Li Taiping was a gossipy person who fawned over Wu Xinyue, but when it came to anything regarding the young master, he did not blurt it out recklessly like a hotheaded youth.
In fact, he did not actually know, since the young master did not say.
"It should be someone from his class," Li Taiping randomly guessed, then changed the topic to skirt around it.
This left Wu Xinyue feeling itchy inside, though she was not self-important enough to think it was her. After all, she had barely exchanged a few sentences with Li Weijin, not even adding each other's WeChat contacts. When they first chatted, Su Li had outright rejected her.
Wu Xinyue greatly disliked Su Li, but knew she was part of that circle and very popular, so she could only swallow her anger and pretend to be innocent and oblivious.
However, Wu Xinyue was a girl and could tell with one glance that Su Li liked Li Weijin.
The one Li Weijin liked definitely wasn't Su Li. If it was, Li Taiping would not be so equivocal about it.
Wu Xinyue suddenly felt a tinge of schadenfreude.
Someone from his class?
As Wu Xinyue thought of one person, her expression darkened again.
On Xiao Qi's side, making kimchi and pickles had unknowingly taken up the entire morning. In between, she had learned some Korean with Jin Zaiyan, while Grace had joined in the fun too. However, she felt Chinese and Korean were truly too difficult.
Jin Zaiyan felt Xiao Qi had a great sense for languages and taught her patiently. Encountering a good student gave her a wonderful feeling. With three people communicating in three languages, it was a real mix and match.
Grace liked taking photos. She took pictures of the three of them together as well as videos of them making kimchi, their hands all red from it. The sunshine was great and everyone wore smiles, making them look very nice.
At lunch, Xiao Qi cooked bibimbap in a stone pot, kimchi soup provided by Jin Zaiyan, and pickled napa cabbage with the remaining cabbage. Seeing some beef tenderloin in the fridge, Xiao Qi also stir-fried spicy beef.
Jin Zaiyan and Grace ate with great delight.
Grace was not accustomed to eating rice, but felt the stone pot bibimbap was very good. She thought it was similar to Italian pasta, mixed with sauce and a raw egg cracked over it, which was quite amazing.
If it was plain white rice without any flavor, she would not understand how it could be eaten.
Jin Zaiyan happily ate food that suited her taste.
In fact, she had tried making the same dishes herself before, but somehow they always turned out too salty or too bland. Even store-bought powder to make kimchi soup gave her problems when she added hot water.
Not to mention pickling napa cabbage or stir-frying beef.
She had only bought the beef tenderloin on a whim after seeing inexpensive beef at the market, which would have cost at least five times more in Korea. But she did not know how to cook it herself.
After her own failed attempt at cooking left the meat inedibly tough, she had wondered if it was a problem with the beef.
Yet today, the beef Xiao Qi cooked was tender and smooth, easy to bite into, and full of juice...
Grace posted Xiao Qi's lunch and their meal to the group chat. The foreigners in the chat called out in regret for missing the chance to join in the fun. Even Camille and the others lamented at missing Xiao Qi's home cooking.
After lunch, Jin Zaiyan voluntarily cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks.
Grace went back to rest after the meal.
Jin Zaiyan worked efficiently and soon finished tidying up. She even brewed tea and sat down on the chair in the yard.
At noon, the sunshine was a little strong, but it did not feel scorching, perhaps due to it being autumn. The breeze blowing by felt very comfortable.
Xiao Qi took a sip of tea. It had a slight bitterness and a very fragrant aroma, with a little sweetness in the aftertaste.
It was different from the strong, bitter tea that her father at home liked to brew in large porcelain urns. Her father preferred very concentrated tea that was especially bitter.
"Xiao Qi, do you want to rest for a bit this afternoon? What's your schedule?" Jin Zaiyan had originally assumed they would spend the entire day making kimchi and was surprised it was done within the morning.
"I have a part-time job at the equestrian center this afternoon. I can rest briefly first."
The two drank tea and chatted for a while. Jin Zaiyan asked Xiao Qi questions in Korean and English, to aid her learning and comprehension.
"It feels great here. I'm even thinking of buying a small apartment unit," said Xiao Qi.
Jin Zaiyan had not expected Xiao Qi, still a student, to have plans for property investment. Since she was also very interested in this, she eagerly said, "I asked about this before. They encourage teachers to buy homes here. If you want to buy, I'll help ask again properly next time."
After eating their fill, both felt somewhat sleepy. Xiao Qi went to take a nap in Jin Zaiyan's bedroom. Her bedding was also small floral prints. Moreover, it was a large tatami mat that seemed big enough for many people to lie on. The hard surface was like lying directly on the floor, but since this was the first level, sleeping right on the floor would be too damp. Adding the tatami made it much better.
The two chatted for a while longer before gradually falling asleep after about an hour.
Xiao Qi woke up on time, washed her face, and felt a strong urge to practice her calligraphy. But there were no calligraphy supplies here. She bid Jin Zaiyan farewell and headed to the equestrian center, still dressed in her school uniform.
Although it was hot, the wind was strong too, making her attire feel just right.
When Xiao Qi arrived, the equestrian center was very quiet. Surprisingly, there were even fewer people on the weekend since many had likely gone home.
She still did not actually know what the equestrian groom's duties were, whether caring for the horses or something else.
Xiao Shengzhou worked efficiently as usual, having found another student working part-time to clean the stables.
Wei Cheng said he was a very quiet boy who worked hard. He was from the New District.
The two of them had cleaned the stables quite thoroughly.
Upon hearing Xiao Qi had arrived, Xiao Shengzhou told her to go directly to his office.
This was Xiao Qi's first time entering.
She was immediately drawn in by the view before her. The floor-to-ceiling windows spanning two stories high overlooked the shimmering lake. The openness of the entire equestrian center enabled all scenery to be taken in at a single glance. No wonder the chairman liked staying here so much.
Xiao Qi thought that if she had an office like this, she would want to remain inside all the time too.
This office was very spacious. Rather than an office, it was more akin to a hotel suite.
There was a dedicated work area with a desk, file cabinet, and enormous bookshelf. There was also a separate leisure conversation area in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, with abstract patterned carpeting and a set of sofas. Xiao Qi guessed the standalone room was likely a resting area.
With two stories combined into one space, it felt extremely open.
However, Xiao Qi’s thoughts were pulled back down a little by the textbooks still on the chairman's desk, reminding her of where she was. Otherwise she would have forgotten herself.
Hanging on the wall near the entrance was a painting that turned out to be of Ji Gu as a foal. It was vividly lifelike and Xiao Qi felt it must have been commissioned from a famous painter.
The look in Ji Gu's eyes seemed to leap out from the painting.
Seeing Su Xiaohui enter, Xiao Shengzhou's first reaction was mild astonishment because she was dressed in a school uniform.
School uniforms for middle and high schools were mostly standardized in Meng City. Students headed to or from school in uniform could also be seen on the streets.
Although Xiao Shengzhou was generally disinterested in matters between men and women, he was an extremely perceptive and observant person with high emotional intelligence.
Seeing Su Xiaohui in her school uniform, which had clearly seen some wear with frayed sleeves, he watched as she rolled up her sleeves, exposing fair, slender arms and hands that were not at all unattractive and exuded innocence and liveliness. Compared to him, she seemed to be from a younger generation.
And she was indeed much younger, only in her freshman year while he was already a college senior.
At this moment as she gazed at the painting, seemingly an art connoisseur appreciating the work of another master, he gazed at her.
For reasons unknown, standing before the painting in such a commonplace school uniform, she had a certain grace and poise.
"When I first saw Ji Gu as a foal, I immediately fell in love with it and was determined to buy it no matter the cost. That year I spent all my pocket money on it. I even specially commissioned an artist to paint this so I could always remember what it looked like then. Ji Gu was a racehorse that unfortunately never saw the racetrack again after I acquired it. That's rather regrettable."
Xiao Qi nodded. She could feel the Ji Gu in the painting brimmed with more vitality compared to its current somewhat listless mood.
"Very few people can simply do whatever they wish." Such freedom rarely truly existed. Everyone had to strive for what they wanted. Some obtained their desires through their efforts, while others did not, leading more people to eventually give up after trying.
Those who gave up may regret it their whole lives, or they may forget their initial aims and simply live out their days.
Xiao Qi felt that she was like the young drummer in the painting at this moment, full of vitality. She did not know what her future would be like, but she did not want to give up. She would persevere.
"President Xiao, what do I need to do?"
Xiao Shengzhou liked proactive people, but when he asked this little girl to be an equestrian that day, there was actually an impulsive element. He was rarely so impulsive. Being impulsive was not good. It was always because of impulsiveness for a moment, and then having to do a lot to make up for it.
The little girl rode horses well, but becoming a professional jockey still required many conditions. She needed to get an equestrian qualification certificate and know a lot of rules. There were also many types of equestrianism, including obstacles, dressage, barrel racing...Equestrianism was the most popular sport for the British nobility, and it was also an Olympic event.
It was also very difficult to make money by horse racing. Horses were very pedigree-oriented. Among all his horses, Ji Gu had the best pedigree, but a horse could mate over 100 times in a year. This meant that there were many horses with similar or even better pedigree on the market. Some horses already had excellent competition records, but he had basically wasted Ji Gu.
His initial purpose of building this stud farm was just for fun.
However, when he suddenly said he wanted the little girl to become an equestrian, things suddenly became complicated. But Xiao Shengzhou did not want to take back what he said.
He could only think of a better solution to remedy this.
"You just need to develop rapport with the horses here, choose your favorite one, try to understand it, while training your own riding skills. I found a good equestrian coach. He will come next week and you can learn from him first."
Xiao Qi nodded. Although this was different from what was said at the beginning, this was more appropriate. She had no prior experience and could only ride horses. She knew nothing about the rules and could not directly participate in competitions. Not only was she not upset that this was a bait and switch, but she actually felt that this was normal. Moreover, there would be a special coach to teach her. Xiao Qi felt that she had taken a big advantage.
"I will take good care of the horses. Since I came here to learn, President Xiao does not need to pay me extra. I feel very good to be able to stay here and eat." Xiao Qi said generously.
Seeing that the little girl was not angry or aggrieved, but accepted it so generously, and even took the initiative to say that she did not want money, Xiao Shengzhou looked at her even more highly. When he suddenly talked about her becoming an equestrian to participate in competitions earlier, it was indeed reckless. The current arrangement was actually more prudent. Xiao Shengzhou had made many prudent arrangements before. Becoming the student union president was not something that happened overnight, but many students might not appreciate it. However, the little girl was very calm about it.
He was so calm that Xiao Shengzhou did not even know what to say, he coughed and said, "Then go busy yourself."
Li Taiping was a gossipy person who fawned over Wu Xinyue, but when it came to anything regarding the young master, he did not blurt it out recklessly like a hotheaded youth.
In fact, he did not actually know, since the young master did not say.
"It should be someone from his class," Li Taiping randomly guessed, then changed the topic to skirt around it.
This left Wu Xinyue feeling itchy inside, though she was not self-important enough to think it was her. After all, she had barely exchanged a few sentences with Li Weijin, not even adding each other's WeChat contacts. When they first chatted, Su Li had outright rejected her.
Wu Xinyue greatly disliked Su Li, but knew she was part of that circle and very popular, so she could only swallow her anger and pretend to be innocent and oblivious.
However, Wu Xinyue was a girl and could tell with one glance that Su Li liked Li Weijin.
The one Li Weijin liked definitely wasn't Su Li. If it was, Li Taiping would not be so equivocal about it.
Wu Xinyue suddenly felt a tinge of schadenfreude.
Someone from his class?
As Wu Xinyue thought of one person, her expression darkened again.
On Xiao Qi's side, making kimchi and pickles had unknowingly taken up the entire morning. In between, she had learned some Korean with Jin Zaiyan, while Grace had joined in the fun too. However, she felt Chinese and Korean were truly too difficult.
Jin Zaiyan felt Xiao Qi had a great sense for languages and taught her patiently. Encountering a good student gave her a wonderful feeling. With three people communicating in three languages, it was a real mix and match.
Grace liked taking photos. She took pictures of the three of them together as well as videos of them making kimchi, their hands all red from it. The sunshine was great and everyone wore smiles, making them look very nice.
At lunch, Xiao Qi cooked bibimbap in a stone pot, kimchi soup provided by Jin Zaiyan, and pickled napa cabbage with the remaining cabbage. Seeing some beef tenderloin in the fridge, Xiao Qi also stir-fried spicy beef.
Jin Zaiyan and Grace ate with great delight.
Grace was not accustomed to eating rice, but felt the stone pot bibimbap was very good. She thought it was similar to Italian pasta, mixed with sauce and a raw egg cracked over it, which was quite amazing.
If it was plain white rice without any flavor, she would not understand how it could be eaten.
Jin Zaiyan happily ate food that suited her taste.
In fact, she had tried making the same dishes herself before, but somehow they always turned out too salty or too bland. Even store-bought powder to make kimchi soup gave her problems when she added hot water.
Not to mention pickling napa cabbage or stir-frying beef.
She had only bought the beef tenderloin on a whim after seeing inexpensive beef at the market, which would have cost at least five times more in Korea. But she did not know how to cook it herself.
After her own failed attempt at cooking left the meat inedibly tough, she had wondered if it was a problem with the beef.
Yet today, the beef Xiao Qi cooked was tender and smooth, easy to bite into, and full of juice...
Grace posted Xiao Qi's lunch and their meal to the group chat. The foreigners in the chat called out in regret for missing the chance to join in the fun. Even Camille and the others lamented at missing Xiao Qi's home cooking.
After lunch, Jin Zaiyan voluntarily cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks.
Grace went back to rest after the meal.
Jin Zaiyan worked efficiently and soon finished tidying up. She even brewed tea and sat down on the chair in the yard.
At noon, the sunshine was a little strong, but it did not feel scorching, perhaps due to it being autumn. The breeze blowing by felt very comfortable.
Xiao Qi took a sip of tea. It had a slight bitterness and a very fragrant aroma, with a little sweetness in the aftertaste.
It was different from the strong, bitter tea that her father at home liked to brew in large porcelain urns. Her father preferred very concentrated tea that was especially bitter.
"Xiao Qi, do you want to rest for a bit this afternoon? What's your schedule?" Jin Zaiyan had originally assumed they would spend the entire day making kimchi and was surprised it was done within the morning.
"I have a part-time job at the equestrian center this afternoon. I can rest briefly first."
The two drank tea and chatted for a while. Jin Zaiyan asked Xiao Qi questions in Korean and English, to aid her learning and comprehension.
"It feels great here. I'm even thinking of buying a small apartment unit," said Xiao Qi.
Jin Zaiyan had not expected Xiao Qi, still a student, to have plans for property investment. Since she was also very interested in this, she eagerly said, "I asked about this before. They encourage teachers to buy homes here. If you want to buy, I'll help ask again properly next time."
After eating their fill, both felt somewhat sleepy. Xiao Qi went to take a nap in Jin Zaiyan's bedroom. Her bedding was also small floral prints. Moreover, it was a large tatami mat that seemed big enough for many people to lie on. The hard surface was like lying directly on the floor, but since this was the first level, sleeping right on the floor would be too damp. Adding the tatami made it much better.
The two chatted for a while longer before gradually falling asleep after about an hour.
Xiao Qi woke up on time, washed her face, and felt a strong urge to practice her calligraphy. But there were no calligraphy supplies here. She bid Jin Zaiyan farewell and headed to the equestrian center, still dressed in her school uniform.
Although it was hot, the wind was strong too, making her attire feel just right.
When Xiao Qi arrived, the equestrian center was very quiet. Surprisingly, there were even fewer people on the weekend since many had likely gone home.
She still did not actually know what the equestrian groom's duties were, whether caring for the horses or something else.
Xiao Shengzhou worked efficiently as usual, having found another student working part-time to clean the stables.
Wei Cheng said he was a very quiet boy who worked hard. He was from the New District.
The two of them had cleaned the stables quite thoroughly.
Upon hearing Xiao Qi had arrived, Xiao Shengzhou told her to go directly to his office.
This was Xiao Qi's first time entering.
She was immediately drawn in by the view before her. The floor-to-ceiling windows spanning two stories high overlooked the shimmering lake. The openness of the entire equestrian center enabled all scenery to be taken in at a single glance. No wonder the chairman liked staying here so much.
Xiao Qi thought that if she had an office like this, she would want to remain inside all the time too.
This office was very spacious. Rather than an office, it was more akin to a hotel suite.
There was a dedicated work area with a desk, file cabinet, and enormous bookshelf. There was also a separate leisure conversation area in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, with abstract patterned carpeting and a set of sofas. Xiao Qi guessed the standalone room was likely a resting area.
With two stories combined into one space, it felt extremely open.
However, Xiao Qi’s thoughts were pulled back down a little by the textbooks still on the chairman's desk, reminding her of where she was. Otherwise she would have forgotten herself.
Hanging on the wall near the entrance was a painting that turned out to be of Ji Gu as a foal. It was vividly lifelike and Xiao Qi felt it must have been commissioned from a famous painter.
The look in Ji Gu's eyes seemed to leap out from the painting.
Seeing Su Xiaohui enter, Xiao Shengzhou's first reaction was mild astonishment because she was dressed in a school uniform.
School uniforms for middle and high schools were mostly standardized in Meng City. Students headed to or from school in uniform could also be seen on the streets.
Although Xiao Shengzhou was generally disinterested in matters between men and women, he was an extremely perceptive and observant person with high emotional intelligence.
Seeing Su Xiaohui in her school uniform, which had clearly seen some wear with frayed sleeves, he watched as she rolled up her sleeves, exposing fair, slender arms and hands that were not at all unattractive and exuded innocence and liveliness. Compared to him, she seemed to be from a younger generation.
And she was indeed much younger, only in her freshman year while he was already a college senior.
At this moment as she gazed at the painting, seemingly an art connoisseur appreciating the work of another master, he gazed at her.
For reasons unknown, standing before the painting in such a commonplace school uniform, she had a certain grace and poise.
"When I first saw Ji Gu as a foal, I immediately fell in love with it and was determined to buy it no matter the cost. That year I spent all my pocket money on it. I even specially commissioned an artist to paint this so I could always remember what it looked like then. Ji Gu was a racehorse that unfortunately never saw the racetrack again after I acquired it. That's rather regrettable."
Xiao Qi nodded. She could feel the Ji Gu in the painting brimmed with more vitality compared to its current somewhat listless mood.
"Very few people can simply do whatever they wish." Such freedom rarely truly existed. Everyone had to strive for what they wanted. Some obtained their desires through their efforts, while others did not, leading more people to eventually give up after trying.
Those who gave up may regret it their whole lives, or they may forget their initial aims and simply live out their days.
Xiao Qi felt that she was like the young drummer in the painting at this moment, full of vitality. She did not know what her future would be like, but she did not want to give up. She would persevere.
"President Xiao, what do I need to do?"
Xiao Shengzhou liked proactive people, but when he asked this little girl to be an equestrian that day, there was actually an impulsive element. He was rarely so impulsive. Being impulsive was not good. It was always because of impulsiveness for a moment, and then having to do a lot to make up for it.
The little girl rode horses well, but becoming a professional jockey still required many conditions. She needed to get an equestrian qualification certificate and know a lot of rules. There were also many types of equestrianism, including obstacles, dressage, barrel racing...Equestrianism was the most popular sport for the British nobility, and it was also an Olympic event.
It was also very difficult to make money by horse racing. Horses were very pedigree-oriented. Among all his horses, Ji Gu had the best pedigree, but a horse could mate over 100 times in a year. This meant that there were many horses with similar or even better pedigree on the market. Some horses already had excellent competition records, but he had basically wasted Ji Gu.
His initial purpose of building this stud farm was just for fun.
However, when he suddenly said he wanted the little girl to become an equestrian, things suddenly became complicated. But Xiao Shengzhou did not want to take back what he said.
He could only think of a better solution to remedy this.
"You just need to develop rapport with the horses here, choose your favorite one, try to understand it, while training your own riding skills. I found a good equestrian coach. He will come next week and you can learn from him first."
Xiao Qi nodded. Although this was different from what was said at the beginning, this was more appropriate. She had no prior experience and could only ride horses. She knew nothing about the rules and could not directly participate in competitions. Not only was she not upset that this was a bait and switch, but she actually felt that this was normal. Moreover, there would be a special coach to teach her. Xiao Qi felt that she had taken a big advantage.
"I will take good care of the horses. Since I came here to learn, President Xiao does not need to pay me extra. I feel very good to be able to stay here and eat." Xiao Qi said generously.
Seeing that the little girl was not angry or aggrieved, but accepted it so generously, and even took the initiative to say that she did not want money, Xiao Shengzhou looked at her even more highly. When he suddenly talked about her becoming an equestrian to participate in competitions earlier, it was indeed reckless. The current arrangement was actually more prudent. Xiao Shengzhou had made many prudent arrangements before. Becoming the student union president was not something that happened overnight, but many students might not appreciate it. However, the little girl was very calm about it.
He was so calm that Xiao Shengzhou did not even know what to say, he coughed and said, "Then go busy yourself."
