The saddle sat on the workbench like a sculpture.
It wasn't the ornate, silver-studded confection that the gentry favored—those were for show, for parading through town while dressed in silk. This was a tool of war and work.
The tree was made of steamed beechwood, rawhide-wrapped for strength. The seat was deep, carved to hold the rider's buttocks firm against the cantle. The skirts were double-layered leather, resistant to sweat and wear. There were no horns, but D-rings for attaching bags and rifles.
"It's ugly," Xu Tie said honestly, running a hand over the rough leather.
"It's functional," Chen Yuan replied, applying a final coat of neatsfoot oil. "A saddle should protect the horse's back and the rider's legs. If it's pretty, that's a bonus. If it works, that's the job."
He attached the stirrups—iron, heavy, and wide. He adjusted the girth strap.
"Today, we find out if I'm a carpenter or a craftsman."
---
The sound of hooves approached mid-morning.
Li Cheng had returned. This time, he brought a smaller entourage—just two guards and a servant. He was dressed for riding: practical boots, a shorter tunic, and a riding cap. He looked determined, his jaw set.
He dismounted at the gate, tying his own horse—a sleek black gelding—to the post.
"Chen Yuan," he greeted him with a stiff nod. "I came for the saddle."
"It's ready," Chen Yuan said. He gestured to the workbench inside the new stone stable.
Li Cheng walked in. His eyes swept the interior—the dry, stone floors, the individual tie-stalls, the smell of hay and clean animals.
"You've been busy," Li Cheng noted. "This... is better than the county stable."
"Horses are valuable," Chen Yuan said simply. "They deserve better than mud."
He lifted the saddle. It was heavy. Li Cheng took it, surprised by the weight.
"It's solid wood," Li Cheng noted.
"And rawhide. It won't break if the horse rolls. And it won't pinch the spine."
Li Cheng examined the seat. He ran his hand over the leather. "It's rough."
"It grips. Silk slides. Leather holds. If you're galloping, do you want to slide?"
Li Cheng paused. He thought of the muddy fall from last month. He shook his head. "No. I want to stay on."
---
They walked to the corral. Whirlwind, the Red Witch, was waiting. She sensed the energy. She paced the fence, her tail swishing.
"She's in a mood," Xu Tie warned.
"She knows a new rider is coming," Chen Yuan said.
He entered the pen and caught her. He didn't use a rope; he just extended his hand. She sniffed it, then allowed him to slip the hackamore on.
He led her out. The saddle was placed on her back. She flinched, bucking slightly at the unfamiliar weight distribution.
"Easy," Chen Yuan murmured. He tightened the girth slowly, letting her adjust to the pressure.
"She's ready," Chen Yuan said.
Li Cheng stepped up. He looked at the horse, then at Chen Yuan.
"Any last advice, farmer?"
"Sit deep," Chen Yuan said. "Don't grip with your knees—that drives you up. Grip with your thighs. Keep your heels down. And..." He looked Li Cheng in the eye. "Don't fight her. Guide her. She doesn't want to throw you; she wants to run. Let her run, and she'll come back."
Li Cheng nodded. He put his foot in the stirrup and swung up.
The moment he settled into the saddle, the difference was palpable. The seat held him. His legs found a natural position against the skirts.
Whirlwind stomped a hoof. She shook her head.
"Walk her," Chen Yuan instructed.
Li Cheng nudged her flanks. Whirlwind stepped forward. She tried to veer left. Li Cheng corrected her with a shift of his weight and a tug on the lead rope.
She walked. Then she trotted.
The bumpiness of the bareback ride was gone. The saddle absorbed the shock, turning the trot into a manageable rhythm.
"Post," Chen Yuan shouted. "Rise and fall with the beat! Up... down... up... down!"
Li Cheng struggled. It was a new technique. He bounced, looking stiff. But the saddle held him in the corridor of security. He didn't slide.
After two laps, Li Cheng got it. His body found the rhythm. *Up. Down. Up. Down.*
He was actually riding. Not just holding on.
"Canter!" Li Cheng shouted, emboldened.
He kicked her.
Whirlwind surged forward. It was a smooth, rolling gait. The wind whipped past Li Cheng's face.
He laughed.
It was a genuine, unguarded sound. The laughter of a young man who had just conquered a challenge.
He rode her around the corral three times, controlling her speed, turning her with the reins. He was clumsy, heavy-handed, but he was *riding* the Red Witch.
He brought her to a halt in front of Chen Yuan, his chest heaving, his face flushed.
"She's... magnificent," Li Cheng gasped. "The saddle... it works. It's like being part of the horse."
"The saddle is just leather," Chen Yuan said, taking the reins. "You rode her."
Li Cheng dismounted, his legs wobbly. He patted Whirlwind's neck. The horse didn't bite him. She nuzzled his shoulder.
"I want the saddle," Li Cheng said. "And... I want her."
"She's not for sale," Chen Yuan said.
Li Cheng frowned. "Everything is for sale."
"She is my lead mare. She teaches the other horses how to move. If I sell her, the herd suffers."
Li Cheng looked disappointed, but he didn't argue. "Then... I want to come back. To ride her. And to learn... the seat."
"You are welcome," Chen Yuan said. "Bring apples next time."
---
Li Cheng stayed for lunch.
It was a simple affair—smoked beef sandwiches on flatbread, with pickled cucumbers and weak ale. They sat on the stone steps of the new stable.
The contrast was stark: the son of the Magistrate eating peasant food with the "Rancher." But Li Cheng didn't seem to care. He devoured the sandwich.
"The beef," Li Cheng said, chewing. "My father wants it. The Magistrate's table. He's tired of the stringy pork from the official farms."
"We can supply it," Chen Yuan said. "But we have conditions."
"Conditions?" Li Cheng raised an eyebrow. "You drive a hard bargain for a farmer."
"The price is firm. No haggling. And we don't sell the prime cuts to anyone else until the Magistrate's quota is filled."
"Fair," Li Cheng nodded. "What else?"
"I need official protection. Not for me, but for the ranch. If I'm supplying the Magistrate, this land is a strategic asset. I don't want local squabbles interfering with the supply."
Li Cheng stopped chewing. He looked at Chen Yuan with a calculating gaze.
"The House of Lin," Li Cheng said. "They've been bothering you?"
"They sent men to poison the water," Chen Yuan said calmly. "And they block our trade routes. It's... inefficient."
Li Cheng's face darkened. "That's... bold of them. My father dislikes the Lin family. They are nouveau riche merchants trying to buy gentry status. They lack... breeding."
He wiped his mouth.
"I will speak to my father. If the Magistrate's seal is on your gate, the House of Lin will have to bow. Or lose their tongues."
"That's all I ask," Chen Yuan said.
He raised his cup.
"To the deal."
"To the deal," Li Cheng clinked his cup against Chen Yuan's. "And to the saddle. You will make me another one?"
"Bring me the leather," Chen Yuan said. "And a gold tael. I don't work for free."
Li Cheng laughed. "You are the most expensive peasant I've ever met."
---
As the afternoon sun began to dip, Li Cheng prepared to leave. He strapped the new saddle to his own horse (a temporary loan, until he could ride Whirlwind properly).
"Next month," Li Cheng promised. "I will bring the seal. And the gold."
"I'll have the beef ready."
Chen Yuan watched them ride away. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
The Magistrate's protection was the ultimate shield. With that, the House of Lin became toothless.
"That was a gamble," Xu Tie said, standing beside him. "Teaching him to ride. If he had fallen again..."
"He fell once," Chen Yuan smiled. "Today, he flew. People remember the flight, not the fall."
He turned to the ranch.
"Alright! Break's over! We have a contract to fill!"
The workers scrambled. The peace of the morning was replaced by the efficient chaos of the ranch.
---
That evening, Chen Yuan sat down to write to Little Ming.
*Ming,*
*The Magistrate's son visited. He rode the Red Witch. He fell in love with the saddle and the beef. We have a contract for the Magistrate's table.*
*We have official protection coming. The House of Lin will be silenced.*
*Your path is clear. Study hard. The family is strong.*
*I am enclosing a small bag of silver. Buy the books you need. Do not pinch pennies on your education. We have enough.*
*Also... tell the Magistrate's son, if you see him at the Academy, that the apples were delicious.*
*Your brother,*
*Yuan.*
He sealed the letter and handed it to Dahu.
"Send this with the morning cart."
He walked outside. The sky was a deep indigo, the first stars appearing.
He looked at the new stone stable, the dark shapes of the herd inside, safe and warm.
He looked at the empty patch of ground where the next expansion would go—the milking barn, perhaps. Or a proper workshop.
The ranch was no longer a desperate gamble. It was a business. A power.
He patted General, who was lying by the gate.
"Good boy."
General thumped his tail.
Chen Yuan went inside, ready for the next day.