Harano turned into a "tin man," his courage started growing, and he slept even more soundly, waking up refreshed and in an even better mood the next day. So, he went to see his newly bought steed—a little tri-color mare.
This "tri-color" isn't like the tri-color pattern on cats, but rather a fashionable Tang-era way of braiding a horse's mane into fluffy curls. It's like in Li Bai's poem, "Five-flower horse, garments worth a thousand gold coins." Japan picked up this custom and did the same with their horses as a way to boost the horse's price, kind of like waxing a car nowadays.
The tri-color little mare Harano just bought had her mane braided into three fluffy curls, rolling down her neck like ocean waves. The horse's coat was a deep brown-black, with a big patch of white on her face, big eyes, and long eyelashes. She was also very gentle, now stretching out her tongue to snatch hay from Ah Qing's hand, only snorting occasionally.
But…
