Yingtai was so moved she almost cried.

Zhu Yingtai did not go to the library to study after breakfast today, but waited for Liang Shanbo in the schoolhouse.

She was sitting in the inner room reading when she heard a knock at the door. She quickly stood up and saw Liang Shanbo walk in.

"Brother Liang," she called out, her gaze sweeping over Liang Shanbo's face, "Has Master Meng accepted you as his disciple?"

Liang Shanbo smiled and nodded: "I'll take it."

Zhu Yingtai's eyes lit up immediately, and she exclaimed joyfully, "That's wonderful! Congratulations, Brother Liang!"

She bowed respectfully with her hands clasped in front of her.

Yin Xin chimed in from the side, "Congratulations, Young Master Liang!"

Liang Shanbo returned the greeting with clasped hands, saying, "Thank you, my virtuous brother. Thank you, Sijiu."

Zhu Yingtai sat down again, leaned forward, and looked at Liang Shanbo with eager eyes: "Brother Liang, please tell me in detail."

Liang Shanbo explained the situation in detail.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yingtai's face suddenly showed a hint of melancholy: "Brother Liang, you have such a good opportunity, but I haven't." She felt no jealousy or resentment, only a faint sadness.

Liang Shanbo laughed and said, "Brother, don't be in a hurry. Today I have already asked my teacher if we can study together what he taught me."

Zhu Yingtai's eyes widened, and she hurriedly asked, "What did the master say?"

Liang Shanbo said, "The master said this is a good thing. The process of studying with you is also a process of reviewing for myself. By explaining what I have learned to you, I will gain a deeper understanding of it. Therefore, I will study with you what Master Meng teaches me in the future."

Zhu Yingtai stared at him blankly.

Today, he had just become Ms. Meng's disciple, performing the apprenticeship ceremony in Songzha and receiving his first introductory lesson. This was such an important day in his life. And on this very day, he actually took the initiative to ask Ms. Meng if he could share his knowledge with her.

This undoubtedly shows that he cares about her a lot.

Zhu Yingtai steadied herself and said in as calm a voice as possible, "Thank you, Brother Liang."

Just four words, but those four words contained all the gratitude, emotion, warmth, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Liang Shanbo smiled and shook his head: "You and I are sworn brothers, there's no need for thanks."

Zhu Yingtai was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Well, Brother Liang is right."

Zhu Yingtai was silent for a while, then suddenly sighed softly: "Brother Liang, from now on, you will have to go to Songzha to listen to Mr. Meng's lectures after breakfast every day, and you will no longer be able to go to the library with me to study."

For the past two months, every morning after breakfast, we would go to the library together and read quietly by the window upstairs for an hour, occasionally exchanging a few words. From now on, when I go to the library alone and sit by the window without you beside me, I fear I will feel lonely.

Liang Shanbo saw the longing and reluctance in her eyes, and heard the preciousness she held for the past in her words.

He smiled and said, "As you know, my dear brother, disciples have a privilege: they can borrow books from the library to read. From now on, after breakfast, you don't need to go to the library alone. Whatever book you want to read, I will borrow it and bring it to you. You can read it in the study."

Moreover, I listen to the teacher's lectures in Songzha for no more than half an hour each day. After returning from Songzha, I can still accompany you to the library to read for half an hour at noon.

Zhu Yingtai stared at him blankly again.

She originally thought that after Brother Liang became Mr. Meng's disciple, the days when she and he would read together in the library at noon would come to an end, becoming only memories to reminisce about.

But Brother Liang, he has thought everything through.

A surge of warmth welled up in Zhu Yingtai's heart. She looked deeply at Liang Shanbo, her eyes filled with gratitude, emotion, and a hint of attachment that she herself might not even be aware of: "Brother Liang, you...you treat me so well."

Liang Shanbo laughed and said, "My good brother treats me very well."

The two smiled at each other.

Silverheart, standing to the side, witnessed the entire event from beginning to end.

Looking at her young lady, who was so moved she was almost in tears, and then at Liang Shanbo's matter-of-fact expression, she sighed inwardly.

This young man and woman, one believing the other to be a brother, the other believing the other to be a fool. Yet, the feelings between them seem to transcend the word "brother"!

……

……

Archery is one of the Six Arts.

The six skills of rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics were essential courses for scholars in ancient times.

Etiquette is used to cultivate oneself, music is used to nourish the mind, archery is used to observe virtue, charioteering is used to travel far, writing is used to record events, and mathematics is used to manage finances.

Each of the six arts has its own purpose, and none can be omitted.

Although during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, aristocratic families valued philosophical discussions, regarded metaphysics as the highest virtue, and considered literary talent as an honor, and scholar-officials preferred to talk about metaphysics while waving dusters rather than riding horses and shooting arrows, the tradition of "archery skills" was not completely lost.

Although Meng Wenlang was a scholar, he did not belittle martial arts, believing that archery was not only a skill but also a way to cultivate one's character. Therefore, although there were no formal archery courses at Wansong Academy, students were not prohibited from practicing archery.

In the fields outside the back gate of the academy, students often practiced archery.

Xiao Hu was the most diligent among them. He was fond of martial arts, and besides wrestling, archery was also one of his specialties. He often carried his bow and arrows to the fields and would shoot for half an hour. His bow was a mulberry wood bow with extremely strong draw weight, which ordinary people could not draw fully.

Wang Shu and Gu Jun each possessed a bow and arrows.

Wang Shu's bow was a composite bow made of bamboo and wood, with the bowstring wrapped in kudzu and the bow tip inlaid with bone, showing exquisite craftsmanship. When he shot an arrow, his posture was upright, and every movement—drawing the bow, aiming, and releasing the arrow—was meticulous.

Gu Jun's bow was lighter and didn't draw much force. His posture while shooting arrows was calm and elegant, as if he were not shooting arrows, but holding a whisk and having a leisurely chat.

All three came from prominent families, and the bows and arrows were their own.

Liang Shanbo did not have his own bow and arrows.

He was a poor boy from a poor family with no savings. It was already a stroke of luck that he could study at Wansong Academy. Where would he get the money to buy a bow and arrows? A bow, along with arrows, a quiver, and a bow case, was beyond his means.

However, things are different now.

Meng Wenlang's disciples could borrow books from the library and also bows and arrows from the school's storeroom. Although they didn't have any fine bows and arrows, they were still usable tools.

That evening, Liang Shanbo, Wang Shu, and Gu Jun practiced archery together in the fields outside the back gate of the academy.

Zhu Yingtai and Yin Xin watched curiously from the sidelines.

The bow that Liang Shanbo borrowed from the school's storeroom was an ordinary oak bow. The bow was rough and unadorned, with no horn plates inlaid at the bow tip, only reinforced by hemp thread. The bowstring was made of twisted hemp rope, which was now slightly loose, and when fully drawn, one could hear the rough sound of the rope stretching.

The quiver contained twelve bamboo arrows, the iron arrowheads rusted in several places, the fletchings damaged, and the silk threads loose. The bow case was made of coarse linen, simple in design, with an old hemp rope tied at the opening.

Wang Shu said to Liang Shanbo, "Junior brother, you have never learned archery before, so let's start learning from scratch today."

In his previous life, Liang Shanbo had never learned archery, though he was skilled at shooting; he had tried it a few times at the shooting range during company team-building activities, shooting with an air rifle. In this life, he had never even touched a bow and arrow.

Liang Shanbo glanced at Zhu Yingtai beside him, thinking to himself, "I'm afraid I'm going to lose face in front of her today!"