Chapter 5: Non-mainstream Education

When he shot the three hundred and twenty-first arrow, the window of the east wing was pushed open, revealing the bleary-eyed face of the prisoner.

"First, I do not seek wealth; second, I do not harm lives." Liang Xiao glanced at the prisoner, either intentionally or unintentionally, and smiled silently. "Lord Huan need not worry about this at all"

Liang Xiao, lost in thought, stared at the weaving shuttle in his mother's hand, hoping to perceive its movement as clearly as Ji Chang did. The prisoner Huan Jun stated that to master first-rate archery, one must first possess a pair of good eyes. Without talent, no matter how much one practices, it is impossible to become a true master archer.

Mother, then tell me, how can I achieve merit and be granted a title? With so many people on the battlefield, how many can truly accomplish something? Most of them end up as cannon fodder

Among these two conditions, the first one presents an opportunity for resolution; perhaps a stroke of good fortune could resolve it. The latter, however, is quite troublesome, essentially leaving a lifelong mark that cannot be easily shaken off

Liang Xiao felt somewhat awkward, sitting stiffly in front of the loom, his eyes fixed on the flying shuttle in his mother's hands, motionless. Having relied on each other for so many years, he understood his mother's character. She appeared gentle on the outside, yet was strong-willed on the inside; matters she was unwilling to discuss could not be pried out of her.

Seeing the expression of his mother, Liang Miao, Liang Xiao felt a bit worried. Could it be that my father is a burden? If that is the case, then it is better not to have him. I have not benefited from him, nor do I want to be implicated by him, anyway, we are not very familiar with each other.

The mother and son happily had their fill. Liang Miao cleaned up the pots and bowls, then prepared to weave brocade. Liang Xiao followed her. Liang Miao found it strange. "Xiao'er, why aren't you going to rest?"

... ...

"Cannon fodder?" Liang Miao shot a glance at Liang Xiao. "Where did you learn this new term from?"

He cast a disdainful glance at Liang Xiao and said, "If you want to become a true shooter, it's best to stop practicing for now; your method is more harmful than beneficial"

According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, the basic requirement for entering the officialdom is to be from a reputable family. To be considered a reputable family member, there are two conditions: first, the family wealth must be above the middle class, meaning that children from poor families do not qualify as reputable family members. Second, the family background must be untainted, with direct ancestors not belonging to the lower social classes and having no criminal record

There is no way around it; this is an era where connections matter. If one has a good father, they would not have to work so hard and could easily become a second-generation official.

Hehe, if you want to avoid death, you must have some skills. Mother, what skills do you think I possess

However, this only made him more curious. The previous Liang Xiao was solely focused on playing and had never cared about these issues, even going so far as to deliberately avoid mentioning them. He was different; he was very curious about this matter.

"Pah!" Liang Miao spat heavily on the ground and scolded, "What a petty trick this is, what nonsense are you talking about? Who curses themselves to death?"

However, Liang Xiao soon realized that the reason why the sharpshooter was impressive was primarily due to their rarity. After staring at the loom for a while, he felt a burning sensation in his eyes and tears streamed down his face. Liang Miao, seeing this, mistakenly thought he was missing his biological father and thus felt sad, which made her eyes turn red as well. Yet, she still refused to speak, only causing the loom to clatter loudly.

Liang Xiao secretly observed his mother and tentatively said: "Mother, what do you think I should do to attain the rank of a marquis and become a general"

This goes without saying; just look at your arms and you will know. You are naturally gifted in archery, and achieving merit in the future will be no small feat.

Liang Xiaohan felt embarrassed, hearing this implied that "I" was fully aware of the things "I" had done in the past. "This... does Mother know about it all?"

"Practicing eyesight with a loom?" Liang Miao expressed skepticism. "What does this have to do with the ancients?"

Liang Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said: "No, Mother, I want to practice my eyesight. To become a master archer, one must first have good vision. I want to learn from the ancients and use your loom to train my eyesight."

"A little mischief is not a big deal at all," Liang Miao said casually while organizing the loom. "Your mother doesn't expect you to be a hardworking farmer. Being too honest is not good; it makes you an easy target for bullying. In the future, when you join the army, fighting and getting injured will be inevitable. Right now, getting into fights and stealing from tombs is also a way to train your courage."

Liang Xiao quickly put down the crossbow, picked up the water that had been prepared earlier, and walked briskly into the east wing, smiling as he said: "Has Lord Huan awakened? Please wash up, my mother has prepared breakfast for you, and we did not dare to eat it first, waiting for you to rise high."

Liang Xiao was taken aback, his heart skipped a beat. "How old is your son?"

"Why is the young man so arrogant at first and then so humble later?" The prisoner lay lazily on the bed, picking at his eye boogers and yawning.

Liang Miao glanced at him and chuckled softly. "Have you finally had your fill of these little tricks and remembered the serious matters?"

The prisoner paused for a moment and couldn't help but laugh. "So, with such eagerness, what are you plotting or scheming? Are you perhaps trying to conspire against my archery skills?"

The prisoner's eyes narrowed slightly, and after a moment, he chuckled softly: "Who says I have no disciples? I have a son, but he has been lost for many years, and I do not know whether he is alive or dead. If you can help me find his whereabouts, I might be able to teach you something of true value."

Liang Xiao smiled. Not even knowing this, it seems that I am not someone who has traveled through time

Liang Xiao chuckled softly. "What I mean to say is, if I do not possess exceptional skills, I fear I might perish before achieving any merit..."

Liang Xiao shook his head. "I am but a humble person, wishing to make amends for Lord Huan's regret."

Liang Xiao let out a quiet sigh of relief

When I was convicted, he was seven years old, and he should be... twenty-three now

Liang Xiao was taken aback, wondering what kind of family education this was, absolutely non-mainstream. Could she really have traveled through time?

You are the flesh that fell from my belly, I raised you with great care, how could I not know what you have done

Do not practice anymore, it is a waste of effort and disturbs the peaceful dreams of others

Liang Xiao felt a stir in his heart. "Mother, who is my father, and why have I never heard you mention him? You are so certain that I have a talent for archery; is it because he has a pair of arms like this and is skilled at archery?"

The next day, Liang Xiao got up early and finished his morning routine. Unlike usual, he did not go out to play aimlessly. Instead, he first picked up a broom and swept the yard until it was spotless. Then, he brought out a wooden basin, filled it with water for washing, and placed it under the corridor. Only then did he earnestly begin practicing archery in the yard

Then... why don't you say anything about me? Liang Xiao was somewhat anxious. What kind of mother is this, watching her son act recklessly without intervening? It's not like Mencius's mother who moved three times, nor like Yue Fei's mother who tattooed words on his back; at the very least, you should teach me to walk the right path

Lord Huan possessed exceptional archery skills, yet his talents were wasted and unrecognized throughout his life, leaving him without a single disciple. Is this not a great pity

Liang Miao's expression darkened, and without saying a word, she sat in front of the loom and busied herself.

However, if father is not a good father, that would be quite troublesome

Liang Miao noticed her son in a daze and said, "Is there anything else? If not, hurry up and go to sleep. It is the time for growth, and you must not stay up late"

With a clear direction, Liang Xiao suddenly felt that the future was bright and he was genuinely excited for quite a while before he managed to calm down. He cleaned the fish, skewered it on a willow branch, and brought it back. Liang Miao had already boiled a pot of water and tossed the fish into the pot. Before long, a fragrant fish soup was ready.

Oh?