whoosh.
The black feather arrow flew out, then hit a rock on the rockery and fell to the ground with a bang.
Along with the sound of the arrow hitting the ground, there was also a mocking hissing sound.
The shrike was leaning against the rockery, holding a peach in his hand and two apricots in his arms, looking like a naughty monkey.
"If you keep shooting like that, the arrows will be worn flat."
Xiao Nan retracted the longbow in his hand and fiddled with the new ring on his thumb with a frown. "I guess I haven't gotten used to it yet. Drawing the bow is still a little awkward. I'll definitely get it right after practicing it a few times."
Shrike looked as if he couldn't bear to watch it any longer, so he jumped down, picked up a scattered arrow on the ground, and turned to walk towards the rockery.
The rockery was very rugged and strange, with a very small hole in the middle, about an inch long, but very narrow, like a keyhole in the stone.
The Shrike grabbed the arrow and stuffed it into the hole. The arrow went in halfway and then got stuck and couldn't move.
"Look for yourself. You can't even stuff it in. How do you expect to shoot it through?" He threw away the arrow and ate the peach in his hand. "The Marquis is trying to make you give up. Why are you so stubborn?"
Xiao Nan rolled his eyes at her and said, "You weren't there when my adoptive father told me this, so how do you know what he was thinking?"
Do I still need to be there? The facts are now before my eyes!
Shrike complained inwardly, but ultimately kept silent. Xiao Nan replied, "This guy is so stubborn, it's useless for her to say anything."
Xiao Nanhui really didn't intend to pay attention to the Shrike, and went to pick up the arrows scattered on the ground.
This was an agreement between her and Xiao Zhun. No matter what others said, she never took it to heart.
When she was little, Xiao Zhun asked someone to teach her horseback archery. However, she was still small and immature, so she couldn't draw the bow to its full length. She couldn't hit targets even a hundred paces away, and she was often punished for this. One day, she saw a very beautiful bow and arrow in Xiao Zhun's room. It looked very delicate, and she wanted to practice with it, but Xiao Zhun refused.
Xiao Zhun told her that it was not a bow suitable for use in battle, and that prolonged practice would only diminish its strength, which would be more harmful than beneficial to Xiao Nanhui. Xiao Nanhui was somewhat frustrated, so Xiao Zhun took her to the rockery and said: If Xiao Nanhui could shoot an arrow through the small hole from a distance of 100 steps, he would give her the bow as a gift.
Now, ten years have passed since that agreement was made, and she still comes to the rockery in the backyard from time to time to practice, but after all these years, she still hasn't succeeded.
Xiao Nanhui put the arrows into her quiver, walked over to the small hole, and took a closer look. There were many dents on it where her arrows had hit it, and it looked densely packed.
For a moment, a voice suddenly sounded from a corner of her heart: Has Xiao Jun ever seen these efforts?
"Have you figured it out? Do you want me to make the hole bigger for you? I don't think the Marquis will be able to see it at all..."
The Shrike was halfway through his words when his mouth was blocked by a round apricot.
Xiao Nanhui clapped his hands and gave her a lazy look: "I don't believe that such a big apricot can't shut you up." Then he threw the bow and quiver in his hand to her and said, "I'm going to see Aunt Dai. Put the things back in my room."
Shrike spat out the apricot in his mouth and glared at Xiao Nanhui's back as he left: "I helped you with good intentions, but you think I'm noisy? Today I see through you! You'd better not ask me for help in the future! If you do, I will definitely not agree!"
On the other side, Xiao Nan walked out without looking back. The shrike howled twice more, and finally lay back on the stone with a pout.
The Qinghuai Marquis's residence was a large one, but most of the courtyards were empty. Some had barely been opened since people moved in, save for the periodic clearing of fallen leaves and weeds. Because it was deserted, Xiao Nanhui often preferred to climb over the walls to get from one place to another. The roads within the mansion were mostly winding, so climbing over the walls saved him a lot of time.
But if you want to visit Aunt Dai, you still have to enter through the main gate, because the wall of the side courtyard is much higher than that of other courtyards.
There was a copper lock on the door. When Xiao Nanhui knocked on the door, it was quiet inside.
After waiting for a moment, she took out the key and unlocked the door. After walking into the yard, she turned around and closed the door carefully.
A long-haired woman was sitting on a swing in the yard. Her back looked extremely graceful. Her long, raven-black hair was loosely braided into a braid that hung down to her waist, swaying gently with her body.
"Aunt Dai."
The woman seemed not to hear and continued humming the tune and swinging on the swing.
Xiao Nan took a few steps forward and called out again.
The woman finally stopped and slowly turned around. She had a face resembling Xiao Zhun's. Though marked by the years, her eyebrows were still dark and her eyes were gentle. However, a deep scar ran across her fair face, running from the left corner of her forehead to the right corner of her mouth. Her plump little lips were torn apart, stripping away their delicate appearance.
"Are you finally leaving? I've been waiting for a long time, but no one has come to call me."
Xiao Nanhui gave her an apologetic smile and soothingly gestured that she didn't need to get up: "Aunt Dai, the car we need to use for going out broke down, and the housekeeper went to fix it."
The woman couldn't help but show disappointment on her face. "How could this happen? The driver must have been lazy. How long will it take to fix it? Half a day? A day?"
"Maybe half a day, maybe a day."
"Then maybe I can leave tomorrow? Fortunately, it's not too late. Brother Huan is still waiting for me."
Although she had seen this scene countless times, Xiao Nanhui still felt a pang of sadness. She spoke as gently as possible, as if coaxing a child who refused to fall asleep: "Huan'er has grown up and become sensible. He will definitely not cry or make a fuss."
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