Chapter 297 Horse

It was not yet noon when the boy returned to the guesthouse. The boy and his uncle went back into the house to drink a lot of water. When they came out again, they found that there was no one in the open space outside the door. They heard voices coming from the north, and the uncle and nephew ran over quickly.

Qingshan brought Wuzhui over. The black horse was already half full, its glossy black coat gleaming like glossy satin in the sunlight. The muscles beneath its skin seemed to be steaming and sweating, accentuating their perfect shape. Zhao Xiping watched it from two steps away. When their eyes met, the horse's arrogance was evident, its eyes completely dismissive. He walked to its side and reached out to touch its belly. As soon as he touched, it immediately dropped its hoof, moved away, and lowered its head, attempting to attack him.

Qingshan took two steps forward nervously and blew the whistle loudly. The sharp and piercing sound disturbed Wuzhui and made him shake his head. Zhao Xiping took the opportunity to step back.

"Hey, you two can't come close. Stay away." When the boss Li saw Sui Liang and the kid, he put his hand out to block them and said, "Just stand here and watch. Don't get close. Be careful, the horses might kick you off."

Sui Yu turned around when she heard the sound. She gestured to stop Sui Liang and the cub from getting close.

"Sir, please feed him some dates first." Qingshan handed over a cloth bag filled with dried dates and said, "This horse has a bad temper. It only allows people to approach when it is feeding. After a while, we can touch it. You are still a stranger in its eyes, and you are so big that it is afraid of you approaching it."

Zhao Xiping gave a short laugh. He took the cloth bag, looked at Qingshan, and said, "Not bad. You're good at saying nice things. You're afraid I'll lose face."

"I'm telling the truth." Qingshan continued to flatter.

Zhao Xiping ignored him and held the cloth bag without moving, as if he was trying to test his patience with Wuzhui. After a while, when the black horse lowered its head to nibble on the grass, he dropped the cloth bag, took a big leap, grabbed the reins with one hand, pressed the horse's back with the other, and quickly mounted the horse by stepping on the stirrup.

The black horse neighed and swayed its body from side to side, trying its best to throw the person on its back off. Not only that, it broke through the crowd and ran quickly, jumping continuously while running, with its front legs raised, trying to turn the person on its back upside down.

The black horse carried the people farther and farther away, and the people left behind looked at it nervously. Zhao Xiping was shaking like a tumbler on the horse's back and almost fell off several times. Sui Yu and Sui Liang gasped in fear.

Zhao Xiping felt that the lower limb strength that he was proud of was gradually weakening, and the horse under his crotch was becoming more and more violent. After he realized what was going on, when the black horse jumped again, he took the opportunity to drop the reins, pulled his feet out of the stirrups, used his hands to gain leverage, jumped and landed, and did not dare to relax after landing. He rolled three times in a row to distance himself from the black horse, and immediately ran away.

People in the distance couldn't see his movements and thought he was thrown off the horse. Sui Yu screamed in fright and ran over immediately. The others followed. Not long after they ran, they saw Zhao Xiping stand up and they breathed a sigh of relief.

There was a long distance between the two places. The black horse had calmed down, and Sui Yu and his group had not yet run over. Zhao Xiping approached tentatively, and before the black horse suddenly jumped up and kicked people, he hooked the reins dragging on the ground and led it back.

"What happened? Did you fall? Are you okay?" Sui Yu was panting heavily with exhaustion, and looked at the disheveled man nervously.

"No, I jumped off the horse myself. I didn't fall off the horse, so I'm not injured." Zhao Xiping explained. He pointed to the tall horse following behind and said, "It looks down on me, and I can't tame it. You can find another owner for it and sell it for a good price."

"Now it looks normal again. Before, it was like a mad horse." Mr. Xu sighed.

"Don't talk nonsense. A good horse is hard to tame. It has a good bloodline, so it is naturally arrogant. It has nothing to do with whether it is crazy or not. It's just that we are not destined to be together." Zhao Xiping denied the crazy horse rumor. When this word got out, Wuzhui's value was greatly reduced.

"I just said it casually, I didn't mean it that way." Boss Xu explained, "That's just the nature of a Ferghana horse. It won't obey anyone, and even if it does, it only recognizes that one master, and only obeys the strong."

Zhao Xiping threw the reins to Qingshan and said, "Take it away. Be careful and don't let anyone get close to it, otherwise it will hurt anyone."

Qingshan let out an "Ah" and took out three sweet dates and threw them to the horse, and it walked away with him.

Xiaozai and Sui Liang walked up behind Zhao Xiping. One of them picked the grass scraps off his body, while the other brushed the dirt off his legs. Seeing this, Xu and Li teased, "Captain Zhao is so lucky to have two good sons."

Sui Liang paused in picking up the grass leaves, then leaned forward to explain, "No, it's my brother-in-law..." Realizing they were joking, he immediately changed the subject, "My brother-in-law is a big, strong man. How could he be so lucky as to have a son as dashing as me?"

Xu and Li laughed loudly, and Sui Yu also laughed.

Zhao Xiping pulled the cub out and said, "Why can't I give birth? My son is much more dashing than you."

"That's just like me." Sui Liang shamelessly took the credit and said, "My nephew looks like me and has the same personality as me."

The kid moved his mouth. On one side was his uncle, and on the other was his father. Denying anything he said would offend them. So he simply stopped talking, lowered his head and continued to pick grass, pretending to be very busy.

A whistle sounded not far away. Sui Yu looked up and saw Qingshan gesturing with his hands. Following his movements, she vaguely saw someone over the camel grazing at the guesthouse.

"He left and went back. It seemed like a visitor came." Zhao Xiping also saw it.

It was Captain Qu and Captain Hu who came with a group of thousand households. The merchant caravans of Sui and Song and the merchant caravans of Xu and Li successively brought two batches of Dayuan horses into the city. The news spread on the same day, and today these people came here as scheduled.

Captain Qu took a liking to the black horse in Qingshan's hand. As soon as the horse's body was revealed, he recognized the breed of the horse at a glance.

Zhao Xiping saw the eagerness in his eyes. He exchanged a glance with Sui Yu and said, "Sir, this horse is of good appearance, but it refuses to be managed, let alone obeyed. I just fell off its back. To be honest, I want to persuade you not to try, but you will definitely be unwilling to do so. How about this, you go ahead and try it first. If it refuses to obey you and refuses to recognize you as its master, don't force the horse to buy it, otherwise both of you will suffer. Give it a chance to find a good owner."

Captain Qu was a man of generous character, not a petty person, and he did not mind what his subordinates said. A good horse can only show its true ability when it meets a good horse trainer. If he was not that good horse trainer, buying this good horse by force would be a waste of its rare physique, and pearls would be raised into fish eyes.

"Okay, I'll try." Captain Qu took off his robe, which was in the way, and removed the knife at his waist and the ring on his finger. He shouted to Qingshan, "Bring the horse over here."

Xu and Li quickly moved away. Having seen Wu Zhui's fierce temper, they were afraid that if they got too close, they would be accidentally injured again.

Sui Yu looked at Sui Liang and the little boy. Without her instructions, the uncle and nephew had stayed away.

The black horse seemed to see the purpose of this group of people. It snorted impatiently, and every hair on its body exuded irritability.

Captain Qu took the reins and fed the dried dates Qingshan offered him, trying to build a closer relationship with him by feeding him. However, Wuzhui refused to give him any respect and raised his hoof to kick him.

"He's quite a hot-tempered fellow," Captain Qu said.

"Sir, you have to be careful." Zhao Xiping was now even more nervous than he was riding his own horse. "If you plan to force yourself on the horse, if you feel something is wrong, you must find an opportunity to jump off."

Captain Hu's eyes flashed. He stepped forward and said, "Sir, let me help you pull the horse."

"No, once the horse goes crazy, five people together can't hold it down. If you want to restrain it with the reins, it will kick you to death along with you." Zhao Xiping spoke to him bluntly.

The eager look on Captain Qu's face faded a little. He glanced at Captain Hu, dropped the reins, and said, "Captain Hu, give it a try? You're young and strong, see if you can control it."

Captain Hu's body had long been hollowed out by alcohol and sex. The shadows under his eyes were darker than horse hair, and he had no strength. He smiled awkwardly and retreated, saying, "I'm not a good horseman. I don't even ride camels often, so how can I ride a horse?"

Sui Yu curved his lips and smiled. He was really as stupid as a pig. He had been to the battlefield, but he couldn't even ride a camel. He didn't know how he became a captain.

"Forget it, the horse is unwilling. Let's not force it. Take it away." Captain Qu said to the servant.

Qingshan was stunned. He had already taken the initiative, so why didn't he ride anymore? He looked at the host and then led the black horse away.

"I'm going to cook. It's almost noon." Sui Yu spoke to Zhao Xiping in a neither loud nor soft voice. "Please invite the captain and the other captains to have lunch at our house."

"You're welcome. We'll go back to the city soon," said Captain Qu.

"This is your first time here, so please stay for a meal. You've taken so much care of my wife and me, and we've never had the chance to thank you." Sui Yu said, "I brought back a few jars of unopened mare's milk wine from Dayuan, and I invite you all to stay and try some."

Captain Qu also loved wine, so he didn't refuse after hearing this. He apologized for bothering him and asked Zhao Xiping to lead the way to see the horses.

Captain Hu and several captains followed.

Xu and Li looked at each other and followed silently.

"Wow, this pony's coat is so impressive," Captain Qu exclaimed. "This is the first time I've seen a horse this color. When it grows up, it will be as good as the black horse."

"It's a different breed. When it grows up, it will be the same size as these horses, with shorter and thicker legs and longer fur." ​​Zhao Xiping explained. To prevent Captain Qu from getting any ideas, he said in advance, "This is what my wife found for our child. We've given him the common name Golden Wheat Ear."

It is indeed a bit vulgar, but it also suits the child's temperament, Captain Qu thought to himself.

"How much did you buy this pony for?" Captain Gu stepped forward and said helplessly, "Your brother-in-law has a bay horse, and my two sons are jealous. I've finally given up on raising horses, and now your son has a horse too. We didn't know about it yet. If your son shows off in a few days, my family will be in turmoil again."

Zhao Xiping couldn't say anything about the bid. That was the downside of doing business with colleagues; you had to be considerate of your reputation. He beckoned Xu and Li over and said, "Are your caravans still going to Dayuan? Can you find two bright-coated ponies for Captain Gu? What's the approximate price? It'll give Captain Gu some peace of mind so he can save money over the next two years."

"A pony of this color is rare, and it will cost about four thousand coins." The head of the Xu family spoke. He had already flattered one captain, so he didn't need to please another, so he bid the price without any ambiguity.

"If it's a black or chestnut pony, you can get it for 3,500 or 3,600 coins," said Mr. Li.

Captain Gu's plan was dashed. He shook his head and said, "I'd have to save up eight years' salary without eating or drinking to be able to afford it. Well, I'll buy the two boys two local ponies then."

Captain Hu snorted and laughed, but no one paid any attention to him. The group continued to look at other horses.

After about half an hour, the cub came running and shouted, "Dad, my mom has prepared dinner. Please follow me, everyone."

Zhao Xiping responded and led the others back.

Captain Qu saw the child standing under the wall to avoid the shade. His rosy lips and white teeth were really pleasing to the eye. He looked at Zhao Xiping and thought that this rough guy was lucky. After a bad start, he managed to make a comeback.

Entering the kitchen, the dishes and wine were already on the table. Sui Yu stood under the eaves, waiting, saying politely, "Time is tight, and there's no time to prepare. The table is a bit simple, with only a few dishes and wine. Please don't mind."

"You're welcome. Shopkeeper Yu is a capable man. This feast is not shabby." Captain Qu sat down and said again, "Excuse me for bothering you."

After the meal, Captain Qu was full of food and wine, so he left with a group of his subordinates without staying any longer.

The next day, he came alone again with gifts. He rode on the black horse with a determined heart, but he was not strong enough, so he jumped off. Although he failed to tame the horse, the excitement made his blood boil.

In the days that followed, he came every two days, and it seemed that he planned to use persistent tactics to train the horse. Zhao Xiping followed behind nervously, fearing that something might happen to the veteran in his home.

He was thinking about sending this horse away as soon as possible, as well as the other horses in the house. Keeping them would attract too much attention and would attract many people who wanted to take advantage of them.