The old man gave him a push on the back: "Why don't you ride around once and you'll see?" Then he said to me, "It costs 20 yuan for one lap—"
Xiang Yu walked up to one of the horses, strode onto its back, and the horse lurched. But that wasn't all; the funny thing was that Xiang Yu rode without stirrups, his feet barely touching the ground, like he was riding a large dog. Xiang Yu gave me a wry smile and said, "Will this work?"
To make money, the old man quickly walked behind the horse and shouted to Xiang Yu, "Sit tight!" Then he patted the horse's rump, and the horse began to wobble and wander around the arena. It could barely walk, let alone run, and nearly collapsed several times. If Xiang Yu hadn't supported it with his feet, its back would probably have broken.
I quickly called out to Xiang Yu, "Brother Yu, come down! That horse is older than you, show some respect for the old man."
I recognized it: it really was the horse I had ridden.
Xiang Yu dismounted, led the horse back, and stroked its head tenderly, saying, "This horse should have retired long ago."
The old man said, "How am I supposed to take care of myself in my old age? I still need it to support me."
Xiang Yu stuffed 200 yuan into the old man's hand and said, "Take pictures after you've dismantled the place. If your horse keeps running, it's bound to die."
I said, "Shouldn't we skip testing that one?"
Xiang Yu glanced at the other horse and shook his head, saying, "That one doesn't look much smaller than this one."
The old man said, "This is the one that gave birth to."...
Back in the car, Xiang Yu and I were both dejected. I said, "Why don't we go to another park and see if we can find a horse with a soft tongue?"
Xiang Yu lowered his head and said, "No need. Even if such a horse has a soft voice, it can't fight a battle."
I said, "Then what should we do? It seems we can only buy it from abroad. A decent car costs 1 million, and a good horse would probably cost four or five million. That damn old man He, he's really calculating things meticulously!" I said this because the winery has helped me sell Five Star Gin so far and has just earned back a few million.
Xiang Yu said, "A horse's bloodline is one thing, but it also has to be trained; otherwise, it cannot be called a warhorse."
I thought of that too. A good horse needs to have excellent pedigree and undergo rigorous training. Just like cars, there are certain situations where one horse can't compare to another. You can buy a car for 20,000 and another for 20 million, and they look no different—both have a steering wheel and four wheels—but only you know the difference.
Horses are among the most intelligent animals and were one of the earliest domesticated animals, playing a vital role in human history. A good horse can save your life on the battlefield and bring countless joys in daily life; sometimes, it's even as important as your family and friends. However, to enjoy these pleasures, you must pay a hefty price; owning a horse in a modern city is almost unimaginable. For example, a multi-millionaire can spend a million on a car, but someone with only ten million in assets would never dare to easily buy a horse. Therefore, owning your own horse is out of the question unless you're extremely wealthy—my vegetable-selling neighbor is an exception.
So, He Tiandou has already created a huge problem for me regarding the issue of buying horses. Whether domestically or internationally, any horse that is good at running will definitely be expensive, and four or five million might not be enough, because if they win just one race, they can earn far more than that.
Wait, a fortune, a competition… I suddenly remembered the horse that brought me good luck: the lame rabbit. Was it also known as "Repeated Defeats" or "Repeated Defeats and Resilience"? Wasn't it already bought by Jin Shaoyan and now at the Jin family villa?
I excitedly patted Xiang Yu's shoulder hard: "Brother Yu, I've found you a good horse, a lame rabbit!"
Xiang Yu dodged my bear paw and asked in bewilderment, "A rabbit? Can I ride it? A rabbit spirit?"
I ignored him and dialed Jin Shaoyan's number directly. The line went dead with noise; apparently, they were on set. Jin Shaoyan's voice rang out: "Brother Qiang?"
I yelled, "Room check! Prove immediately that you and Shishi weren't in the same bed!"
Jin Shaoyan laughed and said, "Stop fooling around, Brother Qiang, listen to the noise!"
I laughed too: "You really didn't succeed, buddy?"
Jin Shaoyan said bitterly, "I really didn't expect Shishi to work so hard. She slept less than 4 hours a day to rush the filming. How could I have any other thoughts?"
I stopped laughing: "Hey, let's get down to business. Did you really buy that horse named Lu something?"
"You mean you keep trying despite repeated defeats? Yes. It's right here in my house, why are you asking?"
“I’m using this as an excuse.”
“…make it?” My very unprofessional terminology alerted Jin Shaoyan. “You don’t want it to pull the millstone, do you? Who went to your place again, Shennong?”
I briefly told him what had happened recently, and then said, "It's Brother Yu. He needs a horse that can run fast. Should we lend it to him?"
Jin Shaoyan laughed and said, "Why are you asking me? Just take him there. It's just the old lady at home, you know her. She talks about you more than she talks about me, she doesn't even know who her real grandson is."
I said, "Alright, you can get back to work—Emperor Huizong hasn't shown his face yet?"
"Shishi won't allow any skin showing. Her photos like this are too abstract, I'm really worried..."
I hung up before he could finish, started the car, and put it in gear. Xiang Yu asked, "Where to?"
"Find the rabbit spirit!"
I ran all the way to the Jin family villa. Xiang Yu said, "From what you've said, it sounds like you've found me a horse. What do you think?"
I said, "They've pulled off some upsets at the racetrack, so they're definitely fast when they're running!"
Xiang Yu said calmly, "You're an amateur. A horse that can run fast isn't necessarily a good horse. If a horse can only run forward, it's far from meeting the standards of a warhorse."
I said, "Who said it can only run forward? It can also jump!" I lit a cigarette and reminisced, "It's strange, this horse could run so fast, but for some reason it only won that one race and almost got sold to a circus in the end."
"It must be the rider's fault. There needs to be communication between the rider and the horse. If even this cannot be done, the horse's potential will never be realized. It's a pity that people only judge whether a horse runs fast or slow, but rarely pay attention to whether the rider is using the right technique." Xiang Yu said with a hint of sadness, "There are many horse users like Sun Bin in the world, but few horse connoisseurs like Bo Le. I don't know if this is a tragedy for people or a tragedy for horses."
I've noticed that Xiang Yu treated horses better than people, including his sorrow for those two old horses in the park just now. He certainly wouldn't care if an old man was being ridden; there's an old man next to our pawnshop who's been ridden by his grandson for years, and he's never bothered to stop him.
I said, "So you mean horse racing is useless?"
Xiang Yu said, "Let's go take a look, but the chances are slim. Other things might be acceptable, but if this horse isn't strong enough, it can only use three-tenths of its full potential."
His words sank my heart. That lame rabbit was a true racehorse; it probably had never learned the zigzag maneuvering. Even after spending a few days in the circus, I wondered if it had learned to jump through fire hoops. But would that be of any use? Lin Chong and the others had used the horses from theatrical performances before, and those were just makeshift solutions. But this time, Xiang Yu's opponent was Lü Bu!
Finally, I said: "Actually... isn't fighting a war just like riding a motorcycle?"
Xiang Yu: "..."
About half an hour later, we arrived at the Jin family villa. I honked the horn, and the security camera on the gate started snaking and spinning wildly. I quickly peeked out at it, and the gate slowly slid open. It seems the gatekeeper recognizes me, or at least recognizes my car with the padlock…
I drove straight to the front of the building. Old Mrs. Jin had already received the news and came out to greet me, fanning herself with a palm leaf fan. She exclaimed, "Xiao Qiang, you little bastard, it's taken you so long to come see me!"
I got out of the car with a smile, lit a cigarette for the old lady, and said, "I'm afraid you'll unleash your dogs to bite me."