117: The Slow Healing

The slow healing of the next two months — the second and third moons of the seventeenth year — went by, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past sixty days at the master's hut, at the small accumulating *real* shape of an accumulating household at its accumulating five-and-master with one of the five at the medic's cot.

Lu Jingzhi held.

By the small specific accumulating reading at Ah Chou's accumulating careful eye at the past sixty days, the wound at the side of the abdomen — by the small specific accumulating reading at the *huang lian* and the *western-bark* and the small accumulating *Ah Chou's careful binding-and-rebinding* of every two days — closed at the small accumulating outer skin by the dusk of the seventh day, at the small accumulating *fascia-layer* by the dusk of the twelfth day, at the small accumulating *deep-muscle-layer* by the dusk of the twenty-eighth day. The brother would, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past sixty days' careful watching, carry the small accumulating *deep scar* at the inner abdomen at the small accumulating *real* shape for the rest of his accumulating life. He would, by the small specific accumulating reading at Ah Chou's eye, be at the small accumulating *full-saber* shape by perhaps the small accumulating *fifth or sixth moon*. He would, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, never again be at the *six-of-ten quarter-circle* shape he had been at the past two years; the small accumulating *deep scar's* accumulating muscle-bind would, by the small specific accumulating reading at Ah Chou's saying at the past three weeks, take perhaps the small accumulating *one-out-of-ten* off the brother's accumulating *moment*-readings.

Lu Jingzhi accepted.

He said in the small low voice at the medic's cot's accumulating dusk of the second day of the third moon: *big brother. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past sixty days — the brother will be at the small accumulating *less* shape of the accumulating *political-voice* role at the next several years. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — that is, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past sixty days' careful watching, at the small accumulating *acceptable* shape. The brother will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, lay in the *political-voice* role at the small accumulating *real-engagement-positions* of the next several years, but the *moment*-readings will be at the small accumulating *one-of-ten less*.*

Heizi nodded.

He filed it.

The master at the cot — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past sixty days — held. The cough was, at the past sixty days, at the small accumulating *stable* shape Ah Chou's accumulating *combined tea* had laid in. The blood at the corner of the lip had not returned. The master at certain mornings of fair weather sat at the small wooden stool for perhaps a quarter hour before returning to the cot.

He read at the cot. He spoke at the cot. He coughed at the cot — perhaps three times in any given hour, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past sixty days — without blood.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the dusk of the first day of the fourth moon of the seventeenth 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 three months — at the past tenth moon's accumulating defeat at Cheliu's accumulating second-line, withdrawn to the southern garrison and had been, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three months, at the small accumulating *holding* shape of an accumulating defeated commander preparing for a small accumulating *recovery* he had not, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, yet achieved.

The Wagang Rebellion under Li Mi had — at the past three months — pushed the small accumulating *outer line* of its accumulating control perhaps fifty *li* further south, into the small accumulating *post-Yang-Yichen-southern-garrison* accumulating space. Li Mi had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — taken three further small accumulating Sui-loyal towns at the past three months: a town called Liyang's accumulating sister-town further east, a town at the small accumulating *eastern marsh's southern fringe*, and a town the peddler had — by the small specific reading at the past saying — called *Yongqiu's southern accumulating brother*.

The Wagang's accumulating *real* shape was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — at the small accumulating *winning-of-the-rebellion* of an accumulating successful campaign.

The Sui-court at Chang'an had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler's accumulating *court-saying* — recognized at the past month the small accumulating *Yang-Yichen's-defeat* and was, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler, at the small accumulating *political reorganization* of perhaps a small accumulating *new commander* to be sent south at the small accumulating spring of the next year.

By the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — the small accumulating *Wén Déxiū slip* had been, in the past three months, at the small accumulating *pending* shape of an accumulating Sui-court that was, by the small specific reading I am giving, no longer at the small accumulating *immediate* priority of addressing the upper-hills' accumulating *Wén Déxiū*.

Yang Yichen at the southern garrison had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler — laid in a small accumulating *follow-up scout patrol* of perhaps thirty Sui troops at the past two weeks, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler, to assess the small accumulating *upper-hills sub-base of Wén Déxiū's accumulating compound* after the small accumulating *one-hundred-strong patrol's defeat* of the past third moon. The thirty would, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past peddler, come up at perhaps the small accumulating *fourth or fifth moon*.

Lao Wen at the cot nodded.

He said in the small low voice: *yes, lad. The small accumulating *thirty* will come at perhaps the next moon. The lad will, by the small specific reading I am giving, be at the small accumulating *real* shape of holding against thirty with the *five*.*

He paused.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — five against thirty is, by the small specific accumulating reading at the master's accumulating eye, at the small accumulating *holding-by-careful-ambush* shape, not at the small accumulating *holding-the-bottlenecking* shape. The bottlenecking has, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past month's wound-of-Lu-Jingzhi-and-the-five-veterans, been at the small accumulating *too-costly* shape for the lad's accumulating remaining five."

He paused once more.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the lad will, at the small accumulating *thirty*'s arrival, lay in the small accumulating *ambush* shape at the small specific accumulating *upper-bend's-far-side* before the patrol reaches the bottlenecking. By the small specific reading I am giving — the lad will, at the small accumulating ambush, take perhaps fifteen of the thirty at the first wave's accumulating *moment*-engagement; the remaining fifteen will, by the small specific reading I am giving, retreat. The lad will, by the small specific reading I am giving, take perhaps the small accumulating *cost-of-two-wounded* at the engagement."

Heizi nodded.

He filed.

That afternoon, Heizi laid the small accumulating *thirty-ambush-arrangement* at the brothers' accumulating evening fire.

The arrangement was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the master's accumulating careful saying at the morning — at the small accumulating *upper-bend's-far-side* shape, three hundred paces north of the bottlenecking, where the path narrowed at a small accumulating *natural-fold* at the small accumulating *third turn* of the western face's accumulating climb. The fold was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four years' accumulating walking — at the small accumulating *small specific bottlenecking* shape that would, by the small specific reading at the master's saying, force the thirty Sui into clusters of two and three.

Heizi at the high ground with the bow. Wang Er at the *thrust-and-set's* small accumulating *modified* position at the western lip. An Ashi at the *circle-and-thrust's* small accumulating *modified* position at the eastern lip. Ah Chou at the medic-and-second-eye position at the back. Lu Jingzhi — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months' healing — would not be at the engagement; the small accumulating *deep scar's* accumulating muscle-bind was, by the small specific accumulating reading at this dusk, not yet at the small accumulating *full-saber* shape. He would hold the master's accumulating cot at the back position with the small accumulating *small light blade* against any small accumulating breakthrough.

The five-and-master held the small accumulating *holding-shape* of the next moon.

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 *staff-officer-and-apprentice* whose accumulating *five-and-master* would, in the next moon, hold against thirty Sui at the small accumulating *upper-bend's-far-side* ambush.

He filed it.

In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dusk of the past month's first patrol's accumulating victory-with-cost, he set: *the small specific dusk of the first day of the fourth moon of the seventeenth year, when the master at the cot named the small accumulating *thirty-Sui-ambush* and the five-and-master prepared.*

The lighter catalog stood at perhaps one hundred and sixteen items.

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

He sat his watch through.