Chapter 71

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In the autumn of the third year of the Jianyuan era, in the seventh month, south of Chang'an City.

A breeze blew through the melon field, causing the green melon leaves to sway, revealing the melons that were white with a hint of green. The melons were almost ripe, and the faint sweet fragrance wafted in the air, intoxicating the heart.

In the center of the melon field, outside a melon shed, Liang Xiao stood with his legs slightly apart, drew his bow, and shot the last arrow at the rectangular target eighty paces away.

The arrow left the string with a whistling sound. Before the bowstring had even stopped trembling, the arrow had already hit the bullseye.

Liang Xiao lowered his arms, adjusted his breathing, and remained calm. After a while, he handed the bow to Tuniu, who had walked out of the shed, and began to jog slowly around the melon field, relaxing his body as he ran.

Shooting five hundred arrows during the day and five hundred at night was Liang Xiao's unchanging daily routine. Relaxing after practicing archery was also a habit he never gave up.

Tuniu removed the bowstring and ran to the target to retrieve the arrows. He counted them, thought for a moment, and then shouted, "Ah Xiao, you hit seven more arrows today than yesterday, but you're still five short..." He tried to calculate, but after a long time, he still couldn't figure it out.

Liang Xiao called from a distance, "You're still five short of eighty percent."

"Oh." Tuniu laughed awkwardly and scratched his head. He put the arrows away and returned to the melon shed to tidy up. Besides practicing martial arts, he was also responsible for helping Liang Xiao maintain his bows and arrows.

Liang Xiao ran two laps around the melon field, stopped, and walked up a nearby hill. He waved his arms, loosening his body, while looking at the distant Chang'an City, his face calm but with a hint of anxiety.

He had been in Chang'an for more than half a year. In that time, he still hadn't found any leads. If it weren't for the owner of this melon field, who was also from Guangling, he wouldn't even have a place to stay. Even so, his income was insufficient, and he had to rely on the money Liu Ling had given him to get by.

His mother, Liang Miao, wanted to resume her old profession of weaving brocade to make a living, but Liang Xiao stopped her. Brocade was expensive, but the weavers didn't earn much. As a newcomer, the merchants would certainly try to drive down the price, and if he resisted, it might lead to a conflict with some powerful figure, causing unnecessary trouble.

A gentleman acts according to the situation. It was not the right time to act rashly, lest it cause more problems. The old lady Dou was still around, and even the emperor had to wait; why couldn't he wait? He had to wait, even if he didn't want to.

Liang Xiao kept his mother at home, where she did the laundry and cooking, and taught Tuniu and Li Rongqing to read. These two were basically illiterate and couldn't even write their own names. Otherwise, Li Rongqing wouldn't have been unaware that someone had changed the surname on her father's tombstone. They were the people Liang Xiao trusted the most, and being illiterate would cause many inconveniences. With plenty of free time, Liang Xiao had his mother teach them to read.

He also made time to read, or rather, listen to his mother read. Liang Miao hadn't formally studied, but she had received some basic education and read some启蒙 books like "Cang Jie Pian" and heard some poems and essays, though not systematically. However, it was enough to teach Liang Xiao.

Liang Xiao spent most of his time practicing archery. In half a year, he had increased his range to eighty paces, with an accuracy rate approaching eighty percent. For an ordinary person, his archery skills were already quite advanced. However, he didn't dare to relax at all. He knew that his archery skills were still far from being able to hit a target at a hundred paces, which was a world apart.

Whether he could reach that level depended on two things: whether he had the talent and whether he was diligent enough. Both were essential.

However, what comforted him was that after months of hard practice, the heat in his arms had reached his ears, and his hearing had significantly improved. The chirping of insects within five paces and the sound of footsteps within fifty paces were hard to escape his ears. Even someone as skilled as Li Rongqing found it difficult to get within ten paces of him without being noticed.

This showed that practicing from a young age was very important.

"Sir, Sir..." Li Rongqing waved her arms and called from a distance.

Liang Xiao turned and was surprised. Standing next to Li Rongqing was a tall man. Li Rongqing was nearly seven feet tall, which was already considered tall for a woman in the Han Dynasty, but standing next to this man, she looked like a dwarf. Liang Xiao estimated that the man was over two meters tall, at least nine feet by Han standards.

Could it be that Yao Ming had traveled through time? Liang Xiao thought to himself as he walked down the hill to the edge of the melon field.

"Who are you..."

The tall man smiled, revealing a set of neat, white teeth, looking a bit like a salesman. He casually clasped his hands and said, "I am Dongfang Shuo from Qi. I met a beautiful woman on the road and wanted to accompany her, but she said she was married. I have come to discuss the matter. Sir Liang, if you are willing to part with her, I am willing to offer a substantial amount of money. If you are worried about having no one to serve you, I have a wife who is both beautiful and talented, and I am willing to give her to you to repay your kindness."

Liang Xiao was stunned and took a while to react. This was too absurd. After finally meeting a legendary figure, he was actually here to propose a wife swap. No matter how elegantly he put it, he was still a shameless scoundrel.

Liang Xiao's face darkened, and he gave Li Rongqing a look. "Go help Mother with the cooking, don't make too much. We don't have any guests to entertain today."

Li Rongqing was confused and wanted to speak, but Liang Xiao glared at her, and she had no choice but to leave.

Dongfang Shuo, however, still smiled, not at all angry, as if he hadn't noticed the coldness in Liang Xiao's words.

"Sir Dongfang, please leave. Although Liang Xiao is poor, I have no intention of selling my wife. As for a swap, it is out of the question. Please do not mention it again to avoid any unpleasantness."

Dongfang Shuo was not offended; instead, his curiosity was piqued. "Has Sir Liang only recently acquired this beautiful woman and not yet had your fill? If so, I can wait and come back later."

"You don't need to wait." Liang Xiao said irritably. He was very frustrated. After living in Chang'an for half a year, he finally had a visitor, and it was such an eccentric person. No wonder he was known for his wit but regarded as a clown. "Once someone enters my family, they are my family, whether alive or dead. They will not belong to anyone else."

"Ah, why be so angry, Sir Liang? It is human nature to prefer the new over the old. A concubine is just an object, why be so stingy?" Dongfang Shuo took long strides, each step covering two of Liang Xiao's. "You came to Chang'an to seek a future. Although I am not talented, I serve the emperor. If you are generous, I am willing to recommend you to the emperor. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Why ruin your future over a concubine?"

Liang Xiao was furious and was about to say something harsh to drive him away when he suddenly had an idea. "That's a mistake. A concubine is also a person, born of parents. How can she be compared to an object? Status is just a temporary matter. One can be a prisoner in the morning and a minister to the emperor by night. Ashes can be rekindled, let alone a person. I would not sell my wife for an official position, no matter how wealthy and noble it might be."

Dongfang Shuo blinked and suddenly clapped his hands, laughing.

"Interesting, interesting. I heard that a young man from Wu and Chu came to Chang'an. Although his knowledge is not extensive, his insight is deep. Today, I see that he is indeed different. Come, let's discuss some matters and see if you are just a reputation."

"Wait." Liang Xiao raised his hand to stop Dongfang Shuo, who was rolling up his sleeves. "Who told you about me?"

"A guest from Huainan named Deng Guobin, who is looking for you everywhere."

The second volume begins, a new week, please recommend and collect!

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