She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

As the year draws to a close, Wuling Mountain will soon be closed.

The ice and snow had not completely dissipated, and there were still some spots of ice and snow left in the depressions of the land and on the roots of dead grass and trees.

The winter hunt for blessings was in full swing, and tents had been set up on the flat ground at the foot of the mountain.

Ah'ao lay down in the tent and looked at the patterns on the ceiling out of boredom.

It was still a mistake. She thought that everything would be fine after the wedding ceremony, but it turned out that she still had to attend various ceremonies of all sizes as the "young marquis's wife."

Most of the officials in Kezhou were subordinates of the old Marquis Hengqi. Since they were used to calling Hengqi "Marquis", when they arrived in Hengqi, they only called him "Little Marquis".

A'ao was given the incongruous title of a minor marquis' wife, which always sounded weird.

Fortunately, the shop had recently recruited a few assistants. There was an excellent hot spring near Wuling, so Ah-yi asked Mrs. Zhou to go with her, so that she could take a few days off from her busy schedule.

Speaking of recruiting employees, after the notice was posted, the first person who came was Zheng Da.

The tall and strong man smiled shyly, which gave A'ao and Mrs. Zhou an unexpected surprise.

Zhengda is really reliable and steady in his work, and Ah-yi saw it on the day of snow removal. She was thinking that if she missed Zhengda, where could she find such a person who can lead and is down-to-earth?

He actually delivered it to the door himself.

"I thought that doing odd jobs outside would be fine, and Madam Cui is short of people, so I might as well give it a try." Zheng Da picked up a pen and wrote his name crookedly on the paper.

Zheng Da deeply felt that A'ao was an excellent shopkeeper, so even though A'ao seriously told him that there might be funeral activities such as carrying coffins in the future, Zheng Da still readily agreed.

It was also thanks to him watching over the shop that A'an and Mrs. Zhou had the opportunity to come out.

Looking back over the past few months, it has been a tortuous and bizarre journey.

On the day of Hengqi's funeral, Zhou's wife said that she would go to the restaurant for a good meal after receiving the money. Now she has fulfilled her wish.

"New Madam, you are here!" Yunli opened the curtain and brought in a box. "This is the riding clothes that the master ordered to be sent to you."

Send riding clothes? Ah-yi heard Yunli's voice and jumped out of bed, "Am I going hunting too?" She really didn't know how to ride a horse.

Yunli came over with a smile, "You don't have to go hunting in the mountains, go to the grassland with the other women to ride horses." A furry robe was taken out of the box, and Yunli tilted her head, "In my opinion, your robe is somewhat similar to the master's!"

It was an apricot-colored robe with narrow sleeves, two leather belts, and long boots.

The robe had a round collar, made of some animal's fur that felt very nice. The pattern along the collar was red and green, with pine branches and red plums entwined.

However, the stitches are very fine and the patterns are very dense. It does not look gaudy or garish, but rather delicate and lively, not too plain. This needlework originated in Sichuan, and ordinary people cannot afford it.

Ah'ao touched the embroidery on it and thought inappropriately: What a waste of money.

Seeing that she was staring at it, Yunli thought that Ah-yi must like it very much, so he said a few more words, "The one the master wears is indigo color, with the same cut as yours, but with a cloud pattern at the neckline."

Even the contrast between indigo and apricot is a perfect match.

and many more.

Ah-yi suddenly snapped the box shut. "But now everyone should know that Heng-chi and I had a big fight. Is it reasonable to wear similar clothes?"

Yunli stared with wide eyes and was also stumped by the question.

The two looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.

In the end, A'an put it on.

The climate at the foot of the mountain is much colder than in the city. If you go out without a fur coat, you will probably be frozen to the bone.

Not long after the winter hunting began, the civil and military officials were still in the mountains, but Hengzhi came back dragging a deer. He let his horse go to the stable to graze, and had someone take the deer to the kitchen.

Ah'ao looked at him from afar, examining the dress that Yunli said looked very similar to hers.

Her long hair was tied up high with a silk ribbon, and a jade button could be vaguely seen as an ornament. Ah-yi didn't look closely at Heng-chi's expression, but she felt that his eyes and eyebrows were as desolate as the mountains behind him.

He was a wild man with a bunch of feather arrows tied to the leather belt around his waist and a longbow on his back.

The young marquis came over, and the hem of his blue clothes fluttered lightly with his steps, creating a dazzling and beautiful sight.

"Wait for me?"

As soon as Hengzhi opened his mouth, the good mood was broken.

Although she was indeed waiting for him, both her words and her raised brows were a little too arrogant.

Ah-yi patiently didn't say anything in reply, because she really wanted to ask for something, "What if I want to go horse racing with the ladies in a while, and I don't know how to ride a horse?"

So the good horse Taoxing, which had just entered the stable and had not even eaten a few mouthfuls of grass, was led out.

There happened to be no one on the meadow.

The women didn't really like riding horses. Who would want to come here to suffer the cold in the winter? It was just that Kezhou was a frontier fortress, and winter hunting and horse racing were just a process that emphasized riding and shooting.

We only come late, never arrive early.

"Come on up." Hengzhi stroked Taoxing's mane, holding the reins with his other hand, and said to A'ao.

Whenever she saw Taoxing, Ah'ao would always think of the day when she was tied to its saddle.

"Just... just step on it directly?" She didn't notice it before, but now when she walked up to it and was about to step on it alone, she realized that the stirrups of Taoxing were so high that they almost reached her shoulders.

This feeling of uneasiness quickly spread along with the north wind, allowing Hengzhi to easily smell the signs.

"If you want to learn how to ride a horse, you can't be afraid of it." With her wrist grabbed by Hengqi, Ah'ao was forced to touch the running mane.

After touching it for a long time...it actually felt a little comfortable? In the coldest days of winter, the warmth of the horse was transmitted to Ah-yi's palms through its fur, and she was no longer nervous.

Taoxing breathed slowly, and white mist rose from his mouth.

It was a northern fierce horse, and had been loyal to Hengzhi since it was tamed. Since it could be touched, it was obviously not opposed to Ah's approach. Even if Ah's horse didn't know how to control the horse and frightened it, it would be able to shake her less.

It is best if both men and horses are safe.

Hengzhi smiled, took A'ao's hand and put it on the saddle, "I'm holding it, it won't run away, just go ahead and don't worry." He held A'ao's waist loosely, and when she stepped on the stirrup, he gave her a helping hand to help her sit firmly.

Taoxing took a few steps on the spot. The shaking made Ah'ao's heart suddenly drop. She lowered her body and hugged the saddle tightly.

In her life of nearly eighteen years, she had barely ridden a horse, let alone ridden one herself. Ah-yi's palms were sweating, and she could not hear the rustling of the wind, nor Heng-chi's jokes.

"When I was a princess, I was fearless and I slandered the emperor and criticized princes, but it turns out that it was not true." Having said that, Hengzhi retracted his long arm and controlled Taoxing more steadily.

He also didn't want to see the horse raise its front hooves and make the princess fall into the mud. It would be even more worthless if she got her skin and bones broken.

Ah'ao still held the saddle tightly, but gradually relaxed her body and sat up straight as Hengzhi spoke with a smile.

The first feeling is high.

The trees on the distant mountains, the birds looking for nests in the sky, and the lush greenery in the mountains are all within sight.

The other side of the pasture was an endless flat land with no withered grass roots to be seen. Only the hoof prints and fluttering flags left by countless galloping horses stirred up a chilly but not biting wind in Ah-yi's heart.

One half appeals to freedom, the other half magnifies the vast northern land, and presents it all to the hero on horseback.

There was a roar from the rushing river, and in the distance a few slow calls of birds were heard in response.

There is always a cause and effect behind people's love for horse racing.

In the first half of Ah-yi's life, she traveled only a few times. Even when she did, it was by horse-drawn carriage, and she never really understood horses.

The beautiful landscapes and galloping horses, I finally got to experience some of the things in the paintings today.

The young marquis was willing to be the driver, leading the horse himself and walking slowly.

When Ah'ao mentioned learning to ride a horse, he originally wanted to go to the stable and pick out a docile and short horse that would be just right for a girl.

But when he walked in front of him, Hengzhi looked at Taoxing and regretted it again. At this time, it didn't matter whether A'an, who was holding the title of his wife, supported him. She just wanted to learn, so Hengzhi taught her the skills in a down-to-earth manner.

That's it.

This is not the first time that public and private matters have been blurred.

To tame Taoxing is to tame all the horses in the north.

The horse, like its master, is a leader in this vast northern land.

After walking around once, Hengzhi also deliberately accelerated slowly. When he returned to the starting point again, Hengzhi handed the reins to Ah-yi.

"Taoxing is a horse that understands human nature. Relax and lead it to walk slowly. I will follow you from behind."

Even when sitting on the horse, Ah-yi found that Heng-chi was not much shorter than her. At this height, she could clearly see his long black hair, which was tied with a jade buckle and hung down behind his shoulders.

Hengzhi's back is as straight as pine or bamboo, and his shoulders are solid and broad.

Because she had been riding horses for many years, Ah-yi accidentally touched the calluses on his fingertips when she took the reins. There were also bow marks between his knuckles.

He was not a dandy boy at all, but he was happy to act like one. Even in a winter hunt, he could not help but return to his tent early just to preserve his "good reputation".

This is just like Ah-yi knows that she is not always clear about her love for money, but she pretends to be so in order to achieve her own goals.

So what is the purpose of Hengzhi?

There was no time to ask now. Even if he did, Hengzhi would show off his dissolute appearance and try to warn Ah-yi that he was like that.

"Are you holding it from behind?" Ah'ao licked her lips and asked cautiously.

"Well, I'm here."

Soon, driving the horse alone took away all of Ah-yi's energy. She didn't think about anything else, and only focused on leading Tao-xing forward. Even if there were some minor bumps, she could feel Heng-chi behind her, so she relaxed her courage and used the reins to pull him back.

"Are you still holding on to it?" Ah'ao would ask this question every half circle.

But he didn't dare to look back, and asked stiffly with his back to Hengzhi.

She and Tao were not walking fast either. Hengzhi went from a slow stroll to a slightly faster pace now, with basically no pressure at all.

But what deceived Ah-yi was that Heng-chi had not grabbed the horse at all. One cannot grab a horse's tail, and there was nothing to grab behind the horse. Ah-yi believed it, so Heng-chi let her believe it.

As long as she is not afraid.

Taoxing had become much calmer today, running lightly on the grass field without getting too aggressive.

Ah'an gradually gained courage. When she heard the clanking sound on Taoxing's body, she turned around with a smile on her face, "You're still tying the knot for Taoxing...ah!——"

There is nothing behind me.

The half sentence she didn't say was blocked by her rapid pulse and the cold wind. Ah-yi completed the rest of the sentence in her mind: "Heng-chi! Liar!"

So the hand holding the reins became less confident.

Taoxing turned half a corner and slightly accelerated, and A's body suddenly leaned to the left.

Frightened by the feeling of being suspended in mid-air, Ah-yi could not help but yank at the reins. With a long neigh, the horse's hooves flew up in the air and suddenly dropped down, and then it began to run quickly.

Ah-yi was completely speechless. The howling cold wind made her eyes well up with tears. Between her breaths, Ah-yi squeezed out a few broken words, "Heng-yi... bastard..."

Hengzhi was following her on the left side so that he could mount the horse and keep it steady if anything happened. But Ah-yi turned her head to the right to speak, and he could no longer be seen.

As soon as Ah's words came out and she pulled the reins, Taoxing was suddenly stimulated.

Hengzhi's face darkened. He blew a whistle to try to stop, then quickly followed a few steps, saw the slope of another turn, grabbed the saddle and climbed onto the horse with ease.

When the reins were put into Hengzhi's hands, Ah'ao leaned back into Hengzhi's arms as the horse raised its hooves again.

From a distance, it looks like an extremely intimate posture.

Ah'ao was still in shock, but she keenly noticed that Hengzhi's chest was warm.

(End of this chapter)