Chapter 30 A horse that bites can't be ridden; the younger sister doesn't want him as her older brother...
The top of Shuangji Mountain is flat, with abundant water and lush grass. The eastern side is a plateau, while the western side is covered with forest.
With magical weapons dominating the land, warhorses have been replaced by mechanical beasts, and this place has become a great place for leisurely horse breeding, hunting, and polo.
On the boundless meadow, Jin Suiqing was staring at a chestnut mare.
Huangfu Li originally wanted to choose a stallion for her, arguing that if you're going to ride a horse, you should ride a spirited one. In the end, Jin Shiyu took that horse away and replaced it with a more docile mare.
Jin Suiqing was very grateful, so she hugged Jin Shiyu's waist and said, "Brother, you have to teach me how to ride a horse."
Jin Shiyu smiled and led the people and horses to the flat area behind the tent: "Okay, wait for me here."
After watching Jin Shiyu leave, Jin Suiqing handed a carrot to the maroon mare in front of her: "Could you be a little gentler later? I'm afraid my bottom will hurt."
It's always a good idea to get to know the horse before you ride it.
The mare exhaled and ate the carrot from Jin Suiqing's hand, getting her hand covered in saliva. Jin Suiqing was disgusted and tried to rub her face against the horse, but suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist.
It was Yin Rushi. She said, "Be careful, it might bite you."
After saying that, Yin Rushi grabbed Jin Suiqing and pulled her back, pulling her into her arms and avoiding the open horse's mouth.
The mare, having missed Jin Suiqing, shook her head, turned around, and went to graze with her rear end facing away from her.
Jin Suiqing was terrified. She had heard that horses were extremely vicious when they bit people, often tearing off a piece of flesh or a finger. Having escaped death, Jin Suiqing felt a pang of fear and grabbed Yin Rushi, saying, "Thank you, Sister Yin! Sister Yin is so amazing; you could understand what the horse was trying to do."
Yin Ru smiled and said, "After riding a lot of horses, you'll get the hang of it. I'm not that good at it, but practice makes perfect."
The Yin family's free education resulted in Yin Ru being so spirited, and it's no surprise that she and Huangfu Feng hit it off immediately, becoming the noble person who brought Huangfu Feng to the capital.
Yin Ru said, "Horses are timid and hold grudges. You probably can't ride this horse today. Let's switch."
She led over a horse that was entirely black. The black horse obediently lowered its head and, at Yin Rushi's instruction, nuzzled Jin Suiqing's shoulder.
Jin Suiqing stroked it: "He's so well-behaved."
Yin Rushi: "This is an old horse, with a gentler temperament, suitable for beginners."
It was Jin Suiqing's first time riding a horse, and she received so much care in just one day, with her horse being changed twice. Thinking of the horses Huangfu Li and Jin Shiyu had given her—one fierce and the other capable of biting someone at any moment—Jin Suiqing felt extremely close to Yin Rushi in comparison. She clung to Yin Rushi's arm and acted coquettishly, calling her "elder sister" this and "elder sister" that.
Then she thought again, since she was going to separate Jin Shiyu and Yin Rushi anyway, it didn't matter who taught her to ride a horse. Following Yin Rushi would also keep her away from Jin Shiyu and Huangfu Li, significantly increasing her safety.
Jin Suiqing said in a spoiled manner, "Then Sister Yin, since you're so kind, why don't you skip polo and teach me how to ride a horse instead?"
“Okay,” Yin Rushi agreed readily, teasingly adding, “I’m very strict, so don’t cry to me later.”
"I promise I won't cry."
Jin Suiqing chuckled foolishly, unaware that Jin Shiyu, who was leading the horse, was standing not far away, staring at her.
Jin Shiyu was carrying a specially made padded saddle, which he had ordered the day after he learned that Jin Suiqing was going to ride a horse.
Riding a horse can make your legs hurt, and my sister is afraid of the pain, so it's safest to wear some padding.
He had mentally rehearsed how to teach his sister to ride a horse for several days, but she turned around and hugged Miss Yin, whom she had only known for a short time, and asked Miss Yin to teach her to ride a horse. How was her coquettish manner different from her usual manner toward him?
Jin Suiqing has probably long forgotten that she has an older brother.
Jin Shiyu lowered his eyes and stared at the grass for a moment before lifting the saddle and mounting his horse. He happened to run into Huangfu Li, who was riding a horse. Jin Shiyu gave Huangfu Li a cold look and threw the saddle to him.
Huangfu Li hurriedly caught it, feigning anger, and said, "What's wrong with you?"
Jin Shiyu: "I don't need it anymore, you can have it."
Huangfu Li examined the saddle for a moment, then said disdainfully, "What a sissy thing! Who rides a horse with this, and with such a thick padding..."
Huangfu Li's eyes lit up as he realized what was going on: "For my sister?"
Jin Shiyu ignored him, squeezed his legs together, and rode away.
Huangfu Li looked at the saddle thoughtfully, then adjusted the leather straps securing the saddle. Just as he gave it a sharp tug, Jin Shiyu turned back, trying to snatch the saddle from his hands.
Huangfu Li dodged his hand: "I think you're just sick. What, you can't bear to part with it again? I was just about to give it to my sister."
Jin Shiyu's expression was not good: "I'll give it to you."
"Tch, stingy." Huangfu Li was bored. He tossed the saddle to Jin Shiyu, watched his departing figure, and saw him playing around with Jin Suiqing and Yin Rushi. He muttered to himself, "That's interesting."
Jin Shiyu dismounted his horse a short distance away and, with a slight smile, stepped between Yin Rushi and Jin Suiqing, who were having a pleasant conversation.
He faced Yin Rushi, shielding Jin Suiqing behind him, and said politely, "I will teach Suiqing how to ride a horse; there's no need to trouble Miss Yin."
Before Yin Rushi could speak, Jin Suiqing grabbed Jin Shiyu's arm and leaned forward, saying, "It's not my brother's fault, I want Sister Yin to teach me."
Nonsense, do you think she's blind?
Just now, Jin Suiqing caught a glimpse of Jin Shiyu and Huangfu Li talking out of the corner of her eye. Who knows what the two of them were talking about? If she didn't stay away, she would be both blind and stupid.
"Besides," Jin Suiqing pointed to the distant horse farm road, stood on tiptoe and leaned close to Jin Shiyu's ear, and said shyly, "I regret it. That night I was only concerned with saying it out loud, but I didn't expect so many people to come today. I'm so old, and I'm still sticking to my brother. It's so embarrassing to tell people."
Jin Shiyu's eyes turned cold for a moment, and he lowered his head: "Do you think I've embarrassed you?"
Jin Shiyu's breath tickled Jin Suiqing's neck. Jin Suiqing shook her head to avoid it and said in shock, "What are you thinking? I'm afraid of embarrassing you! I'm clumsy. If I don't learn it and fall in public, you'll be the biggest laughing stock in the capital."
Jin Suiqing's words softened his gaze, and Jin Shiyu said, "So, you're just going to let Miss Yin watch you fall?"
Jin Suiqing didn't expect Jin Shiyu to react so quickly, and she didn't expect Jin Shiyu to hold onto this so firmly. She thought to herself, "I was just fooling you before, Jin Shiyu, don't take it seriously!"
Jin Suiqing could only cling to Jin Shiyu's neck and whine, "I don't care, I just want Sister Yin."
Jin Shiyu froze, looking slightly awkward. He frowned and pulled Jin Suiqing's arm away, saying, "Jin Suiqing, don't lick Miss Yin's lips..."
Jin Suiqing covered Jin Shiyu's mouth, raised three fingers and swore to the sky: "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely study hard and not cause trouble for Sister Yin."
Yin Ru said at the right moment, "It's alright. I hit it off with the young princess at first sight, and I believe she won't cause me any trouble."
Jin Shiyu gazed at her silently, and when Jin Suiqing felt guilty and was about to give up, her mouth under her palm opened and closed: "Fine, whatever you say."
These words sounded so familiar that alarm bells rang in Jin Suiqing's mind: "Is my brother angry?"
Jin Suiqing looked Jin Shiyu up and down. He always hid his emotions so well that it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Jin Suiqing found it even stranger. If he was really angry, why was he angry? It was just that he didn't need Jin to teach him how to ride a horse, which saved Jin the trouble. What was there to be angry about?
“I’m not angry,” Jin Shiyu lifted the saddle and showed it to Jin Suiqing. “Then I’ll change your saddle, how about that?”
While speaking, Kim Si-ok was actually laughing.
Over the years, Jin Suiqing has figured out a rule: Jin Shiyu may not smile when she is happy, but if she does smile, it is definitely not because she is happy.
Looking at Jin Shiyu's jade-like face, Jin Suiqing felt a chill run down her spine. She didn't dare to refuse and hurriedly said, "Change, change, thank you, brother."
Jin Shiyu was about to remove the saddle from the chestnut horse when Yin Rushi stopped him, saying, "I've already swapped horses with the young princess. Young Master Jin, please swap the saddle for the black horse."
Jin Shiyu paused for a moment: "Did my sister change horses?"
Jin Suiqing nodded: "Yes, that horse tried to bite me, so I switched with Sister Yin."
Jin Shiyu licked his lips and chuckled, "It hasn't even bitten you yet, and you're already thinking of replacing it?"
“Otherwise,” Jin Suiqing said, “if it doesn’t bite me once, it will hold a grudge and will definitely try again. This time I escaped because of Sister Yin, but what about next time, and the time after that?”
Jin Suiqing felt that Jin Shiyu seemed to be making a big deal out of nothing, and Jin Shiyu kept smiling at her, so she quickly relaxed and said, "Who cares if it's a black horse, a white horse, or a red horse? As long as it can teach me to ride, it's a good horse. Brother, hurry up and change it. Sister Yin is still waiting for me."
"Okay, I'll change it for you."
Jin Shiyu didn't hear much of what was being said, and he was distracted while the saddle was being changed, his mind filled with thoughts of not only the rider but also the horse.
Because it was a horse that bit people.
And what about him? How did his sister almost strangle him when she was an infant, and nearly cause her to perish in an explosion when she was a child?
Jin Suiqing knew how to seek advantage and avoid harm, and to stay away from danger. Today it was Yin Rushi, a dark horse, but who would it be tomorrow?
The younger sister has grown up, and she will gradually exclude her dangerous older brother.
His sister will eventually reject him as her brother.
No, what was he thinking? Jin Shiyu panicked and his movements faltered. He quickly changed the saddle and told Jin Suiqing, "Be careful and don't cause Miss Yin any trouble."
He left quickly, his back view showing a hint of haste.
Watching Jin Shiyu leave, Jin Suiqing vaguely sensed something was wrong, but couldn't pinpoint what it was. Could it be that he was blaming her for interfering too much, preventing her from spending time alone with Yin Rushi and developing their relationship?
Something doesn't seem right. Kim Si-ok could have suggested that the two of them teach her together. There was no need to insist that only one of them teach her.
Jin Suiqing thought about it from all angles, but couldn't figure it out. So she simply stopped thinking about it and focused on learning to ride a horse from Yin Rushi.
Yin Rushi taught her to mount the horse, led her a few steps, and gave her simple instructions and gestures. Jin Suiqing was intelligent and learned quickly. Except for falling down when she first mounted the horse because she didn't have a good balance, the grass on the ground was thick and it didn't hurt at all.
Even though he fell on his bottom, Kim Shi-ok's saddle was soft, so even when he got back on the horse and it started running, his bottom wouldn't bounce, which was very comfortable.
Having found it amusing, Jin Suiqing forgot her pain and promptly forgot about Jin Shiyu. She squeezed her foot in the stirrup, and the horse went from a leisurely stroll to a trot. Jin Suiqing exclaimed, "Sister Yin, look at me! I've learned to ride a horse!"
Yin Rushi mounted her horse and caught up with Jin Suiqing, praising, "The little princess has a very good understanding and learns very quickly."
Jin Suiqing was quick-witted.
Oh no, she got too carried away and forgot to play dumb.
If someone says she's stupid, that's perfectly fine; it's a compliment to her acting skills. But if they praise her for being quick to learn, no matter who it is, she risks exposing her shortcomings.
Moreover, there's Yin Rushi, the benefactor of Huangfu Feng, the true heiress in the original novel. Yin Rushi's closeness to her is a good thing, but once she realizes that she's feigning ignorance and chooses to reveal the identities of the two Huangfus for the sake of the female lead in future plot developments, she'll be completely finished.
Feigning ignorance was Jin Suiqing's armor, but also her Achilles' heel. Jin Suiqing secretly pondered a plan, then suddenly grinned and laughed loudly, "Since Sister Yin praised me, then I'll be even faster!"
Having said that, he kicked hard with his foot, perfectly portraying a foolish and oblivious person. As if still not satisfied, he also whipped the horse's rump, and in an instant, the horse flew off like an arrow towards the east polo field at an extremely fast speed.
Yin Ru was startled: "Little Princess, don't ride so fast!"
Jin Suiqing pretended not to hear and rushed towards the group of young masters from noble families playing polo.
The black horse kicked up the grass, weaving through the crowd, accompanied by the girl's carefree, silvery laughter. It was moving too fast for Huangfu Li to see clearly. He slung his club over his shoulder and chuckled, "Whose daughter is that? So free-spirited! Judging by the horse, is it Miss Yin?"
Jin Shiyu stared intently for a moment, then immediately threw down his cue stick, lashed out with his whip, and chased after the dark horse.
Yin Rushi also pushed through the crowd and followed closely behind.
Huangfu Li finally saw who was on the black horse. He scoffed inwardly, but on the surface, he threw down his cue stick, pretended to be concerned, and kept shouting "Sister!" before chasing after them.
Amidst the chaos, Jin Suiqing, having made a fool of himself enough, gripped the reins tightly, slowed the horse, and feigned losing his balance and about to fall, screaming loudly, "Ahhhhhh! I'm going to fall! I'm going to fall! I'm going to fall!"
Despite shouting, Jin Suiqing still held onto the reins, squeezed her legs together, and controlled the horse's speed. When the speed was slow enough, she took the opportunity to fall to the ground sideways.
On her way here, she circled the horse farm. The grass on Shuangji Mountain was lush and soft enough that if she rolled around a couple more times, the chance of getting injured would be zero. If she cried out in pain, she would make Sister Yin, Jin Shiyu, feel guilty and cancel today's horseback riding and hunting trip. She would both play the fool and ruin the blind date, achieving the best of both worlds.
The horse's speed slowed down considerably, not much different from the initial trot. Jin Suiqing thought to himself, "Good opportunity," and took the opportunity to act as if he had lost all his strength and balance.
She closed her eyes and fell to her side without hesitation.
The wind in her ears didn't stop, and the expected pain didn't come. Instead of landing, Jin Suiqing kicked her legs in defiance, and found herself dangling in the air.
Jin Suiqing felt as if an iron rod was threaded through her waist, tightly constricting her and making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
Just as she was about to ask who had ruined her plans, she suddenly caught a whiff of the bitter scent of frankincense.
Jin Suiqing felt a warning bell ringing in her heart: Holy crap, it was actually her brother!
Opening her eyes tremblingly, Jin Suiqing found herself being held under Jin Shiyu's arm with one hand. A dizzying sensation followed as Jin Shiyu pulled her close, reining in the horse with one hand.
Jin Shiyu was pressed against her back, his nose almost touching her cheek, his heavy breathing drilling into her ear. Because they were so close, Jin Suiqing couldn't see his face, but she could clearly hear the scraping sound of Jin Shiyu's clenched back teeth.
Jin Suiqing's heart stopped beating: "Brother... Brother?"
It took her a long time to mentally prepare herself before she dared to turn around and look at Kim Shi-ok.
Jin Shiyu was dressed in a matching red outfit today, with narrow sleeves and a high collar, his hair tied in a neat high bun, and a matching headband tied around his forehead to cover any stray hairs. He had just been playing polo under the scorching sun, and his face and neck were covered in sunburn, large patches of red that were so striking that Jin Suiqing couldn't tell whether he was sunburned or angry.
Until Kim Shi-ok gently cupped her neck, her back pressed against his chest, forcing her to look up and look directly at him.
Jin Suiqing was certain that he was angry.
Jin Shiyu's anger wasn't as intense as others'; he would lower his voice and softly say, "Jin Suiqing, what did I tell you? Have you forgotten?"
The sound, almost a whisper, entered Jin Suiqing's ear canal. Its calmness sent chills down Jin Suiqing's spine. She saw in Jin Shiyu's eyes the same expression she had when they first met sixteen years ago.
It was a near-hysterical rage.
Author's Note: Mini-Theater:
Mei Bao raised her fist: Is he angry?
Brother: No.
My little sister is being unreasonable: Is he angry?
Brother: No.
My daughter fell down: He shouldn't be angry, right?
Brother: I'm angry.
Meibao: ?
That concludes this week's 15,000 episodes. See you next week, everyone!
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