Chapter 2

Although Hu Xiaotian had regained consciousness for half a year, it took him four months to fully recover his physical health. The body that Heaven had bestowed upon him was not robust, but rather frail and pale, with weak limbs and a lack of energy. The Hu family was quite wealthy, and he was provided with fine clothes and delicious food every day. In theory, he should not have been malnourished. The real reason was that Hu Xiaotian had always been afraid of sunlight for the past sixteen years and preferred to hide in dark corners. The long-term lack of sunlight naturally affected the production of vitamin D, which in turn affected the absorption of calcium, meaning that for the past sixteen years, he had not only been lacking in intelligence but also in calcium.

During these six months, while Hu Xiaotian quietly explored the new world, he began to systematically and purposefully exercise his body. With the bright sunlight, fresh air, clean and unpolluted water, and a variety of nutritious and safe foods, Hu Xiaotian managed to build a body that could be considered fit and healthy in just four months. Only those who have experienced death truly understand the importance of health. The body is the capital of revolution, and it is also the capital of enjoying life.

Hu Xiaotian walked at the front, dressed in a green robe with silver-threaded cloud patterns on the collar and cuffs, a wide silk belt around his waist, and a black gauze hat on his head, with a lustrous blue jade embedded on his forehead. He was 1.78 meters tall, which, by the standards of Dakan, was about 7.5 feet, with one foot being approximately 24 centimeters. He wore a pair of thin-soled riding boots, which, though thin, were about three centimeters high. Although they were not as high as the seven-centimeter thick-soled official boots that the old man had specially made to enhance his height, they still provided a noticeable height boost, making Hu Xiaotian naturally exceed 1.80 meters. In the crowd, he was not exactly a standout, but he could still be considered quite handsome.

Hu Xiaotian did not ride in a sedan chair when he went out, but a horse was essential. The groom, Hoover, who shared the name of a U.S. president, held a water-fire stick in one hand and led a chestnut horse with the other, the jingling of the bells attracting many passersby's attention. Hu Xiaotian had often thought that Hoover's fate here was to lead his horse.

The young master of the Hu family had many peculiar habits that others found hard to understand. For example, he liked to lie in the courtyard in his underwear to bask in the sun, determined to turn his fair skin into a wheat-like brown. He also had a pond dug in the backyard, which neither housed fish nor lotus flowers, but was built with blue stones and used for swimming daily, scaring the maids and servants so much that they avoided the area, often bumping into pillars and getting bruised.

The most outrageous thing was that he hung several sandbags of different sizes on the trees in the courtyard, kicking and punching them as if he were crazy, only stopping when he was exhausted and drenched in sweat.

The Hu family had carriages, sedan chairs, and hundreds of horses, but Hu Xiaotian chose to walk on his few outings. As for the chestnut horse, it was usually led by Hoover and rarely ridden by Hu Xiaotian.

In the eyes of the Hu family's servants, this young master was someone who liked to torment himself and did not know how to enjoy life. Although he had regained his senses and could speak, his mind was still not quite right. For the Hu family, a fool turning into a madman was still a cause for celebration, as after sixteen years of being a fool, how much worse could it get?

The banks of Cuilin Lake were crowded with visitors. The lake was calm and green, reflecting the afternoon sunlight like a silver mirror. Rows of pleasure boats and painted barges moved across the lake, startling the egrets and herons that occasionally took flight, spreading their white wings and drawing beautiful silver arcs in the warm spring sky.

Hu Xiaotian was captivated by the beautiful spring scenery. The clouds were reflected in the lake, and he saw fish swimming among the clouds and birds flying in the water.

Pleasant music and occasional laughter floated from the boats and barges. On such a beautiful day, girls who had been confined to their rooms for the winter could not resist coming out to enjoy the spring, and many students were also out for a stroll, ostensibly to experience life, but some wealthy young men used this as an excuse to look for beautiful women.

Where there were young men looking for beauty, there were also young women in the mood for love. This season was naturally one that easily sparked romantic feelings. Hu Xiaotian watched the young women passing by, some beautiful and alluring, others charming and youthful, all dressed in their finest, exuding feminine charm. Thinking of his betrothed, the Li family's daughter, who was said to be paralyzed for five years and extremely ugly, his mood, which had improved due to the spring scenery, suddenly turned sour. The thought of spending his life with a paralyzed patient was more unbearable than death.

Suddenly, the crowd ahead became chaotic, and people moved to the sides. The sound of galloping hooves echoed in the warm spring air, the rhythm of the hooves on the cobblestone road creating a harmonious beat, and the grass on the roadside trembled slightly.

A girl in red rode a chestnut horse, galloping towards Hu Xiaotian. She shouted, "Move, move!" and in an instant, she was in front of him.

Hu Xiaotian, lost in thought, realized too late. The horse was about to collide with him, but the girl quickly pulled the reins, and the chestnut horse stopped, neighing loudly and rearing up.

The hooves landed with a loud thud on the cobblestone, just two feet away from Hu Xiaotian, a truly heart-stopping moment. If the girl had hesitated for a moment longer, the horse would have knocked Hu Xiaotian over.

The servants behind Hu Xiaotian were terrified. Their duty was to protect the precious young master, and if anything happened to him, the minister would have them flayed and drawn.

Hu Xiaotian was also startled by the sudden incident. He looked up and saw the girl in a red martial robe, a green-patterned brocade cloak, red lantern pants, a latticed gold-threaded gauze skirt, and black thin-soled embroidered riding boots. Her hair was tied in a chignon, with black hair divided into two strands, tied at the top and naturally hanging down, resembling a swallow's tail. Her face was delicate and beautiful, and with her attire, she looked charming and lovely.

Seeing this girl, Hu Xiaotian's first thought was, "What a beauty!" After twenty-eight years of dedicated work and a lack of romantic life, due to his dissatisfaction with his betrothal, the bright spring day, and his natural appreciation of beauty, his long-suppressed male hormones made him particularly sensitive to beautiful women.

"If the Li family's daughter looked like this, how wonderful it would be," Hu Xiaotian thought. "I wouldn't mind sharing a bed with you, or even marrying and having children with you. Living a peaceful and carefree life together wouldn't be bad at all."

The girl's face was flushed, both from the galloping and from Hu Xiaotian's lecherous gaze. This was an era of propriety, where men and women did not touch, and such behavior was considered inappropriate.

The girl, who had a short temper, was already annoyed by Hu Xiaotian blocking her path and now by his bold stare. She raised her riding crop and lashed out at Hu Xiaotian, shouting, "Shameless man, what is there to look at?"

Hu Xiaotian did not expect the girl to attack him. He raised his arm to block, but the crop struck his arm, tearing his outer robe and leaving a long, painful gash.

Seeing the girl attack their young master, the four servants immediately rushed forward. Liang Dazhuang, Hu Xiaotian's personal servant, was the first to charge, ready to protect his master. The girl was skilled in martial arts, and her crop was like a weapon, striking the servants relentlessly.

Although Hoover was the last to act, he was the most cunning. He quietly circled behind the chestnut horse and thrust his water-fire stick into the horse's hindquarters, driving it deep. The horse, in pain, reared and neighed, and Hoover, with years of experience, knew countless ways to make a horse misbehave.

The girl, despite her skill with the crop, was caught off guard when her horse suddenly went wild. She was thrown off, flying through the air like a fairy.

Hu Xiaotian, still in pain from the lash, heard the girl's scream as she was thrown from the horse. He could not help but admire her graceful flight, like a celestial being performing elegant and beautiful movements in the air.

However, no matter how beautiful the flight, gravity would eventually bring her down. Newton had proven this long ago. Hu Xiaotian followed her with his eyes, hoping to see her land face-first, bruised and battered. "Why did you hit me?" he thought, his recent temper flaring.

But the girl did not fulfill Hu Xiaotian's wish. She flew farther than anyone expected, over the cobblestone road, over the green grass by the lake, and straight into the shimmering waters of Cuilin Lake.

In the medical and culinary world, I have faced many challenges, and I feel quite helpless. This is not the first time, and I hope it will be the last. Looking back on my writing journey, "Three Palaces 1 and 2" and "Yan History" have all faced similar fates. After becoming a VIP, the only remaining work is "Phantom Hunter." Old readers may not know about my new book, and new readers may not yet know me, a diligent old octopus. On the day of starting a new book, I should not say such discouraging words. In fact, this is not a problem. I believe that in no time, old and new readers will reunite, and I am confident that our strength will be unprecedented.

After six years, I have returned to historical writing. Many readers may have forgotten that I once wrote historical novels, but I am back. Just as I proved myself in the urban category, I will now secure a place among the top three in historical writing!

Finally, regarding "Food and Color," if it can be unblocked, I will continue. Before "Food and Color" is unblocked, please give all your support to "Jiangshan"!

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