Chapter 19
It has been cloudy in Hong Kong these days, with continuous drizzling rain. That day, Ye Tianhui went to the racecourse to take the test, and the sky was still cloudy.
There was a traffic jam on the road, but fortunately she got up early, so she had plenty of time.
When she arrived at the Pentium Racecourse, she saw that there were already many people waiting in line outside the racecourse. Everyone needed to register and fill out a form, so she took a pen and wrote.
She learned simplified Chinese characters in the mainland, but fortunately her Dazhao characters were similar to the traditional Chinese characters used in Hong Kong today, so she had to follow the old Dazhao writing method.
Who knows what the person in charge said: "What is this you wrote!"
Ye Tianhui: “…”
She asked carefully, "Isn't this how it's written?"
The person in charge looked at her with contempt, took a piece of paper next to him and pointed it at her. Only then did she understand.
Although most of the traditional Chinese characters here are the same as those of the Great Zhao Kingdom, a few are different.
While she was registering, a motorhome slowly drove over. When the staff at the horse farm saw the car, they stepped forward respectfully and opened the door.
The RV belonged to the Ye family, and the person sitting in the car was Ye Wenyin.
The Ye family has now established a horse management company and has spent a lot of money to purchase several horses to participate in this season's horse racing. The family horse management company is now led by Ye Lizhen, the second uncle of the Ye family, but Ye Wenyin also participated in the horse purchasing process, so she also has a place in the horse management company. This time she came to the racecourse to see her own horses.
Her eyes casually swept over the group of people registering in front of the racecourse. She had originally just been looking at them unintentionally, but who would have thought that she would see Ye Tianhui among them.
She was suddenly shocked.
She knew that a group of stable staff seemed to be being evaluated today, so why did Ye Tianhui come here for the interview?
You know, all the horses that the Ye family has spent a lot of money on are now at the Pentium Horse Farm. If Ye Tianhui also comes to work at the Pentium Horse Farm, she will inevitably come into contact with the Ye family...
Ye Wenyin stared at Ye Tianhui's back and frowned slightly.
She had a vague feeling that things were heading in a direction beyond her control.
At this time, Ye Wenjing next to her followed her gaze and saw Ye Tianhui.
Ye Wenjing is from the fourth room and is the fifth child in the family. He is half a year older than Ye Wenyin, and the two have had a good relationship since childhood.
As soon as he saw Ye Tianhui, he frowned: "Isn't this the mainland girl from the other day?"
Ye Wenyin nodded slightly: "It's her."
She took a deep breath and glanced at Ye Wenjing: "I met him that day in Yunfang."
When Ye Wenjing heard the word "Yunfang", his face turned bad: "It really is her, this mainland girl is so despicable!"
Ye Wenyin sighed: "Forget it, I don't blame her. She might have come to the horse farm to work. I am naturally embarrassed by this matter, but it is also my own bad luck. How can I blame others?"
However, Ye Wenjing felt quite indignant.
When Ye Wenyin returned home that day, her eyes were red. He happened to see it and asked her about it. But Ye Wenyin went back to her room silently and started crying. She didn't open the door even when he knocked on it.
He asked and found out what had happened. This was naturally quite embarrassing for Ye Wenyin, and even a humiliation for the Ye family.
Who wouldn't want to have a good time when a family like theirs goes out?
Later, he specially asked professionals to identify the crocodile skin, but to his surprise, after identification, the boots were indeed made of crocodile skin, and the material was indeed very solid. As for why it was torn at that time, the experts were also puzzled. Now they are still studying and trying to reach a conclusion.
The store then refunded them and apologized sincerely, and the matter ended there for them. However, Ye Wenyin was obviously depressed and sometimes even uneasy, which made Ye Wenjing unhappy.
It just so happened that the British thoroughbred horses purchased by the Ye family arrived these days. After settling in, since the old man planned to come and see them next week, he let Ye Wenyin have a general understanding of the situation so that he could make further arrangements and plans for the family's racehorses.
Ye Wenjing thought that it would be good to be able to come out and relax. After all, the horse farm was spacious, and riding horses and looking at the scenery would always be good for one's mood, so he came along.
But who would have thought that he would actually meet Ye Tianhui.
unlucky!
Ye Wenjing sneered, "She's here to work? Just because she wants to work here? If I let a northern girl like this come to work at the horse ranch, and I see her every time I come here, I'll feel like this horse ranch is filled with a foul odor!"
Ye Wenyin looked at Ye Wenjing, and she clearly saw the contempt and disdain in his eyes.
She sighed, but gently advised: "Fifth brother, we don't need to argue with her. These people are just pitiful people. Let's let her go and ignore her."
Ye Wenjing heard this and shook his head. "Wenyin, I know you have a bad temper, but you have to know that you are too kind. Kind people are often bullied. People like this, who can swim across the raging sea, must have come from the mud and struggled hard. With their mentality, they would sell their skin for a redwood fish. If we indulge them, who knows how arrogant they will be in the future. They should be taught a lesson."
Ye Wenyin was helpless: "Forget it, I won't say anything, it's up to you. I get a headache when I see people like this. You can do whatever you want, I can't control you."
As she said this, her gaze fell towards the glass window, and she happened to see Ye Tianhui who had already finished registering and was walking towards the horse farm holding a wet and dripping umbrella.
She looked at her back, pulled her lips and chuckled.
***********
Ye Tianhui actually saw a luxury car passing by, but she didn't think much about it. Her mind was now full of thoughts about the upcoming test.
After she registered, she was taken to the horse farm with a group of people and waited in line with a group of thin-looking teenagers.
Those teenagers looked young, about twelve to fourteen years old, and they all wore blue riding clothes. However, each of them was very thin, even to the point of being skinny.
At this time, she heard people around her whispering, as if talking about those teenagers. She listened carefully and learned that these people were called "Chongzi". They were generally from poor families and were adopted since childhood to train in riding skills.
Ye Tianhui thought about it for a moment and then understood.
Gu Shizhang once talked about the requirements that the racecourse has for jockeys. They have very strict requirements on the jockeys' weight.
In this case, most people may not meet the requirements. In order to train their own horse riders, the stables may find some short and thin children to train, and at the same time let them control their weight from an early age to achieve the best results.
This is not surprising. For example, dancers or some athletes are trained from a young age and maintain their weight appropriately.
Soon, those "bugs" were led to another meeting room by the person in charge, and Ye Tianhui and others were also arranged to take the exam.
The exam started with an interview, and the interviewees came one by one. After Ye Tianhui went in, the examiner asked her questions in English. Her English foundation was too poor, and she spoke English like a mute. Fortunately, Gu Shizhang had taught her a lot in the past few days, especially some professional vocabulary, which she knew. The examiner felt that her accent was bad on the one hand, but on the other hand, she had a rich vocabulary. After weighing the pros and cons, he actually let her pass.
After passing the test, the second level is the operational level, which examines the stable cleaning skills (actually sweeping the stable), daily horse care, preparing and unloading horses, cleaning and disassembling saddles, etc.
Ye Tianhui was naturally very familiar with horses in her previous life, but the modern saddle equipment in Hong Kong was different from what she had back then, and she was not very skilled in using it.
However, it seems that she is not familiar with the people who applied for the job with her. After all, if they were particularly familiar with each other, they would not apply for such a small temporary stable assistant position.
The results came out very quickly. A total of five people passed the examination. These five people were divided into different stables to undergo the most basic tests.
A young man named Jessie came over, greeted Ye Tianhui with a smile, asked her to follow him to the stable, and said that Ye Tianhui would be assigned to his stable from now on.
He held a wet umbrella in his hand: "It's raining outside, let's go, let's hurry up."
Ye Tianhui picked up her umbrella and followed Jessie. The rain outside was getting heavier. The entire racecourse was shrouded in heavy rain, and water was flowing down from the track halfway up the mountain.
Jessie bent down and rolled up her trouser legs, cursing under her breath, "What kind of awful weather is this!"
The wind was blowing and the rain was falling, and the hem of Jessie's clothes was soaked by water. Ye Tianhui hurriedly used her umbrella to shield him from the water.
Jessie rolled up her trouser legs, wiped the rain off her face, and smiled at Ye Tianhui: "Thank you. Your name is Ye Tianhui, right? Are you from the mainland?"
Ye Tianhui nodded.
She can tell whether other people are well-intentioned or malicious. When they all ask about "mainland", some people come with assumptions and contempt, while others just ask simply.
She smiled and said, "I've only been here a short time. I don't speak Cantonese well, and I only know a few traditional Chinese characters. If I can stay, I'd appreciate your guidance."
Jessie laughed and said, "I don't speak Cantonese well either. Didn't you hear that?"
He winked at her, a little mischievously.
Ye Tianhui: "It seems so. You have an accent, a very strange accent. I can't quite understand it."
Jessie laughed out loud. "Actually, my father is half Portuguese. I'm Chinese and Portuguese, a quarter Portuguese. My accent is influenced by my father. Look at my appearance, don't you think I look very similar to the locals?"
After saying that, he deliberately moved closer so that she could see his face clearly.
It was raining and the air was humid. He was so close that Ye Tianhui felt that his face was particularly large.
She pursed her lips and smiled: "It's quite different. If you look closely, you must be mixed-blood!"
Jessie: “That’s right!”
As he spoke, he led Ye Tianhui to the stables: "From now on, the two of us will be in charge of Stable No. 71. We have six horses in our stable now, and our daily job is to serve the horses here. I have been working here for a year and have always been a stable assistant, the lowest-level employee, being ordered around every day. But now that you are here, I can order you around from now on. In front of you, I am your elder."
Ye Tianhui smiled and said, "Okay, I understand."
As they were talking, they finally arrived at their stable. The damp and cool air followed them into the stable, which was filled with the scent of hay and horse manure.
The two of them hung the dripping umbrella next to the wooden shed at the entrance of the stable, and then Jessie gave her a general introduction to the stable.
This horse farm now has the most advanced stable equipment in Hong Kong, the most complete horse training facilities, including a horse swimming pool, a mountain run and a rest area.
In addition to the horses, the company currently manages approximately 300 horses on behalf of wealthy Hong Kong tycoons.
The stables are staffed with a full complement of staff, including jockeys, trainers and other horse racing-related jobs, as well as veterinarians, equestrian affairs assistants, coaching assistants, nailers and event trainee administrative assistants.
Of course, these jobs all require a series of selection and training. Ye Tianhui is new here and is not yet qualified to participate in the professional technical training, so she can only work as an apprentice stable assistant here for the time being.
Her job is to clean the stables, equipment and tools, monitor the health and hygiene of the horses in her care, and accompany the horses during transportation when necessary.
Jessie smiled and said, "As for our job, it's to take care of the horses here. We feed them, bathe and massage them, and take them for walks. If the trainer wants to call on a horse, we have to prepare the horse in advance. The six horses we have here are all retired, but every one of them is a good horse."
Ye Tianhui could only nod as she listened.
She was naturally familiar with horses in her previous life, and what Jessie said about horse care was more or less consistent with her own knowledge. However, thanks to the development of technology and the convenience of tools, as well as the innovation of concepts, what she knew seemed outdated and outdated. These new things were more scientific and reasonable. It seemed that she still had a lot to learn.
As he was speaking, the door opened and an old man holding an umbrella walked in quickly, followed by a gust of wind and rain.
Uncle quickly closed the door, then said to Jessie, "Jessie, No. 56 and No. 32, prepare the horses, we'll need those bugs."
Jessie frowned when she heard it: "Use it at this time?"
The old man had gray hair and was wearing a suit. He spoke with a mainland northern accent mixed with English and sounded a little serious: "Yes, we need it now, hurry up!"
Jessie was helpless: "It's raining so hard, why do you want to use our horses?"
Uncle: "It's not up to me to decide. Hurry up."
The old man went out for a while. It seemed that he had to inform other stables. Jessie cursed helplessly.
Ye Tianhui was curious: "You're still going horse racing on a rainy day?"
On the way here just now, she saw that the racetrack was built against the mountain and there were some obstacles. This means that during the race, horses have to go up and down the mountain and cross obstacles, which is still a bit challenging for ordinary horses.
It's raining now, and there's so much rain flowing down. It's too dangerous to still run a horse race.
Jessie shrugged and said helplessly, "Those bug guys want to ride horses, they definitely don't want to use good horses. The horses we have here are all retired old horses, they don't feel bad about using them."
Ye Tianhui was puzzled. "On a rainy day, are we letting those bug kids ride horses? They haven't even started yet, and they're so young. They haven't even received the most basic training. How can we let them run an obstacle course in this kind of weather?"
Jessie naturally heard her surprise and looked at her helplessly: "Indeed, this is their purpose."
As he spoke, he explained that these "bugs" were teenagers from poor families. The minimum age to engage in horse riding was generally sixteen, which was the regulation, but horse racing did not look at birth certificates, and many people did not have birth certificates anyway, so there was a problem of lying about age.
He looked at Ye Tianhui and said, "So it's best to start riding at a young age, around twelve or thirteen, because that's when you'll have the best body shape. They have to go through certain tests, and only after they pass them can they be selected by the horse trainers at the stables, who will then train them and make them the best in the industry."
He didn't explain it in detail, but Ye Tianhui understood it immediately.
These bugs are selected to undergo very arduous training, just like in the old society, if an apprentice wants to make a living from his master, he may have to go through some training and examination, and these bugs also have to go through such an examination before they can have this job.
Even if you have this job, life is not easy. It is estimated that you can only get a small part of the money you earned when you were young, and most of it is taken away by the horse farm or the master. Some people will be eliminated in the process, while some will survive to the end, become masters, and then take apprentices, thus forming a cycle.
At this time, Jessie started to prepare with a lot of complaints. Ye Tianhui helped her and took out waterproof raincoats and put them on the two horses. Then both of them put on raincoats, held umbrellas, and led a horse out each.
The rain outside was getting heavier, but fortunately the two horses were battle-hardened and did not back down.
Two people led two horses to the front of the track, but saw that there were already more than a dozen horses and more than twenty teenagers gathered there. Those teenagers should have been screened.
They were all very thin and short, standing silently in the rain, just getting wet.
Not far away, the originally neat playing field has now become muddy. Everything looks messy and depressed, except for the obstacles on the mountain road, which still stand in the rain.
Ye Tianhui followed Jessie and led her horse to the nearby stable to take shelter from the rain, ready to receive orders at any time.
At this time, Ye Tianhui felt a silent gaze. She followed the gaze and saw a somewhat familiar face.
The soaked riding suit tightly wrapped around his thin body, his short black hair stuck wetly to his forehead, and his pair of jet-black eyes just looked in her direction.
Through the cold rain, their eyes met, and Ye Tianhui looked into those eyes. They were a pair of dark eyes filled with desire.
Ye Tianhui was very familiar with this look.
She had seen such eyes when she stood on the city wall and looked at those skinny soldiers.
This was also the pair of eyes she saw hiding behind the trash can that day after she wolfed down two wife cakes and was satisfied.
It turned out to be him.
Unexpectedly, he was recruited to the horse farm and became a candidate for Bug Boy.
I didn't look closely at him that day, but now it seems that he actually has a clean and handsome appearance, with long and thick eyelashes, but he is too thin.
It was still raining at this time. A drop of rain rolled down from the tip of his nose, flowed down his pale face, and flowed across his long and thin neck.
He pursed his lips and avoided her gaze.
Ye Tianhui also withdrew her gaze.
Staff members came over, including a few skinny horse trainers. They stood in the rain with bare arms and began to check the teenagers one by one. Some even reached out to pinch their arms, measure their bodies, and observe their feet.
Those young men were like cattle and horses in the market, allowing themselves to be picked and chosen without a word.
Jessie came closer and kindly explained to her, "Look, they're looking at your feet."
Ye Tianhui asked in a low voice: "Why? Is it because the feet can predict the future weight?"
Jessie: "Yes, they believe that a child's body grows first through their feet. If their feet are too big, they will definitely be tall and heavy in the future."
He went on to explain: "In our formal competitions, the weight is usually announced three days before the competition. The weight range is required to be between 108 and 118 pounds. It is difficult for ordinary men, so we have to be strict."
Ye Tianhui listened and did a rough calculation. She knew that one pound was probably less than one kilogram. In that case, if it was a male jockey, the height requirement would be very strict and he would have to be an extremely thin person.
As they were talking, each horse trainer picked a young man. They took their own young men aside, while those who were not picked were shouted away.
Ye Tianhui saw that the young man with dark eyes was chosen by a horse trainer wearing a straw hat.
As for those who were not selected, disappointment appeared in their originally dull eyes. They looked at each other, not knowing what to do, and finally could only be taken away by the staff - obviously they also knew that they were eliminated.
After those teenagers walked away, some of them still looked over here with reluctant eyes.
After the young men were selected, the assessment and training began. Ye Tianhui saw that the horse trainers brought a thick old horse blanket. They handed the old horse blanket to the young man, and the young man put the blanket on his back.
Ye Tianhui was a little confused and asked Jessie in a low voice: "What is this for?"
It looks like it is used to keep out the rain, but this horse blanket is obviously not designed to keep out the rain. This kind of horse blanket is thick and is used to keep horses warm in winter. It absorbs a lot of water and cannot be used to keep out the rain.
Jessie held the reins and whispered, "Let's make it a little more difficult for them. If they can ride the horse for a full lap without losing the blanket, they'll have passed. Of course, it also serves as protection in case they fall."
Ye Tianhui frowned, she began to realize the cruelty of the upcoming selection.
After the young men had put on their horse blankets, Ye Tianhui and the others were ordered to take their horses over for use. Jessie was obviously reluctant to let them go, and she grumbled distressedly, "Poor Unnasch, so pitiful."
But he obviously had no say in the matter and could only lead the horse out with great pain.
The teenagers were led to these horses, and each of them could pick one. Obviously, the teenagers didn't know much about horses, and most of them looked at these horses in a daze. These horses weighed about a thousand pounds and were at least 1.7 meters tall, while the teenagers looked to weigh only about 80 pounds. They looked so thin and small in front of these tall horses. They didn't understand and didn't know where to start.
Only the black-eyed boy walked forward and came in front of Ye Tianhui.
Ye Tianhui handed the reins to him and quickly whispered, "Pay attention to the sixteenth obstacle on the way down the mountain."
When the young man heard this, he suddenly looked up.
Ye Tianhui didn't look at him again, but lowered her head to adjust the stirrups. Seeing this, the young man stopped talking. After Ye Tianhui adjusted the stirrups, he led the horse out in silence.
Soon, all the young men present chose their own horses and mounted them at the trainer's request.
This was obviously unfamiliar to them. These children from poor families had no contact with horse racing at all, but they could only bite the bullet and climb on board, hold the reins tightly, clutch the horse blanket in their hands, and wait for their fate to unfold.
You can see that they are all very nervous.
Because just now, those screeners have eliminated a group of people, and if they cannot pass the next test, they will inevitably leave with disappointment.
Ye Tianhui looked at the black-eyed boy. He was very thin, so thin that he probably weighed only about seventy pounds, and his waist was so thin that one hand could pinch it.
But he sat on the horse with his feet in the stirrups and his upper body upright, looking very stable.
Ye Tianhui felt admiration in her heart. It seemed that he had some talent to be chosen to be a bug boy.
Just looking at the young man's back, she felt a little complicated.
Being able to stay and work as a cymbal is a way for these young people to make a living, but she also understands that being a cymbal must be very hard. She has to control her diet and weight, and she has to put in a lot of effort but may not necessarily get any results.
At this time, those young boys who had never ridden a horse before had already ridden onto the track. Fortunately, these horses were old horses that had been through many battles, and the one that Ye Tianhui brought was even better. Compared with those young boys who were at a loss when riding a horse for the first time, these old horses actually knew how to overcome those obstacles better.
The mountainside track, built for 2,400 meters and featuring 23 obstacles, had become slippery from the heavy rain. The horses' hooves flew, sending mud and water splattering all over the young boys.
Because of the speed and the mud, the little riders all leaned forward slightly.
The racehorses started to cross the obstacles. When the horses jumped up, a little rider fell down. The horse roared and the little rider seemed to be trampled. Painful howls were faintly heard in the heavy rain. Someone cursed "useless" and ran over with a stretcher.
Jessie, who was standing next to Ye Tianhui, took a deep breath and sighed, "How pitiful! That child must have been trampled by a horse."
Ye Tianhui didn't say anything.
The rain had subsided by this time, and her gaze was closely following the black-eyed boy.
He seemed to have cleared four obstacles without incident, and his horse was indeed an old one, running fast and steady.
She saw that his horse was running wildly on the uphill track. Because of the high speed, the horse's body was swinging violently, and the strong muscles on its back and buttocks were churning.
Ye Tianhui understood that riding on such a horse was not as stable as most people thought. When the horse was galloping wildly, it was like a small boat traveling at high speed in strong winds and huge waves. In fact, it was a very difficult and physically demanding task to keep balance on this horse and not fall.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and saw clearly through the rain and mist that the black-haired boy was now bent over, his whole body hanging in the air, his toes firmly clasped in the violently shaking stirrup.
He had already placed all the weight of his frail body on the toe support.
The horse trainers nearby had obviously noticed the black-haired boy as well. Some murmured in admiration, while others said, "This boy has talent!"
Another horse trainer said, "It's very dangerous. If he moves even a little bit backward, he'll flip over. If he moves even a little bit forward, he'll fall off the horse."
After hearing this, Ye Tianhui naturally understood. Judging from the posture of this black-haired boy, he could naturally master the best riding posture even though he had never been on a horse. His body balance, coordination and reaction abilities should all be excellent. In other words, this child has talents that ordinary people do not have.
But he had no experience at all. On the back of a horse running at such high speed, the jockey's range of balance was actually very small. If there was a difference of a few inches, the consequences would be disastrous.
Therefore, competition is cruel and requires talent and perseverance. The screening of the insects in front of us is to select those young people with innate talents.
Ye Tianhui stared at the situation on the field without blinking. The galloping horses were very fast. After crossing one obstacle after another, people kept falling off their horses, but the black-haired boy was already half a horse's length ahead of the horse next to him.
Ye Tianhui's gaze swept forward. At this time, the rain became heavier. She looked past the heavy rain and her gaze fell on the sixteenth obstacle in front of her.
In fact, just when she glanced at it just now, she had already seen that the height of the 23 obstacles on the entire track was no more than one meter and a half. Most of them were located in the middle of the straight track, but six obstacles were located on the rugged mountain roads going up and down the mountain. The sixteenth obstacle did not seem special at first glance, but it was located at the turn of the track, and that turn was a downhill road.
That is to say, according to common sense, when a horse sprints along a straight road, the speed will be very fast, but there is suddenly a sharp downhill turn here, and at the same time there is a one-meter-high obstacle.
This is also a difficult point for professional players. For these teenagers who have no horse riding experience, especially in heavy rain, it is simply a death level!
When she thought of the black-haired boy, her heart began to lift.
Can he pass this death level?
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