Chapter 41 Ripples (19) You should give me some advice.
The sun was slightly off-center, casting a golden light that fell on Wei Yuanzhan's handsome face, illuminating the sarcastic look in his eyes.
Zhi Rou was stunned, holding the stack of medicine packets, not knowing what to say.
Why did Wei Yuanzhan appear here, riding a horse alone, and even buy her medicine?
She had many questions she wanted to ask, but just as she was about to speak, Wei Yuanzhan kicked the horse's flank, and the horse neighed a few times and headed east along the road.
Without even thinking, Zhi Rou immediately stepped down the stairs to chase after him, completely ignoring Ling Ziheng behind her.
In the past, she would rarely be so rude to people she didn't care about, but now she had truly forgotten.
Ling Ziheng watched Zhi Rou's retreating figure, his brow furrowing slightly, a complex mix of emotions swirling within him. Perhaps it was the first time he'd been looked down upon, and he found it somewhat unbearable; yet, upon reflection, it seemed like it wasn't the first time.
But the only person who has ever dared to treat him like this is this one.
For some reason, this "disrespect" seemed to be a provocation to him, and his gaze gradually darkened, a hint of unease flickering across his face.
The street was almost entirely occupied by the Ling family mansion, with their courtyard walls lining the entire street. There were few people, the road was wide, and horses' hooves clattered as they passed. Pei Cheng followed slowly in his carriage, while ahead of him, the Fourth Miss was running and walking after Prince Wei.
"Wei Yuanzhan, can you wait for me?"
Zhi Rou didn't like chasing after anyone. Although she had the strength, she would slow down after running a few steps and then walk for a while. Seeing that Wei Yuanzhan didn't stop at all, she then chased after him again to shorten the distance.
"Slow down, okay?"
She shouted something to the figure on horseback.
Wei Yuanzhan did not turn around, but silently urged his horse to slow down.
Zhi Rou caught up with her, still carrying the medicine bag in her arms. She could have just carried it, but she deliberately tucked it inside, her arms crossed in front of her chest, looking rather unhappy.
Zhi Rou looked up at Wei Yuanzhan and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"You can come, but I can't?"
"What's wrong with the medicine? Did you go out of your way to get it for me?"
"You think too highly of yourself."
The two walked and rode, the wind blowing their clothes and revealing their back-and-forth exchanges.
Zhi Rou had no idea what possessed him again, so he was being sarcastic and sarcastic, couldn't he just talk things out?
Smelling the mingled scent of licorice in her bosom, she calmed herself down, her voice low: "I'm not sick, I'm just in a bad mood and don't want to study. Where did you get this medicine? Can I return it?"
"You're in a bad mood, so you came to the Ling residence?" Wei Yuanzhan's lips tightened, and he didn't want to speak anymore.
"Give me a break," Zhi Rou urged, raising her eyes.
Wei Yuanzhan said impatiently, "It's yours now, do whatever you want with it, don't ask me."
Pei Cheng followed at a distance, but judging from her demeanor, the Fourth Miss seemed to have no intention of getting into the carriage.
"Are you angry with me?" Zhi Rou glanced at Wei Yuanzhan for a moment, then asked suspiciously.
From her angle, she couldn't capture his full expression, but based on her understanding of Wei Yuanzhan, his reluctance to glance at her was most likely due to his dissatisfaction with her.
Wei Yuanzhan vehemently denied it: "No."
While pondering, Zhi Rou said to him, "I didn't do anything to you... You didn't find out about my illness from me, so it's not like I'm lying to you; and I didn't ask you to buy this medicine either."
She paused, then suddenly stopped: "What are you angry about?"
Wei Yuanzhan was getting irritated by her questions. After thinking it over, he realized he didn't know what was bothering him. He seemed to realize that his current behavior was a bit unreasonable, so he gradually reined in his horse and turned it around.
His gaze fell on Zhi Rou, his tone softened slightly, but remained muffled: "Who's angry with you?"
Zhi Rou approached and said, "Could you get down? My neck is so sore from looking at you like this."
Wei Yuanzhan glanced down at her for a moment. The setting sun was warm, and she held up her bright eyes, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, her cheeks puffed out, with a hint of grievance in her expression.
He dismounted, and as he straightened his robes, a nimble figure flashed past in his peripheral vision.
Zhi Rou grabbed the horse's mane, stepped onto the stirrups, then picked up the reins and turned the horse back.
Wei Yuanzhan stood still, raised an eyebrow at her, and saw her spur her horse a few steps away, sit upright, and touch the horse's back with both hands.
"Hey," he called out to her.
Zhi Rou turned her head, her eyes darting to Wei Yuanzhan, looking smug, and curled her lips: "You said last time that it didn't want to carry me, look how steadily it walks."
She always manages to do something unexpected, and no matter how many times it happens, Wei Yuanzhan is always amused by her behavior.
He curled his lips into a smile, walked up to her, and said rather bluntly, "My horse is better."
Zhi Rou didn't have many opportunities to ride horses; her horsemanship was mediocre, and she could only manage to ride on horseback.
Wei Yuanzhan glanced at her with slight concern: "Don't fall."
After saying that, he hesitated for a moment, then finally reached out and took the reins to lead the horse for her.
Zhi Rou looked up at him and saw that a slight smile had finally appeared on his lips, but his brows were still furrowed.
He walked forward, and Zhi Rou could only stare at the back of his head, unable to see any part of his face.
Zhi Rou pondered inwardly: There was no sign of Lan Ye and the others around Wei Yuanzhan, and he was not in Qiyun Garden at this time. It couldn't be that he had fallen to this state because of her "illness".
He's not that kind of person.
After glancing at him for a moment, Zhi Rou suddenly called out, "Wei Yuanzhan."
He turned and looked up as she asked, "Did someone bully you?"
Wei Yuanzhan stopped in his tracks at the sound of that simple sentence.
Zhi Rou observed his expression and gradually became more resolute.
Sunlight shone brightly on the boy's face, but he only paused for a moment before looking away from her.
Zhi Rou knew he wasn't good at confiding in others, so she waited for him for a long time, until they had walked several dozen feet away before he finally opened his mouth.
"How would you deal with it if you encountered injustice?"
Zhi Rou frowned, lowered her eyes, and sensed a hint of confusion in his tone.
She thought that because of his background, there must be very few people or things that would make him feel unfairly treated, otherwise he would have toned down his arrogant personality.
Zhi Rou remained silent for a while, recalling the unpleasant things that had befallen her. It had been so long that she no longer felt any pain.
“My mother said that fairness is what the weak want most.”
Upon hearing this, Wei Yuanzhan's heart skipped a beat, but then her voice dropped, and she said firmly, "I don't believe it."
"If you want something, go for it. Isn't that how people are? What's the difference between high and low, noble and lowly? If I encounter injustice, I will fight for it until I am satisfied."
Her words were straightforward, yet tinged with youthful impetuosity. Wei Yuanzhan lowered his eyes and smiled.
After a long pause, he softly exclaimed in admiration, "I didn't realize you were still such an arrogant person."
Aside from fighting with him, she never seemed to fight for anything else. She always seemed content and happy like this.
"Arrogant?" Zhi Rou frowned. "I think it's great."
Wei Yuanzhan was speechless, but felt somewhat moved.
The road was sparsely populated. After being led by him for a while, Zhi Rou suddenly said, "Let go and let me do it myself. This is too slow and boring."
Wei Yuanzhan glanced at her sideways and asked, "Are you sure you can handle it?"
How will you know if you don't try?
Zhi Rou has always been bold, and Wei Yuanzhan seems to care more about her safety than she does.
After pondering for a while, still unsure whether to proceed, a teasing voice descended from above: "You're so slow!"
Wei Yuanzhan chuckled to himself, released his hand, and said nothing, offering no instructions whatsoever.
The horse seemed to be sentient; as soon as the reins slipped from its owner's hand, it reared up on its front hooves, which startled Zhirou so much that she almost lost her grip on the reins and fell off its back.
Wei Yuanzhan was also astonished and almost went up to help her control the horse, but he managed to hold back. He quickly grabbed the reins, threaded them between his fingers, and held the horse steady.
In a short instant, several barriers had passed through his mind. He didn't want to mount her horse and ride with her, because it would put him too close to her, and his horse would be exhausted, which would break his heart.
To prevent such a tragedy from happening, Wei Yuanzhan said, "Get down."
The long, drawn-out neighing still echoed in her ears, and Zhi Rou's heart was uneasy. She knew his horse was difficult to handle, but she hadn't expected it to be this hard. No longer trying to be brave, she jumped off.
The two walked side by side, neither of them mentioning returning home, as if they were just going with the flow and not in a hurry.
Wei Yuanzhan then asked, "Why did you go to the Ling residence?"
Zhi Rou opened her mouth to talk about her mother, but then felt it was inappropriate. Instead, she picked out a few simple sentences and told him about her relationship with Ling Hewei.
Wei Yuanzhan frowned. They even made plans to go fishing again? Who is this person that keeps staring at Song Zhirou?
"Aren't you planning to settle this once and for all?"
He realized how rude his words were as soon as they left his mouth, which startled both him and Zhirou.
He then straightened his back, looking indifferent, as if he didn't care about her relationship with the Ling family.
Zhi Rou naturally wouldn't respond to his nonsensical remark. Lost in her own thoughts, she casually asked, "Wei Yuanzhan, what kind of woman do you think would be skilled in archery and horsemanship?"
Although he didn't know why she asked that question, at least he avoided an awkward situation and was able to relax his helpless hand.
He thought for a moment and replied, "Daughter of a military family, descendant of a noble family, and... someone from the grasslands, I suppose."
As he spoke, he glanced at Zhi Rou, almost forgetting that she was also there. Her archery skills were also quite excellent.
Zhi Rou was oblivious to Wei Yuanzhan's gaze, still lost in her own memories.
She had seen her mother draw her bow.
It was a rainy night.
Long ago, the figure became increasingly blurry, and she could no longer tell whether the shadow was real or just a figment of her imagination.
In her long-held memory, her mother was different from all other women.
Descendants of noble families? Zhi Rou asked herself in her heart.
Wei Yuanzhan stared at her for a moment, then said, "Do you want to ride a horse and hunt? If so, I can teach you."
Zhi Rou was a little surprised. She looked up and glanced at his face, raising an eyebrow and giving him a playful look: "You're willing to teach me anything, aren't you afraid that I'll surpass you?"
These words did not satisfy his towering pride; Wei Yuanzhan was extremely proud of his horsemanship.
He glanced at her, his tone dismissive: "How many years will it take before your horsemanship surpasses mine?"
"Who knows? Maybe one day I'll be a master of archery and horsemanship, leaving you far behind."
Wei Yuanzhan smiled and said, "If that day ever comes, I will definitely celebrate with a firecracker salute and host a banquet with my friends to wish you a happy occasion."
He's spouting such a long spiel, clearly still arrogant, believing she can't beat him.
Zhi Rou took his provocation seriously and said, "You can't go back on your word."
No regrets.
“That’s great,” Zhi Rou said with a smile after receiving his agreement. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
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