Two hours passed, and the baskets were indeed completely dry. Mao Mao and the others then brought them inside.
Big Tree, with his sharp ears, heard the sound of horses' hooves and quickly said to the other two, "Listen, isn't that the lady and the others returning?"
Erzhu and Mao listened intently and could indeed faintly hear the sound of horses' hooves. They quickly ran together to the gate of the manor, where Min Yueqing and her two companions were not far away. Shi Tou saw Mao Mao run out the gate and waved to him.
Mao Mao waved back excitedly.
Upon reaching the entrance, Mao Mao and the other two bowed in greeting. Min Yueqing paused, pulled on the reins, waved for them to stand up straight, then glanced back at Pei Ji and Shi Tou behind her and said, "You kids chat first." Then she went straight inside.
Children have their own way of communicating, and it's understandable that others might feel uncomfortable if she's there; it's better for her to avoid the situation.
Pei Ji, being a child, was also kept behind. Looking at the older children at the door, he was curious and prepared to listen to what Shi Tou had to say to them.
Mao Mao and the other two watched respectfully as the lady rode her horse inside, before turning back to Pei Ji and Shi Tou. The three of them first said, "Greetings, young master."
Pei Ji told them to stand up and not to be shy.
Seeing that Pei Ji was very easygoing and didn't put on airs like a young master, Mao Mao and the other two became more lively. At this moment, Shi Tou asked, "Shall we go pick fruit now? Where is it? Is it far?"
Mao Mao replied with a smile, "It's not far, just behind the village, it's also part of our village. There's a whole orchard of fruit trees, and lots of fruit. Would you like to rest for a while? We can go back in half an hour, and it won't be so hot then."
Upon hearing this, Shi Tou asked Pei Ji, "Shall we go back and rest for a while?"
Pei Ji thought for a moment and said, "Rest for half an hour would be good." His legs were indeed a little sore, probably from being chafed while riding a horse.
Shi Tou said to Mao Mao, "Then it's settled. We'll set off together in half an hour."
Mao Mao readily agreed, then pointed to the two people beside her and said, "These are my two cousins, one named Da Shu and the other named Er Zhu. They also want to come along, is that alright?"
Stone replied with a smile, "Why not? It's more lively with more people." He greeted Big Tree and Two Pillars familiarly, "My name is Stone. We'll head back now. See you later."
Pei Ji nodded to the three of them, then patted his little horse. The horse understood its master's meaning and started walking towards the familiar courtyard, with Shi Tou following behind.
Once they entered the main courtyard, Da Shu exclaimed again, "This little foal is so well-behaved! Did you see it? The young master patted it, and it started walking."
Erzhu and Mao Mao chimed in, "That's right! The young master is amazing too, his riding skills are so good at such a young age."
In their view, as long as one can ride a horse normally, that's considered top-notch riding skill.
When Pei Ji returned to the main room, Min Yueqing was leaning against the couch reading a book. When she saw him enter, Min Yueqing waved to him, and Pei Ji walked up to her.
"Does your leg hurt?" As soon as he entered the room, Min Yueqing noticed that his walking posture was a bit strange.
Pei Ji nodded honestly.
Min Yueqing reached out and pulled him onto her lap, then unbuttoned his clothes. She found that the little boy's delicate inner thighs were chafed and red, with some bruises even turning purple in the middle. She could foresee that if the road were any longer, his skin would break and bleed.
Although she knew this was a necessary step in learning to ride a horse, Min Yueqing still frowned with heartache.
Amei, who was standing to the side, was not as composed as Min Yueqing. Upon seeing the scene, she immediately gasped and said with heartache, "Oh dear, how did you get hurt like this? You were fine yesterday!" As soon as she finished speaking, she hurriedly went to get some wound medicine.
Min Yueqing looked at the little baby in her arms and asked, "Are you still brave enough to ride a horse tomorrow?"
Although Pei Ji was in pain, there was no fear in his eyes. Instead, he comforted his mother, saying, "Mother, it doesn't actually hurt that much. It just looks scary. It won't stop me from riding a horse tomorrow."
Min Yueqing couldn't help but feel proud of her little one. At only five years old, he had such strong willpower. Despite being pampered and served by so many people since he was a child, he was not spoiled at all. He was not timid or hesitant because of injuries or hardships. He was just like her in every way.
After spending just a few months together, Min Yueqing had come to regard Pei Ji as her own child from the bottom of her heart, instead of seeing him as a responsibility in order to fulfill her duty to her master, as she had at the beginning.
Moreover, whether it was because she learned it too well or because her habits and mannerisms were similar to the original owner's, this child was naturally close to her from the very beginning, and it is still the same now. This kind of blood-related intimacy cannot be faked, and she has no resistance to this child's coquettishness. As long as she looks at his delicate little face and big black agate eyes, she can't say any words of refusal and only wants to fulfill all his wishes.
Min Yueqing gave the little one a big kiss on the forehead and praised, "Well done! You're such a good baby, so strong!"
As expected, Pei Ji blushed again, her bright, black agate-like eyes quickly glancing at her mother. After looking at her, she immediately lowered her head shyly and pressed her burning face against her mother's shoulder.
Min Yueqing loved seeing the little boy's adorable expression of being both happy and shy, which is why she couldn't help but tease him like that—it was definitely a wicked sense of humor.
Amei then brought over some wound medicine, which Min Yueqing took from her and instructed, "Take another bottle to Shitou. That kid is very stubborn; he probably won't say anything even if he's injured."
Min Yueqing opened the medicine bottle and smelled it. It was indeed a high-quality wound medicine powder. The main function of this medicine is to promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, reduce swelling and relieve pain. It also has a certain anti-inflammatory effect. It is suitable for this situation. She tried to be as gentle as possible and applied the wound medicine evenly to Pei Ji's thigh injury.
Fortunately, the skin wasn't broken, so Pei Ji didn't feel much pain before the medicine was applied. If the skin had been broken, applying the medicine would have been a real ordeal.
After applying the medicine, to avoid it being rubbed off by clothes, Min Yueqing didn't put pants on the little one. Instead, she pulled a small blanket over him and said, "Let him rest like this for a while. We'll put on clothes later so the medicine won't get rubbed off."
Pei Ji nodded obediently. Lying in his mother's arms was definitely more comfortable than lying in bed. If he weren't worried about tiring his mother, he would want to sleep like this every day. After lying there for a while, Pei Ji blinked a couple of times and remembered something. "Mother, we agreed with Mao Mao and the others that we would rest for half an hour before going to pick fruit."
Min Yueqing turned a page of her book and replied, half-heartedly, "Okay, you can sleep soundly. I'll wake you up when it's time."
Upon hearing this, Pei Ji immediately felt relieved and fell asleep almost immediately after closing his eyes.
As Min Yueqing heard the little boy's breathing gradually become steady, she looked down at his peaceful sleeping face, and her heart softened. She reached out and pulled the small blanket over the little boy's legs to make sure that no inch of skin was exposed before continuing to read.
Judging that the time was almost up, Min Yueqing was a little reluctant to interrupt the little one's sleep, but she still gently patted his arm as promised to wake him up.
The little one's legs were chafed like this, and medicine had just been applied, so it wasn't really suitable for him to go out and walk around right away. However, Min Yueqing didn't say a word to stop him from beginning to end.
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