114: The Cough Holds
The master's cough — by the small specific accumulating reading at Ah Chou's accumulating careful work at the past three weeks — stabilized at the dusk of the third week of the eleventh moon of the sixteenth year.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the past three weeks, Ah Chou had — at the small accumulating *medic's tent* — laid in the small accumulating *combined preparation* of the *huang lian* and the *western-bark* tea and a small accumulating *third herb* the boy had brought back from his accumulating monastery's accumulating reading at his accumulating tenth year there: a small accumulating *dried ginger root* that — by the small specific accumulating saying of his accumulating master at the monastery — had been the small accumulating *closing-the-bleeding* shape an old monk's accumulating cough sometimes took when the small accumulating *western-bark* alone was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two weeks' accumulating watching — not closing the bleeding on its own.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the past two weeks' careful daily preparation, the small accumulating *combined* tea had — at the dusk of the eighteenth day of the eleventh moon — closed the small accumulating *blood at the corner of the lip*. The cough had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five days — held without further blood. The master — by the small specific accumulating reading at Ah Chou's careful eye — was, at this dusk, no longer at the small accumulating *real-end* shape he had named at the past month.
He was at the small accumulating *weakened but holding* shape.
Ah Chou said in the small low voice at the small wooden bench at the dusk of the third week: *master. Big brother. By the small specific reading at the past five days — the cough has, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, closed at the small accumulating *blood-line*. The master will, by the small specific reading I am giving, hold at the small accumulating *weakened-but-holding* shape for some accumulating months. By the small specific reading I am giving — the *real-end* the master named at the past month is, by the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk, deferred.*
Lao Wen at the cot looked at Ah Chou.
He nodded — slowly.
He coughed once — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five days, a small dry cough now without blood.
He said in the small low voice: *brother. Thank you. By the small specific reading I am giving — the master accepts the deferral.*
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the master will, in the next several months, sit at the small wooden stool again at certain mornings. The master will not, by the small specific reading I am giving, return to the small wooden bench at the long evenings; the small bound *Daxue* will, by the small specific reading I am giving, be at the small accumulating cot's accumulating careful reading. But the master will, by the small specific reading I am giving, hold."
He paused once more.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the small accumulating *Sui patrol's accumulating real* shape will, by the small specific reading I am giving, perhaps come at the small specific accumulating *next* of the deferral. The master will be at the cot at the moment of the patrol's arrival."
Heizi nodded.
He filed it.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the next two months — the eleventh and twelfth moons of the sixteenth year — the master held. He sat at the small wooden stool at certain mornings of fair weather. He read the small bound *Daxue's* sixth round at the cot at the long evenings. He coughed without blood. He drank the small accumulating *combined tea* at every dawn and every dusk.
The eleven-and-master held the small accumulating *holding-shape* against any small accumulating Sui patrol that might, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past months' Yang Yichen-campaign-news, come.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the first moon of the seventeenth year, a peddler came up the path.
He carried the small accumulating *autumn's news* of the small accumulating *Yang Yichen campaign*.
The campaign had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four months — reached its small accumulating *real outcome*. Yang Yichen had — at the past tenth moon — taken a small accumulating *major engagement* against Li Mi at the small accumulating town of Cheliu's accumulating second-line. The Wagang had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — held the engagement at the small accumulating cost of perhaps two thousand troops. Yang Yichen had — by the small specific accumulating reading — withdrawn at the cost of perhaps eight hundred troops.
The campaign was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — at the small accumulating *Wagang victory* shape.
Li Mi had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — pushed Yang Yichen back to the small accumulating *original holding-line* of the past spring. Yang Yichen had — by the small specific accumulating reading — at the past month, retreated further to a small accumulating *southern garrison* perhaps a hundred *li* south of the Wagang's accumulating new outer line.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — Yang Yichen had — at the past two weeks — at the small accumulating southern garrison's accumulating reorganization, addressed the small accumulating *Wén Déxiū slip*.
He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — sent a small accumulating *small specific column* of perhaps a hundred Sui troops at the small accumulating *upper-hills southern fold* with the small accumulating *Wén Déxiū slip's accumulating *real* execution* shape.
The column was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — perhaps three days from the foot of the bear-back's western face at this dusk.
Lao Wen at the cot — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler's saying at the small wooden stool's beside-the-cot position — nodded.
He said in the small low voice: *yes, lad. The small accumulating *Sui patrol of one hundred* is, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler, at three days. The lad will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, prepare.*
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the master will be at the cot at the moment of the patrol's arrival. The master is — by the small specific reading at Ah Chou's accumulating eye — too weak to be at the small accumulating *holding-positions* at the small clear ground. The master will, by the small specific reading I am giving, hold the cot. The lad and the brothers will, by the small specific reading I am giving, hold the upper bend's bottlenecking and the grove's accumulating natural defensive shape."
He paused.
"By the small specific reading I am giving — the small accumulating *holding* may, by the small specific reading at Ah Chou's accumulating eye, hold against perhaps the hundred. By the small specific reading I am giving — perhaps the *cost-of-five-or-more*."
Heizi nodded.
He filed it.
He stood up.
He went out to the small clear ground.
He laid the small accumulating *holding-arrangement* at the brothers and the five remaining veterans at the dusk's accumulating fire.
The small accumulating *eleven* — Heizi, Wang Er, Tie-zhu, An Ashi, Ah Chou, Lu Jingzhi, plus the five veterans (Yan Shaozhong, Liu Erlang, Cao Hu, Liu Wenchang, Tian Erjia) — would hold against the hundred.
That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire at the 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-and-apprentice* whose accumulating *eleven* would, in three days, hold against a Sui patrol of one hundred at the small accumulating *upper bend's bottlenecking* and the small accumulating *grove's defensive shape*, with the master at the cot at the small specific accumulating *cot's accumulating quiet*.
He filed it.
In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dusk of the master's *deferral*, he set: *the small specific dusk of the first day of the first moon of the seventeenth year, when the Sui patrol of one hundred was named at three days.*
The lighter catalog stood at perhaps one hundred and ten items.
The dark catalog stood at twenty-four named entries plus the *unnamed thousand+*.
He sat his watch through.