Chapter 202: Teasing(falcon)

 Chapter 202: Teasing 

Dong Yuanyao already knew how to ride. After naming her horse, she easily mounted it with a swift motion and, with a flick of the whip, began galloping around the yard.

Though her speed wasn’t as fast as Xiao Yeyang’s, her skill in controlling the horse still amazed Daohua and Zhou Jingwan.

“Jingwan, we should hurry up and learn too,” Daohua said as she looked at Zhou Jingwan, then turned her attention to the chestnut horse, appearing ready to mount it herself. 

“I’ll help you up!” Xiao Yeyang suddenly spoke and started walking toward Daohua.

Daohua immediately rejected, “No, you should go compete with my Fourth Brother. I’ve got Brother Liu here; he’ll teach me.”

The young boys loved showing off, but they weren’t reliable. She wasn’t about to put her safety in their hands.

Xiao Yeyang glanced at Qin Xiao Liu but didn’t say anything else. He simply warned, “Be careful. If Daohua gets hurt, I’ll deal with you.”

Qin Xiao Liu lowered his head, his face drenched in sweat. “I’ll make sure the young lady is well taken care of,” he replied quickly.

Daohua urged, “Go on and do your thing, I’m about to learn how to ride.”

Once Xiao Yeyang walked away, Qin Xiao Liu finally dared to raise his head.

Seeing the sweat dripping from his forehead, Daohua was startled. “Brother Liu, what’s wrong?”

Qin Xiao Liu glanced at Xiao Yeyang’s retreating figure and grimaced. “The young prince is terrifying.”

Daohua blinked. “He was just saying that casually. Look at him, he’s actually pretty easy to get along with.”

Qin Xiao Liu looked at Daohua, silently mocking her in his heart.

“Where is he easy to get along with?”

The young prince only acted relaxed in front of the young lady. The rest of the time, even when joking with Fourth Master, he still carried himself with such authority that no one dared to overstep.

“Miss, let me first teach you how to get on and off the horse.”

“Sure, but you need to hold the reins tightly so the horse doesn’t suddenly take off.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it. This horse is gentle. As long as it’s not startled, it won’t run off.”

“I’m just worried I might be too rough with my hands and feet and end up scaring the horse.”

Daohua was bold and flexible, having practiced with the whip before. She had good strength, and under Qin Xiao Liu’s careful guidance, she quickly got the hang of riding.

In no time, she was able to mount and dismount smoothly, and even walk the horse around.

Of course, she still needed someone to hold the reins, as she was worried about losing control of the horse.

“Brother Liu, when can I run like Dong Yuanyao?” Daohua asked.

Qin Xiao Liu smiled. “Miss, you handle the whip well. Actually, if you’re brave enough, you could probably run right now. But since this is your first time riding and you’re still unfamiliar with the horse, it’s better to spend some time getting used to Red Date before you start running.”

Daohua nodded and didn’t insist on running. She rode her horse over to Zhou Jingwan, who was sitting still on her horse, looking a bit uneasy.

“Why aren’t you moving?” Daohua asked with a smile.

Zhou Jingwan responded weakly, “I always thought riding a horse would be so cool, but now that I’m learning, it’s actually a bit scary.”

At that moment, Yan Wenkai rode over.

“You can’t just want to run without knowing how to walk!” he teased.

Earlier, Zhou Jingwan had been bored with just walking the horse and had asked the servant to let the horse run. In the middle of it, she had carelessly cracked the whip, startling the horse.

The horse had bolted forward for a while before the servant managed to pull it back.

After understanding what had happened, Daohua said, “We’re still learning, don’t rush. And when you use the whip, don’t use too much force. The horse is still young. If you hurt it, it’ll get scared. Let’s just ride slowly for now.”

Zhou Jingwan waved her hand. “You go ahead, I need a break.” The shock from the horse had unsettled her.

Seeing this, Daohua didn’t push further and continued riding slowly around the yard.

Suddenly, a falcon flew overhead.

Daohua quickly turned her head and saw the falcon land on Xiao Yeyang’s arm.

“Let’s go check it out,” Daohua said, signaling Qin Xiao Liu to lead the horse over to Xiao Yeyang.

“Is that a falcon?”

When she arrived, Daohua swiftly dismounted and walked up to Xiao Yeyang, looking at the hawk on his arm, uncertainly asking, "Is this really a sea eagle?"

Xiao Yeyang glanced at her and smiled. "You have a good eye; this is indeed a sea eagle, a Haidongqing."

Daohua was surprised and took a closer look. "This is the Haidongqing?" In her past life, she had often heard about this type of hunting eagle in television and movies.

Xiao Yeyang raised an eyebrow. "You know about the Haidongqing?"

Daohua casually waved her hand. "I read about it in a story."

Xiao Yeyang teased, "You really read a lot of stories."

Daohua sighed and shrugged. "What can I do? I can't travel and see the mountains and rivers in person, so I have to make do with stories and travel books to comfort my heart."

Xiao Yeyang handed the Haidongqing over to Defu and looked at Daohua with curiosity. "You really like to wander, huh?"

Daohua countered, "If you were stuck in the inner chambers all the time, would you be happy?" She sighed with a hint of melancholy. "If I only live once, I must see and experience as much as I can!"

"Bang!"

Xiao Yeyang knocked her gently on the forehead, his face filled with disapproval. "At your young age, speaking so maturely is one thing, but you act as though you've already seen through life and death, with no regard for propriety."

Daohua opened her mouth to retort but didn’t, mumbling, "I wasn't talking to you, so I didn't think too much about it."

Xiao Yeyang's expression softened, but he still said seriously, "Too much worrying isn't good for your health. You’re a young lady from a noble family. Just focus on being happy every day."

Daohua was speechless. It sounded so easy, but isn't it normal for people to have their worries in life?

Xiao Yeyang wanted to say more, but seeing that Daohua had stopped responding, he worried that continuing would embarrass her, so he decided to stop.

Suddenly, his gaze caught a feather from the Haidongqing that had been shed nearby. A playful smile appeared on his face.

After riding for more than an hour, everyone was tired and dismounted to rest.

Daohua had brought barbecue supplies, and with Defu's help, Wang Man'er had already set up the grill, waiting for the others to rest so they could start cooking.

Everyone gathered around the barbecue stand, and just as they picked up the skewers to start grilling, Daohua and Xiao Yeyang arrived.

As soon as they appeared, everyone turned to look at them in unison.

Seeing this, Daohua was a bit confused. She turned to look at Xiao Yeyang, then at herself, and asked, "What’s going on? Did we do something wrong?"

"Pfft~"

The first to lose control was Yan Wenkai. Seeing his sister staring at the bird feathers, looking clueless and confused, he couldn’t hold back his laughter.

Next was Su Hongxin. Although laughing at a lady wasn’t very polite, he simply couldn’t help it.

Then, Dong Yuanxuan, Zhou Chengye, and Yan Wenxiu all began to stifle their laughs, covering their mouths.

As for Zhou Jingwan and Dong Yuyao, they couldn’t stop laughing either, hugging each other. Though their laughter wasn’t heard, the movement of their shoulders clearly showed they were bursting with laughter.

Seeing everyone’s reaction, Daohua immediately understood. She glared angrily at Wang Man'er, whose face had turned red from holding back laughter. "Man'er, did I do something wrong?"

Wang Man'er looked at Xiao Yeyang and raised her hand, pointing at her head.

Daohua immediately reached up to feel her head, and then pulled out two bird feathers.

"Xiao Yeyang!"

Daohua yelled furiously, hurriedly swatting the feathers off her head. She turned around and started chasing Xiao Yeyang.

Xiao Yeyang, however, was not about to stand still and wait to be caught. He quickly ran off.

"Xiao Yeyang, stop right there! If you don’t stop and let me give you a couple of slaps, this matter is not over between us." 

"I'm not stupid enough to stop and let you hit me. If you have the ability, come and chase me!"

(End of chapter)