Chapter 447 - 428: The Horses Are Here

Once the work in their own fields was done, they still had to go to their grandmother’s or great-aunt’s house.

But the children had school, so they didn’t go. Her father and uncle took their wives to help out at their maternal homes.

Yun Jiao got the design plans from Grandpa Mu. There were two designs in different styles.

She preferred the more traditional Chinese-style design.

However, the amount of wood had to be reduced. The island was too humid, so wood wouldn’t last very long. The construction would primarily use gray bricks instead.

It had a traditional Chinese design, but comfort was the top priority.

The resulting design was somewhat similar to the "neo-Chinese" style of future generations.

Of course, neither of them knew that term yet.

Mr. Mu looked at the blueprints. "This one is great. I’ll add a few extra mechanisms to your treasure vault, and we’ll need to animal-proof the area around the house."

Yun Jiao nodded.

With the blueprints finalized, the next step was to build the house on the island.

Mr. Mu pointed at Yun Chenbei. "You, young man, come with me. I know a few reliable master builders, but we’ll need a large boat to transport the materials, which will be a hassle."

Yun Chenbei said, "We can rent a larger boat to help with the transport."

"Deal."

Once everything was settled, the first task was to set up a protective fence on the island.

After all, there were wild animals on the island. Yun Jiao wasn’t afraid, but everyone else was.

While Mr. Mu and Yun Chenbei were busy contacting the construction crew and buying building materials, the truck transporting the horses arrived.

"Such a big truck! Who’s it delivering something to?"

"It’s horses! There are horses inside the truck, and they’re alive!"

Everyone was stunned to see what was in the truck, especially the children.

Most people around here had never seen a horse. They’d only heard about them or read about them in textbooks; there simply weren’t any in the area.

Seeing live horses for the first time, everyone crowded around to gawk at the rare sight.

"Is that truck going to Yun Jiao’s place?"

Once they confirmed it was for Yun Jiao’s family, they weren’t surprised anymore.

Yun Xiaowu and the other kids ran out of their houses too.

They whooped with excitement at the sight of the two large horses.

Surrounded by so many people after being cooped up in the truck for days, the already irritable black horse grew even more bad-tempered.

Yun Linhai quickly shouted, "Back up! Everyone, stand back! This horse has a nasty temper."

He finally managed to yell at the onlookers enough to make them back off a little.

Granny Yun and the others enthusiastically tried to pull the young truck driver aside to stay for a meal.

The young man declined, so they stuffed his hands with food for the road.

"Yun Jiao, do you know how to ride a horse?"

"Yun Jiao, are there a lot of horses where your big brother lives?"

"How much do horses like these cost?"

While Yun Linhai and the others led the horses to the backyard, the villagers swarmed Yun Jiao, peppering her with questions from every direction.

The young men wanted another look at the horses. They couldn’t help it; the animals were just too magnificent.

After finally managing to send everyone away, Yun Linhai’s throat was parched from all the talking.

Yun Xiaowu yelled, "Jiaojiao, come quick! The black horse is trying to run away!"

Yun Jiao went to the backyard. The horses were so tall that their presence made the once-spacious yard feel cramped.

Yun Jiao grabbed the black horse’s reins. It stomped its hooves restlessly, but she held it firmly in check.

"It must be uncomfortable from being in the truck so long," Yun Jiao said.

Horses love to run free. After being stuck in the truck for so long, it would have bolted long ago if it had the chance.

With a single leap, Yun Jiao vaulted onto the horse’s back.

Without a saddle, she held only the reins, her short legs clamped firmly against the horse’s back.

"Dad, let’s go to Grandma’s house and let them stretch their legs."

Yun Linhai’s eyes lit up at her words. "Deal! Honey, you can ride with me."

He had fully mastered horse riding in Xinjiang and could even carry a passenger.

Just a bit slowly, of course.

The reddish-brown mare had a much gentler temperament, making her a perfect match for him.

The black horse, in contrast, was incredibly wild. The moment Yun Jiao mounted it, it began bucking nonstop, trying to throw her off.

But Yun Jiao remained perfectly steady. ’What a joke. I’ve ridden a killer whale without being thrown off.’

"Let’s go."

Yun Linhe watched, filled with envy.

"When my brother gets back, I’ll have him teach me to ride. Then I’ll be the one taking you out," he said to Wang Mei.

And truth be told, Wang Mei was quite looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, the brats in the family were also clamoring to ride the horses.

Yun Linhe rapped them on the head.

"Ride a horse? Go ride your bicycles."

As Yun Jiao and her family rode out of the village, they cut a truly dashing and heroic figure.

The villagers: We’ve run out of words to express our envy.

Many of the young people and children could only watch with longing gazes.

"Dad, can our family buy a horse, too?"

"Buy it with what? We couldn’t afford one even if you sold me."

Since they couldn’t afford one, all they could do was watch with envy.

Of course, there were also those who watched Yun Jiao’s departing family with malice in their eyes.

"Pah. Enjoy it while you can."

Cai Jinhua’s gaze was venomous. She was much thinner now, a stark contrast to her once-plump figure.

But the weight loss didn’t suit her. It only made her look harsher, and with her already malicious nature, her face truly reflected her heart. She looked even less like a good person than before.

She turned and left the village.

Yun Jiao and her family rode on. The black horse ran faster and faster, showing no sign of slowing down even on the steepest slopes.

Of course, whenever they approached populated areas, Yun Jiao would rein in the black horse to slow it down.

When the horse got stubborn, she gave it a firm smack.

After a few of those, the black horse finally understood that Yun Jiao was not to be trifled with and became much more obedient.

By the time they neared Shen Family Village, the black horse was almost completely tamed by Yun Jiao.

However, Yun Linhai and the others were much slower.

Yun Jiao waited for a while not far from Shen Family Village, but when the others didn’t show up, she decided to just ride the black horse ahead to her grandmother’s house.

"Is that a horse?"

"It really is! Where did a horse come from? We have horses around here now?"

"Is that a person riding it?"

The people working in the fields heard the sound of galloping hooves and all looked up.

They were all stunned by the sight.

"It looks like a child."

"Well, I’ll be. Isn’t that Shen Daniu’s granddaughter?"

"It really is her."

But once they realized it was Yun Jiao, they weren’t quite as surprised anymore.

"Grandpa! Grandma! Uncle!"

The Shen family was busy in the persimmon grove.

The family now considered the persimmon grove incredibly important. Uncle Shen had even bought several books on cultivating persimmons.

Yun Jiao had stopped by her grandmother’s house first. Finding it empty, she figured they were in the persimmon grove and rode right over.

Uncle Shen, who was pruning branches, was the first to see Yun Jiao arrive on horseback.

He was completely stunned.

’How long has it been? Jiaojiao’s already upgraded her ride again?’

’His sister’s family really knew how to deliver a new surprise every so often.’

"Jiaojiao!"

Shen Nian stopped pruning and hurried to greet her.

"Where did you get a horse?"

Yun Jiao swung herself off the horse and let it graze on its own. There was plenty of grass in the grove.

"We bought them from Xinjiang. There’s another one, too. My dad is on his way with my mom."

Shen Nian’s eyes shone as he stared at the black horse.

It was the same look he’d had when he first saw their family’s motorcycle.