0103 Jade waist slave (2)
It was her!
Shu Fu suddenly remembered that she had indeed seen her before. At that time, she had been tricked by Zhan Yaoguang into going to eavesdrop on Liang Zhiyan under the cover of night, and had vaguely caught a glimpse of her.
At the time, Liang Zhiyan said that Fu'er looked like her, but in Shu Fu's own opinion, they were clearly two completely different girls.
Fu'er's eyes were rounder and her lips thinner, and as for her figure and posture, there were even more differences. When they stood together, they were clearly two women with their own unique charm, not at all like Liang Zhiyan had described.
Shu Fu disliked Liang Zhiyan, but she was curious about Fu'er and couldn't help but ask, "I see that you seem to know a lot about judging horses. Do you also like riding horses?"
Fu'er hesitated for a moment, then answered slowly, "I was bought by my husband from Pingkang Ward two years ago. Although I grew up in the ward, I vaguely remember that my family used to make a living by trading horses. One year, my father had an accident while trading horses, and our family's situation plummeted. Every day was harder than the last, and in the end, he had no choice but to sell me."
"As for horseback riding, I did love it when I was little. But later, I ended up in Pingkangfang. My master knew I could ride a horse, so he made me practice it all the time, hoping it would be a way to curry favor with the powerful in the future..."
A gentle breeze swept by, blowing the hem of her crimson skirt, scattering stars across the grass like scattered flowers.
She pursed her lips, revealing a faint smile, and reached out to stroke the white horse's mane.
"If I told the Second Miss this, she would definitely think I was being pretentious, but after that, I didn't really like riding horses anymore... I just wanted to ride horses by myself, not to ride them just to please them."
Upon hearing her words, Shu Fu felt a pang of regret.
It is often said that when literary people meet, they make friends through poetry and easily form close friendships. The same principle applies to meeting on horseback.
The other person was a girl of similar age who also loved horseback riding, but now she said, "I haven't loved horseback riding since then." How could one not feel sympathy and regret?
Shu Fu felt a lump in her throat and was slightly sad. She kicked the hem of her skirt with her shoes.
Turning his head, he saw Fu'er walking over from the other side of the white horse. She reached out and touched Chi Yun's face, her eyes filled with a look of longing. Suddenly, a thought struck him.
"Sister doesn't want to ride a horse for others. If it were up to you to ride a horse for yourself today, I wonder if you would still be willing?" Shu Fu's eyes brightened slightly as she turned to Fu'er and asked in a clear voice.
Although Fu'er had previously said that she dared not accept the title of "sister" from her, Shu Fu thought to herself that since Fu'er did not like riding a horse to please others, she probably did not like the name that Liang Zhiyan had given her, so she still called her "sister".
Fu'er asked in surprise, "What do you mean by this, Second Miss?"
Shu Fu pointed to Chi Yun: "This is the princess's horse, not some horse belonging to the Pingkang Ward owner. Originally, they were only kept for the pleasure of the ladies who came to the villa, and were never kept to please anyone. If you'd like, sister, I'll talk to Chi Yun and you can ride it around the pasture!"
Fu'er's eyes flickered slightly, her heart pounded, and she felt a long-lost sense of eagerness.
However, she didn't know how to bring it up with Shufu, so she could only stare blankly at the graceful young girl opposite her.
Fortunately, Shu Fu noticed her expression and immediately guessed her thoughts. While she hesitated, Shu Fu bowed and knelt on Chi Yun's neck, whispering:
"Chiyun, I have a very important matter to entrust to you today."
The clever horse snorted and nuzzled her cheek with its mane.
Shu Fu said earnestly, "This older sister in front of me is someone I admire very much. She wants to ask you to take her out for a while, so please treat her well."
Seeing that Chi Yun was not resistant, Fu'er was also somewhat tempted. The two of them led Chi Yun out of the stable and into the open field. Fu'er tied the reins, hooked one foot on the stirrup, and with a light flip, jumped onto the horse.
Shufu stood on the ground, slightly raising her face to look at her. Seeing that her posture was extremely smooth and natural, not at all like someone who hadn't ridden a horse for a long time, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
In horseback riding, Fu'er seemed to have a much greater talent than her.
Her equestrian skills stood out among the ladies of Chang'an entirely because she enjoyed it and practiced a few times in private. However, after a year without riding, she needed to practice diligently for many days to avoid appearing intimidated in front of Qin Mi and the others.
But Fu'er seemed to be born to ride horses, and even though she hadn't ridden them for a long time, she showed no signs of rustiness.
If such a person never rides a horse again for the rest of his life, I wonder how many regrets he would have.
Several years later, Fu'er rode on horseback again. The red cloud beneath her initially moved very slowly, letting the spring breeze kiss her face.
Looking into the distance, a vast expanse of greenish-yellow grass, seemingly endless, came into view, just like the field where she and her father used to lie down during their leisure time feeding horses when she was a child.
At that time, the sky was high and blue, horses neighed and groaned, and a gust of wind swept across the sky, causing the fine grass and leaves to rustle and ripple like green waves.
Fu'er quietly enjoyed the breeze for a while, then suddenly opened her eyes, squeezed her legs together, and softly exclaimed "Giddy up!"
Red Cloud responded to the call and began to run wildly across the open plain. The clatter of hooves and the whistling of the wind mingled together, completely washing away the disciplinary voice of the madam in her mind and making her feel truly at ease.
Seeing that she was truly relaxed, Shu Fu also felt happy, her eyebrows curving up. When Fu'er passed in front of her again, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Sister, you're so good at riding horses!"
Fu'er suddenly came to her senses and slowly stopped the red cloud, stopping it just a few feet away from Shufu.
"Second Miss, you flatter me," she said, dismounting and approaching Shufu, her face flushed with a deep blush, but her eyes sparkling. "I only caught a whiff of the wind for a moment. In terms of skill, I am far inferior to Second Miss and the other ladies."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "Today, thanks to the Second Miss's favor, I was able to test drive such a fine steed as Crimson Cloud. I am deeply grateful."
After saying that, she raised her face and gave Shufu a genuine smile.
Shu Fu stood opposite her and smiled gently: "I am grateful to you. Your riding skills today have been very helpful to me..." She thought for a moment, then took a small cicada hairpin from her hair and put it in Fu'er's palm. "I'm giving you this little golden cicada as a token. I have some agate beads and jade, which I will inlay into a saddle and bridle for you in the future."
Fu'er was startled: "I have done nothing wrong, how dare I accept the Second Miss's reward?"
“It’s not a reward, but a common gift between friends,” Shufu said. “You came riding today and taught me a lot, so I’m giving you a gift. It’s very common, and that’s how I treat my other sisters. You don’t need to feel any pressure.”
"But I am just a servant. It was an accident that I was able to ride the Crimson Cloud today. Even if the Second Miss gives me a saddle and bridle, I will not need them in the future," Fu'er said in a low voice as she walked.
Shu Fu paused, turned to look at her, and said seriously, "You ride such a horse so well, better than many people in Chang'an. With such skill, who knows if you won't find other uses for it in the future?"
Fu'er was slightly taken aback; the cicada hairpin was pressing against her palm and was starting to feel hot.
The two girls led Chiyun by the hand and walked side by side. When they arrived at the stable, Nuonuo had already retrieved the fodder, and Shufu invited Fu'er to feed Chiyun with her.
Chiyun hadn't eaten for a long time, and after jogging around, he was starving. He immediately buried his head in the manger and began chewing on the fodder.
Shu Fu added some water to another empty trough and casually asked Fu'er, "What brings you here today?"
Fu'er paused slightly, and the slight smile that had been on her face disappeared completely.
"Second Miss, the truth is..." Her throat tightened, but she slowly opened her mouth and said, "The truth is, my husband sent me here... Because he is on good terms with the Princess's brother, the young master arranged a place for my husband to stay in the outer courtyard of the villa. He has been staying here for the past few days. He wanted to see you, Second Miss, and have a heart-to-heart talk with you, so he sent me to invite you..."
After saying this, Fu'er lowered her head in embarrassment, secretly hoping that Shu Fu would be angry with her.
—She treated her so honestly, yet she came to push her into a pit of fire.
Shu Fu frowned slightly and turned to look at her: "I'm actually not very willing to see your husband... If I don't go, will Liang Zhiyan be harsh on you?"
Hearing this, Fu'er couldn't quite describe the feeling in her mouth; she only felt a slightly astringent sensation, yet also a sense of relief.
Fortunately, she didn't want to go. Such a bright young girl would be a pearl hidden in the dust if she were to marry a man like Liang Zhiyan.
Fu'er remained silent for a moment, then gave a very faint smile. Shu Fu noticed with surprise that there was a small whorl on her cheek.
Indeed, it was uniquely vivid.
She said, "Second Miss, please rest assured. My husband is a scholar and will not easily lose his temper. If you do not wish to go, then I will go and return as before."
———
My darlings, I seem to have gotten quite busy lately TAT. I'm asking for a two-day delay in updating. The next update will be on the evening of the 19th. (bows) (crying) (ahhhhhh) (guilt) (worry) (fear)
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