Horses usually live between 25 and 35 years. If they start training at age 2, they can be put to work by age 3, or even 2.5. Between ages 5 and 15, they are at their peak working capacity. If well-cared-for, they still hold significant working value after age 20.
Zheng Zhilan's horse was a Southwest Horse, possibly with lineage from other breeds. Among the horses Zhou Li had seen, it was considered tall.
She was 13 years old this year and, from a work perspective, an experienced old hand. A horse of this age typically had a gentle demeanor and a wealth of work experience, making it easy to handle even for someone who couldn't ride.
It had been rendered obsolete by three-wheeled motorcycles and the policy that brought roads right to their doorsteps.
Whispering beside Zhou Li, Zheng Zhilan explained, "The seller initially asked for nine thousand yuan, but the supermarket owner, afraid I'd be ripped off, helped me bargain it down to six thousand eight hundred. I named her Dairy Cow."
"The owner is a really nice man."
"He took pity on me," Zheng Zhilan said with a slight smile. "I've shopped at his store a few times."
"That's really cheap!"
Zhou Li patted the horse.
The black-and-white coloration is unusual, making her look like a dairy cow, he thought. The coloration alone must be quite valuable. Besides, having an old horse like this will indeed be a great convenience for Zheng Zhilan.
Continuing softly, Zheng Zhilan said, "She's very smart; she knows the way now, so I can ride her down the mountain to shop."
"She even has a bell."
"The seller gave it to me."
"I'd like to buy one too, but I don't own a mountaintop."
"You can ride her."
"Huai Xu, come down now," Zhou Li urged.
"I won't," Huai Xu shook his head. "I'll ride first. I'll take her for a spin, get the feel for it again, so I can teach you properly."
Zhou Li was speechless.
Huai Xu pulled the reins, shouted, "GIDDY-UP!" and the horse immediately trotted off, head held high, disappearing down the path into the village.
The sound of hooves and the ringing bell gradually faded into the distance.
Zheng Zhilan quietly watched Zhou Li, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Do you know how to make her gallop?" Zhou Li asked.
"No," Zheng Zhilan shook her head. "I just sit on her. A gentle pat makes her walk. If she encounters an unfamiliar fork in the road, she stops and waits for me to choose the direction. Now, she's learned to follow Big Yellow. At first, I even needed Qinghe to lead her."
Her animals really have spirit, Zhou Li thought, suddenly remembering the lost sheep and the defiant rooster.
"It's all thanks to Qinghe," said Zheng Zhilan.
"He knows how to do this too?"
"Yes."
"Where's Qinghe? I haven't seen him."
"He went fishing in the stream over there."
"Ohh..."
As they chatted, the sound of hooves drew near again.
Mountain springs flowed down, making the village paths slightly damp. This didn't affect people walking much, but when the horse's hooves landed and lifted, they would splash up a bit of wet mud. If Baozi were here, he might have captured this scene.
Huai Xu didn't rein her in; Dairy Cow slowed and stopped in front of the courtyard on its own.
Sitting atop the horse, Huai Xu said to Zhou Li, "This horse isn't great. She's too small and not as fast as the ones I used to ride."
Southwest Horses are inherently small and adept at climbing and carrying loads in mountainous terrain. Their strengths are stamina, resilience, and a gentle temperament, not speed. Huai Xu had clearly ridden superior warhorses before.
"Get down," Zhou Li called.
"I won't!"
"Weren't you just complaining about her?"
"So what!"
Zhou Li was at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Zheng Zhilan was covering her mouth and laughing softly again.
Then Zhou Li's phone rang; it was a call from Brother Nan. He answered and spoke briefly. He told Brother Nan to go to the mid-mountain area, pass the pavilion, and then take a bluestone path on the right leading up to Zhihong Guan. Then he hung up.
"Brother Nan is coming," Zhou Li told Zheng Zhilan and Huai Xu. "I'm going to meet her."
"Mm-hm."
"I'll go on horseback."
"You've found yourself a good excuse," Huai Xu said, still astride Dairy Cow.
"It's not an excuse," Zhou Li retorted.
"Then shall I go?" Huai Xu asked.
"No!" Zhou Li said firmly.
"See? See...?"
Huai Xu grumbled but didn't argue further. "Fine, you ride. I'll go find Brother Nan directly to make sure she doesn't get lost."
With a soft 'WHOOSH', he vanished before them.
Zhou Li finally smiled.
Zheng Zhilan helped him with the reins, and Dairy Cow stood patiently still. Zhou Li, not very skilled at mounting, climbed on. As Zheng Zhilan had said, he lightly patted the horse's back, and she started walking forward.
Zhou Li was a bit nervous. He turned to wave goodbye to Zheng Zhilan but saw her call over Big Yellow. She pointed towards the Zhihong Guan Daoist temple, and Big Yellow got up, walked ahead of Dairy Cow, and then looked back at them.
Zhou Li waved to Zheng Zhilan.
Zheng Zhilan simply smiled at him, not saying a word.
The horse had already started walking forward.
JINGLE JINGLE.
Big Yellow led the way, with the docile Dairy Cow ambling slowly behind. The clear jingle of the bell echoed through the valley.
「An hour later.」
Zhou Li sat proudly on horseback, waving to Brother Nan.
Brother Nan's eyes immediately widened. "Why is this horse that color? Is she a crossbreed with a dairy cow?"
"Her name is Dairy Cow."
Brother Nan nodded, let out a long "Ohhh," and hurriedly beckoned to him. "Quick, get down! Let me have a ride!"
Zhou Li had to dismount so Brother Nan could ride.
"Where did this dog come from?"
"They belong to Little Zheng. She has a lot of them—a whole Dog Gang. Big Yellow is the leader," Zhou Li said, taking the reins. "Usually, when Little Zheng goes out, Big Yellow leads the way, and Dairy Cow follows him."
"Really?"
"Yes."
I feel like it wants to bite me, Brother Nan thought.
"Yes, you're just that unlikable," Zhou Li teased.
"Hmph!"
Ultimately, Big Yellow didn't stoop to bickering with Brother Nan. Seeing Zhou Li head back, it did too, with Dairy Cow still following.
Brother Nan sat on horseback, grinning foolishly. She and Zhou Li had ridden horses before at Lijiang's Lashi Lake, but this felt different. No one was leading the horse for them now. Brother Nan even shouted, trying to get Dairy Cow to trot, but the horse ignored her, and so did Big Yellow. She felt needlessly nervous.
"Can she carry two people?" Brother Nan suddenly asked.
"I don't think so," Zhou Li said. "Let's not tire her out."
"Right."
"Didn't your relatives keep you?"
"They went to climb Mingjiu Mountain; they're probably at the summit by now," Brother Nan said. "I was actually thinking of working part-time at the teahouse. In previous years, I'd join my third uncle and a few other local business owners for a game to earn a bit of pocket money. But not this year; an official notice came down. I heard the teahouse was still secretly operating yesterday, but they're all closed today."
"How much could you win?"
"An afternoon's session... well, it depends. I don't like to win too much; just enough is fine," Brother Nan said with a sigh. "I guess playing at my grandpa's village is out too."
"Gambling is bad."
"You're right... GIDDY-UP! GIDDY-UP!"
Nevertheless, neither Dairy Cow nor Big Yellow paid her any mind.
Brother Nan was restless by nature. She couldn't stay idle even on horseback, constantly picking flowers and plucking leaves along the way. When they passed through the Pine Forest, she couldn't resist reaching out to grab pinecones. After passing through the Pine Forest, the small mountain village came into view.
The peaks were steep and towering. Beside them, the valleys held clouds and mist hundreds of feet deep. A narrow path snaked dangerously along the mountainside. The stark scars left by a mudslide and the half-destroyed mountain village... all of this was faintly visible in the winter mist, like an oil painting.
Just as Zhou Li had been stunned by the sight when he first saw it, Brother Nan was also deeply shaken. She quickly took out her phone and started snapping photos furiously.
"Wow! This is amazing!"
Entering the small mountain village, she shouted loudly, "Little Zheng! Zheng Zhilan! I'm here~~ Huh? No echo?"
An idea struck Brother Nan. "Is there an echo?" she then called out, testing.
"Echo?"
"Co?"
"O?"
Zhou Li walked ahead of her, expressionless.
The first to greet Brother Nan was a pack of mixed-breed dogs.
Perhaps Brother Nan just had the kind of constitution that attracted dog bites. When the dogs appeared, Zhou Li clearly saw bewilderment on their faces. If Brother Nan weren't on Dairy Cow's back, with me, and personally escorted by Big Yellow, they'd probably be charging and barking by now, he thought.
"So many!" Brother Nan exclaimed, feeling a little intimidated; she was clearly outnumbered.
Zheng Zhilan's house was a little deeper into the small mountain village. The path there wound through abandoned houses mostly overgrown with weeds and crawling with vines, which might give an ordinary person the creeps, like something out of a horror film. Only when they reached the front of Zheng Zhilan's small courtyard did a sense of life suddenly emerge.
Zheng Zhilan was still standing by the edge of her yard, peering out to welcome them. Seeing Brother Nan, she waved, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
"I brought you some fried tofu balls my grandma made. They're delicious!" Brother Nan said, waving.
"Thank you."
"Riding is so fun! How much did you pay for her?"
"Six thousand eight hundred yuan."
"That's pretty good."
Brother Nan dismounted and took a takeout container from her satchel, handing it to Zheng Zhilan.
While Zheng Zhilan took it inside, Brother Nan looked around the yard, peered at the flowers Zheng Zhilan was growing, and then bent down to inform the members of the Dog Gang that she was a friend of their master. All in all, she was much more at ease than Zhou Li had been on his first visit.