Chapter 22 1/2

By the time they returned, it was already late in the afternoon. Huo Shu trailed behind the village’s ox cart with his horse, leisurely making his way back to the village.

He glanced from afar at Ji Taoyu, sitting on the cart and chatting casually with the others aboard. Her demeanor seemed more relaxed than it was in the morning.

Seeing this, Huo Shu’s expression softened, and he gazed out onto the wilderness beside the official road.

Earlier, when he went to the stable to retrieve his horse, he was surprised to find another sturdy horse there, likely a warhorse judging by its appearance.

Upon inquiring, the stable hand mentioned it belonged to a soldier returning from the frontlines, but couldn’t provide further details.

Huo Shu didn’t dwell on it much; soldiers returning from the frontlines might not necessarily be from the northern territories; they could be from nearby border regions.

Furthermore, even if they were from the north, in the vast military camps, it was unlikely they would encounter anyone familiar.

Encountering old acquaintances in a foreign place was indeed fortunate, but rare.

Huo Shu withdrew his gaze, thinking it would be best to find something to do to settle down quickly.

Just as he was lost in thought, there was suddenly a commotion ahead.

“Oh my, you almost tripped me!”

“Master Zhang, what’s wrong with your ox? It’s veering towards the ditch. Now the cart’s wheel is stuck in it. This is quite inconvenient. Since the village is still quite far, we won’t pay for this delay.”

Today, Ji Taoyu had been wandering around all morning, feeling a bit drowsy after hopping onto the ox cart. Just as she was about to doze off, the cart jolted, and its wheel slipped into the ditch. Ji Taoyu happened to be sitting at the tail end of the cart, and she fell off onto the muddy road.

Luckily, she didn’t fall into the ditch, but landing on the ground still felt like a disaster, especially since the distance from the ground to the cart wasn’t significant. Nonetheless, it was quite painful, and her knees and palms stung from the impact.

Usually, only those who entered the city early could catch a ride on the village’s ox cart. While there were many carts waiting at the city gates, not all of them belonged to the village. As long as they were headed in the same direction, they could hitch a ride without much fuss. This particular cart was filled with people from other villages who were too preoccupied with arguing about the fare to notice Ji Taoyu sprawled on the ground.

She struggled to get up, dragging her leg and moving her immobilized hand, trying to shift to the side to find a stone to sit on.

Huo Shu immediately dismounted upon seeing the commotion, and his large black horse trotted a few steps forward.

Only then did he notice that the previously intact donkey cart had overturned, with its wheel stuck in the ditch, and the passengers had already disembarked.

“Sorry, everyone, no payment, no payment,” the cart driver said with annoyance, frustrated by the stubborn ox. He was irritated that after managing to gather a full load of passengers, they would now have to return without earning a single penny.

Surrounded by a group of men and women, it seemed like a thousand voices were clamoring in his ears, creating a loud cacophony.

Uncertain of how to handle the situation, he suddenly noticed Ji Taoyu crouching silently, without uttering a word. Seeing that Ji Taoyu was the youngest among the passengers and was alone without any companions, he immediately furrowed his brows and said, “My ox is usually very docile and wouldn’t cause anyone harm.”

“It must have been that girl who recklessly moved and caused the cart wheel to get stuck,” several people chimed in, turning their heads towards Ji Taoyu. Seeing that she hadn’t come forward to demand justice, they assumed she was guilty and began to question her, “Girl, how did you manage to get the cart wheel stuck like that? It’s dangerous with so many people on board.”

The cart driver quickly interjected, “Girl, you have to compensate me for this loss. If the cart is damaged, how will I make a living? This is my livelihood, and I depend on it during lean times.”

One of the passengers chimed in, “That’s right, girl. It’s not easy for us villagers. It’s fortunate that nothing serious happened, but it still wasted everyone’s time.”

Ji Taoyu’s knees were throbbing, and she couldn’t straighten her back. She didn’t expect the others to start blaming her for getting injured.

She opened her palm, which was now scraped, and said, “Do you think I would deliberately cause the wheel to get stuck and injure myself?”

The others paused for a moment. The cart driver said, “I told you not to mess with the wheel. Look, you’ve injured yourself. Fortunately, it’s just a minor scrape. If it were more serious, who would be responsible?”

The villagers also chimed in, “Which village are you from, girl? Why are you so careless?”

Ji Taoyu felt frustrated. These people were ganging up on her because she was from another village and was alone. Her hands and legs hurt, and yet she had to argue with these people. She felt her eyes reddening with anger, making her an easier target for them to bully.

Just as the others continued to talk incessantly, a horse galloped over, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Ugh! Who’s kicking up all this dust? Can’t they see there are so many people here? And they’re still running…”

Before he could finish, the black horse came to a halt, and a muscular man dismounted, causing the villagers who were scolding him to shut their mouths immediately upon seeing his face.

Huo Shu approached Ji Taoyu with a stern expression, “Are you badly hurt?”

Seeing Huo Shu’s furrowed brows, which seemed fiercer than usual, Ji Taoyu replied, “My hand can’t move much. It might be dislocated, and my knee got scraped, but it’s just a surface wound.”

Huo Shu didn’t say anything and helped Ji Taoyu sit on a nearby stone.

Then, he lifted her leg, and with a loud click, the cart wheel suddenly loosened. The cart, which had been partially stuck in the ditch, was now completely jammed.

The timid villagers couldn’t help but exclaim, and the cart driver shrank back. Seeing that Huo Shu had no intention of stopping, he realized that if the cart suffered further damage, it would likely be ruined.

He immediately changed his tone and begged, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. My ox acted up and caused the girl to fall. I won’t charge for the ride, and I’ll compensate for the medical expenses. I’ll cover it all!”

The surrounding villagers, accustomed to following the wind, immediately shifted their concern to Ji Taoyu, “Are you okay, girl? Oh, I was so busy worrying about myself earlier that I didn’t have a chance to help you. Please don’t be mad.”

The cart driver promptly reimbursed Ji Taoyu for the medical expenses, and Huo Shu didn’t say anything further.

Approaching Ji Taoyu, Huo Shu crouched down and asked softly, “Can you move your hand now?”

Ji Taoyu shook her head, “It hurts when I try.”

Huo Shu noticed the fair palm stained with dust and a small cut, only the size of a pinky nail, but Ji Taoyu’s skin, which had already been chapped by the cold wind, had become swollen from this abrasion.

His brows furrowed as he said, “I’ll reset it for you. Bear with the pain.”

Ji Taoyu nodded and extended her hand, but at the same time, she quickly turned her head away.

Without hesitation, Huo Shu grasped her slender arm and gently touched the dislocated area. Ji Taoyu clenched her teeth, suppressing the urge to cry out in pain, but her body couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

When Huo Shu turned back, he saw a pair of reddened eyes, brimming with tears, almost able to see his reflection in them.

Feeling a bit unsure, Huo Shu pursed his lips, fearing she might cry again, and asked, “Does it hurt a lot?”

Ji Taoyu’s voice was hoarse, “It only hurts for a moment. It’s not as painful now.”

She gently moved her wrist and looked at Huo Shu, “It can move again.”

“That’s good.”

Huo Shu looked at the injured person, his brows furrowed. It was best to send her home quickly. He subconsciously reached out to lift her up, but then hesitated, asking, “Can you still walk?”

Ji Taoyu glanced at her knee. She wasn’t sure about the extent of her injury, but her bones were definitely fine. It was just that the injured flesh rubbing against her clothes would be painful and could worsen the damage.

However, considering they were outside, she held back and said, “I’ll be fine.”

Huo Shu was about to help her up when he noticed Ji Taoyu looking at the cart driver who was struggling to lift the cart. He retracted his hand and instead extended his arm for Ji Taoyu to lean on as she stood up on her own.

Ji Taoyu looked at Huo Shu gratefully, and as she held onto his arms, she couldn’t help but feel her face heating up.

Although she knew Huo Shu was strong, she couldn’t help but be surprised by his physique when she actually touched him.

His arm was powerful and sturdy, like a thick old vine. Even when she pulled on it to climb up, it didn’t shake at all.

She could imagine the muscles bulging under his sleeves, every inch of his skin filled with strength.

It was completely opposite to her soft and somewhat rigid body.

Ji Taoyu took a few steps, although a bit slow, she was relieved that she could move.

However, Huo Shu, seeing her limping, couldn’t relax his brows, “How about riding a horse?”

“No, no!”

Ji Taoyu quickly waved her hand and glanced nervously at the big black horse, holding her breath, “I dare not ride.”

“It’s okay, it’s very gentle. I’ll hold the reins, it won’t dare to throw you off,” Huo Shu said reassuringly.

“Come on.”

He grabbed the black horse’s reins, crouched down in front of its belly, and clasped his hands together for Ji Taoyu to step on.

Seeing this, Ji Taoyu couldn’t refuse Huo Shu’s kindness and could only grit her teeth, grabbing the saddle and stepping on Huo Shu’s hands to climb onto the horse.

Unfortunately, her injured leg didn’t have much strength, and after a few attempts, she couldn’t climb up. Worried that the horse might move suddenly, she anxiously lay on the horse’s belly, not knowing what to do.

“Huo, please don’t let go.”

“I won’t let go.”

Huo Shu, hearing Ji Taoyu’s slightly trembling voice, could only free one hand and circle it around her waist, helping her onto the saddle.

Finally on the horse, Ji Taoyu sighed with relief. For a moment, she felt her feet suddenly lifted off the ground, and she couldn’t help but panic again. She quickly grabbed onto the saddle handle.

She stared straight ahead, afraid to look around, although the horse beneath her didn’t move erratically, it made a grunting sound, making her even more anxious, fearing the horse might kick.

“Please don’t let go of the reins, Huo.”

Huo Shu tightened the reins in his hand. Seeing the big black horse twist its head and glare at him, as if staring at its master, he coldly said, “Behave, or I’ll send you to the slaughterhouse if you throw someone off.”

With that, he patted the horse’s head, “Behave.”

The big black horse, seeing this, turned its head back without further grunting and began to walk steadily.

Seeing Ji Taoyu’s fearful appearance, Huo Shu said, “Don’t be afraid, I won’t let go of the reins.”

Ji Taoyu bit her lip, her body stiff, holding onto the saddle handle tightly, not daring to move her neck. For a moment, she forgot about the pain from her scraped skin.

Fortunately, the big black horse obeyed Huo Shu’s command and didn’t misbehave. Normally, Huo Shu hardly ever tightened the reins while riding, and the black horse would leisurely bend its neck to bite some grass along the road. But now, with someone else on its back, and with its master holding the reins tightly, it knew the seriousness of the situation and walked obediently.

With the gentle breeze of the evening brushing against them, carrying a hint of warmth from the sun, Ji Taoyu’s hair fluttered gently across her forehead, like warm water gently passing over her cheeks.

It was her first time riding at such a high position on the road. For a moment, her vision seemed to widen, with mountains and rivers all visible below.

Ji Taoyu tilted her head slightly and glanced at Huo Shu, who was walking silently beside her, leading the horse. Normally, she had to lift her head to speak to him, but now she could see the top of his head.

She looked at his hair, as dark as ink, seemingly even stronger than ordinary people’s hair. She pursed her lips, hiding the corners of her mouth that were about to smile.

No wonder the men from wealthy families in the city all liked riding horses. It did feel strange to tower over everyone else while walking in the streets.

Huo Shu noticed Ji Taoyu’s feet, which had been tightly gripping the horse’s belly, relax slightly and even kick up a little. It seemed she was feeling a bit excited.

He couldn’t help but turn his head to look at Ji Taoyu on the horse and asked, “Not scared anymore?”

Meeting Huo Shu’s eyes, Ji Taoyu quickly straightened her head and tightened her legs again. “Yes, I’m scared.”

Huo Shu’s lips twitched slightly, and there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. In the end, he didn’t tease her.

“Look at all those wild chrysanthemums blooming ahead, and no one has picked them yet!”

Huo Shu followed Ji Taoyu’s gaze and saw a patch of creeping chrysanthemum vines on the slope, dotted with white chrysanthemum flowers. Amidst the bleak autumn scenery, they looked particularly eye-catching.

“Wait here.”

Ji Taoyu saw Huo Shu about to leave and hurriedly lowered her body, clutching the saddle handle. “Don’t, don’t go!”

Huo Shu halted his steps, glanced at Ji Taoyu lying on the horse’s back, and then reached out his arm to help her down.

As Ji Taoyu suddenly returned to the ground, her legs still feeling a bit wobbly, she quickly moved to a nearby stone stool and sat down. Huo Shu handed her a piece of rein.

“Here, hold this.”

With that, Huo Shu bent down and headed towards the hillside.

Ji Taoyu held the rein in her hand and felt bewildered. Following the rope, she saw the big black horse staring straight at her.

She grabbed the rein, feeling nervous again, and stood up stiffly, turning her neck to look at Huo Shu for help. “Huo, I-I can’t control it.”

“You just hold the reins, it won’t run away,” Huo Shu replied.