0102 Jade Waist Slave (Part 1)
In any case, after eating some ginger candy every day for the past few days, Shu Fu's blood and energy were indeed much more abundant than before, and she recovered her energy in just two days.
When the maid who tended the horses at the villa heard that Shufu was feeling better, she asked Caicai to personally see her. She said that the little red horse that Shufu had been riding for the past few days hadn't seen her and was neighing in the stable all day long, as if it were lovesick. Today, it wouldn't even eat its feed.
Upon hearing this, Shu Fu also became interested: "Great! Chi Yun misses me, and I miss it too. I'll go with you right now!"
She found a pair of sandals and, while putting them on, said, "Please wait for me at the door for a moment, sister. I'll come right after I change my clothes."
After Cai Cai and the maid went out, Shu Fu changed into her travel clothes behind the mica screen.
Before leaving, she glanced at Zhan Yaoguang, who was sitting diagonally on the beam. At first, he kept his gaze on her, but when she looked back, he looked away guiltily.
“Hey, the spring scenery outside is so beautiful, you should smile, that would be more appropriate.” Shu Fu put her hands behind her back and looked up at him as she spoke.
"No, I can't laugh," Zhan Yaoguang said expressionlessly. "The past two days you've been spending time with all sorts of young ladies, and now a horse has taken a liking to you, and you're happy to go looking for it. In the end, I'm the only one in the whole world who can't get you to do anything."
The way these words were spoken was almost like a round, yellow, plump, sour apricot, practically dripping with sour juice.
Shu Fu's teeth were aching from the sourness. She looked around and finally found a candy ball. She tossed it upwards, and Zhan Yaoguang caught it and popped it into his mouth.
Seeing that he had eaten, Shu Fu smiled happily and said, "I'll give you this candy, so please smile. I actually heard the last thing you said to me that day: On the day of Your Highness's birthday, during the lantern festival in Chang'an, I will only go out with you. I won't go to any other invitations. Is that alright?"
It was exactly what he had thought. Zhan Yaoguang paused upon hearing this, and a crisp crunching sound came from his mouth. It turned out that he had accidentally crushed the candy, and the sweet taste of honey instantly filled his entire mouth.
The boy suddenly felt pleased, but after a moment of realization, he turned his face away, pretending not to be very happy, and said in a low voice, "Oh, you said it yourself, I didn't force you."
Shu Fu nodded repeatedly. When she reached the door, she turned back again and pointed at his forehead with her finger: "By the way, your hair seems to have grown longer. When you said 'oh' just now, it was sticking up."
Without waiting for Zhan Yaoguang's reaction, she turned and strode briskly out of the house.
...
The maid who tended the horses was still young, and seeing that Shufu was a friendly person, she couldn't help but strike up a conversation with her along the way.
“My name is Nuonuo. I used to work under the Palace Guardian. Because I was decent at raising horses, the Princess took me in,” Nuonuo said, skipping and jumping with great joy. “I’ve raised horses for many years, and I’ve never seen a horse so attached to a person! But Second Miss is so lively and beautiful. If I were Chiyun, I would look forward to Second Miss’s visit every day!”
Upon hearing this, Shu Fu felt a slight warmth in her ears, but after a moment, she felt at ease letting her speak. After all, so many people had praised her these past two days, saying she was beautiful, that she rode horses well, and that she was well-read...
It was as if, being with these women, she was already doing everything perfectly, and there were no more rules about being proper or quiet.
The two arrived at the horse farm together and saw a crimson horse in the stable that stood alone under the stall, its once bright red coat now appearing much duller.
Chiyun and His Majesty's beloved steed Shifachi are from the same lineage. It is a truly renowned and magnificent steed. Yet, after only a few days apart, it has become so disheveled.
Upon seeing this, Shu Fu's heart ached, and she frowned. She ran over to it and reached out to stroke its face.
"Red Clouds—"
Upon smelling the familiar scent, Chi Yun immediately let out a whimper, rubbing its face against her palm, and its pair of dark, round eyes became moist and watery.
Seeing that Chi Yun had changed from his usual listless state and finally regained some vitality, Nuonuo couldn't help but cheer up. She clasped her hands together, smiled, and said, "Oh, that's great! So Chi Yun really missed the Second Miss. He's truly a clingy reincarnation!"
“Miss Lao, please stay here with Chiyun for a while. I’ll go get some fodder for it,” she said, stepping forward and stroking Chiyun’s mane. “It’s been thinking about you, Miss Lao, and hasn’t eaten anything since last night!”
Shufu nodded, and Nuonuo ran off.
"I've only been gone a few days, why haven't you eaten?" The girl stood in front of the stable, her soft hand stroking its face, then gently patting its mane. "You were the most magnificent horse in this stable. I took a liking to you at first sight. If you've become thin because of this, I'll feel terribly guilty and won't dare ride you anymore..."
The divine steed seemed to understand human nature, pawing the ground with its two front hooves, snorting through its nostrils, and its tail swirling restlessly in the air.
Shuf couldn't remember where she heard it from, but it was said that when a colt behaved like that, it meant it was hungry.
She glanced to the side and saw a white horse in the stable next to her, with some hay left in its trough.
She had planned to wait for Nuonuo to return, but Chiyun couldn't wait any longer. He licked his own palm and desperately pressed the nipple against her hand.
Shufu hesitated for a moment, but eventually moved to the side, intending to borrow some hay to fill Chiyun's stomach.
Just as she was about to pull a handkerchief from her bodice, before she could even touch it, a voice came from behind her—
"Second Miss, you mustn't!"
Shu Fu turned her head at the sound and saw a girl walking quickly towards her. The girl was wearing a crimson silk dress with a few sparrows faintly embroidered on it, which seemed ready to take flight as she moved.
As the person drew closer, Shu Fu finally saw her face clearly; she was actually a stunningly beautiful young woman.
"Hello, sister," Shufu felt that the person in front of her looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't quite remember her, so she could only call her sister first. "I was planning to borrow some fodder from here for Chiyun to eat. Is that alright?"
“Second Miss, please look at the face of this white horse,” the girl said. “It has very obvious nasal swelling and facial swelling. And look at its hind legs, they are constantly alternating, as if it has difficulty supporting itself. I guess it probably has rickets, so there must be some medicine mixed in its feed. It’s not good to feed it to this red horse.”
Upon hearing this, Shu Fu realized the enormous mistake she had almost made and immediately gave her a grateful smile.
"Thank you for reminding me, sister. Otherwise, I would have almost caused Chiyun a lot of trouble."
The girl's skin was fair and delicate, and she quickly applied a touch of rouge: "Second Miss, you flatter me. In fact, you shouldn't call me sister. I am just a servant."
"Oh... then which family does my sister belong to?"
The girl paused slightly, then answered softly, "My name is Fu'er, and I am a maid in Young Master Liang's household."
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