"Watch Uncle shoot an arrow first," Ricky demonstrated to Jay how to shoot.
Jay, listening to Uncle Ricky's instructions, looked intently at him.
"A good archer must of course take good care of his bow and arrows.
Remember, they are your other arm, so don't treat them carelessly.
This bow and arrow can be your friend and companion, but if you don't take good care of them, they can also become your enemy," Ricky advised Jay.
"Oh... why is that, Uncle?" Jay asked, surprised. Although he felt he had little idea what his uncle meant, he wanted to hear it clearly.
"An arrow is like any other sharp object. If it's properly cared for, it will fly fast and kill or disable your intended target.
But if it's not properly cared for and the arrowhead becomes blunt, you won't reap blessings, but misfortune.
Imagine if you're in danger and have to release your arrow. If it's sharp, it can ward off or even disable the danger coming your way.
But if it's blunt, wouldn't that just be your own misfortune?
On the other hand, a bow is the same. If you don't take care of it properly, it can break and injure you.
So, treat all the equipment you use for hunting as your lifeline.
Because in the forest, there's no one to help you except yourself and the weapon you carry. Remember that!!" Ricky said seriously.
"Okay, Uncle, I understand. So how do you take care of it properly?" Jay asked again.
"To properly care for a wooden bow and arrows, it's important to clean them regularly, store them in a dry, cool place, and protect them from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. Also, pay attention to the condition of the bowstring and perform any necessary maintenance.
The bowstring itself requires a special liquid to maintain it, and Uncle will provide you with that special liquid later." Ricky patiently answered Jay's questions.
So, after some additional instructions and a few examples,
Ricky asked Jay to try it himself.
Initially, Ricky didn't have high expectations for Jay's archery skills.
After all, this was only Jay's first time using a bow.
But what surprised Ricky was that Jay seemed so good at shooting.
From an initial target of 5 meters, then moving up to 10 meters, 15 meters, and even 20 meters, Jay always managed to hit the target.
This naturally delighted and surprised Ricky. It turned out his nephew had such excellent skills. Ricky even felt Jay seemed to have almost the same archery skills as him. It was a surprise he never expected.
"Wow, Jay... you're really good! You can hit a target 20 meters away without much effort.
I wonder if your father, Paul, knows about your skills?" Ricky praised Jay with great appreciation.
"No, Uncle, this is my first time using a bow," Jay replied with an embarrassed expression.
He tried to hold back his laughter. Seeing his uncle's admiring expression, Jay was well aware that his master's shooting skills were copied from his uncle.
He still felt embarrassed, copying someone else's skills and being praised by them.
"With your skills, you shouldn't have come home empty-handed when you climbed the mountain," Ricky replied again.
"Then try the 30 to 50 meter target. If you can still hit it, then I don't need to teach you anymore, and you've passed my test." Ricky then made a decision after realizing Jay's excellent skills.
So, he made a quick decision: rather than continue wasting time, it would be better to let Jay practice his archery.
"Okay, Uncle," Jay replied humbly.
Soon, Ricky, who had already prepared himself, had to suppress his inner shock.
Because it turned out Jay was as good as he thought. Whether it was the 30-meter target or even the 50-meter target, Jay managed to kill them all.
"Okay, let's stop the archery practice here, Jay," Ricky said, ending their practice.
"Thank you, Uncle, for your guidance," Jay replied politely, genuinely grateful to his Uncle Ricky for volunteering to teach him.
"Then, you can take this bow and arrow back to your house, just come back if you feel bored, uncle still has another bow and arrow at home, so this is a spare bow that is rarely used.
"So you don't have to worry too much about using it," Ricky told Jay again and reminded him.
"Okay, Uncle, and thank you very much. If I catch any game, I'll definitely send it to you," Jay replied with a smile.
"Okay, I'll wait for your promise, Jay," Ricky replied with a smile. Finally, Ricky saw Jay in a new light, and somehow, he felt a faint hope for Jay and his family.
After parting ways with Uncle Ricky, Jay brought his bow and arrows back to store at home.
Finding the house empty, Jay didn't see his family there. This was because today was a market day, and his family was with many families from the surrounding villages.
They would come to the market to sell and buy some necessary supplies.
And his mother and Nining had left in the morning on the ox cart that was in the village, along with the other villagers.
As for his father, Jay guessed that he would probably take advantage of this rare free time to relax.
As for where his father was relaxing, Jay already knew and wouldn't look for him.
"From what?" "As far as I know, there should be a black market near the main market right now. Okay, let's go there while we still have time," Jay estimated that it was only 9:00 and there were still three hours before the main market closed, so he hurried there.
(The main market is only open half a day, usually from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)
It took about two hours to reach the main market area in their village's sub-district.
But for Jay, who had strengthened his physique and chosen a shortcut through the forest, he was confident he would arrive there in just about an hour.
And sure enough, after running for almost an hour through the mountainous forest,
He finally arrived near the foot of a hill near his village's sub-district.
Jay's village is within the Belin sub-district and under the jurisdiction of Rein City, which is also a subordinate city of their special province, the capital of Green Star.
The distance from where Jay lives to Belin Sub-district is about 20 km, and from Belin Sub-district to Rein City is about 30 km. From the city of Belum to the capital, Green Star is about 50 km, so the total distance between Jay's village and their nation's capital is about 100 km.
In modern times with advanced infrastructure, this would only take a few hours.
However, due to the underdeveloped conditions and lack of infrastructure, it takes at least six hours to get there, and if you rely on walking, it would take a full day to get there. (Don't compare the leg strength of people in this era with that of those in the modern era; the difference is vast.)