Chapter Ninety-Two:
Meanwhile, Chu Yao, who almost became the prince consort of the Northern Frontier, remained completely unaware. He was leisurely riding his black horse, Wuzhui, with two foals on his hands. One foal was pure white, while the other had glossy black fur with only a tuft of white hair on its forehead. The man and the three horses slowly made their way to the Jun family's camp.
After a long and tiring journey, the first thing Wushuang did upon arriving at the camp was to crawl into her tent and sleep soundly.
When she woke up, she opened her eyes and saw Chu Wan dressed in riding clothes, holding her cheeks and smiling as she lay on the head of her bed.
"Shuangshuang, you're finally awake! Hurry up and wash up and change your clothes. Brother said he'll take us horseback riding!" Chu Wan excitedly shook the sleepy Wushuang.
"Riding a horse?" Wushuang yawned. "Can you ride a horse?"
"I don't know how, but my brother said he'll teach me." Seeing Wushuang lying there lazily, seemingly with no intention of getting up, Chu Wan reached out and pulled her up. "Hurry up, my brother also said he's prepared some rare and fine horses for us."
After washing her face, Wushuang finally felt a bit more refreshed. She changed into riding clothes and walked out of the tent hand in hand with Chu Wan. Chu Yao was already waiting outside.
The two foals were so dashing that Chu Wan took a liking to them at first sight and asked repeatedly, "Brother, which one is mine?"
Chu Yao gripped the riding whip, pointed at the white horse, and chuckled, "That's Mantianxue, a four-year-old mare with a gentle temperament, perfect for beginners." He then pointed at the black horse and said to Wushuang, "This is Yunmo, also a mare, but she's seven years old and has a fiercer temperament than Mantianxue. Last time we went out together, I saw your riding skills were quite good; you should be able to handle her."
When Wushuang was ten years old, she learned to ride a horse from Junshu. When her father gave her a horse, his approach was the same as when Chu Yao chose a horse for Chu Wan: he chose a young and docile mare. They were easier to ride and safer. However, as Wushuang's riding skills became more and more proficient, the horse was no longer suitable. Therefore, the Yunmo horse that Chu Yao sent today was just right.
Wu Shuang's sleepy face suddenly brightened. She thanked him, stepped forward, slapped Chu Yao's hand away, took the reins into her own hand, nimbly leaped into the stirrups, mounted the horse, and with a spur of her legs, Yun Mo shot off like an arrow.
"Wushuang, slow down!"
Chu Yao was surprised that she was so excited that she didn't wait for anyone. Helplessly, he called out, but Wu Shuang seemed not to hear him and ran faster and faster.
Chu Yao had no choice but to turn around and say to the guards of the Jun family who were standing guard outside Wushuang's tent, "Please go and inform the Marquis that I will accompany the Third Miss to try out the horses."
Then he tossed the reins of the snow-covered creature into Chu Wan's hand: "Wanwan, get to know it first, and I'll teach you after I bring Shuangshuang back."
Despite its young age, Mantianxue was quite large. Chu Wan stood four or five steps away from it, holding the reins, staring blankly at the giant creature that was taller than herself.
Her brother told her to get to know it, but Chu Wan had no idea how a person and a horse could get to know each other.
Would it be better to get a little closer?
Chu Wan took a timid step forward, paused for a moment, and then took another step.
This continued for a while, and just as they were about to reach the horse, the snow-covered figure suddenly let out a neigh and kicked its hind legs.
Chu Wan was startled and screamed as she backed away. In her fear and anxiety, she even tripped over herself and lost control of the reins.
She sat on the ground, pouting with a wronged expression. She hadn't brought any maids with her when she went horseback riding with her brother, and now there was no one to help or comfort her.
Suddenly a shadow fell over, and a gentle voice sounded above her: "Wanwan, do you need me to help you up?"
Chu Wan looked up and saw Wang Hongbo standing beside her, looking concerned.
Without hesitation, she reached out her hand, but Wang Hongbo did not grasp her fair little hand. Instead, he imitated the way Chu Yao had saved Wu Hui that day, using his riding whip to wrap around Chu Wan's waist and lift her up with the help of it.
Chu Wan had never seen anyone "pull" someone like this before, and couldn't help but giggle, "Brother Bo, you're really ingenious."
She adopted Wushuang's way of addressing Wang Hongbo and didn't hesitate to offer praise.
When the servants of the Jun family went to inform Jun Shu as Chu Yao had instructed, Wang Hongbo was also present. Jun Shu then asked him to come and go with Wu Shuang and the others. After all, in terms of status, Chu Yao was only Wu Shuang's fiancé. Although the Jun family did not object to the two meeting more often to cultivate their relationship, it would still be improper for them to be alone together. With his sworn brother Wang Hongbo present, they would not be criticized for their manners, and it would also provide an extra layer of protection for Wu Shuang's safety.
To everyone's surprise, Wang Hongbo led his horse over and, not seeing Wushuang and Chu Yao, asked the lone Chu Wan, "Why are you the only one here? Where are Wushuang and the Prince?"
"They left me here and ran off!" Chu Wan, pampered since childhood, had a simple and obedient personality, but that didn't mean she wasn't temperamental. "My brother even said he'd teach me how to ride a horse, but all he said was to let me get used to the snow on my own, without explaining how." After complaining while tugging at her foot, she casually asked, "Brother Bo, do you know how to get used to a horse?"
According to Wang Hongbo's original intention, Wushuang, who grew up with him, was of course much more important than Chuwan. However, seeing that Chuwan was all alone, it would be rather heartless to just leave her behind to go find Wushuang and Chuyao.
Wang Hongbo was always gentle and wouldn't do something so cold, so he patiently said, "The method is very simple. You can feed it some food, pet it, and talk to it."
"Food?" Chu Wan tilted her head and thought for a moment. "What do horses like to eat? Carrots?"
Wang Hongbo suppressed a laugh, took a piece of candy from his pocket, and said, "Take this and feed it to it."
Chu Wan happily accepted it, but when she turned her head and saw the snow falling everywhere, she remembered how she had been frightened and fallen to the ground earlier, and she became scared again.
“I…I’m afraid to go near it,” she murmured. “I’m afraid it will bite me.”
Wang Hongbo couldn't keep a straight face any longer and burst out laughing: "Horses don't bite."
"Then why do the horses pulling the carriage wear bridles when we ride in one?"
"You're really observant," Wang Hongbo thought, looking at Chu Wan's earnest little face and finding her exceptionally adorable. "That's not to prevent the horses from biting people, it's to make them easier to control and to prevent them from eating random things by the roadside. If a horse eats something wrong, it can be very serious. At best, it will get an upset stomach and feel weak; at worst, it might go berserk and cause trouble for people. I heard Wushuang say that Uncle Jun almost suffered from this back then."
It sounded really serious. Chu Wan nodded solemnly, no longer doubting Wang Hongbo's words, and walked towards the snow-covered landscape with the candy ball in her hand.
When she first stood beside it, Chu Wan was still a little timid and couldn't help but look back at Wang Hongbo. After receiving his encouragement, she closed one eye and opened her small hand holding the candy ball to Mantianxue's mouth.
Chapter 93 | Table of Contents
Chapter Ninety-Three:
Yunmo was indeed a fine horse. Wushuang rode it around the camp for half a lap and was so happy that his eyes were practically popping out of his head.
However, the camp was crowded with people and tents, so people had to be careful to avoid each other, making it less than ideal for riding horses. This gave rise to the idea of going out to the grasslands for a more enjoyable ride.
Chu Yao had been following behind without interfering, but when he saw Wu Shuang rushing towards the camp gate, he quickly spurred his horse to catch up, grabbed Yun Mo's reins, and stopped the horse abruptly.
"What are you doing?" Wushuang was in the middle of something exciting and was interrupted for no reason, so she was naturally displeased.
Chu Yao coaxed her, "It's dangerous outside, don't go."
Wushuang turned to look around. The grassland was flat and stretched as far as the eye could see. He snorted and said, "There isn't even a hill in sight. Where's the danger?"