My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 217 Even a horse can die from a romantic affair

"Huh? What's that commotion up ahead?"

Chen Ling was deep in thought about his own affairs when Station Chief Li suddenly looked at a spot and said...

Old Ba glanced at it too, and soon laughed: "Hey, interesting, even Old Ma's brush is in trouble."

Seeing Chen Ling looking at him with a puzzled expression, he continued to explain, "In our mule and horse market, the biggest taboo is to promise a single animal to two families. That's what caused the argument over there. Fugui, if you ever buy or sell livestock in the future, remember never to do something like that..."

A woman cannot marry two husbands, and naturally, a livestock cannot be sold to two people.

Some sellers had clearly agreed to sell to A beforehand, and the transaction was about to take place, but then suddenly changed their minds when they heard that B offered a higher price.

This kind of thing is very unethical and upsetting. Once it happens, it's easy for both parties to start arguing, and some people with bad tempers even fight over it.

Chen Ling listened from the side, nodding repeatedly.

Before long, a tall, thin old man with a goatee, wearing a liberation cap, walked over with his hands behind his back, muttering curses and occasionally turning around to hurl a few more insults.

Old Ba smiled and teased, "Hey, Old Ma, you unlucky old man, you were so tough, how come you got messed up today?"

"Pah, you old mud clod, you're making fun of people now."

The old man with the goatee glared at Old Ba and said angrily, "There were two sons of bitches who don't know the rules. I'm unlucky today to run into these two old bastards. We agreed on a price and I paid a deposit. I went to buy a new bridle, but when I heard that they wanted an extra four hundred yuan, they refused to sell it to me no matter what. If it were a few years ago, I would have definitely called someone over to fight them. Damn it, what kind of scum are they?"

People unfamiliar with the livestock trade don't understand this.

When large livestock like mules and horses are sold, the new owner will replace the mules and horses with new bridles and reins.

The old man with the goatee went to buy a new bridle, which meant that the owner of the livestock was determined to sell it to him, especially since he had already paid a deposit. It was really infuriating that he would back out at this point.

"Hehe, there are always unreasonable people like this. Getting angry won't help. If you run into one, you can only accept your bad luck." Old Ba still had a smile on his face, looking completely unconcerned. He had seen this kind of thing many times in this market and was already used to it.

"Oh, you don't know how many times I've been to the market since last autumn and this spring, but I haven't been able to find anything I like. Today I finally found a mare that I liked, but this is what happened."

The old man with the goatee sighed sadly.

"Uncle Ma, who did you sell that mare to?" Station Master Li asked.

"Who else could it be? Old Yang Yu'er from Yangtougou, that old guy's made some money growing mushrooms for two years, he's willing to spend an extra four hundred yuan right away, and he's been clamoring to buy a new horse-drawn carriage..."

The old man with the goatee launched into another tirade of curses.

After a while, once she calmed down, she noticed Chen Ling.

"Hey? You young man, you're here to see Old Ba again?"

"Yes, it's market day, so I'll go with Old Brother Ba to stroll around the mule and horse market."

Chen Ling smiled at him. This old man was also an old veterinarian in the village. He was from Majia'ao and loved raising horses. He had been selling horses for many years, so he was also very good at training horses. When the village had a market, he would often come to the mule and horse market to select good horse breeds.

Unlike Buffett, he never acts as an agent for others; he only buys the horses he likes himself. Besides that, he often comes to the market to train horses for people, since that's his hobby.

Over time, people started calling him "Old Ma the Brush".

Chen Ling sometimes saw several horses tied up outside their house when he passed by Majia'ao; it was quite conspicuous.

Last time there was a problem with the feed in the township, Lao Ba called over a few veterinarians to help vaccinate the farm, so they had met before.

Old Ma also greatly admired Chen Ling, this hardworking junior veterinarian.

"Besides helping you pick out livestock, what else can your old brother do with you? Come on, I'll take you to train horses."

Old Ma tossed the horse bridle in his hand to Old Ba, then hurriedly dragged Chen Ling deeper into the mule and horse market.

He was clearly still a little angry.

Old Ba took the horse bridle, smiled helplessly, and followed behind with Station Chief Li.

"Hey? Old Ma, where's the little mare you bought?"

"Buy my ass! I ran into two unreasonable old bastards. I'm so unlucky."

"Oh my, where did these people come from? How could they do such a thing..."

"One is from Yangtougou, the other from Zhuweibaling, they're both worthless little places, they only produce such stingy people. They've already paid the deposit, and they just want to back out like that."

Zhuweiba Ridge, Majia'ao, Niuduzhai, and Yangtougou are the four most famous villages in Changle Township, inhabited by the four major surnames: Zhu, Ma, Niu, and Yang.

However, these four families often looked down on each other, saying that this one was poor and that one was not ambitious. The villages were close to each other, and there were many conflicts.

Sometimes, the four villages would fight each other over medicinal herbs, game, or even water from the mountains.

So it's not surprising that Old Ma, in his anger, started cursing at both villages.

"Alright, Brother Ma, don't be angry, don't be angry. My little stallion is waiting for you to train him. Let's not stoop to the level of those unreasonable people..."

The owners of the horse training shop were a simple, middle-aged couple. They had just sold a mule, and the people who had been watching the mule sale had just dispersed. But when they heard Old Horse Brush cursing here, they all came back and gathered around their cart, ready to watch the spectacle.

Old Ma noticed that everyone was looking at him, so he took a couple of breaths and asked, "Is this little stallion yours the same one you kept at home?"

"Yes, it's the same one. It's growing well and has a good temperament, but for the past two years or so, it's been a bit unruly in private. When no one is around, it always tries to lie down on the mare. This spring, it got even worse. It wouldn't leave the mare's side when it saw her, and we couldn't pull it away. Several times it secretly pulled on the reins and tried to run away..."

The man from the house brought the little stallion to the people. This little stallion was a dappled horse with red and white fur, and its face, from the tip of its nose to the top of its forehead, was also white, so it looked quite pretty.

Old Ma Brush looked at it and said, "Hmm, it's three years old now. It's time to train the wild horse, otherwise it will be difficult later."

Horses reach full maturity at three or three and a half years old, and at this age, they are relatively easy to train.

If a child is over three years old, or even four years old, they are beyond the ability of ordinary people to train; an experienced teacher would have to be called in.

"They're actually quite easy to train now. This little stallion has a good temperament; you can tell just by looking at it."

Old Ma smiled, turned around, and spoke to Chen Ling and the other two.

Old Ba nodded: "Indeed, it can be pulled to the left or ridden to the right, and it's fearless in the middle. This little stallion looks like it has a good temperament..."

Chen Ling looked around and understood.

It can be pulled to the left and driven to the right, and it is fearless in the middle. This describes the markings on the horse's body.

Whether it's a red horse or a black horse, if there's a white stripe running from its nose to the top of its head, this horse is the most docile and easy to tame, even as a stallion. So, people don't need to be afraid of a white stripe running down its face.

And what happened next proved to be true.

"Fugui, can you ride a horse?"

Old Ma asked.

"Uh, I could ride it when I was a kid, but I haven't ridden it in years."

Chen Ling spoke the truth.

"Then do you dare to ride a live horse?" Old Horse Brush asked again.

A "raw horse" is a horse that has not yet been trained and is not easily ridden by others.

A trained horse is one that has been trained; some can pull a plow, some can drive a carriage, and some are specifically for riding.

Horse training, mostly for young horses, focuses on quickly taming them and getting them saddled and on their backs in a short time.

"I dare, but I'm afraid of hurting the horse."

"Good heavens, you kid, everyone else is afraid of being hurt by the horse, but you're afraid of hurting the horse. You've got quite the nerve."

Old Ma couldn't help but laugh, pointing at the young stallion and saying, "You know, don't let its smaller size fool you. This young stallion is much thinner than those big horses, and only about two sizes bigger than the packhorses in the mountains. It actually weighs at least seven or eight hundred pounds, and it's incredibly strong..."

"But don't worry, with me watching over it, it definitely won't get angry. You can just ride on it."

"it is good."

Upon hearing Chen Ling's agreement, Old Ma shoved his Liberation cap into his pocket and shouted to his master, "Then let's start training the horses."

The master then led the young stallion behind him and walked towards the edge of the mule and horse market.

Outside the mule and horse market, there are only open fields, and you can walk out in any direction, making it very convenient to train horses.

The group quickly led their horses into the wilderness, followed by a crowd of onlookers.

Old Ma didn't care about any of that. He first told his master, "Put on the saddle first, and then you can ride it around and try it out."

This young stallion was raised by its owner from a young age, so it should be allowed to get used to its surroundings before training.

The next step is a pair of strangers, one horse and one human.

A horse that is not properly trained is only considered fully trained when a stranger can ride it.

The owner did as instructed and saddled the young stallion. The old horse brush pulled on the reins to attract the stallion's attention.

Once the saddle was on, Old Brush gestured for his master to mount. However, as soon as the master mounted, the young stallion began to struggle, shaking its head and trying to throw him off.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

The owner saw that his little stallion was struggling quite a bit and kept calling out to it.

But the young stallion wouldn't listen, and kept shaking its head, not wanting to be ridden.

Upon seeing this, the host immediately jumped off his horse.

"Hey, why did it come down? It can't come down yet, it hasn't been properly trained..." shouted the onlookers.

At this moment, the young stallion sensed something was wrong, stuck out its rear end, pulled on the reins, and confronted the old horse, Brush.

But compared to a stallion in heat, it was obviously much gentler, and the old horse brush didn't take it seriously.

Instead, he smiled and said to the owner, "No way, you can't ride an untrained horse. You can't be the owner either. You have to train it until it's docile before you can ride it."

"How about it? Want to try again?"

The host waved his hand and said with a wry smile that he wouldn't try.

"Heh, I knew you couldn't bring yourself to do it. Fugui, come on, it's your turn."

Old Ma waved his brush.

Chen Ling stepped forward: "What do we do? Just ride on it?"

"Okay, just ride on it."

Old Ma nodded and comforted her, "This little stallion has a pretty good temper, you don't need to be afraid."

Chen Ling thought to himself, "I'm not afraid at all," and then he stepped into the stirrups and mounted the horse.

When Chen Ling, this stranger, approached, the little stallion's reaction was much stronger than before.

It struggled incessantly, wagging its tail and trying to flip Chen Ling over.

However, the force was not actually that great for Chen Ling.

"Don't be afraid, come along, follow along, let's take it for a slow lap first." Old Ma Brush shouted, pulling on the reins to help Chen Ling control the direction.

Then, he slowly led the young stallion around in circles along the field.

During this time, the young stallion continued to struggle, tilting its head back, neighing, and trying to shake Chen Ling off, but without success.

The main problem is that the struggles are not very intense; compared to a stallion in heat, they are nothing.

This shows that it is indeed a gentle-tempered foal.

After walking around twice, it was discovered that Chen Ling was quite bold. He didn't flinch even when the young stallion struggled, so the old horse brush let go of the reins and handed them to him.

"Go on, run fast and run it away, hold on tight, don't let it throw you off."

"understood."

Chen Ling nodded and then softly called out, "Giddy up!"

The young stallion started trotting along, trying to throw Chen Ling off as it ran. Chen Ling ignored it, simply gripping the reins tightly and urging it to go faster.

"Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up..."

Once it starts running fast, it only cares about running, and this newly trained stallion has no intention of throwing its rider off.

Another advantage is that when the horse runs fast, it feels more comfortable and it adapts to the feeling of being ridden more quickly.

However, this method is not suitable for all horses. It won't work on horses with a strong temper, and we'll have to think of another way.

"drive."

Chen Ling was still quite inexperienced at riding horses, having only ridden a few times as a child, purely for fun. But the little stallion beneath him ran faster and faster, galloping along the ridges and through the wheat fields, as if it were running more and more freely.

At this time, the winter wheat in the fields had not yet stalked up, so it was okay to go in and trample it. Chen Ling rode his horse, facing the slightly chilly spring breeze, running back and forth in the fields.

After running two laps, I gradually got used to the feeling of riding a horse. I felt that I hadn't had enough fun before, so I went for another run.

"Alright, alright, come back now."

Old Ma the Brush jumped up and down, waving his hands and shouting.

Chen Ling pretended not to hear, turned his horse around, and continued galloping away.

Those watching the spectacle couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Someone chimed in, "Young man, ignore him and go run two more laps."

When Chen Ling returned riding his little stallion in high spirits, Old Brush immediately grabbed the reins and patted him on the shoulder: "You're really into riding horses. If you want to ride, go buy one yourself. Old Ba and I will help you choose one."

Then the young stallion was returned to its owner, and the man from the owner's household couldn't wait to mount the horse and go for a stroll.

Chen Ling chuckled, knowing that the master was getting impatient.

Once the horse was trained, people wanted to ride it too.

"I'm not good at riding horses yet. I'll come to the market more often in the future, and when I'm more familiar with it, I'll pick out a few good horses to buy."

"That works too. Let's go. I need to find a new owner. I won't train the horses; I'll go find a good stallion to breed with. Are you guys coming?"

Old Ma took the money from the host's wife, put it in his pocket, and said...

Chen Ling shook his head. He had ridden a horse, had his fun, and had also learned some horse judging skills. Now he had to take care of his own things. Anyway, the mule and horse market was still open, and he could come back to the market whenever he had free time.

If Chen Ling wasn't going, Lao Ba and Station Chief Li naturally wouldn't go either; they'd seen plenty of things involving livestock before.

Unexpectedly, as I walked out of the mule and horse market, I encountered another lively event.

It's a common sight at the mule and horse market in spring when livestock fight.

In previous years, most of the fights were between stallions and mares, but this year is different; it's mares and stallions fighting.

Moreover, the mare kicked the stallion to death.

"Holy crap, it was that big white horse that died?"

Chen Ling was very surprised when he saw the large white horse lying on the ground through the crowd.

He was deeply impressed by the white horse, mainly because its whip was incredibly long. During its mating season, it would swing out, and it looked to be at least 30 or 40 centimeters long.

It easily reminded Chen Ling of a dish made with donkey penis called "money meat".

At that moment, he was not thinking about money or meat, but was instead lamenting to himself how the horse had been tied to the tree just moments before and now had been killed by the mare.

The crowd was noisy and the two horse owners were arguing incessantly, but Chen Ling couldn't hear what they were saying.

Looking inside from the oxcart, all you could see was a man who raised white horses grabbing an old man with a white turban, shouting angrily. The old man was also extremely anxious, and the two almost got into a fight.

There was also a blue mare tied to a big tree nearby, snorting nervously.

The scene was incredibly lively.

Old Ba and Station Master Li had already squeezed into the crowd to inquire.

The two of them knew many people and quickly found out what had happened. When they returned, they told Chen Ling that the white horse had encountered a mare passing by, broke free of its reins, ran behind the mare, and tried to mount her. The mare dodged it several times, but when the white horse finally mounted her and forced itself to mate with her, the mare angrily broke free and kicked it to death.

"How was he kicked to death?"

Chen Ling examined them carefully, his heart filled with curiosity, as he knew very little about livestock.

"It was kicked by a horse's hoof. That mare weighs over a thousand pounds and is very strong. She even has horseshoes on her hooves. If she kicked him on the head, it would be over in no time."

Old Ba shook his head and said with a sigh, "What a mess today. I wonder if Old Yang Yu'er regrets it. He snatched the horse from Old Ma Shuazi and now he's kicked someone else's stallion to death. He'll have to pay a lot of money now."

"Oh? He was the first person in Yangtougou to build a shed for mushroom cultivation? Was it his mare?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling also felt that the world was full of strange things. The horse he had stolen for an extra four hundred dollars had ended up causing trouble. He really didn't know what to say.

Then Old Ma also heard the commotion and rushed over, pulling Chen Ling forward to take a look.

Although the white horse was dead, it was grinning with its white teeth showing and a comfortable expression on its face, as if it were smiling.

"Good heavens, they say to die beneath a peony is to die a romantic death, and now even a horse can die a romantic death..."

Chen Ling was immediately surprised, then amused. It was one thing to be kicked to death after he had finished enjoying himself, but to be kicked to death before he had even finished enjoying himself was truly incomprehensible. Male beasts in heat were indeed unreasonable.

Old Ma, standing nearby, didn't laugh at the man from Yangtougou. He just kept his eyes fixed on the blue horse beside him, muttering, "I knew this mare was a good horse. I knew it. Look at its spirited nature, it's truly lovable."

(End of this chapter)