Chapter 19.2: Boy in the rain

Ye Tianhui asked curiously, “Riding horses in the rain?”

On the way here, she had noticed the racetrack built along the mountain, with obstacles set up. This meant that the horses would have to go uphill, downhill, and cross barriers during the run, which was already challenging for regular horses.

Now, with the rain pouring down, the track would be slippery, making it even more dangerous.

Jessie shrugged helplessly: “Those Chong Zai need to ride. They definitely wouldn’t use good horses for them. All the horses here are retired old ones, so they don’t care if these get hurt.”

Ye Tianhui was puzzled: “Chong Zai riding horses in the rain? They’re not even in the profession yet, and they’re so young. They haven’t had even the most basic training, and they’re sent to run obstacle courses on mountain tracks in weather like this?”

Jessie could tell she was surprised. He gave her a helpless glance and said, “That’s exactly the point.”

He went on to explain that these Chong Zai were poor young boys. The minimum age for horse riding was sixteen according to regulations, but in horse racing, nobody checked birth certificates. Many didn’t even have one, so there was room for age falsification.

He looked at Ye Tianhui and said, “So starting younger, around twelve or thirteen, is ideal for their physique. They need to endure certain tests, and only those who pass will be chosen by the horse trainers to be formally trained and become outstanding in this field.”

He didn’t go into much detail, but Ye Tianhui immediately understood.

These Chong Zai were selected to undergo rigorous training, much like apprentices in the old days. To earn their place, they had to endure trials and assessments. Only after passing could they begin to make a living.

Even then, their lives wouldn’t be easy. They would likely only get a small portion of the money they earned as children, with most of it taken by the stables or their trainers. Some would be eliminated during the process, while a few might endure to the end, become trainers themselves, and then take on apprentices, continuing the cycle.

At that moment, Jessie reluctantly began preparations. Ye Tianhui helped out by fetching waterproof raincoats and draping them over two horses. Then, both of them put on raincoats, grabbed umbrellas, and led a horse each outside.

The rain was getting heavier, but fortunately, the two horses were seasoned and didn’t hesitate.

The two led their horses to the track, where a dozen other horses and over twenty boys had already gathered. The boys appeared to have been preselected.

They were all very thin, short, and stood silently in the rain, getting soaked.

Not far away, the once-neat racecourse had turned into a muddy mess. Everything looked chaotic and bleak, except for the obstacles on the mountain path, still standing tall in the rain.

Ye Tianhui followed Jessie under a nearby horse shelter to avoid the rain, ready to follow instructions at any moment.

Just then, Ye Tianhui felt a silent gaze. Following it, she saw a somewhat familiar face.

Soaked in rain, the tight-fitting riding gear clung to his thin frame. His short black hair was wet and stuck to his forehead. A pair of jet-black eyes stared in her direction.

Through the cold rain, their eyes met. Ye Tianhui looked into those eyes—eyes so dark and filled with longing.

Ye Tianhui was very familiar with such a gaze.

Back then, standing on the city walls and looking at the emaciated soldiers, she had seen those eyes.

It was also the same gaze she had seen that day, after devouring two wife cakes to her heart’s content, from a pair of eyes hiding behind a trash can.

It was him.

She hadn’t expected him to end up at the stables, becoming a Chong Zai candidate.

She hadn’t looked closely that day, but now she noticed that he had a clean, delicate appearance. His eyelashes were long and thick, though he was far too thin.

At this moment, it was still raining. A drop of rain rolled off the tip of his nose, sliding down his pale face and along his slender, thin neck.

He pressed his lips together and avoided her gaze.

Ye Tianhui also withdrew her gaze.

Nearby, some staff members approached, including several thin horse trainers. They stood in the rain with bare arms and began inspecting the boys one by one. Some even reached out to pinch their arms, measure their bodies, and examine their feet.

The boys were like cattle or horses at a market, allowing themselves to be selected without uttering a word.

Beside her, Jessie leaned closer and kindly explained, “Look, they’re checking their feet.”

Ye Tianhui asked in a low voice, “Why? Is it because feet can predict future weight?”

Jessie: “Yes, they believe a child’s body grows starting with the feet. If their feet are too large, they’ll definitely grow tall and heavy in the future.”

He continued explaining, “In official competitions, the weight is usually announced three days before the event, and it must be between 108 and 118 pounds. That’s very difficult for most men, so the standards have to be strict.”

As Ye Tianhui listened, she calculated roughly. She knew a pound was less than half a kilogram. If it were a male jockey, then this height and weight requirement would indeed be extremely stringent, requiring someone exceptionally small and thin.

As they spoke, each horse trainer selected a boy, leading their chosen ones aside. Those not selected were shouted at and led away.

Ye Tianhui saw the boy with jet-black eyes being chosen by a horse trainer wearing a straw hat.

As for those not chosen, their once dull eyes showed disappointment. They exchanged glances, unsure of what to do, and could only follow the staff—clearly aware that they had been eliminated.

As the unselected boys walked away, some still glanced back with reluctant expressions.

After the boys were chosen, the assessment began. Ye Tianhui saw the horse trainers bringing out heavy old horse blankets. They handed the blankets to the boys, who draped them over their backs.

Puzzled, Ye Tianhui asked Jessie in a low voice, “What’s this for?”

It looked like it was for rain protection, but the horse blankets were clearly not meant for that. These thick blankets, used in winter to keep horses warm, were very absorbent and unsuitable for rain protection.

Jessie held the reins and whispered, “It’s to add some difficulty. If they can ride a lap with the blanket on and keep it from falling, they pass. Of course, if they fall, the blanket also provides some protection.”

Ye Tianhui frowned, beginning to realize the harshness of the upcoming selection process.

After the boys draped on the blankets, Ye Tianhui and the others received orders to lead their horses over. Jessie, clearly reluctant, muttered in distress, “My poor Unnasch, so pitiful.”

But he obviously had no say and had to painfully lead his horse out.

The boys were brought before the horses, each allowed to choose one. Clearly, they didn’t understand horses; most of them looked dazedly at the animals. These horses weighed about a thousand pounds and stood at least 1.7 meters tall. The boys, weighing just around eighty pounds, looked so frail and insignificant next to the towering horses, completely clueless and at a loss.

Except for the boy with black eyes. He walked straight up to Ye Tianhui.

Ye Tianhui handed him the reins and quickly whispered, “Pay attention to the sixteenth obstacle downhill.”

The boy suddenly lifted his eyes to look at her.

Ye Tianhui didn’t look back at him, lowering her head to adjust the stirrups. Seeing this, the boy also remained silent. Once she finished adjusting the stirrups, he quietly led the horse away.

Soon, all the boys had chosen their horses. At the horse trainers’ instructions, they mounted the horses.

This was clearly unfamiliar to them. Coming from poor families, these children would never have had contact with horse racing, but they had no choice but to clumsily mount the horses, grip the reins tightly, and hold onto the blankets, awaiting their fate.

It was clear they were all nervous.

After all, just moments ago, some had already been eliminated. If they couldn’t pass the upcoming test, they too would have to leave disappointed.

Ye Tianhui looked at the boy with black eyes. His figure was so frail, perhaps weighing just over seventy pounds. His waist was so slim it seemed it could be encircled with one hand.

Yet, as he sat on the horse, his feet in the stirrups, his upper body upright, he appeared steady.

Ye Tianhui felt a sense of admiration in her heart; for him to be chosen as a “Chong Zai,” it seemed he had some talent.

However, looking at the boy’s back, her feelings were somewhat complicated.

To stay and become a Chong Zai was a means for these boys to make a living, but she also understood that being a Chong Zai would inevitably be arduous. They had to control their diet and weight, put in significant effort, and still might not achieve results.

At this time, those young boys who had never ridden a horse were already on the track. Fortunately, the horses were seasoned veterans, including the one Ye Tianhui had brought over. Compared to the boys, who were clueless and overwhelmed at first, these old horses actually knew better how to cross the obstacles.

The track, built along the mountains, stretched 2,400 meters with 23 obstacles. After being washed by the heavy rain, the track became slippery. As the horses galloped, iron hooves kicked up muddy water, splattering the young boys all over.

Due to the speed and the mud, the young riders all leaned slightly forward.

The racehorses began leaping over the obstacles. When one horse jumped, a young rider fell off. Amid the neighing of the horse, it seemed as though the boy had been trampled. Through the heavy rain came faint cries of pain, and someone cursed, “Useless!” before running over with a stretcher.

Standing beside Ye Tianhui, Jessie took a deep breath and sighed, “So pitiful. That kid must have been trampled by the horse.”

Ye Tianhui remained silent.

By now, the rain had lessened, and her gaze was fixed intently on the boy with dark eyes.

He seemed to have crossed four obstacles unscathed. His horse, indeed a veteran, ran swiftly and steadily.

She saw his horse galloping fiercely uphill along the track. With its high-speed running, the horse’s body moved intensely, the solid muscles of its back and haunches rippling.

Ye Tianhui understood that riding such a horse was far from the stability that ordinary people imagined. When a horse galloped fiercely, it was like a small boat speeding through a storm, rocking violently. Maintaining balance and staying on the horse was a challenging and physically exhausting task.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, and through the rain and mist, she clearly saw the black-haired boy’s body hunched forward, suspended in mid-air. His toes firmly gripped the wildly swaying stirrups.

He had shifted all the weight of his frail body onto the force point of his toes.

The horse trainers nearby also noticed the black-haired boy. Someone quietly praised him, while another said, “This boy has talent!”

Another trainer, however, said, “It’s very dangerous. With his posture, a slight shift backward could flip him off, and a slight shift forward would cause him to fall off.”

Ye Tianhui listened to these remarks and naturally understood. From the posture of the black-haired boy, it was clear that despite having no prior riding experience, he could instinctively adopt the optimal riding position. His balance, coordination, and reaction abilities were exceptional—this child had a natural talent uncommon in ordinary people.

But ultimately, he had no experience. On a horse running at high speed, the margin for balance was minimal; being off by just a few inches either forward or backward could lead to disastrous consequences.

Thus, competition was ruthless, requiring both talent and perseverance. The purpose of this Chong Zai selection was to identify boys with innate talent.

Ye Tianhui kept her eyes fixed on the situation on the field. The galloping horses were swift, and as they leaped over obstacle after obstacle, more boys fell off. The black-haired boy, however, had already pulled ahead of the nearby horses by half a horse’s length.

Ye Tianhui’s gaze shifted to the track ahead. By now, the rain was pouring harder. Beyond the downpour, her sight fell on the sixteenth obstacle.

When she had scanned it earlier, she noticed that, among the 23 obstacles on the 2,400-meter track, none exceeded a height of 1.1 meters. Most were set in the straight sections of the course, but six were located on the steep mountain paths going uphill and downhill. The sixteenth obstacle, in particular, seemed unremarkable at first glance but was situated at a curve on a downhill slope.

This meant that, under normal circumstances, a horse sprinting through the straight section would pick up significant speed, but here it suddenly encountered a sharp downhill turn paired with a 1.1-meter obstacle.

Even for professional riders, this was a difficult point. For these boys with no riding experience, especially in the pouring rain, it was practically a death trap!

Thinking of the black-haired boy, Ye Tianhui felt a slight tension rise in her heart.

Could he pass this death trap?