slowly

An hour and a half later, they arrived at the racecourse.

The car roared past the pillar engraved with the words "Tianzhuo Equestrian Club", bringing a gust of moist wind.

Ning Zhi lowered the car window, smelled the smell of grass and soil, and looked around curiously.

This place was bought by Jiang Qiping from a bankrupt businessman when he was inspecting Ying County. At first, raising horses was just a whim and hobby, and he had to bring a few friends here to relax in his free time.A few years ago, under the suggestion of Jiang Chan, the club was established, began to participate in horse racing activities, and opened the venue to the public.

At present, the club covers an area of ​​more than 500 mu, integrating a training ground, a track, a ranch, a stable, and a staff dormitory. In addition to training its own racing horses, it also offers equestrian courses and provides leisure riding services.

After Jiang Chan parked the car, the receptionist had already arrived. She was a tall and slender girl in a casual suit, who bowed and smiled at them: "The young master is here."

Listening to her tone, Ning Zhi seemed to be very familiar with Jiang Chan, and the word "Young Master" was pronounced affectionately and teasingly.When I got closer, I realized that she was not as young as she looked, maybe 34 or [-] years old, but she had a capable demeanor.

"Sister Xiang Han, I'm sorry to trouble you." Jiang Chan put his arm around Ning Zhi's shoulder, "I'll bring a friend to play."

Ning Zhi bowed slightly: "Hi sister, my name is Ning Zhi."

Xiang Han smiled from ear to ear, winked at Jiang Chan, and mouthed, "He's so cute."

Jiang Chan made a helpless expression and said, "We're going to spend the night here tonight."

He gestured OK to Hanbi: "I'll make arrangements right away." Then asked: "Do you need me to show Mr. Ning around?"

Jiang Chan said, "No, I'll take him with me."

As soon as Xiang Han left, Ning Zhi asked excitedly, "Can I go horseback riding now?"

Jiang Chan looked at Ning Zhi uneasy: "Have you ridden before?"

Ning Zhi shook his head.

Jiang Chan thought for a while: "Let's take you to the stables first."

The road to the racecourse was cleaned exceptionally clean, and the air was filled with a faint smell of green grass. Along the way, Ning Zhi looked around, and everything he saw felt fresh.When passing the training ground surrounded by fences, he said softly: "There are so many children."

Jiang Chan nodded: "Today is Saturday, I'm here for equestrian lessons."

The children wore helmets and rider costumes, and sat on tall horses, their flower-like faces were full of seriousness.

Ning Zhi stopped, stared at the training ground with vigour, and asked Jiang Chan, "You said last time that you raised a horse when you were young?"

"Ah."

"It's still..." Ning Zhi didn't know how long the lifespan of the horse was, and his tone was hesitant.

"Alive."

"Oh, then I can..."

"I'm going to take you to see it."

"Jiang Chan!" Ning Zhi was annoyed, "Why do you always answer my words!"

Jiang Chan smiled, grabbed Ning Zhi's wrist, and dragged him away from the fence.

"Master!" A horseman ran towards them, still holding a bucket in his hand, and staggered.

"Uncle Yu," Jiang Chan went up to take the bucket in his hand, but when the other party refused to let him, he got a little angry: "I told you earlier that your legs are not good, so you don't need to do such heavy work."

"Hey, let's forget about ordinary horses. I don't worry about others because those racehorses are precious." Yu Fu smiled, with wrinkles appearing on his dark face, and asked Jiang Chan, "Are you here to see the toffee?"

Jiang Chan really didn't want to admit it, he already felt that Ning Zhi's gaze had become piercing, but the elder was waiting for his answer, so he could only bite the bullet and say "hmm".

"Okay, we're still in Room 3, let's go." Yu Fu looked at Ning Zhi again, and greeted him familiarly, "Is this the young master's friend? It's fun, it's fun, ah."

After speaking, he patted Jiang Chan's arm, and walked away with the bucket in hand.

Ning Zhi puffed his cheeks, like a chubby goldfish, he tried his best to control the muscles of his face, not to let himself smile too obviously: "Toffee? You named the horse Toffee?"

The strange look of yin and yang is the same as when he found Jiang Chan's tiger teeth.

Jiang Chan explained calmly: "I was only five years old at that time, so I was not sensible."

How could Ning Zhi miss such a good opportunity, chased after him, and said with a smile: "I can imagine what you looked like when you were young."

Jiang Chan raised his eyebrows: "Really?"

Ning Zhi glanced at the training ground pointingly, as if he concluded that Jiang Chan also dressed like that when he was a child: "That's the kind... who dresses up in a very foreign style, usually likes to have a bad face, but secretly names the pony A tsundere kid named Toffee."

Nonsense.Jiang Chan really wanted to knock open Ning Zhi's head to see what was inside besides art history and cold knowledge.

"That's better than you," he said deliberately. "You're a poor little kid who hasn't even been to a playground."

Ning Zhi froze instantly, like a snake being pinched seven inches, and complained resentfully: "Jiang Chan, you are so annoying."

At the entrance of the stables, several horsemen with water pipes were washing the rubber shoes. As soon as Jiang Chan appeared, he was surrounded by a crowd, asking for his health.

Ning Zhi fell outside the encirclement, thinking that Jiang Chan's popularity is quite high. Although he lost his mother at birth, he has received a lot of love from other places.

"Let's go." After changing his shoes, Jiang Chan picked up the toolbox and took the key to the stable.

The door opened and the room lit up.Ning Zhi tugged at the seam of his trousers nervously, poking his head behind Jiang Chan.

He saw it.It was a beautiful white horse, with hair as frosty as snow, without any impurities, kneeling in front of the trough and grazing.Its neck is stretched long and its chewing posture is slow and deliberate.

"Toffee." Jiang Chan called softly.

The white horse raised its head and neighed excitedly.It slipped on its front hooves, wobbled a bit before standing still, and ran towards Jiang Chan impatiently.

Jiang Chan hugged it, rubbed against the horse's face, and stroked its mane affectionately.

"Go ahead and eat," Jiang Chan said, "I'll brush your hair."

Toffee snuggled into Jiang Chan's arms, and lay down after coquettishly for a while, her big moist eyes always watching her master's actions.

Jiang Chan took out the comb from the toolbox, turned to look at Ning Zhi: "Why are you standing so far away, afraid?"

"No." Ning Zhi walked forward slowly, he was embarrassed to say, just now, he was inexplicably moved.

Toffee barked twice, not rejecting Ning Zhi's approach, and swept her tail lazily on the ground.

Ning Zhi squatted down next to Jiang Chan, tentatively stroking its cheek, Toffee raised her head to meet his movements, showing the calmness and elegance of an old horse.

Ning Zhi asked: "How old is it?"

"21."

"Can you still ride?"

"I can't," Jiang Chan sighed slightly, "I'm getting old."

He took out a sawtooth brush to tickle Toffee, and handed Ning Zhi an aluminum comb to help comb the horse's mane.

"Is that so?" Ning Zhi didn't dare to use force, for fear of tearing the toffee, every time he combed it, he glanced nervously at Jiang Chan.

Jiang Chan smiled: "Don't be so careful." He pressed the back of Ning Zhi's hand and led him to brush it a few times to feel the correct force.

Half an hour later, the sun rose higher and higher, and the bright sunlight shone through the glass skylight, casting rectangular spots of light on the corridor.It was very hot, and Ning weaved a little sweat, and the shoulder blades were wet.

"Are you leaving?" He felt sour in his heart.

Jiang Chan locked the door and bid farewell to Toffee, who reluctantly walked to the window and wailed.

"I'll come to see you at night," Jiang Chan held the horse's head in his arms, stroked *tang's hair, and rubbed his chin against its face, comforting him for a while.

After walking ten meters, Ning Zhi turned around and found that Toffee was still looking at them, and couldn't help saying, "You two have such a good relationship."

"Growing up together," Jiang Chan paused, as if casually said, "It also likes you very much."

"is it?"

"Well, it was not allowed to be touched by strangers before."

Ning Zhi felt that Jiang Chan was probably lying, but he was still happy about the lie, and strode forward full of energy.

"This is our racehorse." Jiang Chan pointed to Ning Zhi. "This horse is called Quinton, a British thoroughbred. It is a big star in the club. It won the championship in a black body competition last year."

"This is a Hanoverian horse, and the jumping is very good."

"This horse is called Beck, the No.1 horse in the Wuhan speed race last year."

They walked along the stables. Jiang Chan interacted with the horses while explaining. Those beautiful and elegant creatures all came to the window and rubbed against Jiang Chan's palms excitedly.

Ning Zhi was full of envy, and asked in a low voice: "These horses are very expensive." He had done his homework before coming, and he knew that some breeds of horses cost at least hundreds of thousands, and some even cost tens of millions.

Jiang Chan smiled and asked him back, "Which one do you like?"

Quinton, of course.Quinton has slender limbs, shiny hair, and a cluster of white hairs in the middle of the horse's face, standing out from the crowd of racehorses.And Ning Zhi heard that British thoroughbred horses are the fastest in short-distance races.

Jiang Chan could see what he was thinking at a glance: "Quinton can't do it, you haven't been trained, you can't control it."

Then you still ask, Ning Zhi complains.

"Master," Xiang Han came over and handed over the room card, "Your room has been arranged."

"Thank you." Jiang Chan took it and put it in his pocket.

Ning Zhi felt like being scratched by a cat, endured it for a few seconds, and said hesitantly, "Is it a room?"

Xiang Han raised his eyebrows, with a suddenly enlightened expression: "Oh, do you want two rooms?"

She lowered her head, took out another room card from her satchel, and handed it to Ning Zhi with a smile, saying she was sorry.

No matter what you pretend, it's clearly intentional!Ning Zhi blushed, tightly clutching the room card in his hand.

"Sister Xiang Han, ask someone to take Bella to the pasture," Jiang Chan said, then pulled Ningzhi's sleeve, "I'll take you to change clothes."

"You don't need to be so formal..."

In the dressing room, Ning Zhi was holding a full set of knight clothes, with shiny black riding boots under his feet, looking at the mirror awkwardly.

Jiang Chan saw him not moving for a long time, and asked, "Can't wear it?"

"Is there anything you don't know, isn't it just ordinary clothes." Ning Zhi weighed it with a little disgust: "I don't know how many people have worn it."

Jiang Chan said, "This is my clothes."

"Really?"

"Well, my high school clothes." Jiang Chan patted Ning Zhi on the shoulder, turned around and entered the next room, his gloating laughter could be heard through the door.

Ning Zhi held his breath in his throat, and said angrily, "It's amazing how tall you are."

Armor, breeches, jacket, boots, Ningzhi wore it for the first time, and it took some effort to get it right.

Jiang Chan was waiting for him on the sofa outside. Ning Zhi opened the door and went out. First he saw the pointed toes of the black boots, the smooth-lined calves, then the tight-fitting breeches, the firm belly, and the broad chest.

A strong aura emanated from Jiang Chan's body, surging, rough, and sexy. Ning Zhi thought that if Jiang Chan made some rude requests at this time, he probably wouldn't be able to refuse them.

They walked towards the meadow, white clouds were slowly wandering in the blue sky, the field was like a soft blanket, every slender grass trembled in the breeze.

Uncle Yu led a tall brown-red horse over. Ning Zhi thought it was his mount, and secretly geared up and swallowed nervously.

"Nelson is mine," Jiang Chan took the reins, breaking Ning Zhi's beautiful fantasy, "Which one do you ride?"

"Which one?" Ning Zhi followed Jiang Chan's eyes blankly and looked behind him, first in disbelief, then furious: "Jiang Chan, you're playing tricks on me!"

Jiang Chan introduced: "This is Bella, a Shetland pony with a Latin scientific name of pony, very docile..."

It is docile enough, this horse is only over one meter tall, with lush hair, and is so small that Ning Zhi can hold it in his arms - this horse is not for adults to ride at all!

How embarrassing would it be if he pinned the pony down?

"I don't ride anymore."

Ning Zhi threw the helmet into Jiang Chan's arms, and within two steps, he was caught by the collar.

"It's really hard to serve." Jiang Chan complained in his ear, his voice was low and nasal with a bit of intimacy.He pushed Ning Zhi's back and let him stand beside the brown-red horse: "Go up, I'll help you."

Ning Zhi stepped on the stirrup, and with Jiang Chan's help, stepped onto the horse's back.Without a rein, he could only hold the saddle tremblingly, then slowly straighten his back and look into the distance.

The breeze is blowing, the fields are green, and the hillside slowly extends in the field of vision. In the far distance, there is a dense forest.

In the silence, Ning Zhi heard the rustling of the wind blowing through the grass, and the faint muffled sound of Jiang Chan's riding boots stepping on the ground.

"Hey," he lowered his head, his eyes fell on Jiang Chan's shoulder, and urged, "Can you go faster?"

Jiang Chan looked at him, saying that he was making progress, but he continued to speed up without complaint.There was some bumps on the horse's back, Ning Zhi swayed from side to side, with the corners of his mouth happily curled up.After making a big circle on the pasture, he took the initiative to call a stop, jumped down with Jiang Chan's shoulders on his shoulders, and gave the horse to the other party.

The staff arrived and put a water rein on Nelson.Ning Zhi sat down next to him, watching Jiang Chan step on the saddle neatly, pull the reins, and, amidst the neighing of the horse, gallop away in a heroic manner.

Jiang Chan soon turned into a small black spot, but Ning Zhi still watched with gusto, and his hands were not idle. He grabbed a handful of grass and weaved some limp grasshoppers.

The sound of the hooves of "嘎嘎" was sometimes far away and sometimes near, Jiang Chan galloped the horse, and every time it passed by, a gust of wind was set off, warm and wild, stirring up smoke and dust.He sat on the horseback, looked down at Ning Zhi condescendingly, smiled, and said nothing.

Ning Zhi pretended to fan the wind with his hands, and smashed the grasshopper into the river confession, no matter whether he hit or missed, he laughed hard.

He hadn't been this happy in a long time.