Chapter 329 - The Horse Race-Learning to Ride (1/2)

Chapter 329 The Horse Race-Learning to Ride

Another two weeks have pa.s.sed. Anar finds that Ze Yitong and Dun Zhu become busy recently. She asks about the reason and knows that the annual Naqu Horse Race will be held in two months. Except for the horse race, herdsmen living within hundreds of miles will bring their goods. The Horse Race also works as a big fair. As for Ze Yitong’s family, they need to exchange for enough necessities for the coming year at the fair.

The family has two horses, fifteen cows and forty sheep. For herders, they are not wealthy. It’s easy to tell because Ze Yitong and Dun Zhu’s traditional Tibetan clothes are not sumptuous. All Tibetans have their own traditional clothes. Except for wearing them on festivals, the clothes are also one of the best dowries for Tibetan girls.

Anar hears from Dun Zhu that traditional a piece of clothing of girls from rich families may worth hundreds of thousands of yuan. Such clothes are made from the best fabrics and finest turquoises. However, Ze Yitong’s family doesn’t have many cows and sheep. Dun Zhu worries that there will not be much dowry for Ze Yitong in the future. Dun Zhu hopes that Ze Yitong will have a grand wedding, so she already starts to prepare Ze Yitong’s dowry although Ze Yitong is only twelve years old.

“Ze Yitong’s nana can’t see clearly. I took her to the hospital three years ago and she was diagnosed with cataract. The surgery to treat it costs tens of thousands of yuan. The award for the winner of the horse race is 100 thousand yuan. We have to fight for it.”

Dun Zhu says to Anar while tidying up furs she collected. Dun Zhu’s Mandarin is not very good. It is a little difficult for her to communicate with Anar, but Anar feels that Dun Zhu speaks with a spirit of never giving up on life.

“Dun Zhu, can I sign up for the horse race?”

Anar doesn’t know what she can do in return for the food and accommodation Ze Yitong’s family provides to her. If she could win the 100-thousand-yuan award, it would be helpful for them, right?

Dun Zhu stares at Anar, “Can you ride a horse?”

Anar thinks for a while and shakes her head, “I don’t remember.”

The next day, Ze Yitong takes Anar and a horse to a place without cattle or sheep to practice riding. It turns out that Anar truly doesn’t know how to ride, so Ze Yitong is really happy to be her teacher.

The twelve-year-old Ze Yitong rides skillfully on the horseback and makes some really difficult and thrilling moves. Seeing all of these, Anar blushes about the idea that she can win the horse race that will be held in two months.

She only has two months to practice. Can she be more skillful than the herdsmen who ride horses every day when they grew up?

Anar rides on the horse’s back cautiously. Ze Yitong first walks slowly with the reins in hand. After walking for a long time, Anar feels she gets used to how the horse moves and asks Ze Yitong to release the reins.

The horse starts to trot. Anar sits straight on the horseback at first, but the horse suddenly accelerates, and she has to lean down to reduce the friction of the wind.

The loud wind blows over Ze Yitong’s ears, taking away the purple flower she wears on her ear. The cold wind on the gra.s.sland blows right into Anar’s neck, mouth and noses. She narrows her eyes and calms down from the nervousness soon.

“Relax! Relax your body and moves with the horse!” Ze Yitong shouts behind her.

It is strange that the horse runs faster and faster today. Anar soon knows something is wrong.

A light of panic pa.s.ses through Ze Yitong’s eyes. She whistles to stop the horse but fails. The horse still runs faster and faster.

Anar guesses that something unexpected has happened. The only thing she can do now is to hold the horse’s neck tightly to avoid falling because of its violent moves. The wind blows even louder. The horseshoes trample the flowers on the gra.s.sland. The peaceful moment is destroyed in no time.

Ze Yitong runs to the yurt. They still have a pony at home. Although it can’t run fast, it is better than having nothing. Ze Yitong hopes that the pony can help her reach Anar’s horse!

……

Anar stays calm since the accident happened. The horse runs madly, but she acts like this is not her first time of being in a dangerous situation like this. At a moment, Anar even gets the time to think about how she was in the past. Did she come across dangerous accidents frequently? If not so, why is she not afraid at all now?

Anar relaxes her body and follows the moves of the horseback. She holds the horse’s neck tightly while the gra.s.sland gradually disappears in her sight. A lake that s.h.i.+nes like silver shows up in front of her.

The mad horse slows its steps and stops completely by the lake.

Anar rubs her thighs that suffer greatly from the jolts and slides down the horse.