Chapter 20.1: Wonton Noodles

Through the misty rain, Ye Tianhui stared intently. She saw that as he crossed the thirteenth obstacle, he tentatively pulled on the reins, clearly attempting to slow down.

Ye Tianhui felt slightly relieved; it seemed he remembered.

Even amidst this unfamiliar jolting, he had been carefully counting the obstacles he had passed. He knew he needed to slow down after the thirteenth obstacle.

Because of his deceleration, one horse overtook him, followed by another, placing him in third.

The staff on the viewing platform were all watching intently, their expressions tense. Jessie even had his mouth slightly open, holding his breath as he watched.

At this moment, the first horse reached the fourteenth obstacle. Because of its excessive speed, it had no time to jump!

A horse trainer muttered under his breath, “Idiot!”

The horse helplessly stumbled, and the boy riding it tumbled to the ground.

The next horse, following closely behind, seemed to notice the situation. Perhaps out of nervousness, it jumped too early!

It must be noted that an excellent racehorse can reach speeds of over 60 kilometers per hour. Even on an obstacle course, even in this pouring rain, the entire race only lasts a few minutes.

In just two or three minutes, they had to clear more than twenty obstacles and navigate complex terrain. This required riders to possess extraordinary predictive ability, an unnervingly calm demeanor, and precision in timing the rhythm of their horse’s gallop. Riders needed an innate sense of control to precisely coordinate their own movements with those of the horse, down to the millimeter.

Facing this 1.1-meter obstacle, finding the optimal timing for the jump was exceedingly difficult. Any mistake would inevitably lead to failure.

Ye Tianhui watched as the obstacle snagged the horse’s front legs, and the young rider was thrown forward, landing in front of the obstacle.

One failure after another cast a heavy atmosphere over the viewing platform. After all, everyone hoped to select promising candidates and find the most talented Chong Zai.

Yet Ye Tianhui’s gaze never left the black-haired boy.

She knew that in this kind of selection, which determined both fate and the future, many would be cruelly eliminated, some even injured or killed. That was life.

Just like the countless people who braved the raging ocean—how many were lost to the ocean’s depths? Those who successfully reached the stronghold were but a few.

The black-haired boy lay stiffly atop his horse, the soaked saddle blanket tightly wrapping his thin frame. It was clear he was nervous—this was an entirely new experience for him.

Fortunately, he slowed his pace again.

As Ye Tianhui watched the black-haired boy, others began to take notice as well. The bald horse trainer who had selected him became visibly excited, quietly cheering him on.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they saw him finally reach the turning point. His horse raised its front legs high before leaping forward—

The spectators stretched their necks, leaning in for a better view—

Amidst the storm, Ye Tianhui heard Jessie exclaim softly, “Amazing!”

The bald horse trainer shouted excitedly, “He made it, he made it!”

After clearing the obstacle, the black-haired boy visibly relaxed. The next nine obstacles posed little challenge. He guided his horse effortlessly over them, finally crossing the finish line first.

He had succeeded.

Ye Tianhui’s gaze swept across the course. The riders behind him learned from his example. Some succeeded, while others still fell.

Thus, there were celebrations for some and wails of disappointment for others.

The bald horse trainer rushed over and supported the boy.

After such intense exertion, the boy was utterly spent. His face was pale, devoid of color. His body was limp, and he seemed to lack any strength; even his fingers were trembling.

The bald trainer lifted him off the horse and handed him a clean saddle blanket, wrapping it around him.

The boy slumped to the ground, clutching the blanket tightly with trembling hands.

Someone fed him two sips of water. After swallowing, he seemed to feel slightly better.

Afterward, he turned his head and looked in Ye Tianhui’s direction.

As their eyes met, Ye Tianhui saw his pitch-black pupils seemed a bit dazed.

He was evidently quite frightened.

*************

In the three-story spectator stand nearby, the third floor was reserved for VIP suites. Ye Wenyin and Ye Wenjing were sitting on a soft sofa in one of the suites, watching the scene outside through large floor-to-ceiling windows.

They had come this time partly to take the opportunity to observe any potential horse trainers and jockeys.

Ye Wenyin kept her brows furrowed as she watched the scene outside. Naturally, she saw Ye Tianhui in the rain, as well as the selection process for the insect candidates.

As she watched, she murmured, “Why do I feel like that Northern girl just said something to one of the insect candidates? Do they know each other?”

Ye Wenjing looked confused. “No, right? I didn’t see anything.”

Ye Wenyin looked at Ye Tianhui and at the victorious insect candidate, saying, “This Northern girl is really scheming.”

To this, Ye Wenjing agreed, “Give someone like her a bit of paint, and she’ll start her own dye house!”

Below, the rain had stopped. Ye Tianhui followed Jessie back to the stables. They still had a lot of work to do.

Racehorses are precious. After being caught in such a rainstorm, they needed to be bathed, dried, and carefully taken care of.

Bathing alone was a complicated task. Jessie and Ye Tianhui led the two horses into the bathing room, which was warm with air conditioning and supplied with 24-hour hot water.

The two diluted horse shampoo in a bucket, then used sponges to apply and gently scrub it onto the horses’ bodies.

As they were scrubbing, Jessie couldn’t help but grumble. He felt his horse had been greatly wronged and criticized the others for being reckless.

Ye Tianhui recalled the black-haired boy. “Those kids passed the assessment, so they’ll stay here now, right?”

Jessie nodded. “Once they pass the assessment, they stay and train with the horse trainers. If the timing is right, they might participate in some internal races.”

Ye Tianhui: “Do they earn much?”

By this time, they had almost finished applying the shampoo. Jessie carefully cleaned the horses’ hooves and casually replied, “Not much. They follow their trainers, and their pay isn’t high—less than ours. Even if they win a race, the lion’s share goes to the stables, and they don’t get much.”

He shrugged. “But there’s a saying, ‘Better than nothing.’ At least they get a share.”

As he spoke, he picked up a water pressure gun, ready to rinse the horses.

Ye Tianhui stood to the side, preparing clean towels and other items. After rinsing, she would need to dry the horses quickly to keep them warm.

She thought of the black-haired boy, considering that he must have passed.

If he had passed, at least he would have a livelihood.

*******************

Jessie gave her high marks. Combined with her previous performance, she passed the assessment smoothly and was informed that she could start work tomorrow. During her internship period, her monthly salary would be 1,800 HKD

Not much, but already very good. In fact, those mainlanders who come to Hong Kong to work only earn about two thousand Hong Kong dollars a day carrying goods at the docks.

After finishing her work, she was in a very good mood. Leaving the racecourse, she found a public phone booth and called Gu Shizhang.

Having a job was truly a great blessing for her, especially one that allowed her to be in close contact with the horse racing industry.

Since Gu Shizhang had introduced her to this job, she felt she should formally thank him.

She pondered how to repay him.

In truth, she understood that Gu Shizhang was financially well-off. He had obtained his jockey license in the UK and had even gone to South Africa to compete in races. This time, coming to Hong Kong, it was clear he was specifically here for Longguang.

Since someone had hired him specifically to take care of Longguang, the pay for such a job must be very high. In other words, he was a highly valued professional.

Moreover, he lived in Happy Valley, which was full of luxury residences.

With his status, if she invited him to dinner or gave him a gift, he might not care much for it.

As for other ways, she couldn’t think of anything she could do to help him.

While she was thinking, she listened to the phone ringing on the other end. It rang for a long time before being picked up.

A slightly cool voice came from the other side: “Hello, this is Gu Shizhang.”

Ye Tianhui smiled. “This is Ye Tianhui.”

However, in contrast to her joy and enthusiasm, the other party responded indifferently, “Oh, Miss Ye, is there something you need?”

Ye Tianhui was surprised. “Are you busy? Then I can call you back later.”

Gu Shizhang: “Not exactly busy. If there’s something, just say it.”

Left with no choice, Ye Tianhui said, “Actually, it’s nothing. I passed the assessment today. The racecourse’s conditions are quite good, the environment is nice, and it really helps me learn about horse racing. I’m quite satisfied.”

Gu Shizhang: “As long as you like it.”

Ye Tianhui: “So I was thinking, if you’re not busy, maybe I could treat you to a meal sometime?”

After she said this, there was no sound from the other end of the line.

If it weren’t for the faint sound of his steady breathing coming through the receiver, she would have thought he had hung up.

She asked, confused, “What’s wrong? Are you very busy? If you’re too busy, forget it.”

At this moment, Gu Shizhang finally spoke, his voice very light: “Did you make money from the last horse ticket?”

Speaking of this, Ye Tianhui laughed. “Yes, I did!”

She lowered her voice. “I got back four thousand Hong Kong dollars all at once. I now have over six thousand Hong Kong dollars. I feel like I’ve struck it rich!”

Gu Shizhang listened to her voice, full of unconcealable joy. “So happy?”

Ye Tianhui: “Of course! You don’t seem to lack money, so you wouldn’t understand the hardships of being poor, let alone the pain of being hungry!”

Gu Shizhang: “Oh, really? You’ve been hungry before?”

Ye Tianhui: “Of course…”

Gu Shizhang: “When?”

Ye Tianhui began to hedge, “Quite a few times, actually.”

But Gu Shizhang pressed further, “Tell me in detail.”

Ye Tianhui felt a bitterness in her heart: “Why are you asking this?”

Gu Shizhang: “I’ve been very busy lately, not in a good mood, and I haven’t had much of an appetite.”

Ye Tianhui: “?”

Gu Shizhang: “Listening to stories about others being hungry might lift my mood, and maybe my appetite will come back.”

Ye Tianhui: “??”

She frowned, murmuring in disbelief, “What’s wrong with you?”

Gu Shizhang’s voice was cool: “What? Is that not okay? Then forget it.”

Hearing his voice, so indifferent, completely unlike before, it felt like he was a different person, or as if she had offended him in some way.

She suddenly felt an indescribable feeling.

In that moment, she recalled many things, such as the Sage’s cold, indifferent gaze in the imperial study.

Some people were like that, unpredictable in their moods. You never knew what you had done to offend them, yet you couldn’t ask. After all, the heart of the emperor is hard to fathom!

She took a deep breath and finally said, “Since you’re busy, forget it. I’ll contact you again when you have time, or when you feel like eating.”

Gu Shizhang: “You—”

Before he could finish, Ye Tianhui directly hung up the phone.