Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 235: Leaving Xiahe Village on Horseback
Laba brings joy beneath heaven; a lone rider leaves Xiahe Village.
The Shamate black horse, setting out on its first long journey, galloped into the cold wind. Its energetic hooves rang against the road while the side-parted tuft of black mane on its forehead fluttered in the wind.
The winding village road stretches irregularly beneath the hooves…
“Hey, Zhu Ping’an, why are you sneaking off like that? Hee-hee, you look like a stray dog.”
At a crossroads just outside the village, Li Shu, cloaked in a red cape, quietly appeared, riding her horse. Her flowing cloak swirled in the wind, and her slightly tilted face revealed a fair neck, her large eyes gleaming with mischief.
Behind her, the little bun-faced maid, Hua’er, with a puffed-up skirt, was panting as she chased after her young mistress.
“In broad daylight, how is it sneaky? Are you here to send me off?” Zhu Ping’an stopped the Shamate black horse, looked at the scheming girl Li Shu, and asked with a smile, curling his lips.
“Dream on! Who’s sending you off? I came to walk the horse. From far away, I saw a toad sitting on a horse’s back. It looked familiar, so I came to take a look.”
The cunning girl Li Shu rolled her eyes in disdain, firmly denying it, pouting as she spoke.
“A toad? Heh. Are you wishing me luck in winning laurels in the Moon Palace?” Zhu Ping’an shook his head with a faint smile.
“Truly shameless, still talking about the Moon Palace. I saw you sneaking around, clearly afraid of being laughed at by the villagers if you fail the exam. You’ll probably leave the capital the same way, sneaking around quietly.”
Li Shu’s big, shining eyes gazed at Zhu Ping’an with a hint of mockery in them, her rosy lips curling with a smile.
“Well, let’s wait and see.”
Zhu Ping’an patted the Shamate black horse and once again set out on the road to the capital for the metropolitan examination.
At the crossroads, Li Shu kept watching as Zhu Ping’an’s figure disappeared into the distance before turning her horse around and leading the little bun-faced maid, Hua’er, back to Shanghe Village.
Kaoshan Town. Anyone who has been here knows that the place is surrounded by mountains, with one barren village after another growing at the foot of these mountains. Once off the main road, the mountain paths become more difficult to navigate, uneven and full of rocks, presenting an irregular shape. Along the way, people continue their repetitive life dance of working from sunrise to sunset in this irregular world.
Full of energy, the Shamate black horse carried him across the mountainous country around Kaoshan Town by noon, passing five or six villages before stopping briefly at the foot of a hill beside a stream.
Zhu Ping’an unloaded the horse, tied the Shamate black horse to a tree to rest and eat some dry grass, then found a sheltered spot by a rock and ate the flatbreads Chen had made with some pickled vegetables.
The sun wasn’t great, as clouds were slowly approaching. This area’s riverbanks were covered with dry grass, and in the distance, a shepherd boy was herding sheep home for lunch, accompanied by a big yellow dog. The dog happily barked behind the flock of sheep, who, having grazed on the dried grass, shook their bellies in satisfaction as they followed their little master home.
After two flatbreads, Zhu Ping’an fed the Shamate black horse some more dry grass, reloaded the baggage, and continued on his way.
In the winter cold, the loose stones on the road were frozen hard. The Shamate black horse seemed fascinated by the crisp sounds its horseshoes made against them and deliberately stepped on the rougher patches, jolting Zhu Ping’an around on its back.
Several times, Zhu Ping’an had to pull on the reins to correct the horse’s behavior.
This was Zhu Ping’an’s first real solo journey, completely arranged by himself. Lacking experience, he didn’t know much about the road conditions ahead and, by evening, missed a mountain village. He rode for another seven or eight miles and saw no villages at all.
Before he knew it, the setting sun had already dipped below the western mountains, setting the mountain ridges ablaze with red, and the clouds above had turned color as well.
Looking around, the mountains were layered upon one another, and there was no sign of life. The only thing in sight was a mountain road stretching ahead, disappearing into the distance.
After traveling another seven or eight li, the exhausted Shamate black horse had slowed considerably, so Zhu Ping’an abandoned the idea of turning back to the village he had already passed.
Riding on the horse, Zhu Ping’an looked around. The mountains were dense and endless. Just when he was starting to feel disheartened, he spotted what appeared to be a small house at the foot of a mountain on the left side of the mountain path, about fifty meters away. He dismounted and led the Shamate Black Horse down the mountain road, following a barely visible path toward the small house.
Up close, it proved to be a simple hunters’ shelter built of wood and straw. It reminded Zhu Ping’an of the temporary shelter from his earlier Children’s Examination journey where Ruonan had captured him, though this one was in somewhat better condition.
“Excuse me, is anyone here?” Zhu Ping’an called out loudly, cupping his hands outside the door.
No one responded. Zhu Ping’an asked three more times loudly, but still received no answer. It seemed that the shelter hadn’t been inhabited for some time, and likely, the hunters didn’t come here often.
Zhu Ping’an led the Shamate black horse inside and tied it to a post. After unloading the baggage onto the straw bed, he found a sickle and went out several times to cut dry grass for the horse.
Zhu Ping’an led the Shamate Black Horse inside, tying it to a pillar. Then, he unloaded the items from the horse’s back and placed them on the straw bed in the shelter. He then searched the shelter for a sickle, took it outside, and used it to gather some dry grass from the surroundings. He brought the grass back to the shelter to use as fodder for the Shamate Black Horse, repeating this three times.
The shelter was relatively well-equipped with living necessities, including a hanging iron pot and some firewood, rice, oil, and salt. Zhu Ping’an made use of them temporarily, picking up some more firewood and dry grass from outside. He then took the iron pot to a small stream not far behind the house, broke the ice with stones, washed the pot with the stream water, and then filled the pot with cold stream water, carrying it back into the shelter.
He cooked rice, started a fire, and prepared food, making roasted cakes.
The fragrant millet porridge with Chen’s pickled cucumbers tasted wonderful after a day on the road. When he finished eating, Zhu Ping’an poured the remaining warm porridge-water into a basin for the Shamate black horse.
Afterward, Zhu Ping’an tidied up the bed, adding more straw, and then spread out the bedding he had brought on top of the straw. He closed the shelter’s door from the inside, securing the bolt.
After a whole day of traveling, though he had been riding, he was still very tired. Fortunately, his mother, Chen, had made a rabbit fur cushion for the saddle, preventing it from chafing his legs.
However, despite being tired, Zhu Ping’an didn’t immediately rest. As usual, he prepared to read for a while before going to sleep.
He started a fire in the shelter, adding both thick and thin firewood. The flames burned brightly, providing light and warmth.
Zhu Ping’an sat in front of the fire, holding a book, and read intently by the firelight. The fire crackled, and the warmth spread, making Zhu Ping’an hum contentedly. He adjusted to a more comfortable position and continued reading.
After adding firewood twice, Zhu Ping’an put the book away, preparing to rest. He moved the straw and firewood away from the fire to eliminate any safety hazards before getting into bed.
Lying on the bed, he faced the window, with a clear view of the outside.
The clouds covered the moon, and the path was deserted, leaving an indescribable sense of loneliness.