Yingtai Draws the Bow, Shanbo Conceals His Edge

At noon that day.

Liang Shanbo, carrying a bow and arrow quiver on his back and a quiver of arrows at his waist, pushed open the door of the schoolhouse.

Zhu Yingtai was sitting on a wooden couch in the inner room, holding a copy of "Records of the Grand Historian" that Liang Shanbo had borrowed from the library, and reading it carefully.

She heard the door open, looked up, and her gaze fell on Liang Shanbo's bow and arrow quiver.

Silver Heart walked from the outer room to the inner room and stopped to observe.

Liang Shanbo untied his bow case and placed his quiver at the foot of the couch. Then he sat on his wooden couch, looked at Zhu Yingtai, and smiled, saying, "My dear brother."

Zhu Yingtai asked, "Brother Liang, where did you get this bow and arrow?"

Liang Shanbo then recounted in detail how Mr. Meng had gifted him the bow at Songzha today.

Zhu Yingtai listened quietly, then looked at the bow and arrow, and said with a hint of admiration, "Mr. Meng has truly treated you well."

Liang Shanbo smiled slightly and asked, "Brother, now that I have my own bow and arrows, would you like to learn archery with me?"

Zhu Yingtai was taken aback, thinking to herself, "But I am a woman!"

However, she thought that learning archery was an interesting thing, and besides, Brother Liang had just received a bow and arrow from Mr. Meng today, and invited her to learn archery together, so she should not let down this kindness.

She hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "I am naturally happy that Brother Liang is willing to teach me. However, I have a favor to ask."

Liang Shanbo said, "Please speak, my worthy brother."

Zhu Yingtai's eyes flickered as she carefully chose her words: "I don't want to practice archery in that field outside the back gate of the academy. Could we find a quiet place in the pine forest behind the mountain? It's my first time practicing archery, and I'm afraid I'll be laughed at if I practice in that field."

Seeing that Liang Shanbo's expression remained unchanged, she added, "Brother Liang, as you know, I've always been afraid of being ridiculed."

Liang Shanbo chuckled to himself.

He knew that practicing in the open field would attract some onlookers, and Zhu Yingtai was afraid of accidentally revealing her true gender. There was no such danger in the pine forest behind the mountain. As for accidentally revealing herself in front of his brother Liang, well, he was a "fool" and wouldn't notice.

He laughed and said, "Alright. There's no time like the present. How about I go with you to the back mountain this afternoon?"

Zhu Yingtai's eyes lit up, and she stood up: "Excellent! Let's go then!"

Yin Xin listened from the side and became interested as well.

The three of them left the schoolhouse, passed through the back gate of the school, crossed the fields, and stepped onto the path leading into the mountains.

Zhu Yingtai followed Liang Shanbo, in a cheerful mood, her steps light and brisk.

Yin Xin followed behind the two, watching their backs. One carried a bow pouch on his back, and the other had his hair tied up with a bamboo hairpin. Suddenly, the thought came to mind again: These two people look really good together!

After walking for a while, Liang Shanbo stopped at a certain place.

The pine forest here is relatively sparse, with a clearing in the middle covered with a thick layer of pine needles. At the end of the clearing is a slope, on which several old pines grow densely, which can serve as a natural barrier to block the flight of arrows.

Liang Shanbo looked around and nodded: "This will do."

He took off his bow case, held the mulberry bow in his hand, and took out an arrow, nocking it on the string.

Zhu Yingtai stood beside him, while Yin Xin stood behind them, both watching with curiosity.

Liang Shanbo pulled back the bowstring and tested it. Sure enough, it was much smoother than the one in the storeroom. When the bow arm was taut, it made a soft creaking sound, which was steady and solid.

He said to Zhu Yingtai, "My dear brother, in archery, posture is paramount. If your posture is incorrect, the arrow will miss..."

He stood with his feet apart, sideways, holding a bow in his left hand and stringing it with his right, explaining to Zhu Yingtai the essential techniques that Wang Shu had taught him.

Zhu Yingtai followed his example and did everything he said.

Liang Shanbo then handed the mulberry bow to Zhu Yingtai, saying, "Practice your posture first, don't rush to shoot."

Zhu Yingtai took the bow; it was rather heavy, heavier than she had imagined. She gripped the handle with her left hand and the bowstring with her right, and, imitating Liang Shanbo's earlier gesture, raised the bow.

Liang Shanbo walked behind her, looked at her posture with the bow raised, and raised his hand to lower her left elbow a little: "Your left arm should not be too high. If it is, the arrow will easily rise and go astray when you release it."

Zhu Yingtai adjusted her posture as instructed, slowly exerting force to pull the bowstring back. Halfway through, her right arm began to tremble slightly, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

This bow, though small in appearance, was difficult for her to pull.

Seeing her struggling, Liang Shanbo said, "Brother, this is your first time drawing a bow, so don't rush it. First, practice controlling the bowstring. Pull the bowstring back a little, hold it steady for a moment, and then slowly release it. Repeat this until your arm strength is sufficient, then practice releasing the arrow."

Zhu Yingtai nodded and slowly released the bowstring as instructed.

She let out a long breath, rested for a moment, then raised her bow again and drew it once more. This time, she drew it a little further than before.

She turned to look at Liang Shanbo, a hint of excitement in her eyes: "Brother Liang, I pulled it a little further this time!"

Liang Shanbo smiled and nodded: "Yes. My dear brother's bow-drawing posture is very correct. With a few more practice sessions, and as your arm strength increases, you will be able to draw the bow to its full extent."

Zhu Yingtai's interest grew stronger, and sure enough, she practiced three more times before she could draw the bowstring taut.

However, when she drew her bow and shot an arrow, she fired a whole quiver of arrows, but none of them hit the mark.

Undeterred, she looked at Liang Shanbo, a smile blooming on her flushed face: "Brother Liang, archery is indeed fascinating!"

Liang Shanbo laughed and said, "It's my first time practicing archery, my dear brother, so it's not good to overexert yourself. Let's stop here for today and come back to practice again another day. I'm sure you'll be able to hit the target then."

Zhu Yingtai wiped the sweat from her face, still somewhat reluctant to leave, but indeed tired. She nodded, "Okay. We'll come again another day."

Immediately, the three of them packed up their bows and arrows and slowly walked back.

As Zhu Yingtai walked, she rubbed her right arm, but her mood was quite light.

She glanced at the bow and arrow sack on Liang Shanbo's back, then suddenly remembered something and said, "Brother Liang, I have a day off tomorrow, so I'll go to the county town to buy a bow and arrow."

Liang Shanbo said, "Brother, there's no need to buy it. My bow is your bow; my arrows are your arrows. You can practice shooting with my bow and arrows."

Zhu Yingtai was taken aback, and couldn't help but ponder his words: "My bow is your bow; my arrow is your arrow."

Her face flushed slightly, and she nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to Brother Liang."

She lowered her head again, pretending to look at the road.

Actually, Liang Shanbo had something else he didn't say.

Three months later, in September, as is customary, Wansong Academy will hold an autumn archery competition. The winner will be rewarded with a bow and arrow.

Although he only recently started learning archery, he is still looking forward to winning the championship.

If he truly won first place, he would politely decline the award when Mr. Meng presented it, citing that he already had one from his teacher. However, he believed that given Mr. Meng's character, he might not retract his decision. If that happened, he could then give the prize to Zhu Yingtai.

Doesn't the fact that he gave her his bow and arrows carry a special meaning?

If he fails to win the championship, or if he politely declines the offer, Mr. Meng will rescind his decision. Zhu Yingtai can then buy her own bow and arrows.

He kept his ambition to win hidden in his heart.

He turned to look at Zhu Yingtai, just as Zhu Yingtai was turning to look at him.

The two looked into each other's eyes and smiled.

The wind rustled through the pine forest, creating wave after wave of sound.

Their life at the academy was filled with wonderful moments, one after another.