43 Polo Club
◎Suddenly throw yourself into a broad and warm embrace◎
In the early morning of February 27th, the sun dyed half of the wall yellow, and the Chu family's backyard came alive with the sound of birds singing.
Mrs. Huang's polo match is being held outside Beijing today. Seven days ago, she sent an invitation to the girls from the Chu family to come and play together, so even Aunt Bai's courtyard was busy early in the morning.
In the Bamboo and Jade Courtyard, Lan Zhu had already done a neat high bun for Chu Yufu and was just about to put a hairpin on it.
"This one will do." Chu Yufu picked up a simple pear blossom silver hairpin from the jewelry box.
"Hey." Lan Zhu took it, pinned it firmly in her hair, turned around, took the ironed clothes from the screen, and helped her put them on one by one.
Chu Yufu cut half of the pea green satin Madame Jiang had given her a while ago and made two pairs of knee pads and two medicinal pillows for her grandmother. She used the remaining half to make a half-sleeve for herself. It was neither too hot nor too cold today, so it was just the right size to wear.
After dressing up carefully, she opened the drawer, took out three small medicine bottles, put them into her purse herself, tied them around her waist, and walked out slowly.
The morning breeze outside was slightly cool, but the sun was so warm that she didn't feel cold at all. Chu Yufu walked out slowly. When she was about to reach the second door, she suddenly heard someone calling from behind, "Second sister!"
She turned around and saw Chu Linglan running towards her with her skirt lifted up. Her hair was tied into a bun on her head and trembled, and the silk flower pinned on it was also shaking. She smiled and said, "Run slower." When Chu Linglan ran closer, she stopped and walked out with her shoulder to shoulder.
Outside the second gate, the carriages and horses had already been prepared. As usual, Wu and Miss Chu rode together. After greeting each other outside the carriage, the two got on the second carriage together.
It took more than half an hour to drive from the Chu family to the polo field. The wheels rolled over the stone road, causing the car to tremble. Chu Yufu leaned against the wall of the car and soon fell asleep. She didn't know how long it was before she was awakened by her fourth sister. When she opened her eyes, she found that they had arrived at the destination.
This is a large, open area surrounded by trees, with a polo goal at each end, clearly a playing field. To the east of the field, a large screen curtains surround the area, with bamboo screens dividing the area into smaller areas.
Mrs. Wu took them to find an empty seat and they sat down. A maid immediately served them tea.
As the relatives of the Marquis's family and the close relatives of the Chu family, the Lu family was naturally also on the invitation list. Not long after they sat down, Lu Jiaan came over, greeted Wu, and invited Chu Yufu to go out and play. Coincidentally, a lady she knew came to talk to Wu, so Wu gave her a few simple instructions and let her go.
Seeing that only her eldest sister, who had always disliked her, was left in the tent, Chu Linglan hurriedly said that she wanted to go find her cousin. Wu was even more lazy about her and waved her hand to let her go.
There were also outdoor tables and chairs outside the gauze curtain. When Chu Linglan chased after them, the two sisters had already found a corner and sat down to drink tea and chat.
The teapot on the table was not filled with tea, but the recently popular "ginger honey drink", which was made by boiling ginger juice mixed with honey. It tasted spicy and sweet. Chu Yufu raised her hand to pour a cup for her younger sister, and then signaled Lu Jiaan to continue the previous topic.
"Do you know why he insisted on going to the front lines this time?" Lu Jia'an looked mysterious. Without waiting for her to answer, he lowered his voice and answered, "Because he has a blood feud with the Turks! The Turks killed his father! And it wasn't just an ordinary murder!"
"The leader of the Nuci tribe lied to his father, saying they wanted to negotiate, but they actually set an ambush, cut off his father's head, and hung it outside the camp for three days and three nights. In the end, they didn't even leave his body behind, but burned it all! These beasts..."
Chu Yufu took a deep breath and asked softly, "Did Prince Zhao tell you all this?"
"I'm asking because I think you're going to marry him soon, and it's not good for you to not know anything." Lu Jiaan said.
After the words were spoken, both of them fell silent.
Speaking of battlefield events, Lu Jia'an couldn't help but worry about Brother Zhao heading south to quell the rebellion in a few days. Chu Yufu, on the other hand, lamented, "No wonder Pei Yue looked so cold and unsmiling. Who could be happy with such a deep hatred on his shoulders?"
As the sun rose higher, more and more people came to the polo match. About an incense stick later, two teams dressed in green and red rode into the stadium on horseback. A man in the stadium introduced loudly that these were two famous teams in Beijing who were specially invited to play an exhibition match.
The gongs and drums sounded, and two teams of people galloped on horseback, holding golf clubs and hitting the ball, which drew cheers from the stands.
In the past, Mrs. Wu only brought her own daughters out for social events. Chu Yufu and Chu Linglan had never seen a polo match before, so they naturally watched with rapt attention. Lu Jiaan used to play polo frequently, but he hadn't had the chance since moving to Beijing. Seeing others playing enthusiastically, he felt a little itchy and said, "After the exhibition match, shall we play together?"
Chu Linglan's eyes sparkled: "Okay! Cousin, teach me!"
Chu Yufu also wanted to try horseback riding, but before she could open her mouth, she saw the maid beside Wu coming over and saying, "Second Miss, the Madam is looking for you." She had no choice but to get up and follow the other party into the tent.
As she approached the tent, the maid opened the gauze curtain. Chu Yufu lowered her head slightly and stepped in. When she looked up again, she was stunned.
I saw that Mrs. Huang, the mistress of the Pei family, was sitting with Mrs. Wu, and the protagonist of the discussion just now, her fiancé Pei Yue, was also sitting next to Mrs. Huang. Everyone's eyes turned to her.
She quickly came to her senses and bowed slightly: "Mother, Madam Huang, Master Pei."
Pei Yue narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded. Madam Huang waved her hand, motioning her to come closer. After taking a closer look, she smiled and said, "This girl has fair skin, so bean green is just right for her. Look at her little face, it's so tender that you can almost pinch water out of it!"
Chu Yufu wore a white top with narrow sleeves, a pea green half-sleeve jacket, and a white skirt with bamboo patterns. Just as Madam Huang had said, the refreshing pea green set off her fair skin, which was as fresh as the newly sprouted green shoots on the branches.
Wu raised her hand and pinched the handkerchief, smiling and replied, "Yes, our second daughter is quiet and doesn't like to go out, so she is fair-skinned."
Miss Chu, who was sitting next to Mrs. Wu, raised her eyelids and glanced at Chu Yufu, then lowered her head silently and took a sip of tea.
Madam Huang took Chu Yufu's hand and patted it: "Can you ride a horse?"
Chu Yufu lowered her head slightly, her hair brushing past her ears: "Not very long."
Madam Huang smiled even more happily, holding her hand, her voice exceptionally gentle, "Today is a good opportunity, why not learn from him? My nephew's writing skills may be average, but he's a master of horseback riding and archery. There aren't many better than him in the whole capital."
Seeing that Madam Huang was satisfied with the second girl, Wu was delighted and immediately agreed on her behalf: "Go ahead. You finally get to go out for a while, so go have some fun and learn from Master Pei."
Chu Yufu raised her eyes to look at Pei Yue, only to see that he was also looking at her. His gaze was calm, but with an invisible weight that made her heart skip a beat.
She suppressed the strange feeling, looked into those dark and deep eyes and smiled slightly. She raised her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear and said softly, "Okay."
When I first heard the name Pei Yue, she was a little doctor in another world, and he was a great general in the book. They were in two different worlds, like two parallel lines that would never cross.
When she heard about Pei Yue again, she was already the second daughter of the Chu family, and he was about to become her husband. It was both absurd and magical.
At this moment, his real body temperature and breath were faintly heard from a few steps away.
The man was tall, and his strides were long. The dark fabric of his clothes outlined his broad, sturdy shoulders as he walked. Chu Yufu followed him out of the tent, her eyes involuntarily falling on his back, but then quickly lowered them to the boots in front of her, embroidered with silver patterns.
The two walked towards the stable in the west, one in front and one behind.
After leaving the tent, Chu Yufu took a deep breath of the cool, fresh air, slowed down her pace, and said softly, "Young Master will be leaving the day after tomorrow."
Pei Yue paused, the soles of his boots making a slight sound as they scraped against the grass. He didn't turn around immediately, but instead turned sideways, waiting until she was almost shoulder-to-shoulder with him before he took another step and gave a faint "hmm."
Chu Yufu could smell him more clearly, a scent like the chill of a pine forest after a snowfall. She calmed herself down, untied the purse from her waist, and handed it over.
"This is the medicine I made. You can keep it with you just in case. The yellow bottle contains the wound medicine, the green bottle contains the heart pills, and the white bottle contains the anesthetic powder. Homemade ingredients are safer and the efficacy is better, especially the anesthetic powder. Applying it to the wound can quickly relieve pain and numb the wound."
A gust of wind blew a few strands of hair on the man's forehead. The black hair swept across his eyelashes, brushed across his straight nose, and finally fell beside his tightly pursed lips.
Looking at this handsome yet frosty face, and thinking of the deep blood feud the man carried, and the ending in the book that was as short and tragic as a meteor, the three words "beautiful, strong, and tragic" flashed through her mind.
The look in his eyes unconsciously carried a hint of tenderness and pity: "Please take care of yourself, sir."
The pity in the girl's eyes was like a tiny needle, gently pricking Pei Yue.
He was silent for a moment, his gaze lingering on her face, trying to figure out where her pity came from, though it wasn't hard to guess. Zhao Chunheng knew about him, and the woman before him was the cousin of his fiancée.
He suddenly felt a little funny. It was the first time a little girl had pitied him. He took the purse, rubbed it with his thumb, and said with a smile: "Thank you."
Then Chu Yufu heard a very faint laugh: "But don't worry, Pei is very lucky." After saying that, the other party took a step forward and strode towards the stable.
Chu Yufu always prided herself on being good at getting along with people, but she felt a little confused about the man in front of her. What was he laughing at? Shouldn't he be deeply touched to receive the medicine from her? She pursed her lips, gave up the idea of saying anything more, and followed him straight to the stable.
There are not many horses left in the stable.
Either they were competing in the arena, or they had already been reserved. Fortunately, a beginner horseman didn't need a very good horse. After walking around, the man quickly selected a reddish-brown short-legged mare and led it out of the stable.
Seeing the pony coming towards them, Chu Yufu was a little excited. She reached out and carefully touched the horse's head. The pony gently stretched its neck and rubbed her hand. She looked at the man excitedly: "It's so well-behaved!"
In the sunlight, the girl's crescent-shaped eyes seemed to hold a pool of spring water. Pei Yue's eyes flickered slightly as he led the horse to the edge of the arena. His voice was flat, "Never stand directly behind the horse. Approach it from the side and front so it can see you."
After seeing Chu Yufu nod, he reached out and handed her the reins: "Try to lead the horse first."
She took it obediently.
The first time she led the horse, she walked very slowly. When she reached the edge of the arena, she found that the exhibition match had ended. Many young men and women were leading their horses, preparing to go on stage themselves. But she looked around and did not see her cousin Lu and her third sister.
She averted her gaze and released the reins.
Just then, she heard someone yelling. She subconsciously looked up and saw a fist-sized dark shadow running straight towards her! Then she felt her wrist tighten, and she fell into a broad, warm embrace, firmly held by a faint cedar scent.
At the same time, there was a thud of something heavy falling beside her, and the little mare was startled and neighed.
Chu Yufu's heart was pounding and her ears were buzzing.
"Are you okay?" There was a barely perceptible tension in the man's voice.
She raised her head, opened her eyes, and shook her head in shock. Pei Yue's face was blurred in the backlight, and his whole body was coated with a layer of gold.
The same posture, the same temperature, even the same smell...
It suddenly brought back memories from a month ago, leaving her stunned on the spot.
【Author’s words】
I feel so spoiled by my friends QAQ! I’ve seen everyone’s comments, thank you for the nutrient solution, mines, and grenades!!
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