Zhang Zhaoge finished “eating her melon” (observing the drama), still somewhat unsatisfied, and was preparing to stroll over to the Meng family’s kiln site to see if she could stir up some trouble for Meng Jiasui. As she turned her head, her gaze locked with Cui Yun’s.
It was the first time she had seen Cui Yun on horseback, and while Zhang Zhaoge found it a refreshing sight, she was not particularly surprised that she could ride. In this era, women were not confined by the later dogmas of being hidden away; they rode horses and played polo, living relatively free and unrestrained lives compared to later dynasties. As for the tradition of women wearing muli (veils) or hats when going out, attributing it to strict gender segregation was purely nonsense. Originally, the muli was simply used to shield one from wind and dust, worn by both men and women. It was only later, when Confucian classics demanded women cover their faces, that its purpose became distorted.
Zhang Zhaoge asked, “Is Seventh Miss Cui here to ‘eat melons’ too?”
“Eat melons?”
“It means to watch the spectacle.”
Cui Yun found this description quite interesting, but even more interesting was that Zhang Zhaoge, who was the very subject of the gossip, was enjoying the spectacle so thoroughly.
Cui Yun suddenly felt a spark of interest in her. “Deputy General Zhang, you have been forced into leave; aren’t you worried?”
“How could I not be? Every day of this vacation is a day lost; it’s killing me with worry.”
“Pfft—” Cui Yun covered her mouth to prevent herself from laughing too ungracefully. Zhang Zhaoge’s mindset was truly admirable. She asked, “Then how does the Deputy General know how many days of vacation are left?”
Zhang Zhaoge rarely saw her smile so openly; seeing it now, she could not help but curl her own lips. In response, she said concisely, “The Eight Precepts Festival is coming soon.”
Cui Yun had a sudden realization. The Eight Precepts Festival would attract thousands of monks and tens of thousands of believers; such a grand event would inevitably require the military to maintain order. The Luyang County garrison only had three hundred soldiers, who were already stretched thin between patrolling, hunting bandits, and searching for spies. With Zhang Zhaoge on leave, her battalion would be headless and difficult to mobilize, and the other two battalions might not be able to manage the workload alone. Therefore, before the festival, Zheng Heyi would inevitably have to order Zhang Zhaoge to end her leave.
So, it was all within her calculations; no wonder she wasn’t worried at all. Cui Yun did not realize she had misunderstood others viewed suspension as a disaster because they placed heavy importance on military power and rank, whereas Zhang Zhaoge, a slacker from the 21st century, couldn’t have cared less.
The two rode slowly along the country road, chatting, with Qingxi and Xilan following at a distance. Unwittingly, they reached the threshing floor area.
In the cold weather, children wrapped in thick clothes were playing polo on the hard-frozen ground. Naturally, they had no horses, so each child used a bamboo pole as a “horse,” a wooden stick as a mallet, and a small, broken ball made of woven bamboo strips. Even so, they played with great joy.
Just then, the sound of galloping hooves echoed on the road, and wherever the rider passed, the villagers could be heard cursing. As Zhang Zhaoge and Cui Yun wondered who was galloping through the countryside, the rider swept past them like a gust of wind, crushing the broken ball the children had accidentally knocked over. The worn-out ball was flattened and embedded into the mud.
The children, their polo dreams shattered, began to cry sadly. Zhang Zhaoge dismounted and dug the ball out. Cui Yun expected this “tough hero” to comfort the children with tenderness, but instead, Zhang Zhaoge said, “This is truly a childhood memory you will never forget!”
“…” The children were so shocked by her words that they stopped crying.
Cui Yun: “…” You aren’t going to comfort them, fine, but why say such cold remarks?
Just as the children were about to continue crying, the culprit unexpectedly reined in his horse and turned back: “Seventh Miss Cui?!”
Cui Yun ignored him. Wang Hecheng grinned: “Lucky I took a second look, or I would have missed you.”
Cui Yun had even less desire to acknowledge him. Just as he was about to speak, a mud-like object was tossed at him. He caught it subconsciously, then threw it away with an expression of disgust: “What is this?!”
Zhang Zhaoge said, “The childhood of the children you crushed with your galloping horse. You executioner, you’ve ruined their beautiful childhoods.”
Wang Hecheng: “???”
He was about to fly into a rage when he suddenly recognized the person before him. After a moment of recollection, he immediately realized this was the garrison commander who had humiliated him at the Luyang Pass! Wang Hecheng’s focus, however, was on: “Why are you with Seventh Miss Cui?”
Could this person also be a love rival?! No wonder her attitude toward him was so different from her attitude toward Cui Yun.
Zhang Zhaoge turned to the children and said, “Cry. Cry loudly.”
As if a command had been triggered, one child cried, another followed, and soon all the children even those who hadn’t been crying were wailing.
“Wang Hecheng, you were galloping in the village and hurting people; you are fully responsible for this accident.”
Cui Yun: “…”
Wang Hecheng refused to accept this: “How did I hurt anyone?”
“You hurt the delicate hearts of these children. This shadow will follow them for a lifetime. Mental harm is also harm; doesn’t that count as hurting people?”
Wang Hecheng: “…”
This was the first time in his life he had ever heard such sophistry. To make matters worse, the children were crying so loudly that the villagers thought their own children were being bullied and began rushing over. Wang Hecheng cared deeply about his image and didn’t want to lose face in front of the villagers. To him, any problem that could be solved with money wasn’t a problem, so he tossed a string of coins on the ground: “Is it enough to pay you off? This string of coins is enough to buy you ten polo balls.”
The younger children still wanted their broken ball, but the older ones, already understanding the value of money, stopped crying the moment they picked up the coins and happily went to share the wealth with their friends.
Cui Yun’s understanding of Wang Hecheng’s spendthrift nature deepened. Still, had it not been for Zhang Zhaoge, a high-and-mighty wealthy scion like Wang Hecheng would never have given the matter a second thought, let alone offered compensation.
Zhang Zhaoge felt relieved. That’s more like it. She was feeling unhappy today; she had to make someone else unhappy for her to feel better.
After dealing with the annoying children, Wang Hecheng focused his attention back on Zhang Zhaoge and Cui Yun: “What is your relationship?”
Cui Yun said, “Before the Young Master of the Wang family asks this, perhaps you should ask yourself what does this have to do with you?”
Wang Hecheng had expected Cui Yun’s attitude and was not angered. He said, with a hint of pride, to Zhang Zhaoge, “I am Wang Hecheng of Xiangzhou, courtesy name Wuzong. What is your background?”
He had announced his name at the pass a few days ago for official inspection; this was their first private meeting.
“Zhang Zhaoge, from Guanzhong.”
Wang Hecheng sneered. She wouldn’t even mention her ancestral home; she was likely just a refugee who had fled famine before joining the army! A commoner who didn’t even dare to mention her ancestry, dreaming of competing with him for Seventh Miss Cui?