70: The Leader's Fate
The leader of the small four-band did not, in the next two months, return.
By the small specific reading at the lame brother's eye-station at the small specific upper bald rock — which by Lao Wen's standing instruction had been, since the dusk of the day of the small specific finish, at every dawn and at every dusk and at the noon of every fair-weather day — the small specific lower contour had, for the first three weeks after the noon, shown no small specific cooking-fire smoke at any small specific quadrant. By the fourth week, a small thin column had risen briefly at the dusk perhaps four *li* east, by the small specific reading at the lame brother's eye, in the small specific careful position the small four-band had been at before the closer-smoke noon. The lame brother had reported it at the morning of the next day. Lao Wen had nodded.
By the fifth week, the small thin column was at the lower contour again on three different evenings.
By the sixth week, the small thin column had moved, by the small specific reading at the lame brother's eye, perhaps two *li* further east — and beyond perhaps the seventh week, no further smoke had been visible at any small specific quadrant the lame brother could see from the eye-station.
The small four-band was, by the small specific reading at the eighth week, gone.
The leader, by the small specific accumulating reading of the past two months, had — perhaps — taken the surviving three back along the small specific lower contour east, away from the bear-back. The small specific arrow at the bone of the upper arm would have, by the small specific reading at the past two months, healed by the eighth week into a small specific stiff scar. The leader was alive. The household, at the small wooden table at the noon of the second day of the eighth week, had — by the small specific reading at Lao Wen's small specific careful saying — accepted that the leader was alive and would, by some small specific accident of the country, be back at the small clear ground in some unfound year, perhaps with more men, perhaps with the small specific accumulated grievance of a wounded leader, perhaps not.
The small specific *not* was — by the small specific reading at the past two months — the small specific thinner reading.
Lao Wen, at the small wooden table at the noon of that second day of the eighth week, said in the small low voice: *lads. The small specific four-band has — by the small specific reading at this noon — gone. The leader is — by the small specific reading — alive. The leader will, in some unfound year, be back. We will, by the small specific accumulating reading of the past three years' work, be at the small specific shape that holds. The household will, by the small specific reading — perhaps — face the leader's small specific return at the small specific shape of a five-man unit at its small specific third or fourth formation, by the small specific reading at the next year. Or two. Or three.*
He paused.
"That is — by the small specific reading at this noon — the small specific accumulating reading of the small specific bandit-thread."
The brothers nodded.
The thread was, at the small specific reading of the noon, not closed. It was, by the small specific old reading of the country, only quieted. The country had — by the small specific reading at the past two months — given the household a small specific quiet against the small specific approach of the leader's small specific accumulating return.
The household used the quiet.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months, Lao Wen had laid in the small specific *moment*'s teaching at the small clear ground at every noon. The brothers, by the small specific accumulating reading at perhaps six hundred small specific repetitions each at the *quarter-circle* and the *cut at the recovery*, had begun to take the small specific moment perhaps three times in ten. Heizi, by the small specific reading at his own slow accumulating careful work, was at four of ten on certain days at the *cut at the recovery* — the small specific instrument the small specific accumulating shape of his own hand had taken to. Wang Er, by the small specific reading at his slower accumulating reading, was at three of ten at the *quarter-circle*. The lame brother, by the small specific reading at his small specific defensive holding-place, had taken the small specific *quarter-circle* at the corner — a small specific adapted version of the form — at perhaps two of ten. The boy, by the small specific reading at the small specific light blade, was at three of ten on certain days at a small specific Sogdian variant Lao Wen had, at the second week of the noon teachings, recognized in the boy's small specific natural footwork and had encouraged the boy to develop. *Boy,* Lao Wen had said. *Your father, by the small specific reading at your footwork, taught you a small specific small western variant of the close-quarter at perhaps your tenth year. The variant is — by the small specific reading at an old officer's eye — different from the small specific Han form. We will, in the next four months, lay the small specific Sogdian variant alongside the Han, and you will work both.*
The boy had nodded.
He had said in the small low voice: *master. Yes. My father had taught me at twelve a small specific exercise of his own father's. I had not — until this morning — known that it was a small specific *form*.*
The household had, in the past two months, absorbed the small specific opening of the second half of the teaching.
By the small specific reading at the noon of the eighth week, the country was at the small specific accumulating turn into the third winter at the hut.
Lao Wen, at the small wooden table at the noon of the second day of the eighth week, said in the small low voice: *lads. The third winter. By the small specific reading at the past three years' accumulating work, the small specific shape of the household at the third winter is — by the small specific reading I am giving — at the small specific work of the *three small specific things*.*
He paused.
"The first is — by the small specific reading — the small specific completion of the saber's second half at the slow accumulating careful pace of perhaps the next three years."
"The second is — by the small specific reading — the small specific completion of the lad's reading at the small specific accumulating pace of perhaps the next four winters. By the small specific reading at this noon, the lad is at perhaps eleven hundred characters and at the small specific reading of the *Analects* and the *Daxue* in their small specific completed first round. By the next four winters, the lad will be at the small specific reading of the *Mencius* and the *Zhongyong* in their small specific completed first rounds, and at perhaps two thousand five hundred characters."
"The third is — by the small specific reading — the small specific accumulating reading of the country."
He paused once more.
"The country, lads, by the small specific reading at the past three years' accumulating arithmetic, has continued, in the small specific way of a falling reign, to fall. The peddler I had at the noon of the third week of the eighth moon, who came up the small specific lower contour from the south at the small specific accumulating peddling-route — yes, lads, you saw him at the lower edge of the grove that day; the boy and I went down to receive him; the smith's son and the lame brother and the big brother held the small specific defensive shape at the south face — that peddler had, by the small specific reading at the small accumulating talk of perhaps an hour, reported a small specific accumulating shape of the lower country that we had not, at this hut at the upper hills, been hearing from any small specific other source."
He paused.
"The Da-ye reign has — by the small specific reading of the peddler — at the past two years, escalated the small specific corvée at the canal at the small specific accumulating accelerating rate of a reign at its end. The small specific levy at the lower country has, in the past three seasons, fallen perhaps once a season instead of once a year. The small specific white-cord lists for women have — by the small specific reading at the peddler's saying — been read at perhaps half the lower-country villages of southern Hebei in the past spring."
He paused.
"And the bandits at the lower contour, lads, are — by the small specific reading of the peddler — no longer the small specific intermittent four-and-six-bands of the past three years. They are, by the small specific reading, in the past spring, at the small specific accumulating shape of small specific bands of perhaps fifteen and twenty, with leaders who have begun to take the small specific other small bands' loyalty, with the small specific shape of an accumulating pre-rebellion."
He paused.
"In the small old country's old saying, lads — the small specific *peasant rebellion*."
He paused once more.
"By the small specific reading of an old militia officer at sixty — by the small specific reading I have been giving at this small wooden table for three years — the country is, by the small specific reading at the third winter, perhaps at the small specific four years before the small specific failure of the reign that I had, at the third moon of the first year, said was perhaps ten years ahead."
He paused.
"It is now — by the small specific reading at the noon of the second day of the eighth week — perhaps four."
The brothers were quiet.
Heizi, at his place at the small wooden table, said in the small low voice: *master. By the small specific reading of an old officer at the past four years' acceleration — what is the household's small specific shape at the small specific failure.*
Lao Wen looked at him.
He nodded.
"Lad. The small specific shape — by the small specific reading I am giving — is the small specific shape of an old scholar's hut and four young apprentices, in the upper hills of Henan, who have at the small specific failure perhaps five days' walk south from this hut to the lower country and the small specific accumulating peasant rebellion. The household will — by the small specific reading at the small specific failure — have to choose. To stay at the upper hills, in the small specific accumulating reading of an old scholar's small specific accumulating quiet. Or to go down."
He paused.
"By the small specific reading at the third winter, lads — by the small specific reading at the past two months' work — the lads, by my own small specific reading at sixty, will perhaps choose to go down."
He paused once more.
"That is — that is the small specific reading I am giving at this noon."
He looked at the four young men.
"And the master — by the small specific reading I am giving — will not, at the small specific event of the lads' going down, come with."
The brothers were quiet for a long beat.
Heizi said in the small low voice: *master.*
"Yes, lad."
"Why — why not."
The old scholar paused.
He looked at the small wooden table.
He said: *because, lad, by the small specific reading at sixty and a half and at the bad hip and at the past nineteen winters at this hut, the master is not, by the small honest measure, a man who can walk down to the lower country and rejoin a small specific peasant rebellion at any small specific shape that is not — by the small specific reading at his old hands and his old back — a small specific liability to the lads. The master will, at the small specific event of the lads' going down, stay at the hut.*
He paused.
"The master will — by the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating arrangement of the past three years — be at the small specific shape of a small specific old node of a small specific small old upper-hills network. The lads will be at the small specific shape of a small specific small five-man unit at the small specific lower country."
He paused once more.
"That is — by the small specific reading I am giving at this noon — the small specific eventual shape."
The brothers were quiet.
Tie-zhu, at the small low pad, said in the small low voice: *master.*
"Yes, lame brother."
"By the small specific reading at the past three years — the lame brother will, perhaps, by the small specific reading of his bad foot, not be at the small specific small five-man unit at the lower country. The lame brother will, perhaps, stay at the hut also."
Lao Wen looked at the lame brother.
He nodded.
"Lame brother. By the small specific reading of the bad foot at a small specific lower-country rebellion's small accumulating walking — perhaps. We will, at the small specific reading of the small specific next four years, see. The lame brother's small specific role at the small specific eventual shape will be — by the small specific reading of the lame brother's eye and his joinery and his medicine — the small specific role of the small specific household's *holding-place*. Whether the holding-place is at the upper hills with the master, or at the small specific lower country with the lads, will — by the small specific reading at the next four years — be the lame brother's small specific decision."
The lame boy nodded.
He did not, at the small low pad, speak further.
That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire ring inside the south face of the hut.
He listened.
The shape of the silence at this watch was — by the small specific reading at the small specific noon — the shape of an old hut whose old officer had, at the small wooden table at the noon, named the small specific eventual shape at four years ahead.
He filed it.
In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific morning of the cloth map and the small specific dusk of the day of not-speaking and the small specific morning of the quarter-circle, he set: *the small specific noon of the second day of the eighth week, when Lao Wen named the small specific eventual shape at four years ahead.*
The lighter catalog stood, at this dusk, at perhaps thirty items.
The dark catalog stood at six names.
The third winter at the hut would, in five days, begin.
The work, by the small unhurried way of an old scholar's hut, went on.