lcionline Chapter 319 Learning to ride a horse
Chapter 319 Learning to ride a horse
After resting for two days at the post station, the mission hurriedly set off again. As they traveled north, the weather gradually cooled, and they changed from their light summer clothes to thicker autumn clothes at the post station.
Inside the carriage, the young woman excitedly peered out the window, fully recharged after two days of rest. Xia Yu ignored her, closing her eyes and immersing herself in her spatial dimension. She was currently using her consciousness to plant chili peppers within it. The carriage was too cramped; unlike on the boat, she couldn't move around freely. She was now regretting not buying a few storybooks in the capital to pass the time on the journey.
Nineteen thought Xia Yu was resting with her eyes closed, so she gestured for the excited girl to be quiet, and then closed her eyes to meditate.
"Ugh...ugh..." Xia Yu and Shijiu were both awakened by the sound of retching beside them. When they opened their eyes, they found it was Da Niu, who was sticking her whole head out of the carriage and vomiting. Shijiu quickly reached out and gently patted her back to help her catch her breath.
After she finished vomiting, she turned around and saw Xia Yu, her voice trembling with tears and a hint of grievance as she spoke.
"Miss, I feel terrible, I get carsick." She had barely finished speaking when she couldn't help but stick her head out and gag twice.
Xia Yu reluctantly took out a medicine pouch from his sleeve and handed it over.
"Quick, take a sniff. Luckily, I brought two with me when I got off the ship."
Da Niu took the medicine pouch, held it under her nose, and sniffed it intensely, trying to use the scent inside to suppress the stale air in her chest.
At noon, the delegation stopped and set up a stove to cook. The next town was still two hours' journey away, so they simply boiled some water in the open and ate some flatbread and salted meat they had bought before setting out. Then they had to hurry on their journey, hoping to reach the next town before dark.
Xia Yu and Shijiu helped Da Niu down from the carriage so that she could walk around outside and alleviate some of her motion sickness.
"Miss, I'm so sorry. I haven't done anything along the way, and it's been so hard for you and Nineteen to take care of me. I've never gotten carsick before when I went to the county town with you and Madam!" Da Niu said to Xia Yu and Nineteen, feeling very embarrassed. She really didn't expect that she would get carsick in addition to seasickness.
"Short distances might not be a problem for you, but this symptom only appears after long carriage rides. Don't think too much about it; it's not something you can control. Maybe you'll get used to it and it won't bother you anymore!" Xia Yu thought of her own experience with bus gait in her previous life, which eventually subsided after she got used to it from riding it so often.
Shen Luo and Chang Yun also got out of the car to stretch their legs. When they saw Xia Yu and the others, they walked over. Before they even got close, they heard the conversation between the three of them.
Shen Luo said with a grin
"Big Sister, you'll probably only be able to travel by horseback from now on!"
To everyone's surprise, the sickly-looking girl's eyes suddenly lit up when she heard Shen Luo's words. How could she not have thought of that? She could ride a horse!
Seeing the girl's bright eyes, Xia Yu and Shijiu exchanged a glance, knowing that the girl was smitten.
After a quick lunch, everyone packed their things and prepared to set off again. This time, Da Niu didn't ride in the carriage with Xia Yu; instead, she clung to a guard.
"Brother guard, please teach me how to ride a horse. I'll treat you to drinks when we get to the next stop," the young woman said to a young guard.
"Go away, go away, little girl, what are you doing riding a horse? What if you fall off? You should just go with your young lady and ride in the carriage." The guard who was being pestered by the young lady waved her away impatiently.
"Big brother, don't underestimate me. Although I'm just a little girl, I'm very capable. You might not be able to beat me in an arm wrestling match," the young woman said proudly to the guard.
These guards were not the same group that escorted them to the capital, and since Da Niu had been feeling unwell due to seasickness since they set off, they were unaware of Da Niu's extraordinary strength and no one took her seriously.
Upon hearing Da Niu say this, her teammates started to tease her.
"Wow, this little girl is quite the talker despite her young age," said Guard A.
"Yeah, she dares to try and outmuscle us men? Old Meng, break her up, she's seriously underestimating her," said Guard B.
"Go away, go away, what's all this commotion about! It's not honorable for a grown man like me to arm wrestle with a little girl." The guard named Old Meng said irritably to his brothers, as he loaded his luggage onto his horse and nimbly mounted. Sitting high on the horse, looking down at the beautiful woman, he smiled and said...
"Little girl, you should go ride in your carriage. Besides, you can't ride a horse in that dress."
Hearing him say that, Da Niu looked down at her cotton dress and returned to her young mistress's carriage, somewhat dejected. This time, however, she insisted on sitting outside the carriage.
Seeing the somewhat disappointed look on Da Niu's face, Nineteen smiled and said to her...
"Big Sister, I'll teach you how to ride a horse when we get to our resting place."
The young woman looked up at Nineteen with surprise, as if she had discovered some treasure.
"Oh right, how could I forget that you can ride a horse? Dear sister, teach me to ride a horse when we get to the post station."
"Teach me too," Xia Yu's voice came from behind them. The journey had been so boring that she wanted to find something to do.
"Okay," Nineteen nodded emphatically to the two of them.
Now let's talk about Zhangjia Village.
Since Changyun and Xiayu left, Liu Shi has been like a lost soul, unable to adjust to life. The thought of the hardships her two children might suffer makes her want to cry. She loses her appetite and spends her days wondering where the days have gone!
Seeing that this situation wasn't working, Zhang Youtie tried to distract Liu Shi by finding something to do. Remembering what his daughter had said before she left, he suggested going to the prefectural city. However, Liu Shi disagreed, insisting on staying home, afraid of missing any letters from her son and daughter.
In the end, for reasons unknown, Zhang Youtie actually came up with the idea of hiring a troupe of opera singers to perform at his house for two days. He planned to invite all the relatives over, keep Liu Shi busy, and alleviate her sorrow of missing her children.
After hearing his idea, Liu was somewhat tempted. However, thinking about how her children were still suffering outside while she was throwing lavish banquets at home, listening to music and opera, she felt she was letting her children down.
Hearing her say that, Zhang Youtie became even more insistent on hiring a troupe to perform. He felt that Liu Shi was almost obsessed. He acted immediately, sending Uncle Ma to hire the opera troupe, having Aunt Ma at home draft the guest list, and having Aunt Zhou in the kitchen handle the menu and purchasing.
When the news spread, many people in Zhangjia Village were excited. They gathered at the village chief's house to discuss hiring a theatrical troupe to perform in the village. The stage would be set up in the drying yard, and anyone who wanted to watch could come. The villagers could also take this opportunity to have some fun. The cost of hiring the troupe would be borne by the villagers themselves, and they could contribute as much as they pleased.
After listening to everyone's requests, the village chief thought about it and decided that it was feasible, so he went to talk to Zhang Youtie about it.
“That’s a good idea. Our village is doing quite well now, so we should hold some events like this to let everyone see the changes in Zhangjia Village. I’ll contribute one hundred taels of silver for this, and the workshop will be closed for two days so everyone can join in the fun.”
“Alright, since you say so, then it’s settled. I’ll go back and inform everyone about this. How much you contribute is up to you, and if it’s not enough, the village will cover the rest.” The village chief tapped his pipe on the ground, and that was the end of it.