32 injured
Ta Xue wasn't fully grown yet, but she could manage to get on with some effort. Hong Yun, however, was already an adult and quite tall. She put one foot in the stable, but couldn't manage to mount with the other leg after several attempts. Ye Zhenzhen's stubbornness kicked in, and she insisted on mounting the horse herself.
Gu Tingshen wanted to help her, but was refused. He just shook his head and smiled, comforting Hongyun to keep her from moving around while watching over her.
The closest she came was when one of her lower legs was barely hanging on Hongyun's back, but her lower foot got stuck in the pedals and she couldn't put any weight on it.
Gu Tingshen's expression changed. He took a step forward, stretched out an arm to support her, and carefully took her left foot out of the stirrup with his other hand.
"Did you twist it? Does it hurt?" The man's voice was filled with anxiety, and he even wanted to take off her boots to check.
"It's nothing, it's just that the sole of my shoe got stuck!" Ye Zhenzhen quickly grabbed his hand, and, afraid that he wouldn't believe her, she even rotated her ankle to show that she was fine.
Gu Tingshen put her down and saw the determined light in her eyes, showing no intention of giving up. He didn't stop her, but kept a close eye on her to prevent any accidents.
He had just noticed that Ye Zhenzhen had basically mastered the key points of mounting the horse, but her core strength was insufficient, and Hongyun was much taller than ordinary horses, which was why she hadn't succeeded yet. However, with her own adjustments to her movements, she was getting closer and closer to successfully mounting the horse.
"Push off the ground with your right foot, and use your arms and waist to exert force together."
Ye Zhenzhen listened and nodded. She adjusted her breathing, smoothed Hongyun's mane, grabbed the reins with her left hand and the saddle with her right, braced her left foot in the stirrup, and pushed off with her right foot. Using the upward force, she successfully mounted the horse. Although her posture wasn't very elegant or dashing, she had at least succeeded.
"Mom, you did it!!" Gu Sinan was the first to cheer in support.
Gu Tingshen's smile deepened. Seeing her laughing happily, he flipped himself onto the horse and sat behind her. He spread his long arms around her and took the reins, as if he were holding her in his arms.
Ye Zhenzhen's back rested against his firm chest, the heat from their skin seeping through the two thin layers of his shirt fabric, causing a pink blush to rise on her cheeks.
She was enveloped in the crisp scent of cedar, and the familiar sense of security made her relax. She gradually learned to enjoy the speed of the journey.
The wind blew past her face, bringing the scents of snow-capped mountains, streams, and green grass. She closed her eyes, stretched out her arms, and felt the vastness of the world, as if she could roam freely, making her want to shout something out loud.
"I'm going to learn to ride a horse when I get back!" she shouted, opening her eyes and stretching out her arms. "I want to gallop on horseback too!!"
"Alright! I'll teach you when we get back." Gu Tingshen held her tightly with one hand holding the reins, and with the other hand he lightly whipped Hongyun with the riding crop, a smile of unprecedented joy on his face.
"drive!"
A drone hummed as it flew overhead, capturing the joyful sounds of the grassland.
The whole afternoon was spent riding horses, and both adults and children showed great enthusiasm for these adorable horses.
There was also a group of miniature horses at the horse farm. Their adorable appearance captivated the hearts of the female guests and children. The men rode the horses at a gallop, while the women and children fed and groomed them, lingering until it was almost dark before finally leaving.
"When you come back next year, Taxue will be all grown up, and maybe as tall as Hongyun!" Alipu, leading a group of children from the horse farm, saw off the little guests who had come from afar. "Come and play often in the future!"
Even after the production crew's car had driven quite a distance, the children were still looking back, their faces full of reluctance.
The more exhilarating horseback riding is during the day, the more uncomfortable it becomes at night.
Ye Zhenzhen was so excited while riding that she spent almost the entire afternoon on horseback. It wasn't until she took a shower that she realized her inner thighs were burning with pain. She endured the pain, finished washing, changed into casual clothes, and slowly returned to her tent. She first covered the security camera in the tent before sitting on the bed and pulling up her trousers to examine it carefully.
She saw a bright red patch on her inner thigh and was on the verge of tears. How was she going to walk tomorrow? The more she rubbed, the more it would hurt.
Hearing the father and son return, he quickly pulled down his pants and pretended nothing had happened.
There was only one large bed in the tent, and the three of them slept together as usual. Gu Sinan really liked her current life, spending every day with her parents and having her mother tell her interesting stories before bed.
He quickly burrowed into bed, snuggling up with his mother for warmth. The summer nights on the grassland were even colder than in Tata Village.
He curled up in his mother's arms and quickly fell asleep.
"Hiss..." Ye Zhenzhen wanted to turn around to charge her phone, but accidentally rubbed her inner thigh and gasped in pain.
"What's wrong?" The man came over almost immediately and asked in a low voice in her ear.
The overly magnetic voice made her ears burn. The injured area was already a bit embarrassing, so Ye Zhenzhen shrank her neck and was even more unwilling to say anything more. "It's okay, go to sleep."
She slowly adjusted her position, spreading her legs apart under the blanket to make sure they wouldn't touch, and prepared to lie down.
This time, Gu Tingshen didn't go along with her. He frowned, stepped forward, and put his arm around her shoulder. Remembering that she had been riding horses all afternoon, he seemed to understand. "Your legs hurt?"
"How did you know?" Ye Zhenzhen turned her head in surprise, then realized she had let something slip. "It's nothing, I guess I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
"Let me see, we have to record a show tomorrow." Gu Tingshen looked up and scanned the room, making sure all the cameras were covered, before looking intently into Ye Zhenzhen's eyes.
Ye Zhenzhen met the man's worried eyes. Thinking of tomorrow's filming, she gritted her teeth and threw back the covers. "Actually, it's nothing, my thighs are just a little red from chafing..."
She slowly rolled up her trouser legs, and Gu Tingshen's breath hitched for a moment.
A delicate, warm white expanse came into view, gleaming like mutton fat jade under the overhead fluorescent lights.
These were a pair of fair, slender, and well-proportioned legs with incredibly smooth muscle lines and flawless, flawless skin. However, the inner thighs were chafed raw, with some areas swollen, making for a rather alarming sight.
Gu Tingshen frowned immediately, not expecting it to be so serious.
It's probably because my skin is too delicate, and I spent too much time on horseback in the afternoon.
"Wait a moment, don't move." After saying that, he turned and left the tent.
When he returned a short while later, he was carrying a brown glass bottle.
"Is this medicine?" Ye Zhenzhen asked curiously.
"Yes, it's the medicated oil from Hanati's house, it's specially for treating abrasions."
Summer is the peak tourist season, and many tourists come here to ride horses. Herdsmen's homes usually keep some commonly used medicines on hand.
He washed his hands again and took a towel to place under her legs to avoid soiling the sheets.
Then, holding a cotton swab, he knelt on one knee on the bed, facing her open legs, lowered his head, dipped the swab in the medicated oil, and applied it to her wound.
The cotton swab, dripping with dark brown liquid, touched her red and swollen skin, instantly relieving the burning pain. But then she felt an itch coming from the spot, like ants crawling over her, and her thigh trembled uncontrollably.
"I can do it myself." She reached out to take the bottle, trying to ignore the strange, itchy, and painful sensation on her leg, eager to end this embarrassing and annoying situation as soon as possible.
Does it hurt?
"itch..."
"Don't move." Gu Tingshen directly reached out and placed his hand on her knee.
He stiffened almost imperceptibly the moment the cotton swab touched his skin, then quickly applied the ointment with his other hand.
In the silence, an itch slowly seeped into her entire body from her legs. Ye Zhenzhen felt the temperature in the room rising higher and higher, and her heart beating faster and faster.
Turning her head to the side, Ye Zhenzhen avoided looking at the man's large, well-defined hands. Desperate to say something to break the increasingly awkward atmosphere, she cleared her throat and changed the subject, "Old Gu, why are you and Nannan both fine, but I'm the one with the injured leg?"
"Because it was your first time riding a horse, you wore the chamois for too long." Gu Tingshen's forehead was slightly sweaty as he readily continued her words. "Your muscle strength is too weak, and your exertion is not reasonable. You didn't grip the horse's belly tightly while riding, and your body swayed with the horse. Over time, it's easy for the chamois to get chafed."
When they finally finished applying the medicine, they both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
When Gu Tingshen went out to wash his hands with the medicine bottle, he realized that his back was soaked with sweat.
Ye Zhenzhen lay on the bed, her face burning hot for a long time. Images of the man's lowered brows, long, dark eyelashes, tanned hands, and burning palms flashed through her mind...
"Ah!! What am I thinking?!" She abruptly pulled the blanket over her head and screamed silently. If it weren't for the medication on her leg, she would have wanted to roll around in bed wrapped in the blanket.
I actually find this man damn attractive!
Gu Tingshen lay down on the bed, feeling a chill, listening to the long, even breathing beside him, looking at the top of the tent, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.
He took another shower, but the feeling of touch from before still lingered in his palms, as warm and cool as soft jade, which only fueled his inner fire, filling his dreams with enchanting springtime scenes.
Hanati's medicinal oil is very useful.
When Ye Zhenzhen woke up the next day, her leg was much better. She changed into loose pants, and as long as she stopped riding horses, it hardly affected her activities.
At the children's insistence, they spent another half day at the horse farm.
Ye Zhenzhen stopped showing off and sat to the side watching them ride horses.
Gu Tingshen and Hongyun ran a few laps on the field, their teamwork becoming more and more seamless.
Seeing his and Liu Wei's superb riding skills, the skilled riders at the stable couldn't resist the urge to try their hand at it and mounted their horses for a friendly race.
They galloped across the grassland, the men who had grown up on horseback performing all sorts of thrilling maneuvers and whistling excitedly.
Gu Tingshen didn't have such flamboyant movements, but this man possessed a captivating charm that was hard to look away from. As he held the reins with one hand, lowered his body, and rode forward with his back to the ground, his hair was tousled by the wind, his handsome features revealing a touch of wildness, and his riding shirt clung to his body in the airflow, revealing the subtle shape of his muscles.
Just as the camera was about to be shoved right in her face, Ye Zhenzhen snapped back to reality. Realizing she had been staring intently at Gu Tingshen, her cheeks flushed slightly. She glanced shyly at the camera before quickly turning away, trying to cover her embarrassment.
The photographer, who was directly facing those eyes, lost his composure for a moment.
What a pair of eyes they were!
Her long, thick, and curled eyelashes were tinged with a faint blush of shyness at the corners of her eyes. Her clear, bright eyes seemed to shimmer with a watery light, carrying a touch of charming naivety that inexplicably stirred the heart.
The camerawoman trailed a couple of steps behind, trailing far behind Ye Zhenzhen, her mind screaming like a groundhog: Good heavens, I'm straight!!! But Zhenzhen is so cute when she's shy!!! Who wouldn't be moved by eyes like that?!
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at President Gu over there and suddenly understood why he had abandoned his business worth hundreds of millions to accompany his young wife to record a program.
Such a delicate and charming little darling! If she were mine, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting her go out to record a show by herself!
Ye Zhenzhen felt a little ashamed that she had been caught staring at Gu Tingshen like a pervert on camera.
After washing my face and calming down, I felt relieved. Who wouldn't like looking at a handsome guy?! I was just being a little infatuated like any other guy who's obsessed with good looks!
"Auntie, I heard from Nan Nan that you're not feeling well today and can't ride a horse?" Alipu asked Ye Zhenzhen, who was sitting alone, as he followed behind Gu Sinan with his beloved Black Wind horse.
"Well, I'm not feeling well today, so I won't ride." Ye Zhenzhen had adjusted her mindset by now and answered with a smile, reaching out to touch Hei Feng's neck. They had become quite familiar with each other yesterday.
Alip, seemingly lost in thought, pulled Gu Sinan away, but soon returned.
Gu Sinan held a snow-white lamb in her arms, while Alipu held a small yellow dog.
“It’s so boring sitting here by yourself, let them keep you company!” Alipu placed the chubby little yellow dog at Ye Zhenzhen’s feet. “Big Yellow can keep the lambs from running around, it’s very smart!”
"So cute!" Ye Zhenzhen stroked the lamb with one hand and the dog's head with the other, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "Thank you, now I won't be bored at all!"
"I'm glad you like it. I'm going horseback riding now. You guys have fun." The little boy blushed and scratched his head, trying to maintain his manly demeanor. He waved like a little adult, then turned around and beamed with joy.
Gu Sinan wanted to stay with her, but she persuaded him to leave.
"Go play with Alipu and the others. Come back and rest when you're tired."
She was leaving in the afternoon and hoped the children could play a little longer so they wouldn't have any regrets.
The lamb's wool was curly, very soft and fine, and felt wonderful to the touch. The little yellow dog was very affectionate, running around Ye Zhenzhen's chair.
The chaotic sounds of horses' hooves and whistles approached. Ye Zhenzhen looked up and saw a group of people riding horses from afar, with Gu Tingshen riding Hongyun at the forefront. The others rode back to the horse farm without stopping. When Gu Tingshen reached her, he pulled on the reins, dismounted, raised an eyebrow at the commotion, and stopped in front of her.
Then, he brought his hands, which were behind his back, to the front.
Ye Zhenzhen then noticed that he was holding a crown woven from wildflowers, adorned with small flowers in light pink, pale yellow, and tender purple, exuding a natural, rustic charm.
"This is for you." Gu Tingshen bowed in a classic gentlemanly manner.
"Thank you." Zhenzhen found it amusing, stood up, lifted the hem of her wide shirt, and returned the gesture with a curtsy. "Where did you get this?"
“We just had a horse race, and I won.” Gu Tingshen straightened up, walked up to her, picked up the flower crown, and placed it on her head. “I’ll put it on you.”
Ye Zhenzhen obediently stood still, and after the man withdrew his hand, she tilted her head and asked, "Was it pretty?"
She wasn't riding a horse today; instead, she wore a loose-fitting white linen lantern-sleeved shirt and trousers. Her long, black hair cascaded over her shoulders, her fair face had a healthy blush, and her lips were a tender red, as if stained with rose sap.
Wearing this floral crown under the blue sky and white clouds, I look like a fairy from the grassland.
"Beautiful." The man looked down at the girl in front of him intently, a gentle and tender smile on his lips.
"Nan Nan is calling us, let's go see." Ye Zhenzhen blushed and her heart raced under his gaze. She looked away and happened to see Gu Sinan waving to them from not far away.
He was about to walk over there when he said that.
The next second, everything went blurry, and she was suddenly lifted up horizontally, her cheek pressed against the man's warm chest.
? ? ?
"What are you doing?" Ye Zhenzhen hugged his neck, her ears turning red. "Put me down, I can walk by myself."
"Isn't your leg hurting? I'll carry you over." Gu Tingshen tightened his arms, holding the person more securely, and took a step forward with firm and steady steps.
"I'm all better now," Ye Zhenzhen whispered with a laugh in his ear, afraid of being overheard by the paparazzi.
Hearing no reply, the man continued to carry her forward.
Ye Zhenzhen raised her head in his arms, staring blankly at the man's clear jawline. The scent of sunshine, sweat, and cedar wafted from his body, and she quieted down.
The photographer, standing behind the camera, bit his lip hard to suppress the urge to scream, and focused on taking close-up shots.
Damn, they're such a perfect match!!!
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