future
Someone assassinated his brother in Marseille. He wanted to tell his father, but his father not only didn't believe him, but also scolded him as usual, saying that he should just be a good playboy and that the rest was beyond his understanding.
Of course he didn't understand. The only thing he could do was to be a parasite of the Qin family, as his father had said, and live a life of eating, drinking, and having fun.
Having already enjoyed wealth and honor, what else could he possibly ask for?
Jingwan talked a lot. She was actually a very talkative child, but after coming to Pingdu, she learned to be careful with her words, afraid of offending someone by saying the wrong thing.
Dongxia was an excellent listener, as was Qin Ziyou. He was neither impatient nor annoyed with her; he simply listened quietly to her story.
A firefly boldly flew up to her, and she couldn't resist reaching out to let the lively little insect land in her palm. She smiled slightly and couldn't help but blow on it, scaring the little insect away again.
Jingwan's gaze followed the little insect until it disappeared into the grass.
"How liberating!" Qin Ziyou suddenly exclaimed.
Jingwan tilted her head to look at him: "Aren't you free?"
You can freely walk around this capital every day, aren't you free?
Qin Ziyou forced a smile: "I have things I can't bear to part with, and things I haven't figured out yet, so of course I'm not free."
Jingwan looked at him and said, "If I could earn a lot of money, I would have a lot of freedom."
She spoke so frankly and simply that Qin Ziyou burst into laughter.
Jingwan ignored him. She crossed her legs, rested her head on her knees, and said quietly, "My mother passed away early, and my father... although he is still alive, it would be more appropriate to call him my adoptive father. I have no relatives left in this world. If I had lots and lots of money, I could leave here. I want to go back to the Northwest. With money to rely on, I won't suffer too much, and I can do what I like in the future. Wouldn't that be wonderful!"
During the day at the horse farm, Qin Ziyou saw her sitting on the main platform reserved for high-ranking officials. She also lived in Yuquefang. Qin Ziyou guessed that she came from an extraordinary family. But how could someone from such a prominent family be troubled by making a living?
If she wanted money, he could give her a lot, but she wouldn't take it.
Qin Ziyou thought about it seriously and asked her, "If you want to make money, I have a way."
He sat up straight again and said, "Your craftsmanship is getting better and better. I see that many of the jewelry sold in Pingdu are not as good as what you make. Why don't you give me your items and I'll put them in my shop for you to sell?"
Jingwan had considered it before. She used to sell jade ornaments at the Dongqiao Night Market, hoping to earn some money, but she could only go out twice a month, so she couldn't make much. Later, she realized that her skills were lacking and the jade materials were of poor quality, so she didn't want to waste any more time and only wanted to learn properly from Uncle Gong.
Qin Ziyou knew that she didn't come out often and didn't know about the shops in Pingdu, so he immediately explained to her that there would be some secluded empty spaces in the jewelry shops where she could put her small jade ornaments. If she made money, she would split the profits with the shopkeeper on a 20/80 basis. If she didn't make money, the shopkeeper wouldn't lose money just by leaving them there.
"Although the craftsmen in big shops are indeed skilled, they are old and don't know that ladies like novelty when they have nothing to do. You are different. You are young and have unique ideas. Look at the carvings you make, each one is unique."
Jingwan suddenly remembered that at the horse race earlier that day, the lady asked her where she bought the jade fish pendant. She must have been appreciating it, which was why she asked her!
She told Qin Ziyou about the daytime betting incident, especially describing the big-eared horse in detail: "Don't let its somewhat foolish appearance fool you, it's actually quite intelligent. Its owner isn't a good archer, so whenever the horse jolts, it slows down, afraid of its owner falling. That's what makes a good horse!"
She didn't recognize him, and Qin Ziyou didn't know whether to feel fortunate or disappointed.
"You know about horses?" That's not surprising, since she grew up in the Northwest, the best place for horses to thrive.
Jingwan said with considerable pride, "Of course, I also understand horse language!"
People in the Northwest all know how to ride horses. Even small children can ride ponies and gallop across the yellow sand. Aqina once said he would give her a horse, but before he could give her the horse, she left Yongye.
"Horses can talk?" Qin Ziyou became interested. He felt that his horse was indeed intelligent, but he never thought that it could talk.
"When you go to Yongye, I'll take you to my friend's horse farm. Then you'll see if the horses can talk!"
Yongye, what a remote place! If he hadn't met Jingwan, he would never have thought that he would go there to listen to the "Willow Branch Song" and see the scenery of the desolate desert.
“At least you had your mother by your side. Unlike me, I don’t even know what my mother looks like. We have everything in the house, but there’s not a single portrait of her. No matter how much I miss her, I can’t remember what she looks like.”
This was the first time Qin Ziyou had revealed his family background to her, and Jingwan was somewhat surprised: "I thought..."
"What did I think? Did I think I was a pampered young master spoiled by my parents?"
Jingwan nodded; that was indeed what she thought.
His smile was tinged with sadness; he had never mentioned these painful experiences to anyone else.
“I have an older brother and an older sister. They are siblings, but we are not born of the same mother. My mother left home early to practice Buddhism at a temple, and my grandmother managed the household. My grandmother did not like me, but she never treated me badly. My brother and sister were distant from me, but they always treated me with the courtesy due to a guest. As for my father, although he scolded me every day for only knowing how to eat, drink, and have fun, he secretly hoped that I would become a playboy who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun. I could not have any thoughts of competing with my brother and sister. I could only accept whatever they gave me.”
If this had been mentioned before, Qin Ziyou would have cried long ago, but today he spoke of it calmly: "When I was little, I loved reading and wanted to become a high-ranking official like my grandfather. Later, when I learned that my brother was also going to enter officialdom, I stopped liking to read. As I grew older, my master praised me for my talent in martial arts, saying that I could go to the battlefield to fight the enemy and make a name for myself. Unfortunately, my father was unhappy and sent my master away. I then realized that I shouldn't have practiced martial arts. I didn't know what I should do, but I made a lot of bad friends and learned how to eat, drink, and have fun."
He looked at Jingwan with unprecedented seriousness and relief in his eyes: "Although the days before seemed happy, I also felt empty and bored when I had free time. But for the first time, I feel lucky to have had such days. If I hadn't fallen in love with jade, I probably wouldn't have met you. Jingwan, I now realize that the past time has never been wasted. Perhaps it was God who made me wait for you."
There are some things I always want to say later, and I always feel that the time is not right yet. But when will the right time be?
Qin Ziyou said, "I like you, I like you so much, so much that I want to marry you and be with you for the rest of my life. Don't rush me, I know you won't agree right now, I just want you to remember that when you go back to Yongye, don't forget to take me with you. If you have an answer then, whether you want to or not, I will listen to you."
People from Northwest China are known for their generosity and easygoing nature, while people from Pingdu are reserved and always mindful of etiquette. Yet, the fact that such a straightforward person from Pingdu was opening up to her left Jingwan speechless for a moment.
A moment of silence.
Of course she knew that Qin Ziyou liked her. He never hid his words or actions; if he liked someone, he liked them, and if he didn't, he didn't.
She also liked Qin Ziyou, not just for a bit of fun to pass the time in her lonely life, but because she felt that it would be wonderful to have someone like him by her side for the rest of her life.
Jingwan looked at Qin Ziyou and asked him, "Are you telling the truth? If I ever return to the Northwest, will you come with me?"
Qin Ziyou nodded vigorously: "It's true, I'll go wherever you go."
Jingwan slowly pulled his hand over and intertwined their fingers. Qin Ziyou held her hand tightly in return.
That night, after returning home, Qin Ziyou made a special trip to the stable to check on the long-eared horse.
The horse was a gift from his martial arts instructor.
In Pingdu, men with some wealth in their families all needed to know some riding and archery skills. After learning from a master for half a year, the master gave him a horse.
I can't remember my master's name anymore. After my father didn't want me to continue practicing martial arts, my master left, but the horse was left in the stable at home.
The people he once loved always left one by one, leaving him alone in the end.
He didn't want to go to Marseille that day, but his friends insisted on taking him, so he had no choice but to take the horse out for some fresh air. It had been cooped up in the stable for a long time and was bored to death. He never expected to meet her, and even more unexpectedly, she could see that the horse was very intelligent.
It is indeed extremely intelligent.
As a child, he was short, just like him, with a thick, black mane and a gentle temperament. His ears were particularly endearing, but because they didn't match his face, people misunderstood him as having no talent.
He fell in love with it after just a few glances.
He whistled, and it knew he was calling it, and it would turn around and look at him; before, when he sat in the stable in a daze, it would come closer and put its big horse head on his head or shoulder.
Qin Ziyou had no doubt that Jingwan said horses could talk. He could clearly sense that the horse could not only speak, but also feel his joy and pain...
Life goes on for more than a decade, and in this family, the only thing that can keep him company is this horse.
Fortunately, fortunately, in the long journey of life ahead, there is another Jingwan.
The thought of her swept away Qin Ziyou's bitterness.
He really didn't want to stay in Pingdu anymore. Apart from Uncle Gong, there was really no reason for him to stay in Pingdu any longer. When Jingwan left, he would go with her.
Grandmother, grandfather, and father—they only needed Qin Gang and Qin Xi.
With Qin Ziyou's help, Jingwan received fifty taels of silver when they met again.
"So many! You're not lying to me, are you? You couldn't sell them, so you bought them yourself?"
Qin Ziyou waved his hands repeatedly: "Don't overestimate me. It really was sold in the shop, and I even gave twenty taels of silver to Yuying Pavilion! If you don't believe me, go ask their boss!"
Seeing that Jingwan was still looking at him suspiciously, Qin Ziyou quickly explained, "The owner of Yuying Pavilion said that your jade comb is really beautiful. A young lady bought it for thirty taels of silver. I heard that several other young ladies came later, also wanting to buy the jade comb. When I went to get the silver, the owner even asked me if I had any leftovers!"
"I'll take you to Yuying Pavilion sometime and see if anyone buys your things!"
Since he said so, Jingwan didn't believe him. Looking at the silver coins in her hand, she felt a sweet, cloying feeling.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
