After Jiang Linchuan finished speaking, he ruffled Xu Xinghe's hair, turned around and walked towards the wrestling arena. His back was straight, and he quickly merged into the crowd.
Xu Xinghe stood there, unable to resist touching her burning earlobe.
He had just whispered in her ear, and his warm breath still tickled her heart like a feather, making her smile involuntarily.
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she looked up at the field.
The race had reached its most intense moment, with dozens of horses chasing each other, their hooves kicking up clouds of dust as they trod the grass.
The clatter of hooves mingled with the shouts of the audience, echoing across the grassland.
Zhang Qiang rode a brown horse. Although he wasn't at the very front, he kept close behind the first group, his hands firmly gripping the reins, showing that his riding skills were not bad.
"Go! Go for it!" The surrounding spectators all stood up, some waving their hats, some clapping their hands, and even Zhao Xiaoyan next to Xu Xinghe shouted along, her eyes fixed on the finish line of the track.
Finally, amidst an even louder cheer, a herdsman rider in a blue Mongolian robe crossed the red line first, securing the championship.
Zhang Qiang followed closely behind, finishing fourth. He dismounted with a smile on his face, clearly satisfied with his result.
The awards ceremony began soon afterward. The commune secretary personally presented the champion rider with a banner embroidered with the words "Revolutionary Rider Pioneer" and poured him a bowl of mare's milk wine.
The champion rider accepted the banner, tilted his head back and drank some mare's milk wine, then raised the banner high towards the crowd, drawing another round of cheers.
Zhang Qiang also received a certificate for active participation. He accepted it with a smile, said a few words to the commune secretary, and then went to rest under the shade of a tree.
The horse race had just ended when a new announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Comrades! Fellow herders! Next up is the most exciting event of our Naadam Festival: the wrestling competition! Those who want to watch, hurry to the central arena. Wrestlers, please change your clothes in the tents on the west side. The competition is about to begin!"
"Come on! Li Juan, let's go watch the wrestlers!" Zhao Xiaoyan grabbed Xu Xinghe's hand, her eyes sparkling. "Maybe we'll meet a grassland man we click with. Even if we don't become lovers, it'll be good to get to know him!"
Several female educated youths nearby also became interested and chimed in, "That's right, I heard that wrestlers on the grasslands are all very strong and honest!"
"Let's hurry, or we won't be able to squeeze into the front row!"
Xu Xinghe couldn't dissuade them, so she had no choice but to follow them towards the wrestling arena.
As soon as I walked to the west side of the stadium, I saw a lively scene.
Many men were stretching and chatting outside the tent, while others had already changed into leather tuxedos, looking particularly energetic.
When Zhao Xiaoyan and the other female educated youths saw this scene, their faces instantly turned red, but their eyes couldn't help but linger on those men.
The men from the grasslands noticed them, grinned at them, and even deliberately struck a wrestling pose, which made the female educated youth laugh shyly, creating a lively atmosphere.
Xu Xinghe had no interest in looking at these things and glanced around.
She remembered Jiang Linchuan saying that wrestlers would change their clothes in temporary tents next to the arena.
Before long, she saw several blue canvas tents not far away. People would go in with Zhuodage every now and then, and then come out after changing their clothes. It was obviously a place to change clothes.
A thought struck her: could she take this opportunity to get closer and see if Jiang Linchuan had found out anything, and also keep an eye out for Zhang Qiang if he would come over?
Just as she was about to take two steps forward, a familiar figure appeared not far from the tent—it was Zhang Qianqian!
She was wearing a pink floral shirt and stood outside the crowd, glancing towards the tent every now and then, clearly waiting for someone.
Xu Xinghe frowned slightly and stopped walking.
Zhang Qianqian hesitated for a moment, then walked up to a burly man who was about to enter the tent. With a shy smile on her face, she whispered, "Comrade, could you please call Li Guowei inside for me? I have something to give him."
The man thought they were a young couple and nodded with a smile, "Okay!"
After saying that, he took Zhuo Dage into the tent, not forgetting to turn back and call out, "Wait here, I'll call him out for you right away!"
Zhang Qianqian stood there, her face full of anticipation.
Xu Xinghe stood not far away, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Jiang Linchuan was still in the tent. If Zhang Qianqian called him out, he might get entangled with her, and then it would be troublesome for him to find Zhang Qiang's things again.
Instead of waiting passively, it's better to take the initiative and at least gain some control of the situation.
She straightened her clothes and walked towards Zhang Qianqian with a natural smile on her face. "Qianqian, what a coincidence, what are you doing here?"
Zhang Qianqian was surprised by Xu Xinghe's sudden appearance, and her shyness deepened. "I...I prepared some gifts for Brother Guowei and wanted to give them to him before his wrestling match, hoping that he will have a smooth match."
"Oh? What gift is in such a hurry to give it to me now?" Xu Xinghe feigned curiosity. "The wrestling match won't be over for a while, so it's not too late to give it to him after he finishes. I just bought some milk tofu at the snack stall, it tastes pretty good, do you want to go and try it together?"
She deliberately changed the subject, trying to distract Zhang Qianqian.
But Zhang Qianqian shook her head, her eyes exceptionally firm, "No, it has to be given to me now!"
Seeing her resolute attitude, Xu Xinghe knew that further persuasion would be useless, so he could only sigh in his heart and agree with her, "Alright, let's wait together then. I also want to wait for my cousin to come out so I can give him a few words of advice, telling him not to hurt himself for work points."
Neither of them spoke again, they stood quietly, their eyes occasionally glancing towards the tent entrance.
If Zhang Qianqian really tries to pester Jiang Linchuan later, Xu Xinghe plans to find an excuse to take her away.
As soon as the burly man walked into the tent, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Who is Li Guowei? Someone outside is looking for you. It's your wife. She said she wants to bring you something!"
Upon hearing this, the men changing clothes inside the tent stopped what they were doing and all looked toward the source of the sound.
Jiang Linchuan found out Zhang Qiang's location. After all, Zhang Qiang was a captain, and he was resting in a small tent inside.
This is a large tent, with a few smaller ones inside, designed to give these captains and similar figures some privacy.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Linchuan paused, his brows furrowing.
He only has one wife, but here she is his cousin.
He looked up at the man and said, "I am Li Guowei, but I don't have a wife. You must have the wrong person."
"Huh? Wrong number?" The man scratched his head. "But the girl outside clearly said she was looking for Li Guowei, and that she had a gift for him..."
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