Su Qing followed the line of sight and looked over. The girl looked somewhat familiar, but Su Qing was sure she didn’t know her. It was only from Cao Zhengming’s introduction just now that she recalled the girl’s name was Wu Qiao Ping.
When Wu Qiao Ping saw Su Qing look her way, she pouted, let out a soft huff, and turned her head away.
Su Qing raised an eyebrow slightly. ’How strange. There must be something wrong with her.’
Cao Zhengming was even more pleased when he saw that Su Qing knew both Bai Qingyuan and his niece. "So, Little Su, you know Doctor Bai too! That’s wonderful. It’s always better when everyone is acquainted."
Bai Qingyuan smiled at Cao Zhengming and said, "My father thinks very highly of Su Qing. It’s a shame her ambitions don’t lie in traditional Chinese medicine. Otherwise, my father would have done anything to take her on as his disciple."
Then, he turned to Su Qing. "Speaking of which, your knowledge of herbal medicine is quite profound. Why don’t you consider pursuing a path in traditional Chinese medicine?"
"Second Uncle, to each their own," Bai Minyun said, naturally siding with her best friend.
Bai Qingyuan gave a helpless smile. "Oh, you kids... Your minds are so hard to figure out."
With that, he added an instruction for his niece, "Since you’re here on Xiqing Mountain, you should learn from Su Qing and broaden your horizons a bit."
Although the Bai Family was a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, and the younger generation was constantly pushed to learn the basics of herbal medicine, they ultimately lacked real-world experience. Opportunities to gather herbs in deep mountain ranges like Xiqing Mountain were rare. The mountains were simply too dangerous, and for the safety of its younger members, the Bai Family would never allow them to venture into such peril rashly.
The fact that Su Qing could come and go from the deep mountains as she pleased, and even manage to gather many precious herbs, proved she was very capable.
"Yes," Bai Minyun replied with a grin. She immediately started chattering with Su Qing about which local snacks they should go try.
This was also Bai Minyun’s first time in Maqu County, and she had been looking forward to trying the local specialties for a long time.
"Go on, go on," Bai Qingyuan said with a smile. "We’ll rest here tonight and head up the mountain tomorrow morning."
Cao Zhengming added, "Anyone who wants to go out for a walk is welcome to join them. Just be back early."
However, everyone else besides Su Qing and Bai Minyun wanted to rest at the guesthouse. In the end, only the two of them went out.
"Here," Su Qing said once they were out of the guesthouse, handing Bai Minyun a small pill. "Take this. I guarantee it’ll make you feel full of energy." It was one she had prepared herself and was very good for one’s health.
Bai Minyun took it without hesitation and popped it into her mouth. "Thanks!"
Su Qing couldn’t help but smile. The two girls headed off to a restaurant, hand in hand.
It had been almost a year since Su Qing’s last visit to Maqu County. The changes in that short time were significant. There were many new little restaurants, more people on the streets, and many buildings had been renovated. The entire county town looked much more prosperous.
"Su Qing, you can speak the local dialect?" Bai Minyun exclaimed in surprise when she heard Su Qing fluently order from the waiter. "And you’re so good at it! My gosh, Su Qing, is there anything you *can’t* do?"
Su Qing smiled. "I came here once last year and learned a bit of the dialect from a local man. Luckily, I haven’t forgotten most of it."
"You’re amazing," Bai Minyun said, giving Su Qing a thumbs-up. "If that were me, forget a year—I’d probably forget everything if I didn’t use it for three to five months."
Before long, all their dishes arrived. Bai Minyun was a true foodie. Back in Beijing, her favorite pastime was dragging Su Qing and Li Huan through every street and alley in search of new delicacies. They were frequent customers at Li Huan’s uncle’s private kitchen. As long as it was delicious, she’d eat anything.
"Oh, this lamb is amazing!" Bai Minyun exclaimed to Su Qing between bites.
After trying the tsampa and cheese pastries, her eyes lit up. "Su Qing," she said hurriedly, "quick, ask the waiter for a few more orders of the tsampa and cheese pastries. I want to bring some back for my second uncle. He loves all kinds of sweets; he’ll definitely love these."
"Alright." Su Qing nodded with a smile and ordered a few more servings of tsampa and cheese pastries from the waiter. She also ordered some other dishes to-go for Cao Zhengming and Bai Qingyuan.
Once they finished their meal, Su Qing and Bai Minyun planned to take the to-go containers back to the guesthouse for Cao Zhengming and the others before heading out to walk around some more.
But halfway there, a sudden commotion erupted up ahead.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! I can’t control this horse!" a man’s panicked voice cried out.
Following his shouts, Su Qing saw a large chestnut horse in the distance, charging like mad toward a group of girls walking down the street. The rider’s face was pale as he desperately yelled, "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
As he shouted, the man yanked hard on the reins, trying to stop the runaway horse. But the animal had clearly lost its mind. No matter how hard he tried, it continued to charge forward frantically.
"AH!" The onlookers cried out in alarm. This was a bustling street, crowded with people, and the girls were directly in the horse’s path. If they were trampled, they would be seriously injured, if not killed.
A few men wanted to help subdue the crazed horse, but there was no opening. They could only help clear people out of the way. But it was too late for anyone to reach the girls in time to save them.
Bai Minyun saw it too and cried out, "Oh my god! Get out of the way!"
Bai Minyun didn’t know what to do. The horse was moving too fast for her to dare run over. All she could do was scream, hoping the girls would dodge.
But the girls were clearly frozen in fear. They turned to see the large horse charging at them and just stood there, stunned, completely forgetting to move.
Some people had already covered their eyes, unable to watch the bloody scene they were sure was about to unfold.
"Hold this. Get to the side," Su Qing said, shoving the to-go containers into Bai Minyun’s hands. She then sprinted toward the chestnut horse.
Bai Minyun looked down at the food containers shoved into her hands, then up at Su Qing, who was already running. Panic seized her. "No! Su Qing, come back! It’s too dangerous!"
Su Qing was incredibly fast. In the time it took Bai Minyun to shout, she had already reached the chestnut horse’s side. The man on its back was shocked to see her. "It’s dangerous! Get away!"
’Another young girl! He didn’t know what to do about the ones up ahead, how could he let another one get hurt because of him!’