Meng Jifang was quite curious. âHow do we collaborate?â
Xie Qiaoâs expression was calm. She did not look like she was excited as she said in no hurry, âIâll be conducting. You guys will be responsible for cleaning the horses and stable and fetching the water.â
âConducting!? Ha, you sure are smart to pick your chore. If thatâs the case, wouldnât you just be standing there doing nothing!?â Meng Jifang scoffed.
âForget it if you disagree. After all, it wouldnât take me too much effort to do all these on my own.â Xie Qiao looked away.
It was impossible that it was completely effortless.
Cleaning the horses was acceptable, as she could sit down and move her hands around. However, it was strenuous to fetch water. Even if she was stingy with the usage, it was tiring to fetch water back and forth tens of times.
Also, bending to clean⦠She would easily get dizzy from that.
However, Xie Qiao did not show any urgency at all. She went to the well to fetch water slowly. The horse stood where it was obediently, enjoying the sun. It did not move around as it wishedâit was so good.
In reality, the wild horses were tough ones.
There were many of them. If the students were to do it following their pace, they might not be able to complete the task by the time the sky turned dark.
However, if they did it as Xie Qiao saidâ¦
As long as the horses were cooperative, it would really be easy.
âSure! But you must guarantee that all horses will be as good as the one you cleaned earlier. I wonât forgive you if they act up,â Meng Jifang said fiercely.
Xie Qiao chuckled.
âYou narcissistic young man, who gave you the guts to say something so dumb? You wonât forgive me? Come try me.â
âCome here, all of you!â Meng Jifang waved at the people around.
Xia Yayun glanced at Xie Qiao and walked over as she gnashed her teeth.
Meng Jifang did not think too much, so he began to delegate the chores. âIâll be leading the horses. Old Ding will be brushing. Sanâer will be fetching the water. Ah Hong andâ¦â
He pointed at Xia Yayun⦠He suddenly forgot what her name was.
âNot her, I wonât conduct for her,â said Xie Qiao.
Xia Yayunâs face paled. âYouâre too much, Xie Qiao! What do you mean by excluding me? Young Master Meng is the leader. What makes you think you have the right to name your request!?â
âItâs not good to exclude a young lady like her, right?â Meng Jifang was pretty considerate.
However, Xie Qiao was like a cold stone, and she persisted. âYou guys can include her, but I wonât bother with her horses. You guys will have to deal with her yourself.â
âHow big is this grudge?â Meng Jifang was very curious.
âHumiliating my familyâa grudge thatâs absolutely irreconcilable,â Xie Qiaoâs small face looked serious as she held her head high.
Meng Jifangâs eyelids twitched, and he almost choked. There was such a great crime in this academy!?
These two young ladies were pretty dramatic. People who had no idea would think that they had their fathers killed or wives stolen!
âForget it. Youâll deal with it yourself.â Meng Jifang rejected Xia Yayun.
Xia Yayunâs face turned pale. She felt humiliated. âYouâre the most pretentious person I know, Xie Qiao. Conducting horses? Do you think theyâre dogs that you keep at home?! Donât blame anyone if they kick you to death!â
Xia Yayun scoffed as soon as she was done speaking and went back to the stable she was cleaning.
âSo stubborn.â Meng Jifang chuckled.
Subsequently, everyone began to work.
Xie Qiao had her burden lifted right away. Meng Jifang led the horses over while she would either be brushing their hair or mumbling something into their ears. Meng Jifang had no idea what she was mumbling about, but he thought she was mysterious.
In reality, Xie Qiao chanted two scriptures simplyâthe Taoist or Buddhism scriptures. She even recited the articles Master Lu had taught a few times.
These animals could sense humansâ kindness and ill intentions. She spoke with a calm tone, so the horses naturally knew that she came in peace.