113: The Two Races

The two races went on through the spring and the summer of the sixteenth year.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months' peddler-saying, Yang Yichen had — at the past spring's accumulating *partial victory* at Cheliu — held the small accumulating advance. Li Mi had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months — laid in a small accumulating *new defensive line* at the eastern marshes' accumulating outer perimeter. The two armies were — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months — at the small accumulating *holding* shape of an accumulating *prolonged campaign* at its accumulating *third-month* mark.

Yang Yichen had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months — perhaps four thousand troops still at the small accumulating active line. The Wagang had — by the small specific reading — perhaps five thousand at the defensive perimeter. The campaign was — by the small specific accumulating reading — at the small accumulating *no-clear-winner-yet* shape.

The small accumulating *Wén Déxiū slip* would, by the small specific accumulating reading, wait further.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the seventh moon of the sixteenth year, the master's accumulating cough had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five months' accumulating decline — begun to show the small accumulating *blood at the corner of the lip* shape Ah Chou had been watching for since the past second moon's accumulating winter-cough's accumulating not-closing.

Ah Chou laid the small accumulating *additional huang lian* and the small accumulating *small specific accumulating *western-bark* tea* he had at his accumulating monastery's accumulating training. The blood — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two weeks — held without worsening, but did not, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, close.

Lao Wen at the small wooden stool — at the morning of the seventh day of the seventh moon — said in the small low voice to Heizi: *lad. By the small specific accumulating reading at this morning — the master's accumulating *cough* has, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two weeks, laid in the small accumulating *blood-shape*. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the master will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the next two months, perhaps three, lay in further. By the small specific reading I am giving — the master is, at this morning, at the small accumulating *real* approach of his accumulating end.*

He paused.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the master has, at the past months, watched the small accumulating *two races*. The master's accumulating cough is, by the small specific reading at this morning, at the small accumulating *winning* of the two."

He paused once more.

"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the master will, perhaps, by the small specific reading I am giving, not face the small accumulating *Sui patrol's accumulating real-end*. The master will, by the small specific reading I am giving, perhaps go before."

Heizi looked at him.

He nodded — slowly.

He said in the small low voice: *yes, master.*

He filed it.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the next two months — the seventh and eighth moons of the sixteenth year — the master's accumulating cough deepened. By the dusk of the first day of the ninth moon of the sixteenth year, the master had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months — laid in his accumulating *bed-rest* shape at certain afternoons. He sat at the small wooden stool at the morning's reading; by the noon, he laid down at the cot at the eastern wall. He held the small bound *Daxue* and the small bound *Mencius* at his accumulating careful hands at the small accumulating cot's accumulating reading.

Ah Chou laid in the small accumulating *full medic's tent* shape at the master's hut. The small accumulating *huang lian* and the small accumulating *western-bark tea* were, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past month, at every morning's and every dusk's accumulating *master's-cup* arrangement. The brothers at the small clear ground at the noon's accumulating *moment*-training laid in the small accumulating *daily round* at the small accumulating *quieter* shape.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the tenth moon of the sixteenth year, the master had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months' accumulating decline — been at the cot for the small accumulating *all-day-rest* shape since the past four weeks.

He read at the cot. He spoke at the cot. He coughed at the cot.

The blood at the corner of the lip was — by the small specific accumulating reading at Ah Chou's accumulating eye — at the small accumulating *more* shape of the past two weeks.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the eleventh moon of the sixteenth year, the master at the cot called Heizi.

Heizi came.

He sat at the small wooden stool beside the cot.

The master looked at him.

He said in the small low voice — which was, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past month, thinner than at the master's accumulating reading at the small wooden bench at the past nine years — *lad.*

"Yes, master."

"By the small specific reading at this dusk — the master will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two weeks' shape, perhaps not be at this hut by the small accumulating *next moon*."

He paused.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the master has, at the past two weeks, laid in his accumulating reading the small accumulating *real* approach. The master is, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, at the small accumulating *carrying-down* shape of an old man at sixty-four whose accumulating *cough* has, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past summer's not-closing, taken his accumulating chest at the small accumulating *real* shape."

He coughed once.

He paused.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the master will not, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past month's reading, allow the lad to weep at this dusk. By the small specific reading I am giving — the master will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past month's quiet, allow the lad to file."

Heizi nodded.

He could not — at the small wooden stool — speak.

The master closed his eyes.

He laid one hand once at Heizi's hand at the small wooden stool — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past nineteen years and ten months at this hut, the small specific accumulating *one hand on the lad's hand* gesture the master had not, in any past moment, laid.

He held it for one beat.

He let go.

He said in the small low voice: *lad. Go. By the small specific reading I am giving — the brothers will, in the next weeks, need the lad's accumulating *staff-officer's* shape. The master will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the next several days, hold at the cot.*

Heizi nodded.

He stood up — slowly, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past quarter hour's accumulating sitting at the small wooden stool.

He bowed at the cot.

He said: *yes, master.*

He went out of the hut.

He stood at the small clear ground in front of the south face for a long beat.

He filed.

In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific noon of the master's eight teachings' eighth, he set: *the small specific dusk of the first day of the eleventh moon of the sixteenth year, when the master laid one hand at the lad's hand at the cot.*

The lighter catalog stood at perhaps a hundred and eight items.

The dark catalog stood at twenty-four named entries plus the *unnamed thousand+*.

He went to the brothers at the small accumulating *eleven-and-master's* small banked fire at the front of the south face.

He said in the small low voice: *brothers. The master is at the cot. By the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk — the master has, by the small specific reading at the past quarter hour's saying, named the small accumulating *next several weeks* as the small accumulating real-end.*

The brothers were quiet.

Wang Er at the small accumulating *thrust-and-set* position said in the small low voice: *brother. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — yes.*

The brothers nodded.

They held.

That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire.

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 apprentice whose accumulating master had, at the dusk, named the small accumulating *next several weeks* as the *real-end*.

He filed it.

He sat his watch through.