Chapter 75 The Academy Opens Mother, I want the whole village to be crowned with...
When Ayan led the pony away from the mountains for the second time, her feelings were quite different from the last time.
The last time I came out of the mountains, all I could see was snow. Now, when I look around, the vegetation is lush and everything is reviving.
When she left the village, her mother and two younger sisters stood at the door, giving her earnest advice and repeatedly tidying up her outer garment.
The elders of the clan, knowing she was leaving, all rushed over and said, "Eat on time, dress properly..."
"Be careful when you're out there, don't get scammed..."
With her backpack on, Ayan listened to these warm words of advice, and her sorrow at parting was diluted by her heart full of anticipation.
Having lived in these mountains for sixteen years, she had never truly left. Only after a fleeting glimpse of the world outside the mountains last time did she realize how vast the world was.
"Alright, alright, I really have to go now." Ayan turned and waved goodbye to everyone, smiling broadly. "Just wait for me to come back and tell you all the latest news!"
Birds chirped merrily on the branches, and the once-frozen stream thawed, gurgling softly behind her.
She led the pony slowly down the mountain. At the foot of the mountain, wild grass grew, almost up to her height.
Ayan stopped and took one last look at the mountains behind her.
The mountains stand silently, yet they are the place that gave her birth and nurtured her.
An impulse surged within her, and she cupped her hands to her mouth, shouting towards the mountains, "Wait for me to come home—"
Before long, echoes reverberated from the mountains.
It was as if the mountains were answering her call.
Ayan opened her arms and was embraced by the roar of the mountains for the last time.
She mounted her horse, found the dirt road she had taken earlier, and rode off into the distance.
Last time, she was in a hurry and didn't have time to appreciate the scenery along the way. This time, the closer she got to Luxi Village, the more she realized how unexpectedly prosperous the village was.
The village was much larger than their hamlet, surrounded by fertile fields. The land, which had just been sown in spring, was already sprouting new seedlings, bursting with vitality from the soil.
The houses in the village are neat and beautiful. Many families have hung plaques with the words "Chen Mansion" or "Li Mansion" on their door lintels. The calligraphy is elegant and graceful, and looks like it was written by the same person.
As Ayan walked and looked around, she continued along the main road and unknowingly stopped in front of the most magnificent building.
The words "Luxi Academy" hung above the door, and the font was similar to the plaques hanging on the doors of other houses. She pondered for a moment and figured this must be her destination.
When Ayan reined in her horse and stopped, she hesitated.
Everything down the mountain was so unfamiliar to her. Standing in front of the academy, she didn't know how to take the first step.
"Ayan!" Wen Qingshi came out from inside carrying a stack of books, greeting her with a smile, "I've finally waited for you!"
Upon seeing familiar faces, Ayan unconsciously relaxed considerably. She took the lead of her horse and complained about her sweet troubles: "My mother and the others kept me here for half a day, insisting on giving me many instructions, so I'm a little late."
Wen Qingshi turned his head and smiled: "It's a blessing to have someone who cares about you."
Her gaze swept over Ayan.
"Your Mandarin has improved a lot."
A little bit of pride welled up in Ayan's heart.
In order not to embarrass herself at the academy, she practiced Mandarin diligently for a month, reciting it to the valley every day.
She feigned modesty and said, "I'm still far from it!"
“I was worried that it would take you a while to adapt to the academy, but it seems I was overthinking it.” Wen Qingshi patted her shoulder. “Come on, let me show you around.”
Wen Qingshi first led her to the academy's stables to settle her mount, and then showed her the location of the school buildings.
The academy assigned Ayan a place right next to Danzhu's, which was the quietest.
After she put down her luggage, Wen Qingshi handed her the key: "I'll take you to see the classroom. We'll be having classes there from now on."
"After class, you can go back to the dormitory to rest, or go to the cafeteria to eat, or go to the training ground to stretch your muscles."
Ayan nodded and took half of the books from Wen Qingshi's arms: "I'll help you carry some."
On her way to the classroom, Ayan was lost in thought.
Her mother sent her here to study, but as she grew up, it seemed that there was nothing she particularly wanted to do besides protecting the village and her people.
She wasn't enthusiastic about astronomy, geography, literature, history, or philosophy, and didn't know what to study.
"Qingshi, what do you usually study?" she couldn't help but ask.
Wen Qingshi paused slightly: "Me?"
She smiled faintly; "Over the years, I haven't been particularly obsessed with learning any particular thing. It's just that I insist on learning what they forbid women from learning."
"I want to prove with my own eyes that what they believe women cannot learn is not only what I can learn, but I can learn it a thousand times better than them."
"Learning doesn't necessarily have to stem from a love of it. As long as you have something you absolutely must do, you'll naturally have the motivation to keep going."
Ayan suddenly understood.
She came to the academy differently from the men who sought fame and fortune, and also quite different from the other girls there.
Some of them chose to study in order to fulfill their dreams, while others did so to prove themselves and not disappoint their families.
And she was doing it for the future of the entire village.
She is the future clan leader of the village, and every choice she makes will determine the future direction of the entire clan.
Now that she is willing to leave the mountains and study in Luxi Village, more people in her clan will follow in her footsteps, leave the village, learn new knowledge, and live a better life.
If one day the mountains become unsuitable for survival, they will not be cut off from their livelihood.
Mother must have thought the same way.
She couldn't leave because she was burdened with the responsibility of the entire tribe, but Ayan could.
Li Shan is like a bow, and A Yan is the arrow in her hand. The daughter takes flight with her mother's momentum and will be able to go to farther and farther places in the future.
Before they knew it, the two had reached the classroom door.
Looking inside, Ayan saw that the room was packed with young, bright-faced girls, all around her age.
Wen Qingshi, the teaching assistant, went in first and stood on the podium to introduce everyone: "This is Miss Ayan, our new classmate. Please take good care of her in the future."
The girls were very supportive.
Wow, new classmate! Welcome!
"We have empty seats here, you can come and sit here!"
"Your clothes are really unique, where did you get them?"
The classroom suddenly became lively.
Wen Qingshi returned to her side and asked softly, "Do you want to go on stage and write your name?"
Ayan looked at the white chalk on the podium and remembered the charcoal pencils her mother used when teaching her to write.
Her mother had taught her to write her name on a stone slab countless times. Although her knowledge was still limited, writing her name was not difficult for her.
She nodded, went up to the stage, picked up a pen, and wrote two neat characters:
Du Jiaoshou "Li Yan".
I heard that people at the foot of the mountain all have their own surnames, but the people in the mountains have different customs and have always addressed each other by their given names.
Li Shan is an exception.
Her original name was the single character "Shan". Her birth mother was a woman from the city surnamed Li. She met and fell in love with the old clan chief by chance. After giving birth to her in the mountains, she traveled far away, leaving only a book saying that she yearned for freedom and did not want to be a bird or beast confined to the mountains and forests.
After the old clan chief remarried, he had a son named A-Lian, who was his half-brother. A-Lian often mocked Li-Shan for not being of pure blood and for not being able to manage the village.
Li Shan insisted on taking her mother's surname, hoping that one day if mother and daughter could reunite, her mother would still recognize her as her daughter.
Ayan thought that she also wanted to take the surname Li, so that this bloodline could be passed down honorably.
Sure enough, someone asked curiously, "Where does Miss Li Yan come from?"
Ayan turned around and smiled, "I come from the Li village on the other side of the mountain. My people have lived in the mountains for generations, and I am the first to come out..."
Mother, I want the entire village to be named after you.
----
With Li Yan joining the class, the new semester at Luxi Academy officially began.
This semester, the curriculum at Luxi Academy is much richer than before, even including the Six Arts of a Gentleman.
The girls were all very excited about these subjects that were usually only for boys.
Someone covered their mouth and whispered, "I've always dreamed of drawing a bow..."
Someone looked excitedly at the stables on the other side: "I want to learn to ride a horse!"
Li Yan secretly pricked up her ears. She happened to be good at both archery and horseback riding. Maybe she would have a chance to show off her skills and surprise these new classmates!
Some people have doubts: "I've heard that drawing a bow requires a lot of strength. We're just beginners, can we really do it?"
Upon hearing this, Cui Ling, who was in charge of teaching the Six Arts, remained noncommittal and looked at the crowd, saying, "Miss Li Yan, please step forward."
"Yes!" Li Yan stepped forward and took the bow and arrow from her hand.
"Please aim for the bullseye over there." Cui Ling gestured to the farthest target in the distance.
The archery target was hidden among the grove of trees, and from a distance it could only be seen as a blurry dot.
"So far?" someone exclaimed. "Can they really hit it?"
Amidst the astonished and skeptical gazes of the crowd, Li Yan took a deep breath and, without hesitation, drew the bowstring taut—
A muffled thud was heard.
The arrow pierced the sky and hit the bullseye perfectly.
She exhaled softly, put down her longbow, and her red dress fluttered in the wind.
Her classmates stared in disbelief, repeatedly asking, "Miss Li Yan! How did you do that?"
"The target is so far away, how can you even see it clearly?"
Does it take a lot of strength to draw a bow?
A barrage of questions came at her, and Li Yan, unable to answer them all, simply handed the bow to the classmate who had asked the questions.
Li Yan taught her how to hold the bow step by step and casually gave her some pointers on how to exert force.
The girl tried to pull, and although it was difficult, it wasn't entirely impossible.
“In the past, the men in the village always thought that hunting was their job, and that women were too weak to do anything right.”
Li Yan put her hands on her hips and said, "But my mother is the best archer in the village. She never misses a shot. There's never a prey she can't get!"
"Amazing..." everyone exclaimed.
Li Yan smiled and said, "So you all need to study hard and not let others look down on you!"
"They think you can't do it, so they'll do it anyway; they're afraid you'll learn it, so they'll master it anyway; they don't want you to take it away, so they'll take it anyway!"
She waved her hand: "Archery has no gender distinction. Don't let them take away what should belong to us and then say we don't deserve it."
The girls nodded, picked up their bows eagerly, and began to practice their aim.
"You go first, then let me try!"
"I want some too! I want some too!"
Watching their retreating figures, Cui Ling and Li Yan exchanged a smile.
Sure enough, the girls from Luxi Academy never felt that they were incapable.
Li Yan suddenly understood the significance of her decision to leave the mountains to pursue her studies.
Learning and progressing together with like-minded companions is indeed an incredibly joyful experience.
One day, she will bring everyone out of the mountains and let all her people live such a carefree life.
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