Chinese people have four invincible reasons. 'It's the New Year,' 'Everyone's having a hard time,' 'The child is still young,' and one more—'You're here anyway.'
Generally, once these four reasons are used, most Chinese people find it hard to refuse, and Jian Ran was no exception. Since the words were already out, she couldn't find an excuse to argue back, so the trip was settled.
But the very next day, she regretted it—to be precise, that very night. Regretful beyond belief.
At heart, Jian Ran was a pretty lazy person. She was usually okay, but whenever her mood was bad, she really didn't feel like moving. Plus, it was summer and so hot. The more she thought about it, the more she felt life wasn't worth living.
"Let me make it clear first: I don't like queuing, I don't like military-style sightseeing, I don't like crowds, I don't like heat, I don't like..." Jian Ran sat on the sofa in the front lobby, arms crossed, rattling off a dozen 'don't likes' in one breath, as if trying to fully display the 'sharpness' that matched her cold face. The goal was obvious—to make the other party back off.
However, to her disappointment, Chu Lulin pulled out a small notebook from somewhere and carefully jotted down every single item. There was no sign of backing off; it was clearly eager to take on challenges.
He looked up and gave her an innocent smile. "I've noted it all down. Don't worry, Big Sister, I won't forget."
Jian Ran: "..."
She felt a sense of powerlessness, like punching cotton.
The front desk girl witnessed the whole scene and instantly looked at Chu Lulin with sympathy. Boohoo—Xiao Chu was too pitiful. Staying by Miss Jian's side was no different from a little white rabbit staying beside a big bad wolf.
Jian Ran turned her head and accidentally locked eyes with the front desk girl. One second, two seconds, three seconds... Then, expressionless, she looked away. Fine, her image as a villainess was even more deeply ingrained now.
Quanyun Mountain Villa was located halfway up the mountain, making travel relatively inconvenient. So the villa provided shuttle service; you just had to book half an hour in advance.
Jian Ran and Chu Lulin didn't wait long in the lobby before the car arrived. The villa had many cars and naturally more than one driver. Coincidentally, the driver today was the same Xiao Li who had picked her up at the airport that day.
"Miss Jian, going out to have fun?" Xiao Li greeted her warmly.
Jian Ran gave a faint smile and nodded.
"Going to the ancient town?" Xiao Li asked. "There are lots of attractions there; guests usually like that place."
That question actually stumped Jian Ran. She turned to Chu Lulin. Earlier, she had been too busy struggling and hadn't even known where they were going.
"We're not going to the ancient town," Chu Lulin said. "Please drive to near Shuxin Farm."
Jian Ran had some impression of Shuxin Farm. She had seen it in the stack of travel plans at the hotel. What left a deep memory was the promotional picture: vast rice fields stretching to the mountains, bamboo sea covering the earth—looked pretty good.
But why did Chu Lulin say 'near'? Why not just drive to the farm? Xiao Li was also a bit puzzled, but he didn't overthink it, thinking it was just Chu Lulin's habit. But when he directly drove toward Shuxin Farm, he was stopped.
"Don't turn right at this intersection. Keep going straight and stop at the entrance of the horse ranch ahead."
Xiao Li quickly turned the steering wheel back, instinctively following Chu Lulin's directions before coming to his senses. "There's no horse ranch ahead. You must have remembered wrong."
He had worked at the villa for years and often drove around the farm area, but he had never heard of a horse ranch.
But as soon as he finished speaking, he saw a horse ranch sign up ahead.
"Hey, there really is a horse ranch! When did this open?" Xiao Li parked the car by the roadside and got out too, looking at the entrance with interest.
"It just opened not long ago," Chu Lulin pointed to a wooden sign at the entrance. "It's still in trial operation."
Jian Ran raised an eyebrow.
So it was a horse ranch. No wonder Chu Lulin had sent her a message in the morning telling her not to wear a skirt.
Since it was still in trial operation, there wouldn't be many visitors, which suited her requirement of 'not liking crowds.'
But even Xiao Li, a driver who frequently traveled these roads, didn't know about this place. How did Chu Lulin find it?
"I heard from a colleague in marketing. They've been considering developing this route recently," Chu Lulin explained.
That made sense.
Jian Ran glanced at Chu Lulin, gaining a new appreciation for his attentiveness. It was obvious: as a villa butler, if he hadn't deliberately paid attention, how could he know so much about the marketing department's affairs?
Chu Lulin had called ahead to make a reservation. The owner of the horse ranch greeted them personally.
The owner was a man in his forties, with a bushy beard, tall and sturdy. He briefly introduced the horse ranch, handed them helmets, gloves, and boots to change into, and then took them to the stables to choose horses.
This ranch mainly catered to tourist experiences, so the horses were all quite gentle. After a stroll, Jian Ran picked a horse that caught her eye.
"Do you want to just sit on the horse and walk a few laps for the experience, or do you want to learn to ride?" the owner asked. "If you want to learn, we have professional equestrian coaches."
"No need. I know how to ride." Jian Ran stepped into the stirrups, swung her leg over, and mounted the horse in one fluid motion. The entire movement was smooth and without any hesitation.
The owner's eyes widened, and he gave Jian Ran a thumbs-up. "Miss, that's impressive!"
Her skillful mounting posture showed she was an old hand.
Jian Ran smiled, holding the reins, and walked the horse in a few circles on the spot.
"And you, young man? Can you ride?" the owner turned to Chu Lulin.
Chu Lulin nodded, then effortlessly leaped onto the horse.
The owner couldn't help but let out a 'whoa,' grinning. "Didn't expect two experts today! Looks like I won't have much to do today."
Jian Ran was also a bit surprised and gave him an appreciative look.
Chu Lulin raised an eyebrow, pointing to the riding area nearby. "Big Sister, how about a few laps?"
Huh! A challenge.
Jian Ran shrugged. A few laps it was—as if she was afraid of him.
The owner got excited too. "Come on, let's have a race. I'll be the referee."
Both were eager. They rode to the adjacent riding area, holding the reins, ready to go. At the owner's command, they shot off like arrows from a bow.