Chapter 164: Horse Racing

As Changxing approached the kitchen, he heard voices chatting away inside.

"Brother Wei San, has the young master arrived?"

"Yes. Some villagers just sent over a wild pheasant and a rabbit, and I had them cleaned. Sister Rong'er, what do you think we should make with them?"

"How about a wild mushroom and pheasant stew, alongside some braised rabbit meat? How does that sound, Brother Wei San?"

"Sounds good. Sister Rong'er, make whatever you like; I'm no help with cooking anyway."

"Well, my granny and auntie are here, so Brother Wei San doesn't need to worry about it. Go on and tend to your business."

"Haha, alright, then I'll head out. Mother, please lend a hand."

"Alright, your mother knows what to do. Stop hovering here and causing a distraction, off you go."

The sounds from within were cheerful and lively.

Hearing this outside, Changxing felt a bitter taste in his mouth. "Brother Wei San" and "Sister Rong'er" were calling each other with such intimacy; anyone unaware would think they were a family.

Just as he was feeling uneasy, Wei San walked out and looked somewhat surprised to see him. "Oh, Brother Changxing, why aren't you following the young master? What brings you here? Does the young master have any instructions?"

Changxing was tongue-tied for a moment, not knowing how to explain, and finally had to go along with Wei San's words. "Ah, the young master sent me to help."

"No need, everything in there is almost done. Come on, let's go to the front hall for some tea. It's newly harvested autumn tea." Wei San warmly came over and threw an arm around his shoulder.

Changxing nimbly sidestepped, causing Wei San to withdraw his hand in slight awkwardness. The atmosphere stiffened momentarily before Changxing awkwardly explained, "The young master and the eldest young master have certain taboos; I must go and inform them personally."

"Alright, go ahead then."

Wei San didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stepped back two paces and peered through the lattice window, catching a clear view of the scene inside the kitchen.

Entering the large kitchen, Changxing first greeted Granny Bai and Auntie Wei before walking over to Bai Rong'er. With a slight flush on his face and a smile, he asked, "Rong'er, what delicious food are you making?"

"Ah? It's Brother Changxing. Why did you come in here? Hurry outside, it's too smoky."

"I... I came to see you."

Bai Rong'er's face instantly turned crimson. Not daring to lift her eyelids, she lowered her head and murmured, "What... what is there to see about me?"

As she spoke, she continued chopping vegetables. Whether from a momentary lapse in attention or a fluttering heart, a sudden "Ouch" escaped her lips as the blade nicked the index finger of her left hand, and bright red blood immediately welled up.

"Rong'er."

An anxious cry of concern sounded by her ear. Her hand was already caught in Changxing's grasp. He pulled a clean white handkerchief from his tunic and pressed it against the wound. Once the bleeding slowed slightly, he wrapped the cloth around her finger a couple of times to bandage it.

By the time Changxing finished all this, Bai Rong'er was still standing frozen in place, her wits having abandoned her for quite some time.

"Your hand is hurt. Why don't you let me help you chop the vegetables while you just handle the cooking?"

Without waiting for Bai Rong'er's reply, he picked up the kitchen knife and grabbed the pheasant nearby. With a flurry of swift strokes, he cut it into uniform little pieces. Perhaps accustomed to practicing swordsmanship, he handled the blade with effortless skill, both fast and neat.

"Young Master Changxing's knife skills are truly impressive, as if he is used to the kitchen," Auntie Wei praised from the side. "Rong'er, since your hand is injured, you might as well let the young master lend a hand."

"That's right, Rong'er, stop standing there in a daze. Go on and cook."

Blushing deeply, Bai Rong'er returned to the stove. As she stirred the dishes, she kept stealing glances back at Changxing, only to find him looking right back at her. Their gazes met; her face flushed slightly, his eyes smiled, and a natural warmth and sweetness flowed between them.

Wei San watched through the window for a long time. Only then did he quietly turn and leave, his retreating figure lonely, a lone leaf drifting down from a tree with the sorrow of a parting he could not avoid.

The dishes made by Bai Rong'er were predictably delicious, and Liu Qin naturally ate until she was stuffed.

After the meal, walking off the food was in order, but they had already toured the entire estate and found it rather dull. Tilting her head in thought for a moment, Liu Qin asked Jiang Li and Xiao Wu, "Shall we go for a horseback ride?"

Jiang Li had long since mastered horseback riding. Liu Qin was still young, so she hadn't started learning yet, but there was no issue with the two of them taking her along.

Xiao Wu nodded, growing excited at the mere thought of galloping horses. There was a small stable on the estate housing three horses, kept specifically for practicing equestrian skills.

Jiang Li and Xiao Wu each selected a horse, and the groom placed the prepared saddles on their backs. With a nimble leap, the two youths vaulted into the saddle.

Liu Qin stepped onto the mounting block, and Jiang Li reached out, lifted her up, and seated her in front of him within the circle of his arms. Only then did he gather the reins and give a light shout, setting the hooves tapping as the horse broke into an easy trot.

The two horses, one behind the other, left the estate and hit the main road before picking up the pace and breaking into a gallop.

"Giddyap!" With the crack of a whip and a sharp cry, flying hooves carried them forward in a swift rush.

From a distance, only a black horse and a white horse could be seen whistling past, leaving a trail of dust in their wake.

"Hahaha..."

Although her backside was rattled a bit, Liu Qin couldn't help laughing out loud. The sensation of the fierce wind brushing her ears, moving at lightning speed, and soaring unrestrained was incomparable—it was simply thrilling.

Her crisp laughter echoed along the deserted main road, startling the birds perched in the trees beside the path into beating wings and flight, though they lingered close by, chiming in with joyful chirps.

"Jiang Li, if you weren't carrying our junior sister, I'd definitely challenge you to a race today," Xiao Wu's excited voice carried through the wind ahead.

"Challenge me then! Carrying our younger sister doesn't mean I'll lose to you."

The competitive spirit of the young men was thoroughly stirred. With another flick of his whip, the white horse beneath him accelerated even further. Just as it seemed he was about to catch up, the black horse exerted itself with a sudden forward surge, widening the gap in an instant and leaving the two of them far behind.

"Haha." The triumphant laughter was sliced into pieces by the wind, stinging the pursuers behind them.

After racing like this for quite a while, they finally reined in their mounts and slowed down to a leisurely walk on the return trip.

Once the tension and excitement faded, Liu Qin leaned lazily against Jiang Li's embrace. Gazing up at the genuine blue sky, white clouds, green hills, and clear waters, a deep sense of happiness and contentment welled up in her heart.

"White clouds drift in the blue sky, horses gallop beneath the white clouds..." Softly humming this fitting tune, she couldn't help recalling that past drunken episode and chuckled softly.

Returning to the crossroads, Jiang Li and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance, and their horses tacitly turned left onto the path leading to Liangzi Mountain.

Liangzi Mountain, once charred black across half its slopes, had not completely erased the scars of the fire, but it was regaining a touch of vitality. Surely, come the next year, tender green grass would sprout forth, and those withered trees would once again embrace spring and burst into new green.

Yes, right here—at the foot of the mountain, beside the forest.

The fierce battle that had taken place here was now a thing of the past, yet deeply branded into their hearts—perhaps a nightmare, perhaps a cherished memory.

This was a place of growth, a rite of passage for young men entering adulthood, and the scene where they confronted cruelty face-to-face.

The footprints they had walked together here—what time could brush away was the dust beneath their soles, but what could never be erased were their side-by-side silhouettes.

Here, with you, me, and him, whatever path the future held, fate had its own designs. Yet that fleeting moment in time would forever be engraved upon the heart...

The three of them dismounted and stood silently before the mountain. The wind ruffled their garments, and their dark hair fluttered together.

At this moment, time froze.

At this moment, the world was at peace! (To be continued.)