Chapter 132: Going to Watch the Fun
“Mount up!” Gu Yan pointed at the bay red horse.
The saddle on the bay red horse was very different from the previous one, with a peach-red base embroidered with a bay-red swastika pattern, extremely beautiful.
Li Xiaonan stretched her neck forward to look closely.
“It’s specially prepared for you, mount up,” Gu Yan urged.
The guard had already placed the stirrup, and Li Xiaonan stepped onto it and sat on the horse.
The previous saddle was wide and loose, almost big enough for two of her, but this one was just right. The stirrup was neither too big nor too small, fitting perfectly on her foot, unlike the previous one which was too large.
Li Xiaonan looked down to the left, then to the right, and stood up on the stirrup once. She saw A Wu and Wang Yuting on the outer edge and quickly waved to them.
“Sit properly, hold the reins, look at me, like this, don’t look around, look here, you need to learn to ride a horse,” Gu Yan pressed Li Xiaonan’s hand down with his horse whip, his face serious.
Li Xiaonan grabbed the reins, looked at Gu Yan, and imitated him.
The two horses ran side by side at a trot.
“Use your legs, lean forward, yes, sit steady,” Gu Yan reminded her and urged his horse forward.
Li Xiaonan imitated Gu Yan and leaned forward.
The horse ran faster.
“Pull the reins, don’t rush, pull slowly, yes, good.”
The two horses went from a trot to a walk.
After teaching her several times to go from walking to trotting and from trotting to walking, Gu Yan seemed quite satisfied.
“You are indeed quite clever. Now we need to travel. Remember, there’s only one most important thing: sit steady and don’t fall off. As long as you don’t fall off the horse, you’ll be fine.”
“Okay!” Li Xiaonan responded with spirit.
Riding a horse felt really good.
The group of people rode and walked, arriving at Linhai Town around noon.
Entering Zhaoyue Tower, Gu Yan stopped at the staircase entrance, looked sideways at Li Xiaonan, who was covered in sweat and whose eyes were shining with excitement, and with a look of disdain, gestured to Wan Jing, “Serve her and let her wash up!”
The restaurant had a dedicated area for washing, with all sorts of amenities.
Li Xiaonan bent down to wash her face. Wan Jing also washed up, wiping her hands and face, and looked Li Xiaonan up and down.
Alas, looking at her like this, it’s no wonder her Young Lord couldn’t stand it!
“Stand still!” Wan Jing wrung out a wet cloth and smoothed Li Xiaonan’s skirt, then pulled it around once with force. The skirt immediately became much neater.
Wan Jing looked up at Li Xiaonan’s messy hair, pressed her to sit down, and redid her hair.
After her hair was done, Li Xiaonan looked at herself carefully in the half-height bronze mirror and was very satisfied.
Wan Jing’s skill was really good!
She was cleaner and tidier now than when she left home.
Li Xiaonan entered the private room on the second floor. Gu Yan was standing by the window, fanning himself with his folding fan, looking at the bustling prosperity outside.
Li Xiaonan walked to Gu Yan’s side and stretched her neck to look out.
“That’s the Maritime Tax Bureau over there,” Gu Yan pointed with his folding fan at a large, dark building at the end of the street.
“It looks like a sea monster,” Li Xiaonan stood on her tiptoes.
“A vital financial hub of the Empire,” Gu Yan turned around. “What do you want to eat? Look and order for yourself.”
Shi Gun quickly lifted the curtain and called for the tea and wine doctor.
Li Xiaonan looked carefully at the exquisite menu held by the tea and wine doctor, choosing carefully.
Gu Yan fanned himself, raising an eyebrow slightly, watching Li Xiaonan seriously and attentively select her dishes.
Li Xiaonan finished reading the entire menu, carefully selecting three seafood dishes, and let out a sigh of relief, smiling at Gu Yan and saying, “I’m done!”
“How can that be enough?” Gu Yan pointed at the menu.
“My dishes are enough, I don’t know what you like to eat,” Li Xiaonan said with a smile.
“Ask the chef to add a few of his specialties,” Gu Yan instructed.
The tea and wine doctor bowed in response and withdrew with his hands clasped.
“Why are you so happy? Do you like riding horses?” Gu Yan observed Li Xiaonan, who was smiling all the time.
“It’s not that I like riding horses, it’s the feeling of galloping, it’s…”
As Li Xiaonan was trying to explain, Gu Yan nodded, “You’re just learning to ride, you can’t run fast, this doesn’t count as galloping. Galloping on the grasslands is called galloping. If the wind is favorable, and you unfurl the sails, standing at the bow of the ship is also very good.”
“The first time I went out with my Eldest Sister, from Kunshan County to Pingjiang City, we walked step by step, it was too slow. Back then, I envied birds so much, I wished I could be a bird, not an eagle, even a sparrow would do, at least I could fly,” Li Xiaonan sighed.
Everything here was so slow, so slow it was despairing.
What about the slow days of the past and peaceful times, bah!
“Fifty years ago, a man said he could make people fly. He found my grandfather, and my grandfather gave him ten thousand silver a year for six consecutive years.”
Gu Yan paused, and Li Xiaonan quickly asked, “What happened later?”
“Later, he said he could fly. He flew over ten zhang high, flew for a li, and fell to his death.”
Li Xiaonan was stunned for a moment and sighed sadly.
A pioneer.
The tea and wine doctor brought the dishes in. Gu Yan glanced at the water clock in the corner and gestured to Li Xiaonan, “Let’s eat, it’s almost time.”
Just as Li Xiaonan was about to ask what time it was, she looked up and saw Shi Gun pursing her lips and shaking her head at her. She quickly pursed her lips and picked up her chopsticks to eat.
Once the Young Lord of Shi Gun’s family announced it was time to eat, one could only eat and not speak anymore.
As soon as Li Xiaonan picked up her chopsticks, she forgot everything else. The dishes at this restaurant were cooked exceptionally well. It was one of the best meals she had eaten in the past few years, no! Including before, this was one of the best meals she had ever eaten.
Gu Yan occasionally looked at Li Xiaonan, who was engrossed in eating fish, shrimp, and crab with a satisfied expression, his expression growing gentler.
Lu Xiu was too burdened by her worries; he had never seen Lu Xiu enjoy food like she was now.
This is how it should be, living people should have a touch of earthly life.
The two of them finished their meal, drank half a cup of tea, and left Zhaoyue Tower, walking and browsing as they headed towards the wharf.
………………………………
In the He Family General Store next to the Maritime Tax Bureau, He Chengzhe stood by the window with his hands behind his back, using two bronze mirrors to watch Gu Yan and Li Xiaonan coming from Zhaoyue Tower.
He Ruiming stood beside his father, frowning slightly, carefully observing Li Xiaonan in the bronze mirror. Unable to help himself, he muttered, “What’s so special about this little girl?”
“She walks alongside the Young Lord with such composure, that in itself is very special,” He Chengzhe said slowly.
He Ruiming looked again, hummed softly, and after a moment, said with a hint of deference, “Perhaps, she’s just a country girl, unaware of propriety…”
He Chengzhe turned to look at He Ruiming. He Ruiming smiled obsequiously, not daring to finish his sentence.
“Do not be arrogant, and certainly do not be prejudiced. She is extremely intelligent, her studies are good, and she is proficient in the investigation of things. She comes from the countryside, but she is not a country bumpkin,” He Chengzhe said in a gentle voice.
He Ruiming listened intently, lowered his head, and agreed.
Gu Yan and Li Xiaonan passed the He Family General Store. He Chengzhe adjusted the bronze mirror, watching their backs as they passed the Maritime Tax Bureau and headed towards the wharf.
Watching Gu Yan and Li Xiaonan descend the steps, He Chengzhe put down the bronze mirror and instructed He Ruiming, “Go and take a look.”
“Okay,” He Ruiming replied, went around the courtyard gate, and headed towards the wharf.
………………………………
Li Xiaonan stood on the lowest step, looking at the vast, bustling wharf ahead, and asked, “What are we going to see?”
Gu Yan looked back at her and snorted, “You have quite a lot of little tricks, what else can we see but the excitement!”
“This…” Before she could finish, Li Xiaonan immediately changed her tune and said with a smile, “It’s really lively here, extremely lively.”
Gu Yan glanced at her sideways and chuckled, “Let’s walk forward and look at the sea ships.”
He Ruiming ran all the way, catching up from behind, greeted Shi Gun, and followed half a step behind him.
After walking about a bowshot forward, Gu Yan stopped and pointed at the distant sea ships, laughing, “The big ships draw a lot of water and can’t get close to the wharf, in a moment we…”
Before he could finish, a roar came from afar: “Brothers! Attack!”
He Ruiming was startled and quickly said, “I’ll go and see, Young Lord, don’t go forward!”
“You go and see,” Gu Yan pointed at A Wu with his folding fan.
Repay debts tomorrow
