Chapter 43 Night Training
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
He Yan was sitting with Shitou and Xiao Mai.
Hong Shan had a worried expression, and it seemed like tears were about to fall from his face as he looked at He Yan. He said, “Ah He, if you can’t even draw the bow now, what will you do in the future? Should we talk to Instructor Liang and suggest that you become a support soldier? Although it doesn’t sound glorious, it’s safer, right, Xiao Mai?” He elbowed Xiao Mai, signaling him to add his thoughts.
Xiao Mai stammered in agreement, “Yes, Brother Ah He, even if you become a cook, we’ll still visit you often.”
He Yan smiled but didn’t say anything.
Seeing this, Hong Shan became genuinely anxious. After spending these days with He Yan, he had developed an extraordinary affinity for the young boy. Compared to his own younger brother, who was pampered and sometimes hard to deal with, He Yan was much more sensible. He was exactly the kind of brother Hong Shan had always wished for, and unconsciously, he had come to treat He Yan like a real brother.
However, if He Yan couldn’t even draw the bow, then going to the battlefield in the future would be like going to one’s death. How could Hong Shan just watch his brother jump into the fire pit?
“Brother Shan, don’t worry about me. I will be able to draw the bow tomorrow,” He Yan reassured.
“Do you think you’re a magical wordsmith, saying something will make it come true?” Hong Shan said in frustration. “Why can’t this child understand?”
Shitou, who had been silent all this time, asked after a moment of thought, “Do you have any tips or tricks?”
“I don’t have any tricks,” He Yan thought for a moment. “I’ve always had poor aptitude. There are many things I can’t do. But there’s no choice; I can only try more times. Later, I found that as long as I try more, I can succeed.” As she finished speaking, He Yan sighed.
People all believe that General Fengyun is a born military genius, but in reality, it’s not so miraculous. Moreover, because she is a woman, her physical strength is naturally weaker than that of men, which means she has poor aptitude. It took her many years to transform herself into the invincible general on the battlefield. But after being reborn, she was given such a weak body again.
Is this what they call “Heaven’s will falls on the capable, who must work hard first*”? She didn’t expect to be exceptionally outstanding, but it would be better if she could be reincarnated as a robust man like Wang Ba.”
* a Chinese idiom that means great achievements come from hard work and dedication
Things would be much easier then!
He Yan kept thinking about this matter until late at night.
The new recruits were exhausted from a day’s training, so they naturally slept soundly at night. The snores echoed one after another. He Yan estimated the time, and when everything was quiet, she quietly got up from the bed.
Xiao Mai turned over and murmured something, but He Yan didn’t wake him. She moved gently and left the room.
Once outside, she headed straight to the martial arts training ground. The night training ground was empty, with the night wind blowing through the mountains. The flags fluttered in the wind, creating a melodious sound. Under the moonlight, the forest undulated like a green tide, spreading out a sea of moonlight.
The borderlands were mostly harsh and cold places, and the Liangzhou garrison were already considered a good place. She hadn’t seen such scenery during her time leading troops, mostly encountering desolate landscapes. For a moment, her steps slowed down, as if reluctant to disturb the peaceful night.
During the day, most of the bows and crossbows had been put away, leaving only one or two that were not easy to move. The grass targets were knocked down and not yet set up. Tomorrow morning, after the morning run, the new recruits would tidy up the area. He Yan walked to the row of grass targets, searching for a while in the darkness until she found an arrow that had fallen nearby. She held the arrow and walked back to the crossbow.
Things that others could easily accomplish would take her more time. However, she couldn’t avoid doing it; if she didn’t try, she would be stuck like this her whole life.
She tried to draw the bow again. The bow was heavy, and she could only pull it slightly. If one looked closely, it was barely noticeable.
He Yan put down the bow and rubbed her wrist.
After a while, she tried again. This time, it was just like before, only slightly pulled.
She tried five or six times, and finally, there was some improvement. This time, the bow was drawn slightly better than before, at least showing some movement.
He Yan let out a sigh of relief.
During the daytime, when she talked to Instructor Liang, He Yan didn’t really have much confidence in herself. In fact, it was because Miss He had never carried anything heavy in the past ten years. When she first arrived at the He family, she had even injured her hand while chopping firewood. Drawing a bow was quite challenging for Miss He. But the situation at that time forced her to say so. If she couldn’t draw the bow tomorrow, that would be another matter; she could just make excuses in front of the instructor and try again another time.
In this world, trying hard always brings results, even if it’s not as remarkable as those with natural talent. She had no talent, and the only thing she had was this effort. But in this world, there were things one could work hard for their whole life and still not obtain, and that was people’s hearts.
She sacrificed and dedicated herself to the He family, and she gave all her love to Xu Zhiheng, but her efforts were in vain.
He Yan’s eyes drooped as she held the bow and shot the arrow. This arrow seemed to vent all her sorrows, making a whistling sound in the night, heading towards the hidden grass target.
The arrow didn’t hit the target; halfway through, it fell down weakly. Her strength was still too weak; although she could barely draw the bow and shoot the arrow, it was only to this extent.
Not every moment of pain can be fully vented.
He Yan smiled, stood up, and went to pick up the arrow. As she walked towards the arrow, she suddenly sensed something and looked up. About ten steps away from her, there were a pair of brocade boots with golden patterns, shining with a magnificent color in the moonlight.
Someone was here? She had been so focused on practicing archery that she hadn’t noticed. He Yan straightened up and took a few steps forward, revealing the person standing in the night.
Surprisingly, it was Xiao Jue.
The martial arts training ground was so vast, illuminated only by moonlight. He was standing behind the grass target, dressed in a dark black robe, blending into the night and being mistaken by He Yan for a target.
The handsome young man looked at her calmly, without any intention of explaining. He Yan felt a little embarrassed for no reason. She collected herself, cleared her throat, and decided to take the initiative, asking, “You, what are you doing here?”
“Watching you practice archery.”
Though his tone was cold, He Yan could still sense a faint hint of sarcasm.
“What’s wrong with me practicing archery? What do you think after watching?” He Yan asked.
The beautiful young man lowered his eyes slightly, his long eyelashes trembled gently in the moonlight like butterfly wings, giving a tender feeling. However, his tone was cold, tinged with a hint of mockery.
“I’m surprised that someone can work so hard and yet be so weak.”
He Yan was stunned.
For a moment, time seemed to overlap, and the wind sound slowly faded away. The night sky was filled with stars, and the figure of the young man gradually blurred, turning into the silhouette of a boy.
Whose voice was ringing in her ears, carrying a familiar tone of mockery?
“I didn’t expect someone to work so hard and still be a weakling.”
－－－－－－Side-Note－－－－－－
Yan Yan: Other kids have finished school, but d*mn, I’m still studying
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
