked toward Daohua.
Daohua decisively refused, “No need, you should go race with my fourth brother. Brother Xiaoliu is here, he’ll teach me.”
Half-grown boys love to show off and can be unreliable. She certainly didn’t want to entrust her safety to their hands.
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Xiaoliu and didn’t say more, but left with a warning, “Be careful helping her. If anything happens to Daohua, you’ll answer for it.”
Xiaoliu hung his head low and hurriedly replied, “I will take good care of the young lady.”
Daohua urged, “Go on with your business, I’m about to start learning how to ride.”
Only after Xiao Yeyang left did Xiaoliu dare to lift his head.
Seeing him drenched in sweat, Daohua was startled, “Brother Xiaoliu, what’s wrong with you?”
Xiaoliu glanced at the departing Xiao Yeyang and said with a sour face, “The Little Prince is too scary.”
Daohua: “… He was just saying that offhand, look at him, he’s usually quite pleasant to be around.”
Xiaoliu cast a sidelong glance at Daohua and silently grumbled in his heart.
Where is he pleasant to be around?
The Little Prince is only somewhat more amiable in front of the young lady. At other times, even when joking with the fourth master, he maintains his stature, making others dare not overstep.
“Young lady, let me teach you how to mount and dismount first!”
“Sure, but you need to hold the reins tightly, so the horse doesn’t suddenly take off.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it. This horse is docile, it won’t run unless it’s frightened.”
“I’m just afraid I might unintentionally scare the horse with clumsy movements…”
Daohua was brave at heart, and being accustomed to practicing with a whip, she was flexible and strong. Under Xiaoliu’s step-by-step guidance, she quickly got the hang of riding.
Soon enough, she could mount and dismount with ease and even began to slowly walk the horse around.
Of course, that still required someone leading, as she was worried the horse might become uncontrollable otherwise.
“Brother Xiaoliu, when can I start riding like Miss Dong?”
Xiaoliu said with a smile, “Young lady, you handle the whip well. Actually, as long as you dare, you can start running now. But since this is your first time on a horse and you’re not familiar with this one, it’s best to get to know Red Date a little longer before running.”
Daohua nodded, no longer fixated on whether to run or not, and rode up to Zhou Jingwan, who lay motionless on her horse’s back, and smiled, “Why aren’t you moving?”
Zhou Jingwan sounded a bit feeble, “I always thought riding a horse was glorious and dashing, but now that I’m learning, I find it somewhat frightening.”
At that moment, Yan Wenkai rode over, “Who made you think of running before you even knew how to walk!”
1
Zhou Jingwan had felt that walking the horse around was dull and had asked a servant to lead the horse into a run. During that, she had inadvertently flicked the riding crop, startling the horse.
The horse bolted forward for a stretch before the servant managed to forcefully rein it in.
So, Zhou Jingwan was a bit scared by the incident.
After understanding what happened, Daohua said, “We’re just starting to learn to ride, so don’t be impatient, all right? Also, when you use the riding crop, try not to use too much force. We’re riding young horses; they’re still small, and if you hurt them, you’ll startle them. Come on, let’s ride slowly together.”
Zhou Jingwan waved her off, “You go ahead. I need to take a moment to calm down.” The fright from the horse had scared her as well.
Seeing her like this, Daohua didn’t insist and continued to ride her horse slowly around the corral.
Suddenly, a hawk flew overhead.
Daohua quickly turned her head and saw the hawk flying down to land on Xiao Yeyang’s arm.
“Come on, let’s go take a look.”
Daohua signaled to Xiaoliu to lead the horse to Xiao Yeyang.
“Is this a falcon?”
Having reached the spot, Daohua deftly dismounted and walked up to Xiao Yeyang, eyeing the bird of prey on his arm and asked uncertainly.
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Daohua and laughed, “Good eye, it is indeed a falcon, a Shaheen falcon.”
Daohua looked amazed and scrutinized the bird, “So this is the Shaheen falcon?” In her previous life, these falcons had been a common feature in movies and TV shows.
Xiao Yeyang raised an eyebrow, “You know about Shaheen falcons?”
Daohua nonchalantly waved her hand, “Read about it in storybooks.”
Xiao Yeyang: “… You’ve read quite a lot of those storybooks.”
Daohua sighed, shrugged her shoulders and said, “There’s no helping it. Unable to visit the various landscapes personally, one can only find solace in travelogues and stories.”
Xiao Yeyang handed the Shaheen falcon to Defu, then curiously looked at Daohua, “Do you really like going out that much?”
Daohua retorted, “If you were confined to the inner quarters all the time, would you be happy?” As she spoke, she let out a wistful sigh, “Walking through this world without really seeing it would be such a loss!”
“Bang!”
Xiao Yeyang smacked his own forehead, clearly disagreeing as he spoke, “At such a young age, it’s one thing to speak like an old sage, but to also act indifferent to life and death without any taboo.”
Daohua moved her mouth but did not argue, muttering instead, “I’m just talking to you, so I wasn’t thinking that much.”
Xiao Yeyang’s expression softened, but he still said seriously, “Overthinking is not conducive to a healthy life. As a young lady in the boudoir, you should just be happy every day.”
Dumbfounded, Daohua thought his words were easier said than done. In life, who doesn’t have worries?
Xiao Yeyang, wanting to say more but seeing that Daohua was no longer speaking, worried that further talk might embarrass her, so he let the matter drop.
Suddenly, his eyes caught the glimpse of feathers shed by the Shaheen falcon during molting, and a teasing smile appeared on his face.
…
After riding for more than an hour, everyone was tired and dismounted to rest.
Daohua had brought BBQ equipment, which Wang Manman, with the help of Defu, had already set up; they were waiting for the gentlemen and ladies to rest before starting the grill.
People headed towards the BBQ stand, and as they picked up the skewers to begin grilling, Daohua and Xiao Yeyang also arrived.
Once the two of them arrived, everyone looked at them and paid their respects.
Seeing this, Daohua felt puzzled. She looked back at Xiao Yeyang, then at herself, and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong with you guys? Is there something wrong with us?”
“Pfft~”
Yan Wenkai was the first to crack, seeing his sister looking utterly baffled and scanning around with bird feathers in her hair; he just couldn’t contain his laughter.
Next was Su Hongxin, who, despite knowing it was impolite to laugh at a lady, simply couldn’t hold it back.
Then came Dong Yuanxuan, Zhou Chengye, and Yan Wenxiu, who all started to snicker, covering their mouths with clenched fists.
Zhou Jingwan and Dong Yuanyao hugged each other, their silence betokened only by their shoulders shaking, clearly unable to contain their mirth.
Seeing everyone like this, Daohua realized what was going on. Her eyes widened, and she angrily glared at Wang Manman, whose face was now red from holding back laughter, “Manman, what’s wrong with me?”
Wang Manman glanced at Xiao Yeyang, then raised her hand and pointed at her own head.
Daohua immediately touched her head and then pulled off a handful of feathers.
“Xiao~Yeyang!”
Daohua let out an angry shout, hastily brushed the remaining feathers off her head, and spun around, intent on grabbing Xiao Yeyang.
Xiao Yeyang was not about to wait around to get caught; he took off, running away as fast as he could.
“Xiao Yeyang, stop right there! If you’d stopped and let me hit you a couple of times, that would have been the end of it; otherwise, we’re not done,” Daohua yelled after him.
“I’m not stupid enough to just stop and let you hit me. If you have the ability, come catch me!”
2