101: The Coming-Back
Heizi laid the small specific accumulating answer at the small wooden bench of the *staff-officer's tent* on the morning of the second day of the twelfth moon of the twelfth year.
He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past night's watch — decided. The master's accumulating *come-back call* was, by the small specific reading I am giving, at the small accumulating *real* shape of the master's accumulating need. The small accumulating *Sui patrol-traffic at the southern fold* was, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past month's accumulating peddler-saying, at the small accumulating *closing* shape of a small accumulating reign that had — at the past nineteen years and four months — finally laid in its accumulating *real* tracking of a small accumulating *recognized* old militia officer's accumulating exile.
The master would not leave the hut.
The brothers would, by the small specific accumulating reading at this dawn, come to him.
Heizi laid out the small accumulating arrangement at the morning fire of the brothers' accumulating gathering.
"Brothers. By the small specific reading I am giving — we will, in the next four days, prepare the small accumulating *return-to-the-hut*. We will not, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, take the *forty* with us. The *forty*, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, is — by the small specific accumulating Wagang-recognized arrangement — at the small accumulating *holding* shape of the cold-spring camp. They will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, hold the camp under a small accumulating *new staff-officer* I will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, name today."
He paused.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — we will take the brothers — Wang Er, Tie-zhu, An Ashi, Ah Chou, Lu Jingzhi — and a small accumulating six of the *forty's* most-trusted accumulating veterans. The six are — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dawn — Yan Shaozhong, Sun Erlin, Liu Erlang, Cao Hu, the small accumulating *forge-helper* Liu Wenchang, and the small accumulating *runner* Tian Erjia. The six have, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two years, laid in the small accumulating *moment*-teaching at the small specific accumulating real shape and have, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, the small accumulating *will-follow-the-lad-to-the-hut* shape."
He paused once more.
"The remaining thirty-four of the *forty* will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, hold the cold-spring camp under the small accumulating *new staff-officer*. The new staff-officer will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dawn, be — by the small accumulating *named* — Yan Wenshu of the *forty's* original veteran-cluster, who has been at the rebellion since Da-ye seven and at the *fifty's* small accumulating *training-shape* since the past two years. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — Yan Wenshu has the small accumulating *holding-shape* of an upper-hills sub-base's accumulating careful work."
The brothers nodded.
Wang Er at the small accumulating *thrust-and-set* position said in the small low voice: *brother. By the small specific reading I am giving — Yan Wenshu is — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two years' accumulating watching — at the small accumulating *correct* shape for the holding.*
Heizi nodded.
"Yes, smith's son."
Lu Jingzhi at the small accumulating *political-voice* position said in the small low voice: *big brother. By the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating *come-back* — the brother and I have, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two years, become at the small accumulating *household* shape of the master's accumulating sending. The small accumulating *return-to-the-hut* is, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, the small accumulating *correct* answer.*
Heizi nodded.
He filed it.
That morning, Heizi laid the small accumulating *transfer of command* at the small specific accumulating ceremony of an accumulating Wagang sub-base.
He went, with the brothers and the small accumulating *forty*, at the small accumulating *small clear ground* of the cold-spring camp at the second hour after dawn.
He stood in front of the *forty*.
He said in the small low voice: *brothers of the *forty*. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past year and eight months — we have laid the small accumulating *recognized upper-hills sub-base* shape at this camp. We have engaged at the small accumulating *bottlenecking*. We have escorted the small accumulating refugee column to Liyang. We have lost — by the small accumulating *staff-officer's accumulating dark catalog* — eight of our small accumulating brothers at the small accumulating engagements. We have laid in the small accumulating *moment*-teaching that has, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past year, become a small accumulating *Wagang technique*.*
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving at this morning — the master at the upper hills' grove of twelve pines has, by the small accumulating peddler's letter of the past month, sent a small accumulating *come-back call*. The small accumulating master is — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — at the small accumulating *sixty-three* and at the small accumulating *real* approach of small accumulating Sui patrols at his accumulating *southern fold*. The lad will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, return to the master."
He paused once more.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the lad will not, at the small specific accumulating *return*, take the *forty* with him. The *forty* will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, hold the cold-spring camp at the small accumulating *recognized upper-hills sub-base* shape. The new staff-officer will be — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this morning — *Yan Wenshu*, who has, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two years, the small accumulating *holding-shape* of a sub-base's accumulating careful work."
He turned to Yan Wenshu — a man perhaps forty, with the small accumulating *real-veteran* carriage of an accumulating *Da-ye seven* survivor, with the small accumulating *quiet eye* of a man who had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two years — been at the *fifty's accumulating training-shape* without saying much.
He bowed at the small accumulating *equal-stance*.
He said: *brother. The small accumulating *forty* is yours.*
Yan Wenshu bowed back at the small accumulating *equal-stance*.
He said in the small low voice: *Heizi-zhang. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the small accumulating *forty* will hold.*
The small accumulating *transfer of command* was — by the small specific accumulating reading at this morning — done.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the past two days, Heizi laid in the small accumulating *return-to-the-hut* preparation. The boy An Ashi laid the small accumulating *quartermaster's accounting* of the small accumulating *six brothers + six veterans + the lad* shape — twelve total — for a small accumulating *eight-day-walk* north to the master's hut. The lame brother laid the small accumulating *cloth-map's small accumulating north-route* with the small specific accumulating fold's accumulating *recent peddler-tracking*. The smith's son laid the small accumulating *iron-bundle* of the small accumulating *return-shape* — the small accumulating sabers, the small accumulating spear, the bow, the small accumulating new spear-heads. Ah Chou laid the small accumulating *medic's bundle* of the *huang lian* and the small accumulating salves and the small accumulating *winter-night supplies*.
By the morning of the sixth day of the twelfth moon, the small accumulating *return-twelve* was at the small accumulating *ready* shape.
The brothers and the six set off at the dawn.
They went north along the small accumulating *upper-hills' lower contour* the brothers had walked at the past two years' accumulating engagements. They walked at the small accumulating *return-pace* of a small accumulating *coming-back* unit at its accumulating careful winter-walking shape. The country was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two days' walking — at the small accumulating *winter-empty* shape of an upper-hills lower contour at the twelfth moon.
By the dusk of the third day of the walking, they were at the small accumulating *bear-back's accumulating southern face* perhaps a *li* below the foot of the path to the grove of twelve pines.
The brothers stopped.
Heizi looked up.
The small thin column of smoke at the small clay-pot chimney of the master's hut was rising, by the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk, in its small accumulating *banked* shape.
The master was, by the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk, at the hut.
Heizi nodded.
He said in the small low voice: *brothers. The master is at the hut.*
The brothers — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three days' walking and at the past six and a half years' accumulating *master's hut* memory — were quiet for a long beat.
Lu Jingzhi at the small accumulating *political-voice* position said in the small low voice: *big brother. By the small specific reading I am giving — the small accumulating *coming-back* is, by the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk, the small accumulating *small specific real* shape of the master's accumulating sending. The lad has, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two years' accumulating engagements, laid the small accumulating *carrying-down* of the master's accumulating teaching. The lad is, by the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk, at the small accumulating *come-back* shape of the master's accumulating *some specific time within the next year*.*
Heizi nodded.
He started up the path.
The brothers followed.
The six veterans, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three days' walking and the small accumulating *moment*-teaching of the past two years' accumulating reading, followed at the small accumulating *household-and-six* arrangement Heizi had laid.
By the dusk of the third day, the small accumulating *twelve* came up over the small accumulating *upper bend* of the path into the small accumulating *clearing* of the grove of twelve pines.
Lao Wen was at the door of the hut.
He stood, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past nineteen years and four months at this hut, in the small specific accumulating *equal-stance* shape of an old officer at the small accumulating *return* of his accumulating apprentices.
He bowed at the small accumulating *equal-stance*.
He said in the small low voice with the small specific accumulating southern-Henan accent: *lads. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler-saying — Heizi-zhang of the *forty*. With six brothers and six veterans of the *forty's* accumulating careful trust. By the small specific reading I am giving at this dusk — welcome home.*
The brothers bowed back at the small accumulating *full-stance*.
Heizi at the small accumulating *eldest-position* said in the small low voice: *master. The lads are home.*
He filed it.
In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dusk of Li Mi's first letter, he set: *the small specific dusk of the third day of the twelfth moon's accumulating *return* of the twelfth year, when the master's accumulating *welcome home* came at the door of the hut at the grove of twelve pines.*
The lighter catalog stood at perhaps eighty-one items.
The dark catalog stood at twenty-two named names plus the *unnamed thousand*.
That night the small accumulating *twelve* + the master slept at the hut. The small accumulating *six brothers* at the small low pad at the western wall in the small specific accumulating *Tie-zhu's accumulating arrangement* of six. The six veterans at the small accumulating *new lean-to* the lame brother had — by the small specific accumulating reading at his accumulating arrival — already begun, with Wang Er's accumulating help, to lay at the small accumulating *eastern clear ground* of the master's accumulating compound.
Lao Wen at the cot at the eastern wall of the hut.
Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire at the small flat in front of the south face.
He listened.
The shape of the silence on this watch was — by the small specific reading at this evening — the shape of a small specific *staff-officer* who had, after one year and six months of accumulating *not-yet*, returned at the master's accumulating *come-back call* to the small old hut at the grove of twelve pines.
He filed it.
He sat his watch through.