The wind outside the window made the branches sway. Lu Shizhen seemed to remember Aunt Sun mentioning that the temperature had dropped today when she woke her up this morning. At the time, she didn't think much of it, but now she felt the cold wind blowing directly on her fingertips.
Although Xu Shiyue's smile was clearly directed at Shen Yanxing, Lu Shizhen somehow felt that she was speaking to her.
A mix of different shocks were jumbled together, then instantly dissected into many pieces, exploding in her heart with a series of crackling sounds.
Why did Xu Shiyue go to the horse farm?
Did she figure something out?
And why would she choose to go to a horse farm, a place that requires good eyesight, when she clearly has poor eyesight?
Am I just ignorant? Don't they need to disguise themselves by riding on horseback when they conduct business?
Shen Yanxing also felt this wasn't a good location, and asked as if to remind her, "Shiyue, are you sure you want to go to the horse farm?"
Xu Shiyue remained unmoved, and as if to dispel any doubts, she spoke bluntly: "No one would expect a blind man to go to a complicated place like a horse farm."
“That makes sense.” Shen Yanxing was convinced.
“Besides, riding horses isn’t necessarily a must at the horse farm,” Xu Shiyue added. “Uncle Shen will be coming to the horse farm with his family of three for the weekend, and I will be riding with Lu Shizhen and her sister. It will just be a chance encounter, not a carefully planned meeting.”
Although the meeting was brought up on the spur of the moment, Xu Shiyue's reaction was methodical and well-reasoned, as if it had been planned for a long time.
Shen Yanxing thought Xu Shiyue's reasoning was perfect, and couldn't help but nod in approval: "Shiyue, you've thought of everything very thoroughly."
"Then I'll trouble you, Lu, to take Shiyue to the horse farm this weekend."
Shen Yanxing said this to Lu Shizhen, his voice and attitude polite and measured.
Even so, Lu Shizhen felt that her relationship with Xu Shiyue had suddenly been distanced by this newcomer.
It seems that taking care of Xu Shiyue has become something that needs to be reminded by others, and helping Xu Shiyue has become something that needs to be asked of others.
Lu Shizhen realized that she seemed to have created something out of nothing, but she still didn't like the feeling of being created.
She wanted to look at Shen Yanxing standing opposite her, feeling a sense of being provoked and offended.
Since gradually shedding the original owner's crazy and eccentric persona, that sinister and eerie feeling has not appeared on Lu Shizhen's face for a long time.
The morning sunlight slanted in through the window, falling on Lu Shizhen's eyes, which were slowly curving upwards.
She smiled at Shen Yanxing, her voice even more polite than his previous words: "Student Shen, that's too formal. How can taking Xu Shiyue to the horse farm be considered a trouble?"
In a daze, Shen Yanxing felt a chill creep up on his heart for no reason.
She clenched her fists slightly, maintaining a calm demeanor to meet Lu Shizhen's gaze, and nodded: "That's good."
Upon receiving Lu Shizhen's affirmative response, Lu Shien was overjoyed and arrived at Lu Shizhen's house early on the weekend to meet up with them.
The little girl was startled when she opened the door and was about to come out of the room by Yuanzi, followed by Xu Shiyue and Lu Shizhen.
Lu Shi'en initially disliked Lu Shizhen bringing Xu Shiyue along, because as long as Xu Shiyue was there, her sister's attention would not be on her.
But then Lu Shi'en thought about it again. Xu Shiyue couldn't see anything, and all she could hear was her intimate interaction with her sister. She immediately felt excited about the weekend's itinerary.
She wanted to show Xu Shiyue whether Lu Shizhen was biased towards her or doted on her.
With this in mind, Lu Shi'en didn't even try to fight with Xu Shiyue for the seat in the back row where he could sit next to Lu Shizhen. Lu Shizhen, sitting in the back and watching Yuanzi wagging its tail excitedly, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
This morning's start was unexpectedly good.
I really hope we can get through this peacefully from now on.
The car slowly started moving, and the tall buildings in Lu Shizhen's view gradually became shorter until they were replaced by vast expanses of green mountains and fields.
She was curious about what the horse farm looked like. As soon as the car rounded an uphill bend, the sign for the horse farm appeared in her sight as if it had been cleaved through a large expanse of greenery.
The smell of horses inevitably permeated the entire venue, and the racecourse, covered with yellow earth, was even larger than it appeared on television.
Lu Shizhen watched as well-trained horses galloped past the window, and even saw people practicing dressage not far away, giving her a sense of awe and wonder.
Before she could even take it all in, Lu Shien eagerly opened the car door and led her to the stable to choose the horse she would ride that day.
The girl's long hair was blown by the wind from her quick steps, and the outline of black headphones seemed to be revealed.
Lu Shizhen never fights unprepared battles, and she came prepared as well. The phone camera peeking out of her pocket was the window through which Qiuqiu helped her choose a horse, and the earphones were the interface through which she communicated with Qiuqiu.
"Don't worry, host, I'll definitely pick the most docile horse for you!" Qiuqiu leaned over the phone camera, carefully observing the horses, and made a solemn promise.
Lu Shizhen tapped the screen to indicate her agreement, since Qiuqiu was the only one she could rely on now.
She stared intently at the horses in the room, barely managing to identify them using the equine knowledge Qiuqiu had crammed for her over the past few days. Then she heard Xu Shiyue's voice: "What breeds are these horses?"
Lu Shizhen was taken aback by the question and felt guilty, unsure how to answer.
Unexpectedly, Xu Shiyue wasn't asking her at all, but rather the staff member who was following them: "The two at the front are purebred Russians, the three over there are Akhal-Tekes, which are Ferghana horses, and the two next to us are Frisian horses that have just finished their maintenance."
"..."
Lu Shizhen's expression was somewhat complicated.
Firstly, she was feeling guilty and almost misunderstood. Secondly, there were only three types of horses in the stable, but she had just identified five. Incidentally, apart from the Akhal-Teke horse with its distinctive characteristics, she had guessed the other two types incorrectly.
"The temperament of a Friesian is somewhat similar to that of a Labrador Retriever."
"Woof!"
Lu Shizhen was still reflecting on her defeat when Xu Shiyue and Yuanzi's voices pulled her back to reality.
"...This type of horse is similar to a Labrador in that it is intelligent and gentle, making it suitable for all types of people, especially beginners."
"Woof!"
Whether she was interacting with Yuanzi or confirming the introduction given by the staff at the horse farm, Xu Shiyue actually made a comment on the last horse.
Lu Shi'en had been interacting with the Akhal-Teke horse she had chosen. Hearing Xu Shiyue say this, he couldn't help but raise his head and affirm, "I didn't expect that you, who are blind, would have such accurate knowledge about horses. That's right, the Friesian is indeed the most docile of these horses, but being docile doesn't offer any challenge."
The little girl's voice rose at the end, and her affirmative words carried a hint of disparagement.
Xu Shiyue pursed her lips, offering no response to Lu Shien's assessment.
Lu Shizhen listened from the side, her gaze settling on the Friesian horse beside her, thanks to Xu Shiyue's introduction.
Its black fur was groomed to a glossy shine, and its thick, long mane was carefully braided into long plaits, giving it a handsome yet elegant look.
Perhaps because Xu Shiyue had mentioned the word "Labrador" in her introduction, Lu Shizhen, who had been somewhat afraid of these horses, took a liking to this one.
Just then, Qiuqiu finished her calculations: "Host, amazing! The horse that Xu Shiyue mentioned is indeed the most suitable for you among these horses."
The little guy's voice was filled with surprise and excitement, but Lu Shizhen's lips inexplicably curled up a little.
She was inexplicably happy and said to the people around her with a serious expression, "These horses are all quite nice."
The staff member chimed in, "Yes, Ms. Lu, our horses are all rigorously selected and meet racing standards."
“I can tell.” Lu Shizhen nodded, then, mimicking the original owner’s manner, slowly placed her hand on the head of the black Friesian horse beside her. “Then I’ll choose this one.”
Lu Shi'en was quite surprised, looking at the Akhal-Teke horse in front of him and said, "Sister, why didn't you choose Akhal-Teke? Don't you love the feeling of conquering this kind of horse?"
Lu Shizhen already had a plan. She rubbed her nose and said, "Well, the aftereffects of my cold haven't completely disappeared yet, so I don't have much energy lately. I can just come out for a drive with you."
"oh……"
Lu Shi'en lowered his head, touching the blood and sweat he had chosen, a moment of disappointment in his eyes.
But then she lost her initial excitement.
Because her sister just said that she forced herself to come out despite being sick just to be with her.
It's for your own sake!
Lu Shi'en glanced at Xu Shiyue standing next to Lu Shizhen, her exaggerated voice tinged with pride: "As expected of my older sister, she picked out the perfect horse for a ride at first glance."
Lu Shizhen smiled, feeling unworthy of the honor.
She thought she should thank Xu Shiyue for her casual introduction of Friesland.
Just then, Lu Shizhen felt her clothes being tugged. Xu Shiyue said to her, "Lu Shizhen, I should go."
Xu Shiyue's voice was so soft that it could be drowned out by the sound of hay turning in the stable.
But Lu Shizhen's heart suddenly sank at these words: "They came so quickly..."
"Okay." Xu Shiyue nodded. "Shen Yanxing just sent a message saying that the parking lot is very close to here and she will come to pick me up."
"Oh." Lu Shizhen uttered a single syllable monotonously. This was the first time in all the time she had spent with Xu Shiyue that she had entrusted her to another person. "Then remember to call Li too."
"Don't worry," Xu Shiyue promised, her hand seemingly gently hooking Lu Shizhen's little finger as she withdrew, feeling slightly cool.
"Sister, look..."
Knowing that Lu Shizhen wouldn't ride the Akhal-Teke horse with him, Lu Shien found another horse according to his own interests.
She was about to excitedly show Lu Shizhen her newly chosen horse when she noticed that Lu Shizhen's gaze was fixed outside. Xu Shiyue was outside, and there was another unfamiliar figure walking beside her: "Who is that person? What are Xu Shiyue doing with that person, along with her sister's bodyguard?"
“That’s Shen Yanxing, Xu…” Lu Shizhen paused for a moment, suddenly feeling very reluctant to put Xu Shiyue’s name together with Shen Yanxing.
However, their names will eventually be listed together in the original text, and it won't just be their names that are listed together.
Resistance is a very bad emotion, and Lu Shizhen felt that it was somewhat abnormal for her to have this emotion.
She watched their figures recede into the distance, and said to Lu Shi'en with an ambiguous tone, "Xu Shiyue went to play with her."
"Oh~" Lu Shi'en wasn't interested in Xu Shiyue's friends, but she was happy that Lu Shizhen now belonged only to her. She reached out and took Lu Shizhen's arm. "Since Xu Shiyue went to find that Shen something, then let me stay with my sister!"
In the past two days, Lu Shizhen not only learned a lot of knowledge from Qiuqiu in an intensive manner, but also practiced horseback riding simply through virtual VR.
She experienced the virtual world for many days, feeling the freedom that people often talk about, a freedom that allows you to forget all your troubles.
The horse was led out of the stable, and Lu Shizhen smoothly mounted the black Friesian.
The jolt of a horse walking was much clearer than in VR, and she thought that she was riding a real horse now, and this bad feeling would definitely disappear completely.
The cool breeze of early winter, warmed by the high sun, was not harsh and gently blew past Lu Shizhen's ears, ruffling her long hair.
The cleanliness she felt was something VR couldn't match, and the crisp sound of the horses' hooves truly helped her crush some of her unhappiness.
"drive!"
As Lu Shizhen was relaxing, a clear and somewhat imposing command came from afar.
Compared to leisurely strolling horseback riding, Lu Shien's galloping at the horse farm is what truly constitutes horseback riding.
Her well-fitting riding clothes accentuated her heroic spirit, and the horses, which were far more difficult to tame than those in Friesland, were exceptionally obedient under her command.
Her high ponytail drew a flamboyant arc in the sunlight, truly audacious to the point of being dazzling.
"Sister, why are you riding so slowly!"
Lu Shizhen was admiring Lu Shien's skills when the child quickly rode past her on her horse.
She was very dissatisfied with her sister's snail-like speed, so she raised her whip and lashed Lu Shizhen's horse.
In just a moment, Lu Shizhen's horse was startled.
Lu Shizhen was not skilled in horsemanship, and the horse beneath her was unable to fully release its startled emotions in an instant, raising its upper body as if in a convulsion.
In that instantaneous change, Lu Shizhen felt her whole body swaying.
The earphones were dangling precariously from her ears. Qiuqiu sensed Lu Shizhen's helplessness and frantically searched her phone: "Host, stay calm, I'll think of something for you right away."
Lu Shizhen had no idea how to deal with this emergency; the horse was jolting wildly as if it wanted to throw her off.
She needs to stay calm, but how can she do that?
"Lu Shizhen, hold the reins tight!"
Amidst this unsolvable chaos, Lu Shizhen heard Xu Shiyue's voice.
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