112: The Winter at the Bench
The fifteenth winter of the brothers on the road went by, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months at the master's hut, at the small accumulating *quiet-and-watching* shape Heizi had been laying since the *errand-south*'s accumulating return.
The master at the small wooden stool — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months — coughed at perhaps every quarter hour of the morning's accumulating reading. The cough was — by the small specific accumulating reading at Ah Chou's careful eye — at the small accumulating *deepening* shape of an old man's accumulating winter-cough that had, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past summer-cough's accumulating not-closing, taken root in the master's accumulating chest.
By the small specific accumulating reading at Ah Chou's careful saying at the dusk of the first day of the first moon of the sixteenth year, the cough was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months — at the small accumulating *seven-of-ten-mornings* shape, with the small accumulating *deeper-coughing-fits* at perhaps two of the seven mornings.
The master had not, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months, said anything further about his accumulating *real-end*. He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months — sat at the small wooden stool with the small bound *Daxue* and the small bound *Mencius* at his accumulating careful hands. He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months — read the *Daxue's* fifth round and had begun the sixth.
He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months — not, in any morning's accumulating reading, said any small specific accumulating *new* thing about the *eight teachings*.
The eight had been laid.
The master held his accumulating *daily quiet*.
Heizi at the small wooden bench laid the small accumulating *sixth piece* the master had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past month — asked him to write. The piece was a small accumulating *six-hundred-character* memorial on the small accumulating *small specific accumulating ledger of names a young leader keeps versus the small accumulating running sum he must not count*. The piece was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past month — the lad's accumulating *real* writing on the small accumulating *fourth* of the master's eight teachings.
By the dusk of the first day of the second moon of the sixteenth year, the piece was finished.
Lao Wen, at the small wooden stool with the small accumulating *cough at the third hour* of the morning, read it.
He laid it down.
He looked at Heizi.
He said in the small low voice: *lad. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past piece — the lad has, at twenty-four, laid in the *fourth* at the small accumulating *real* shape. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the small accumulating *eight teachings* are, at this dusk, in the lad's accumulating reading at the small accumulating *real internalized* shape. The lad has, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two pieces, laid in the *first* (Mandate-as-running-water) at the lad's *fourth piece* and the *fourth* (cost-as-names-not-running-sum) at this *sixth*. The lad has — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months' afternoons with Lu Jingzhi — laid in the *seventh* (the not-killing) at the small accumulating *understood* shape. By the small specific reading I am giving — the lad has, at this dusk, the small accumulating *full reading* the master has been laying.*
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the master will, by the small specific reading at the next moons, ask the lad for no further pieces."
He paused once more.
"The lad will, by the small specific reading I am giving, write the small accumulating *seventh* and the small accumulating *eighth* pieces only when, at the small specific accumulating *some unfound moment* of the next many years, the lad's own accumulating reading asks for them."
Heizi nodded.
He filed it.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the third moon of the sixteenth year, a peddler came up the path with the small accumulating *spring's news*.
Yang Yichen had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months — at the past spring's accumulating campaign re-engagement against Li Mi at the eastern marshes, taken a small accumulating *partial victory* at a small accumulating town called Cheliu. He had — by the small specific accumulating reading — driven Li Mi's accumulating force back perhaps thirty *li*. The accumulating Wagang headquarters at the eastern marshes had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — held; Li Mi had not, at the past two months, lost the headquarters. But Yang Yichen had — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — *advanced*.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — Yang Yichen would, by the small specific reading I am giving, at the small accumulating *summer's accumulating reorganization*, perhaps now address the small accumulating *Wén Déxiū slip* he had been deferring.
By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — perhaps the small accumulating autumn of the sixteenth year, perhaps the small accumulating winter.
Lao Wen at the small wooden stool nodded.
He said in the small low voice: *yes, lad. The small accumulating *next* will, by the small specific reading I am giving, come at the small accumulating *autumn or winter*.*
He coughed twice.
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the master will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the cough's accumulating shape, perhaps not be at the *real-end* at the small accumulating *Sui-patrol's* shape. The master will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, perhaps be at the small accumulating *cough's accumulating shape* before the patrol comes."
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the lad will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past several months' watching, see."
Heizi nodded.
He filed it.
That night at his watch he sat at the small banked fire.
The shape of the silence on this watch was — by the small specific reading at this evening — the shape of a small specific apprentice who was now, by the small specific accumulating reading at the master's saying, watching the small accumulating *two-races* between the master's accumulating cough and Yang Yichen's accumulating Sui patrol.
He filed it.
The lighter catalog stood at perhaps one hundred and three items.
The dark catalog stood at twenty-four named-and-noted entries plus the *unnamed thousand+*.
He sat his watch through.