Lin Jing had finished classes for the day, and the Shen family’s carriage brought him to the shop.
It was nearing the late-afternoon meal hour, and there were hardly any customers in the shop. Lin Wu was tidying up, preparing to close for the day and head home.
The moment the carriage came to a stop, he jumped down and dashed straight into the shop.
“I’m back!”
He had his book bag on his back and was carrying a small cloth pouch in one hand as he ran toward the counter.
Lin Wu was wiping down the worktable. She looked up at him and smiled. “A Jing is back. Did everything go smoothly today?”
Lin Jing nodded his little head as he walked. “Smoothly, smoothly! At lunch, I told all my classmates that our family had opened a shop called Double Wood Pancake Shop, and that our bookmarks are sold at the stationery shop and at the Treasure Pavilion. They all said they were going to come buy some!”
Lin Wu had not expected “smoothly” to mean this. He had not mentioned his studies even once.
As they spoke, Lin Jing had already made his way behind the counter. He first peeked into the money box, then pulled open a drawer and counted the little bamboo tokens inside. After that, he even picked up the account book and flipped through it, his small face solemn and businesslike.
Only after inspecting everything carefully did he return the account book, looking thoroughly satisfied.
Lin Wu continued tidying up, glancing at him from time to time.
Little Shopkeeper Lin was as busy behind the counter as a spinning top, turning this way and that. At some point, he found a rag from somewhere, rose onto his tiptoes, and began wiping the counter.
His hands were busy, but his little mouth was busier still.
“This morning, Brother Ting had Tigerhead and me run around the courtyard. We went in circles and ran several laps.” He moved the rag back and forth as he spoke, as if demonstrating how they had run. “There’s a huge artificial mountain in the courtyard, with stone steps on it. Tigerhead and I climbed up and down, going back and forth lots of times.”
Lin Wu came out from behind the worktable and put the items away on the shelves. As she did, she took a careful look at him. He looked neat and tidy, with plenty of energy. She reached out and touched the little topknots on his head. They were still tied firmly in place, not at all like the hair of someone who had been running up and down.
“Were you tired after all that running?”
“I was,” Lin Jing admitted, nodding. “But before we went to the academy, Brother Ting had someone comb my hair neatly and wipe away my sweat.”
Lin Wu thought to herself that they were certainly particular about appearances. From now on, she ought to prepare him a little practice outfit for the mornings.
“Even though it was tiring, it was really fun! We also played pitch-pot. I got two in!” He held up two fingers and waved them about. “Tigerhead got three, one more than me.”
“Brother Ting said that once we’ve practiced for this whole ten-day period, he’ll give me a little soft bow. Then I’ll be able to practice drawing it by myself whenever I want!”
As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something. He rummaged through his book bag and placed an object on the counter.
It was an orange.
“Look,” he said, pointing at it. “It was an arrow Brother Ting shot. It went whoosh and hit the little stem exactly, and the fruit fell from the tree without getting damaged at all!”
Mrs. Sun and Liang Peilan also leaned over to look at his precious fruit.
Mrs. Sun picked up the orange and examined it. “It really isn’t damaged. That aim is frighteningly good.”
“Brother Ting is amazing, isn’t he?” Lin Jing looked up at the orange, his voice carrying a hint of pride, as though he himself had been the one to shoot it down.
Everyone played along. “Amazing, amazing.”
Lin Jing nodded his little head, then put the orange back into his book bag. He muttered, “I’m taking it home to show Laifu.”
All the way home, he chattered without pause.
“Brother Ting said he’ll teach me to ride a horse too!”
“Brother Ting can also wield a spear and a saber. He’s incredibly skilled!”
His little mouth kept going, Brother Ting this and Brother Ting that, until Lin Wu’s ears were filled with nothing but “Brother Ting.”
Thanks to Little Lin Jing’s tireless promotion over the past few days, business at the shop had indeed improved quite a bit.
That was all well and good, except it was exhausting.
Every day, Lin Wu rose early to prepare the ingredients, knead the dough, cook the pancakes, and steam the mantou pouches. Although Mrs. Sun and Liang Peilan helped her, there was still no end to the tasks, and her hands and feet never stopped moving. Fortunately, once she grew accustomed to the work, it became manageable. She simply followed the same routine each day; there were only so many jobs to do, and once they were finished, she could rest.
When the month drew to an end and it was Lin Jing’s ten-day break, Lin Wu decided to close the shop for a day.
For one thing, Lin Jing’s break fell on the tenth of the month, and temple fairs were held on every fifth and tenth day. Many people would be heading to the fair, leaving the main street quieter than usual. For another, she had come to the shop before dawn every day. Aside from festivals, she had not had a single day off all year. Life became rather bleak when there was nothing to look forward to.
The shop had opened just before the Lantern Festival, and she had not taken a break on the twentieth of the first lunar month. By the end of the month, it was high time she rested for a day. All told, she had been working for half a month straight. Though she did not work overtime, rising early every day was tiring enough when it accumulated.
She told Lin Jing about her plans.
Little Shopkeeper Lin was clearly not in favor. He lay across the dining table at home, counting on his fingers. “Then not only will we lose the eight hundred copper coins we would have earned that day, we’ll also still have to pay the shop’s rent.”
After doing the math, his little face scrunched up. He felt that this business arrangement was a terrible loss.
Seeing his troubled little expression, Lin Wu nearly laughed, but she managed to hold it back and explained, “But if we have to go to the shop every day, people will become exhausted. It’s like you going to the academy every day. If you didn’t have a break every ten days to rest and do something you wanted, that wouldn’t be good either, would it? I opened the shop so we could live more comfortably. If running it ends up wearing us out, then we’ll have completely missed the point.”
Lin Jing lifted his head from the table. “All right. Then… can we open in the morning? I can come help at the shop on my break, and rest in the afternoon?”
Lin Wu shook her head decisively. “Taking half a day off is hardly better than not taking any time off at all.”
Lin Jing opened his mouth, wanting to argue for another chance, but Lin Wu spoke first. “Aren’t you going to ride horses with Brother Ting at the Shen family’s estate outside the city during this break? What is it? Do you want to be Little Shopkeeper at the shop instead of going horseback riding?”
“Huh?” Lin Jing froze.
After a long while, he muttered softly, “Then… going horseback riding is probably better.”
After all, he could come to the shop every day after classes, but it was not easy to get the chance to ride horses at an estate outside the city. He and Tigerhead had practiced diligently day after day, and only then had Brother Ting agreed to take them along.
Lin Wu herself had never ridden a horse in either of her two lives, so she was rather looking forward to it as well.
Thinking about their trip to the estate, she began planning what food to bring along the next day.
Lin Wu stood by the stove and looked through the ingredients at home. They had pork floss, sausages, and half a jar of mayonnaise left over from the day before.
She quickly came up with a plan: she would make some rice rolls. They would be convenient and filling, and most of the ingredients were already available at home. They would also be simple to prepare. In the morning, she would just fry some eggs and cook a pot of rice.
It was a pity that although seaweed existed in this era, it was not called seaweed. It was known as ziying, a rare delicacy reserved for the imperial family. Ordinary households could not even catch a glimpse of it.
But it did not matter. They had pouches. Pouches could hold anything, so naturally they could hold rice rolls as well. In the morning, she would steam some ready-made mung-bean starch sheets. Then she could put in the rice and whatever fillings they wanted, roll everything up, and it would be done.
The next morning, since she did not have to open the shop, Lin Wu did not get up until the sky was just beginning to lighten.
She fried eggs, sliced cucumber into fine strips, then broke the thin, crispy crackers she usually used for making jianbing into small pieces. They ought to taste good wrapped in the rice rolls, too. Once everything was ready, she arranged the ingredients in separate sections of a bamboo basket, placing each kind in its own small bowl and covering them with cloths. There—that was done.
Lin Jing had been squatting beside her watching for quite some time. At last, he could not help asking, “Are we taking this to the estate to eat?”
“Yes.” Lin Wu kept her hands busy. “Hmm… Let’s call it a rice pouch. You can put all sorts of things in it, then wrap them up and eat them.”
“A rice pouch!” Lin Jing’s eyes lit up. It was something new, something he had never eaten before.
Once everything was packed, they had barely turned out of the alley when they spotted a carriage coming toward them in the distance. Following behind it was a magnificent horse, completely black from head to hoof, its coat gleaming brilliantly in the morning light.
Shen Guanting wore a blue-black riding outfit with close-fitting sleeves and a cinched waist.
Lin Wu looked at him and suddenly fell into a daze.
She remembered their first meeting in Lingzhou. He had looked just like this then, riding through the streets and alleys, his clothes fluttering in the wind.
Yet now, though his attire was more or less the same and he was riding the same horse, something somehow felt different.
What was it?
Before she could figure it out, the carriage had already drawn near.
Only when it reached them did she get a clear look at the black horse. It was truly tall—far taller than she had imagined. Its limbs were long and slender, its muscles flowing in smooth lines. Even standing perfectly still, it possessed an imposing presence. Its eyes were pure black as well, dark and deep like two obsidian gems.
Lin Wu thought that the horse must be impossible to find at night.
As she watched it, Lin Jing took a step backward.
The horse was simply too large and too tall for him. Just standing there, it was like a small mountain, exuding an oppressive majesty. Yet although he retreated, he never once looked away. The affection in his eyes was impossible to conceal.
Laifu, on the other hand, was not afraid at all. He lifted his little head and barked wildly at the black horse. His voice was bright and crisp.
Unfortunately, the horse did not lower its head to look at him even once. It merely flicked its tail.
Laifu barked even more fiercely, his short legs carrying him one step forward.
Lin Jing crouched down and patted his head. “Don’t be afraid, Laifu. You’re so small, and it’s so tall. It can’t even see you.”
It sounded less like comfort and more like telling little Laifu that he did not know his own limits.
Whether Laifu understood him or had simply tired himself out, he really did stop barking. He only lifted his head to stare at the horse, his little tail wagging faintly.
“This is Moonwhite.” Shen Guanting dismounted and gently patted the horse on the head. “You should have seen him back in Lingzhou.”
At his touch, Moonwhite lowered his head toward Lin Jing. His large, dark eyes were deep and solemn, yet he looked both elegant and gentle.
Lin Jing gazed up at Moonwhite from close range, his eyes shining. “Brother Ting, may I touch Moonwhite?”
“Of course. Moonwhite has a very gentle temperament.” Shen Guanting smiled.
Lin Jing slowly extended his small hand. First, he tentatively touched the mane atop Moonwhite’s head. When the horse did not shy away, he grew bolder and stroked its forehead. Moonwhite’s coat was short and smooth. With his palm pressed against it, Lin Jing could feel the horse’s warm body heat.
After stroking him twice, he suddenly turned back to Lin Wu. “I touched him!”
Lin Wu was holding Laifu in her arms. She smiled and answered, “Then you and Moonwhite are friends now.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Moonwhite suddenly snorted. He gave his head a light toss, sending his mane brushing across Lin Jing’s face. Then he stretched his head toward Lin Wu, gazing at her with his dark eyes as though waiting for something.
Looking at the beautiful horse, Lin Wu held Laifu with one arm and reached out with the other to stroke Moonwhite’s forehead.
Only then did Moonwhite seem satisfied. He swished his tail and raised his neck again.
“Moonwhite likes us! We’re all friends now!” Lin Jing exclaimed, excitedly stroking him once more.
After greeting their new friend, the group finally set off for the outskirts of the city.
It was still early. Fresh air streamed in through the carriage windows, carrying the damp, earthy scent of grass and trees. Tigerhead and Sparrow leaned against the window ledge, chattering and pointing at everything outside. Lin Jing squeezed between them, his little head practically sticking out of the window.
As the carriage moved farther from the city gates, the scenery outside changed as well.
At first there were scattered houses on the outskirts. Farther on, fields stretched out in patches, with many farmers bent over turning the soil in preparation for spring plowing. Beyond them lay mountain forests veiled in the morning mist. Green showed faintly through the white haze, which still held a trace of winter’s chill.
The Rain Water solar term had passed, and it was now early spring. Plants were beginning to stir, and the waters of the Spring River were growing warm.
Before long, they arrived at the estate.
The carriage stopped before a very broad wooden gate. Beyond it stood several orderly rows of gray-tiled houses, with a level open space in front and wide fields on either side. Once they passed through the gate and continued beyond the tiled houses, they came to an expansive horse pasture.
The pasture was enclosed by waist-high wooden rails, and fine sand had been spread across the ground, soft beneath their feet. Outside the fence stood the mountain forest, thin wisps of mist still clinging to the treetops.
“Jing, I’ll show you my pony!” Tigerhead was the first to jump down from the carriage, racing inside.
“Mine too!” Sparrow chased after him.
“Pony!” As soon as Lin Jing heard that, he ran after them as well.
Little Laifu had no idea what was going on, but he released all four of his short legs and followed. The leash was in Lin Wu’s hand, and she was pulled into a stumble, leaving her no choice but to hurry after them.
Shen Guanting stood at the side, holding Moonwhite’s reins. As he watched the children and the dog running ahead, a smile rose in his eyes.
Beside the pasture, a farmhand was leading two ponies out of the stable.
One had brown fur with a black mane and tail. Short, stout, and round, it looked adorably good-natured. The other was much the same, except for a white marking on its face.
Sparrow went over to the pony with the white marking and stroked the bridge of its nose. “This is my Cloudstep. She’s very clever!”
Then she cleared her throat and introduced herself to Lin Wu and Lin Jing with great solemnity. “My name is Fu Yu, which means to groom one’s feathers and prepare to spread one’s wings and soar into the sky. So my Cloudstep has already stepped onto the clouds and flown away!”
Tigerhead threw his arms around the brown pony’s neck. “My pony is called Mountain Lord, which means a tiger, because my name is Tigerhead!”
He patted Mountain Lord on the head, but Mountain Lord refused to indulge him. The pony tossed its head, nearly smacking him in the face.
Lin Jing stood nearby, looking from one pony to the other, then back again. “When I have my own pony, I’m going to give it a name too!”
The three little heads gathered together as they began chattering about what Lin Jing’s future pony should be called.
Mountain Lord and Cloudstep were both gentle by nature. Sparrow and Tigerhead already knew how to ride, though they were not yet very skilled. With the farmhand leading the reins ahead of them, they sat atop their respective ponies as the animals ambled slowly around the pasture. After each of them had taken a turn, they called for Lin Jing to try as well.
Lin Jing turned at once to look at Shen Guanting.
Since Senior Brother Shen had once promised to teach him how to ride, he had no choice but to lift Lin Jing onto the pony, take hold of the reins, and lead him slowly around the pasture.
The children shouted that they wanted to ride more.
“I want to ride a big horse!”
“I want to ride Moonwhite!”
Shen Guanting was so thoroughly pestered that he could do nothing but sigh inwardly at how he had brought this trouble upon himself. Moonwhite, led over to them, snorted loudly and nudged him with its head, as if dissatisfied that its master had dragged it into the matter for no reason.
“Sit tight.”
He drew Lin Jing into his arms in front of him, then squeezed the horse’s sides. Moonwhite began to trot slowly.
With a child on its back, Moonwhite did not run fast, but its steps were steady and sure. Beneath the sunlight, its black coat gleamed like flowing satin, rippling with every stride.
Shen Guanting held the reins, his robes streaming behind him in the wind and outlining his lean, powerful frame. He leaned forward slightly, riding into the breeze. His entire being seemed to merge with the horse—carefree and unrestrained.
Behind him lay a dense forest, and farther away, mountain ranges veiled in white mist. His figure passed through it all, moving amid the sound of the wind, reflected in her eyes.
At that moment, he was neither the young master of the Shen family nor the proprietor of Jizhen Pavilion.
Lin Wu stood by the fence, watching the scene.
It was like a painting, impossible to look away from.
After making one circuit, Moonwhite slowed to a stop.
Shen Guanting lifted Lin Jing down.
The child stood where he was, his little face still flushed, his eyes shining brightly.
He remained dazed for a moment, then suddenly ran over to Lin Wu and waved his small hands through the air. “The wind was whoosh-whoosh, and the trees kept moving backward! It felt like I was about to fly!”
Lin Wu reached out and smoothed the little topknots the wind had tousled. “Once you learn to ride, you’ll be able to fly all by yourself.”
Lin Jing nodded his little head vigorously, then dashed off to Sparrow and Tigerhead to share their various horseback-riding experiences.
Leading Moonwhite by the reins, Shen Guanting slowly approached and stopped beside Lin Wu.
He turned his head toward her and smiled warmly. “A Wu, would you like to try?”
Lin Wu froze for a moment, somewhat hesitant.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to ride. It was just that she couldn’t expect Shen Guanting to take her running when she didn’t know how to ride herself.
“Moonwhite has a gentle temperament. It can walk slowly,” Shen Guanting said, as though he had seen through her concern. “Just like Little Jing riding Mountain Lord and Cloudstep—I’ll lead the horse. All you need to do is sit.”
Lin Wu hesitated for a moment longer before nodding.
Opportunities to ride were rare. If she missed this one, she had no idea when the next would come.
Following Shen Guanting’s demonstration, she tried to place her foot in the stirrup. She failed to find her footing twice, but on the third attempt, she stepped firmly into it. Shen Guanting gave her an arm to steady her, and she used the momentum to swing herself onto the horse.
The moment she sat in the saddle, the world looked different.
Everything was higher and farther away—even the wind seemed to blow down from a greater height.
Shen Guanting held the reins and slowly set off. Moonwhite followed him, meandering around the riding ground at an easy pace.
Seated on the horse’s back, Lin Wu gazed at the mountains in the distance and the forest nearby. She listened to the birdsong and felt the gentle breeze brush past her.
Something inside her seemed to unfurl along with it.
“A Wu, you can learn to ride as well,” Shen Guanting said from ahead of her, his voice unhurried. “Once you learn, you’ll be able to go wherever you wish.”
Lin Wu imagined how impressive she would look if she could ride a horse.
But after thinking about it again, she felt that such a thing was still a long way off.
“For long journeys, don’t people usually take a boat or a carriage?” she asked.
Shen Guanting did not turn around, but his voice softened considerably. “Boats travel by water, and carriages follow the official roads. But some places have no navigable waterways, while the official roads take long detours. Riding is different. You can follow mountain paths, field ridges, and country lanes. You can go wherever you want.”
“I once traveled with my grandfather to many different places. Some sights were inaccessible by carriage or boat; the only way to reach them was on horseback or on foot. Back then, I thought that if I could keep traveling like that and see every one of those places, then I would not have lived this life in vain.”
Lin Wu listened without speaking.
She lowered her eyes to look at his back. He led the horse with steady steps, while Moonwhite’s hooves pressed into the fine sand with a soft, rustling sound.
Only a few months ago, she had regained her freedom. With Lin Jing in tow, she had hidden from place to place, hurrying onward day and night. What had she been thinking then? Having somewhere to stay would be enough. Being able to survive would be enough.
She had been in this world for eleven years, yet she had never once considered something like going wherever she wanted.
Suddenly, she remembered the sight of him riding through the morning light.
So carefree. So free.
As though there were nothing in this world that could ever hold him back.
