Chapter 115 Still Remember That Time on the Back of a Horse? (2/2)
”Yes,” Xin Qing said and then paused in thought. ”That's why I'm leaving.” She went on.
”What did Ying Hao say to you?” Ying Qingcang asked all of a sudden.
”He...” Xin Qing shut up instantly. ”What's that supposed to mean?”
Ah Sha had somehow gotten her hands on a grape stalk. She put the whole thing into her mouth, munched, and then spit it out upon learning that it was not delicious at all. She tried to push the stalk into Xin Qing's mouth instead. Ying Qingcang pulled Ah Sha's hand away from Xin Qing's mouth and took the stalk into his own mouth. Ah Sha clapped her hands happily.
”Alright. Let's stop talking about this!” Ying Qingcang said, taking the plate that Ah Che was offering him. ”Let's eat.”
Ying Qingcang was the one who had planned their activities for the second day. He took Ah Sha to the stables and pointed his finger at a few newborn ponies. ”Ah Sha,” he said, ”which one do you like?”
”Don't tell me you're planning to buy her a pony?” Xin Qing asked in shock.
Ying Qingcang laughed. ”Indeed, we should get her one.”
”That's way too extravagant,” Xin Qing remarked. She knew that buying a horse would not be all that expensive per se, but rearing one would certainly be. Even more so if the horse was to be raised on a farm. The service fee alone would cost a few hundred thousands a year, and that was without considering various additional expenses. ”She's so young. What's she going to do with a horse?”
”We have to let her get used to being on a pony. That way, they will have had a bond with each other when she and the pony grow up in a few years. She won't be scared of it when she learns how to ride by then.” Ying Qingcang paused for a moment. ”Don't you think it's important for girls to know how to ride a horse?”
Xin Qing stared at him. ”What's so important about that? It's not like we can ride a horse on the streets.”
”If she knows how to ride, then she won't be bullied on the horse when she goes riding with another man in the future, wouldn't you say?” Ying Qingcang gave her a pointed and meaningful smile. Heat rose on Xin Qing's face and her cheeks were instantly flushed. She kicked him and bolted out from the stable.
”This damn man,” she thought. ”How dare he bring up that time when they both went horseback riding in England.” Xin Qing covered her face with her hands, replaying every scene from that day when they had both ravished other on top of a horse. Monica saw the way Xin Qing was stomping her foot repeatedly, and had thought that she was feeling unwell.
”Xin Qing, you alright?” Monica approached her and gave her a once over. ”My God. Are you ill? Why's your face so red?!”
Xin Qing's hand shot out and covered Monica's mouth. She peered towards the stable and whispered, ”Can you please not shout? I'm fine.”
”You... Oh, don't tell me you're being shy?” Monica's eyes shone brightly. ”Hehe. What did he say to you again to make your face this red?”
Xin Qing panicked. ”Shut up.”
While the two women were bickering with each other, Ah Che ran out from the stable. ”Young Master wants you to come look at the pony that Ah Sha had selected,” he said.
”Ah Sha's so young, how would she know which one to pick? I bet he's the one who picked it,” Xin Qing said as she pulled Monica to enter the stable. Once inside, she saw that Ah Sha was hugging a white pony. From the looks of it, she would not be letting go of it anytime soon.
Ying Qingcang had heard her comment, so he pointed at the little ponies there. ”Ah Sha had picked this one on her own. That's the only one she kept hugging.”
”Tsk, tsk. Our little Ah Sha had picked out a prince!” Monica crouched down before Ah Sha and ruffled the pony's head. ”Very beautiful!”
It was as if Ah Sha knew that the pony of her choice had just been praised. She leaped up happily and toddled towards Xin Qing. Ah Sha tugged Xin Qing's hand and guided her towards the pony. When they got close enough, she pulled Xin Qing's hand and tried to get Xin Qing to touch the pony's head.
Xin Qing hurriedly patted the pony's head and praised, ”Ah Sha's pony is so pretty!”
”Let's give it a name. After that we can head down and take care of the paperwork,” Ying Qingcang said, fixing his eyes on Xin Qing. ”You're going to have to name it, though. If I give it a bad name, Ah Sha will be unhappy when she's older.”
Xin Qing rolled her eyes and went over a few names in her mind. After a while, she said, ”Let's call her Xiao Xue, then. We shouldn't give it a complicated name, otherwise she won't be able to remember it.”
”Young Miss, the pony is male,” Ah Che reminded her.
”Huh?” Xin Qing said. ”How can it be male when it looks so elegant?”
”Don't horses all look the same?” Monica said and began appraising the few ponies in the stable. ”Can't believe you can tell which one looks elegant.”
”Call it Xiao Bai, then.” Three pairs of eyes were all staring at her when she finished. ”Ahem, ahem. A common name implies low maintenance!”
Ying Qingcang laughed and patted Ah Sha's head. ”As of today, this pony will be Ah Sha's Xiao Bai!”
”Bai...!” Ah Sha took everyone by surprise when she pronounced a full syllable. Overjoyed, Xin Qing said, ”See? I told you we should give it a simple name. Ah Sha can start calling it immediately.”
The few of them took care of the papers and signed the contract. Ah Sha was now the official owner of Xiao Bai. The farm would be in charge of looking after and feeding Xiao Bai, Ah Sha was allowed to visit it anytime. Once the pony grows up, someone from the farm would start teaching Ah Sha how to ride it.
They drove back in the evening. By the time they arrived home, it was already midnight. When Xin Qing was going upstairs, Ying Qingcang called her.
”Monica and I will return to China tomorrow morning. Let Ah Che know if there's anything instead of shouldering everything on your own. Don't go around owing favors to other people in the future. Otherwise, it won't be as easy as shooting an advertisement next time.”