Wish You All the Best - Chapter 95

Chapter 95

As the seasons shifted, the third month gradually arrived. The ice and snow slowly melted away, and the wind that blew against one’s face began to carry a hint of springtime looseness; the long, bitter winter had finally passed.

In the vast open space surrounding their dwelling, the soil thawed bit by bit. Jiafu plowed a few small plots in front of the house and sowed vegetable seeds. Within a few days, tender green shoots peeked out from the earth, a truly delightful sight. She had Pei You’an build a chicken coop and bought a few chicks from town. As for the little colt born during the first lunar month, Jiafu fed it, bathed it, and groomed it herself. Under her meticulous care, it grew day by day. Strangely, the black coat it was born with gradually turned red, and its entire body became slick and lustrous. Its four hooves lost their black color, revealing snow-white foundations. When it ran, it seemed to be stepping on snow, making it exceptionally beautiful. Only two or three months old, it already moved like the wind. Even the ten-foot-tall walls of the supply yard could be cleared with a single effortless leap. Its personality was also completely different from its mother; it was wild, fierce, and only recognized Jiafu. It would be affectionate with her, but it wouldn't let others touch it—it didn't even seem happy when Pei You’an approached.

There was an old veteran in the yard who had raised horses all his life and claimed to be an expert in judging them. He said the mare had decent qualities but nothing special, yet the foal she birthed was absolutely extraordinary. Looking at its frame and its hooves, he insisted it wasn't sired by an ordinary stallion; it was as if the mare had secretly gone out and mated with some unknown wild horse. To have such appearance at only two or three months old, it would surely become even more magnificent as it grew. Jiafu was delighted and gave it a name: "Snow-Stepper."

This day, Snow-Stepper went out early in the morning, but by dusk, it still hadn't returned. Pei You’an and several old veterans were training horses that had recovered from illness in the supply yard. Jiafu had watched for a while, but feeling worried about Snow-Stepper, she mentioned it to Pei You’an and went to the front gate to wait. Finally, she saw its black-and-red shadow galloping toward them from afar, but a group of ten or so riders was chasing it, shouting incessantly. Snow-Stepper seemed terrified; upon seeing Jiafu from a distance, it let out a whinny that sounded like a cry of grievance and charged toward her. When it reached her, it stopped behind her, drenched in sweat, nostrils flared, shaking its tail in anxiety and rubbing its face against her arm as if seeking protection.

Seeing it so frightened and distressed, Jiafu felt a sharp pang of pity. She turned and saw the dozen or so men catching up, all appearing to be military men. She hurried to lead Snow-Stepper inside, but the group arrived in an instant. A man in his twenties urged his horse forward, smashed through the paddock gate, and rushed in front of Jiafu. He blocked her path with his mount and raised his horse whip, shouting loudly, "Is this colt from the supply yard? Excellent! I’ll take it..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes fell upon Jiafu, and his gaze froze. The hand holding the whip hung abruptly in mid-air.

Seeing him staring at her without blinking, Jiafu felt a wave of disgust. She hurriedly tugged at Snow-Stepper, bypassed the man's horse, and moved quickly toward the house.

The soldiers following behind them rode in with a clatter, shouting at Jiafu’s retreating back, "Do you know who this is? He is the younger brother of Commissioner Hu of the Supply Commission! Why don't you surrender the horse immediately?"

This man’s name was Hu Liangyou, and he was indeed the brother of Hu Liangcai, the Commissioner of the Su Ye supply office. He had arrived at this post with his brother the previous spring. His career had soared, and he now held the rank of Colonel. Having spent a boring, tedious winter in the city, he had been unable to suppress his restlessness. Seeing the weather warm up, he had taken his confidants out hunting today. By chance, they spotted this little red horse in the wilderness. Though small, he could tell it was no common beast, so he had tried to lasso it, not expecting the colt to be so nimble that it escaped. Hu Liangyou had chased them all the way to the supply yard, and seeing the horse being led away by a woman—and apparently owned by her—he relied on his status and barged in. Unexpectedly, he encountered such a beautiful young woman. Even in the Jiangnan region, with all its flower-strewn nightlife, it was rare to see such peerless beauty. His wicked intentions ignited. Hearing his subordinates shouting, he hurriedly ordered them to stop and turned to Jiafu with a smile: "Is this little red horse raised by you, young lady? Never mind, keep it. I am the younger brother of General Hu, named Liangyou. May I ask your name and how old you are this year?"

Jiafu kept her head down and hurried away, leading Snow-Stepper. How could Hu Liangyou let her go so easily? Driven by his base desires, he swung out of his saddle and blocked Jiafu’s path in a single bound. With a lewd smile, he teased, "Young lady, this place is desolate and lonely. Why don't I take you into the city? Follow me into the Commissioner's residence; you’ll have servants, fine food and drink, and silk and satin—it’s far better than here..."

As he spoke, he rolled up his whip and reached out brazenly to lift Jiafu’s chin. Unexpectedly, the little red horse suddenly lost its temper. It let out an angry whinny, raised its front hooves, and kicked out directly at Hu Liangyou.

Though the colt was only a few months old, it stood taller than a grown man when rearing up. Struck by this sudden fury, Hu Liangyou was instantly kicked to the ground. Infuriated and embarrassed, he shouted for his men to shoot the horse. The dozen soldiers swarmed forward, drawing their bows and arrows, trapping Jiafu and the colt in the middle.

"Shoot this beast dead! Let's see if it dares to kick me again—"

Hu Liangyou was helped up from the ground. Limping toward the colt, he swung his whip viciously, aiming for the little horse's head.

"Big Cousin—"

Jiafu threw herself beside the horse regardless of the danger. She wrapped her arms around its neck, shielding it with her own body, and let out a shrill scream with her eyes squeezed shut.

A horse lasso flew from the sky and looped around Hu Liangyou’s neck. Before he could react, the slipknot tightened. The rope snapped taut, and Hu Liangyou was sent reeling backward.

The force behind him was immense. The rope dug deep into his flesh, and black spots danced before Hu Liangyou’s eyes. Breathless, he could only grab at the rope with both hands, struggling instinctively. He was dragged several feet across the yellow mud until he finally came to a halt, leaving two deep furrows in the ground behind his heels.

Jiafu didn't feel the whip strike her back. She turned suddenly and saw that Pei You’an had arrived. He stood there, gripping the horse rope, and seeing this, she let out a sigh of relief. She turned and ran toward him as fast as her legs could carry her.

The little red horse followed close behind, stopping at their side.

"Fu’er, are you alright?" Pei You’an asked in a low voice.

Jiafu bit her lip, glanced at the fallen Hu Liangyou, and shook her head. "I'm fine."

Pei You’an squeezed her hand to reassure her, signaled for her to step back, and released the rope.

"Young Master Hu, you wield quite a lot of power. It is only an animal; there is no need to be so petty with it."

Hu Liangyou, who had been strangled to the point of near-fainting, finally caught his breath and regained his senses. His throat felt torn and itchy, and after coughing for a long time, he finally stopped. Covered in yellow mud and looking utterly wretched, he looked up and saw that the man speaking had a refined face. At twenty-four or twenty-five years of age, he stood tall and elegant, looking at first glance like a weak scholar with no strength to bind a chicken. It was hard to believe that the rope that had nearly strangled him was thrown by this man. Suppressing the fear in his heart, he glared fiercely. "You are Pei You’an? You have a lot of nerve! Do you think you are still a high-ranking court official? You are a man under punishment! My brother arranged for you to guard this yard out of respect for your father’s memory. You show no gratitude, you failed to receive an official when he arrived, and now you have the audacity to offend a superior! I will punish you for your disrespect right now! Men! Bind him!"

The soldiers looked at each other, hesitating.

Pei You’an’s reputation in the imperial court had been immense, and his father, the Duke of Wei, had spent many years defending this region as a regional commander, holding significant sway. Even though many years had passed, the mention of the Pei family was still thunderous in their ears. These men knew this, and as Pei You’an’s piercing, authoritative gaze fell upon them, they dared not move forward. Under Hu Liangyou’s prodding, they circled him slowly, still hesitant.

Pei You’an smiled. "Second Young Master, you should return. This place is desolate; I will not keep you." With that, he turned around, took Jiafu’s hand in one, led the little horse with the other, and walked toward the house.

Seeing that Pei You’an didn't even look at him, with all his attendants watching, Hu Liangyou gritted his teeth. He snatched a bow and arrow from one of his men, drew the string, and aimed at the retreating back.

Pei You’an seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He stopped and turned slowly. The smile on his face had vanished, replaced by a cold, hawk-like glare. He let go of the horse’s reins, whispered something to Jiafu, and turned to walk toward the bow.

Hu Liangyou’s hands began to tremble. Seeing him draw closer and closer, he found he didn't dare to loose the arrow.

Pei You’an stopped in front of Hu Liangyou, stared at him, and slowly reached out to grasp the shaft of the arrow resting on the bow.

"Hu Liangyou, you ride through the markets and trample on horses—this disturbs the people and violates the third article of military discipline. Molesting women is an even greater taboo in the army. According to our Great Wei military law, you should receive fifty lashes. Now that you have been promoted to Colonel, did the Commissioner not teach you these things?"

His fingers suddenly applied force. With a "crack," the arrow shaft snapped in two, falling from the bowstring to the ground.

Hu Liangyou’s face turned red, then white. He stood frozen on the spot, unable to move a muscle.

...

The group of men left on their horses in low spirits. As the sky darkened, the supply yard returned to its former peace.

Jiafu tied Snow-Stepper back into the stable. The little red horse seemed to know it had caused trouble; though it usually disliked the stable, this time it went in obediently and stood perfectly still. It stretched its neck out, trying to lick Jiafu’s face to curry favor. Jiafu pushed its face away, poked its brow with her finger, and scolded: "It was all because of you today, causing such trouble! If you sneak out again next time, I won't care about you anymore!"

Her tone was stern. The little red horse blinked, kept nudging her arm with its head, and when she pushed it away again, it hung its head dejectedly, emitting a low, whining sound as if begging for forgiveness.

Jiafu scolded it a few more times, then turned to see Pei You’an standing to the side, watching her with a smile. Only then did she let it be, threw some food into its trough, and the two walked out. Along the way, she didn't speak another word. When they returned to the room and were changing clothes and washing up, Pei You’an asked her about it.

Jiafu hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Big Cousin, I’m a little worried. Today, because of me and Snow-Stepper, you offended the brother of that Commissioner Hu. If he decides to make things difficult for you..."

Pei You’an helped her remove her outer garment. "Do not worry. This Hu Liangcai has led troops for years and is a capable man, but he has been here for less than a year and his foundations are unstable. Although he secretly edges out my father’s old subordinates, he is still relatively polite to me on the surface. Today’s matter is not enough to make him openly turn against me."

"Then why did he send someone to deliver scraps and leftovers at the end of last year to openly humiliate you?"

As soon as she asked, she realized the answer herself. "I know! Could it be that Hu Liangyou sent those?"

Pei You’an stroked her hair approvingly and nodded. "Rest assured. I have everything under control.”