The old lady patted me, winked at me, and whispered in my ear, "Little Jinzi, who has been through a lot, is still more pleasing to the eye." It seems she also knows about Jin Shaoyan's return.
I pointed to Xiang Yu and introduced him to her, saying, "This is my friend." Then I whispered, "You don't need to hide anything from him; he's one of us."
The old lady was amused by my secret code-like manner, and glanced at Xiang Yu, sighing, "Wow, this big guy, he's probably not shorter than Yao Ming, right?" Xiang Yu laughed too.
The old woman said loudly, "Since you're here today, don't leave. My persimmons are just finished ripening, so I'll let you try some vegetables grown with manure."
Me and Xiang Yu: "..."
I led Grandma Jin to the small shed and said, "Grandma, I've come to ask you for a favor today."
Grandma Jin glared at me and said, "I knew you wouldn't come even if there was nothing wrong, you little rascal! Who wants to make a movie now? This big guy? Who does he want to play?"
"We don't make movies. Did Xiao Jin bring a horse back to your place a while ago?"
To everyone's surprise, the old lady immediately became cautious upon hearing this: "You want to borrow it?"
"yes."
"Are you going to ride it?"
"Of course I'm riding it! What's wrong, old lady? Are you reluctant to part with it?"
Grandma Jin smacked her lips and said, "To be honest, I really can't bear to part with it. I usually have no one to keep me company, just me and Xiao Hei. I treat it like my own grandson—which of you two will ride it? The big one? Don't crush Xiao Hei!" The lame rabbit has a new name now.
Xiang Yu chuckled and said, "I'm just taking a look, and I'm probably not satisfied. But even if I don't ride it, I can still help you assess the horse and correct any flaws."
Hearing him say that, Grandma Jin hesitated before instructing the servant, "Go, bring out my little black dog and let them see it."
After the servant left, the three of us sat under the pergola, chatting idly. Grandma Jin looked Xiang Yu up and down and asked, "Big guy, what's your name?"
I quickly said, "You can just call him Xiaoyu."
Oh, you can ride a horse?
Xiang Yu smiled slightly: "I could ride a horse when I was 4 years old."
As we were talking, the servant brought over the lame rabbit. This horse was truly enjoying itself; it had no saddle, no bridle, and the servant carefully led it out, wrapping a long towel around its neck. Looking closer, I realized the lame rabbit was unusually large, its pure black coat gleaming and glossy, its mane neatly trimmed and imposing. From afar, it swayed with every step, its oily coat trembling slightly. It truly had a majestic air, like a black unicorn, giving the impression that it could soar through the clouds with a mere stomp of its hoof. But upon closer inspection, I discovered that this horse had probably grown accustomed to a life of leisure; its gait was somewhat languid, and its eyes held a hint of cynicism, like a spoiled young master.
As we were watching, we suddenly heard a loud crash beside us. Xiang Yu abruptly stood up, knocking over tables, teapots, and other items in the pavilion. I looked up to ask him a question, but saw his eyes fixed on the lame rabbit, his hands and feet trembling slightly. I thought to myself, "Oh no, could it be that Xiang Yu has been tempted by that big, fat horse?" I've heard my dad say that my grandfather didn't eat meat for three years during a difficult period, and when he suddenly saw a pig in the countryside, he reacted like this.
At the same time, the lame rabbit stopped abruptly. The horse, being very alert, had probably already sensed something, and then, tilting its head slightly, it saw Xiang Yu…
To my surprise, the beast's eyes could change! It blinked innocently first, then lowered its head slightly, as if it were a little surprised, a little aggrieved, and a little awe-inspiring. It took a small step back, then a few small steps forward, as if it wanted to move closer but was hesitant.
Xiang Yu suddenly shouted, "Zhui!"
I was startled: "Chasing whom?"
Upon hearing his shout, the lame rabbit immediately stomped its little feet joyfully towards us. Without a second thought, it crashed into the shed, rested its head on Xiang Yu's shoulder, and nuzzled against him affectionately.
Grandma Jin looked a little dazed. I was even more dumbfounded, and it took me a long time to ask, "...You two know each other?"
Xiang Yu patted the lame rabbit affectionately on the neck, not saying a word to us. Suddenly, he mounted his horse, pointed to the vast grassland before him, and shouted urgently, "Tsk!" The lame rabbit lifted its two front hooves, sprang up its hind legs, and shot forward three or four meters in the blink of an eye. Grandma Jin called anxiously from behind, "Hey—big guy, the saddle isn't on yet!"
Xiang Yu leaped off the bareback of his horse, one hand on its ribs, the other supporting its back. He remained remarkably steady on the seemingly bumpy ride, as if the horse were an extension of itself. The lame rabbit, overjoyed to see its master, initially ran with a slight limp, but after turning halfway, it became increasingly stable. With a stomp of its front legs and a push of its hind legs, it leaped several meters. Finally, its pace quickened, its hooves thundering across the grass, galloping like an arrow, each time passing us like a black lightning bolt, magnificent and majestic. Xiang Yu on horseback had already vanished into the wind…
It took Grandma Jin a while to recover from her astonishment. She watched for a while longer before picking up a cup of tea and slowly saying, "I've never seen Xiao Hei run so fast."
I forced a smile and said, "Really? Hehe." To be honest, I've never seen it before either. Compared to this, the time it won the game was nothing.
Grandma Jin said calmly, "It seems I can't save my little black dog."
"Hey... I'll just ride it for a few days, then I'll bring it back to you."
Grandma Jin sipped her tea and said slowly, "Don't think I don't understand horses. A good horse is like a good woman; once it's with you, it won't choose anyone else."
Xiang Yu rode around the horse for about ten more times, then squeezed his legs together. The lame rabbit let out a loud cry, its voice like a rainbow, its eyes brimming with boundless joy and brilliance. Xiang Yu jumped off his horse, put his arms around the lame rabbit's neck, and roared to the sky. Even the beast's eyes were filled with tears.
After the two of us cuddled for a while, I said, "Alright, the old lady is already planning to give you the rabbit spirit."
Xiang Yu quickly straightened up and bowed deeply to Old Lady Jin, saying, "Thank you, old lady. I am deeply grateful." I whispered in his ear, "Is it Wuzhui?" Xiang Yu nodded firmly.
The lame rabbit playfully poked its head out from beside Xiang Yu's shoulder and looked at us. Seeing this, Grandma Jin smiled slightly and said, "I'm afraid this is just returning it to its rightful owner—Big guy, didn't you know Little Black before?"
Xiang Yu could only nod and say, "Its name is Zhui."
Grandma Jin sighed, "I even had someone make a finely carved saddle for it, but it's never been used. I'll give it to you as well. By the way, do you have a place to keep horses?"
I looked at Xiang Yu and said, "We can cultivate talent; we have land and grasslands wherever we need."
"Then how will you get there?" Grandma Jin asked worriedly.
Xiang Yu placed the brand-new saddle on the horse's back, tightened the girth, and said, "I'll ride it."
I yelled in frustration, "Do you have a driver's license? Do you have a vehicle registration? What if the traffic police stop us?"
Grandma Jin said, "Just say it's for filming. If that doesn't work, give me a call." As she spoke, the old lady went to the lame rabbit and lovingly stroked its cheek.
Xiang Yu patted the lame rabbit's back: "Zhui, quickly thank Grandma." The lame rabbit was very intelligent and seemed to realize that the parting was imminent. It licked Grandma Jin's hand reluctantly.
I said to Xiang Yu, "Could you change your name? One-character names sound so Hong Kong/Taiwanese!" I get goosebumps whenever I hear someone on TV calling out names like Feng, Ling, or Hui with such tenderness. Besides—it's inconvenient to pad out a one-character name. Look at Ximen Chuixue, how many characters is that? Look at Maria Ozawa, how many characters is that? Look at Kojiro Sasaki, how many characters is that…
I stroked the black horse's nose and said, "You used to be called 'Repeated Defeats and Perseverance,' which was ultimately unlucky. I named you 'Lame Rabbit,' but now that your leg is no longer lame, how about we call you Rabbit?"
The lame rabbit gave me a disdainful look and turned its head away. I quickly tried to reason with it, "How about calling it Little Lame? Little Leg? Little Bunny?" The lame rabbit snorted and lowered its head to eat grass.
Xiang Yu looked at Grandma Jin gratefully and said, "From now on, call it Little Black." The lame rabbit actually nodded elegantly. This beast is truly a genius!