Zhang Heng initially thought that Lightning was a pony, and Wendy did say so. However, Zhang Heng ignored the time at that time. Wendy tamed Lightning when she was seven years old, and five years later, Lightning had successfully grown into a big horse. It had a tall body, shiny fur, and strong muscles all over its body. Its bright eyes were full of vitality and strength.
In contrast, Radish, who was standing next to it, looked like a gift from a prepaid phone bill.
"If you want an advance payment, you can go to my ranch to pick a horse first …"
"No need," Zhang Heng interrupted the girl, "I'm a nostalgic person. You're right. It's better for us to leave as soon as possible."
"Whatever you say." Wendy turned over and mounted the horse skillfully.
Zhang Heng also rode on Radish. At this time, the sky was just beginning to brighten, and most of the residents in the county were still asleep. No one noticed the two figures leaving.
…..
To Zhang Heng's surprise, Wendy had been very well-behaved along the way. She basically answered whatever Zhang Heng asked her, and the rest of the time, she obediently rode on the horse. However, after half a day, the two had only traveled half of the originally planned distance. Wendy could not help but speak up.
"Sir, you don't have to worry about me. Just speed up. I promise I won't fall behind."
"As you can see, my horse is very old. I don't think it can withstand such a violent long journey," Zhang Heng said.
Wendy wanted to say something but stopped.
"What do you want to say?"
"Your horse is very old, but it's not that old. It can secretly eat grass every two steps. I think it's still far from reaching its limit."
"Do you know horses very well?" Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows.
"Yes. To be precise, my father knows horses very well. Our family's ranch may not be the largest in Lincoln County, but my father is indeed the person who knows horses the best within a hundred miles. He taught me all the knowledge about horses."
Zhang Heng thought for a while and said, "How about we amend the contract we signed before?"
"What?" Wendy immediately became nervous.
She had no choice but to choose Zhang Heng. Her father had been missing for many days, and she could not afford to delay any longer. However, there were not many foreigners in Lincoln County, let alone Zhang Heng's marksmanship. The two had never met before, and she did not know Zhang Heng at all. Although she had been trying to appear calm, this was no longer a hotel. If Zhang Heng showed any malicious intent, there was not much she could do.
Wendy silently held the knife in her pocket with one hand.
Zhang Heng noticed her little movements, but he didn't pay much attention to it. "If you teach me about horses, I'll charge you ten dollars less. How about that?"
"Do you want to understand horses?" A strange expression appeared on Wendy's face, and she let go of the knife. "In what way?"
"All kinds of things, including how to pick a horse, raise it, ride it, how to calm a grumpy horse, and how to use the spurs." Zhang Heng pointed to the barbed gear on the back of his boots. He had seen this gadget in movies and Western movies before. He knew that it was used to stimulate the horse to run faster, and at the same time, it could better free the hands to fight. However, he had no memory of how to use it.
This was a more advanced skill, and he hadn't learned it that night with the bailiff.
"I'd be happy to share this knowledge with you, but most of it is very basic. You may feel impatient after listening to it," Wendy said carefully.
"No, I won't." As a newbie, Zhang Heng wouldn't mind being long-winded.
"Where do we start?" It was the first time Wendy had faced such a strange request.
"Why don't we start with the breed of horses?" Zhang Heng pointed to Lightning. "What breed is your horse?"
Wendy stroked its mane. "Lightning is an Indian pony. It was first brought to the American continent by Spanish colonists. It thrived here and eventually became what it is today. It's seven years old this year. According to human age, it's considered middle-aged. It's my best friend."
"What about it?" Zhang Heng then pointed to Radish.
Wendy carefully looked at Radish for a while. "I have to take back what I said earlier. Its breed is actually not bad. If I'm not mistaken, it should be a Hungarian hybrid. It's a stable breed of a variety of horses. This breed is generally very smart. After training, it can often complete tasks that other horses can't, and it has strong self-control."
"Really? Why don't I see that?" Zhang Heng looked at Radish, who walked a few steps with its head down and chewed on the grass.
"You have to learn to control it. And it's really getting old. I think it's almost twenty-five or twenty-six years old. It's considered old among humans."
"What about horsemanship?"
…..
After a while, Wendy confirmed that Zhang Heng was indeed a blank in a certain field. It seemed a little unbelievable to her. Although a considerable number of men on the East Coast did not know how to ride a horse, they traveled by carriage or train. In the west, especially in more remote places where trains were less developed, most men would learn how to ride a horse. Especially in the ranch where Wendy lived, there were many horsemanship experts around.
Although Zhang Heng had never said that he knew how to ride a horse, he came to Lincoln County alone on a horse. Coupled with his superb marksmanship and cowboy attire, people subconsciously thought that his horsemanship was also very good. No matter how bad he was, he shouldn't be this bad. She had only been out for half a day, and Wendy already felt like she had bought a fake.
But it was too late to say anything now.
Wendy could only comfort herself that at least she was a little safer. If Zhang Heng really had any bad thoughts about her, he wouldn't be able to catch up with her.
These thoughts only lingered in Wendy's mind, and she did not express them out loud. Along the way, Wendy remained patient, giving Zhang Heng all kinds of knowledge he wanted to know. Zhang Heng originally wanted to learn about the customs of the west, but he found that Wendy was also a blank in this area.
According to her, other than the family outing, this was the first time she had gone so far away from home. In the past, her range of activities was only in Lincoln County. To be more precise, it was only in her ranch and county.
Zhang Heng suddenly thought of a question and asked Wendy, "Does your mother know that you are looking for your father?"
"Yes, sir," Wendy said calmly. "I left her a note."
"That means you sneaked out."
"No, I left a note." Wendy was certain about the note.
"That's why we call this behavior sneaking out. You didn't tell your mother because you knew she wouldn't agree."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
