73: The Sixth Mat

The sixth sleeping mat was laid out at the western wall by the third day of Ah Chou's stay.

The lame brother had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three days of his small specific quiet adjustment of the household's small specific arrangements — taken a small specific accumulating folded length of the small grey reeds the household had at the back of the hut, and had laid them under the small specific position at the eastern edge of the small low pad where Ah Chou had slept for the first three nights without comment, and had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the small specific morning of the fourth day — added a small new wadded blanket sewn by his own careful hand from a small folded length of old hempen cloth Lao Wen had taken from the small wooden chest. The lame brother had said, in the small low voice at the small fire of the morning of the fourth day: *grandfather. The brothers will, by the small specific reading I am giving, sleep at the small specific arrangement of six in the next four winters.*

Lao Wen, at the small wooden stool, had nodded.

The brothers had — by the small specific accumulating reading of the past three days — accommodated the sixth.

Ah Chou — by the small specific reading at the past three days at the small low pad and the small specific accumulating watching at the small wooden table — had taken to the household at the small specific accumulating careful pace of a young man who had been on a road for three and a half years and who had not, in those years, slept at any small specific roof for more than four days in a row.

He spoke very little, in the first three days.

He listened.

He listened by the small specific quiet of an old monk's small specific accumulating attention. He watched the small specific work of the four brothers at the morning's small reading and the noon's small clear-ground teaching and the small specific accumulating preparation of the small daily portion of food. He watched, by the small specific reading at his small thin eyes, with the small specific reading of a man who had been at a small Buddhist monastery for ten years and who was, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three days, beginning to lay the small specific patterns of an old scholar's hut alongside the small specific patterns of a small Buddhist monastery in his head.

By the dusk of the fourth day, he began to be useful.

He began at the small specific medicine. The lame brother — by the small specific reading at the bad foot's small specific seasonal shift at the spring — had at the past two weeks begun to take the small specific re-cracking at the inner ridge again, even with Lao Wen's salve. Ah Chou, at the small fire of the dusk of the fourth day, asked the lame brother to show him the foot.

The lame brother showed him the foot.

Ah Chou looked at it for a long beat. He laid one small thin finger, very gently, at the small specific re-cracking. He said in the small low voice: *lame brother. The salve you have been at — by the small specific reading at the small thin smell — is the small specific salve of an old militia officer's small old recipe. It is — by the small specific reading I am giving — the small specific upper-hills version of the small specific southern-Henan recipe my master at the monastery used. The small specific seasonal shift of the foot at the spring — by the small specific reading at the small specific seasonal shift of any small specific lame foot — is the small specific reading of a foot that is, in the small specific spring, taking back into itself the small specific accumulating moisture of the season.*

He paused.

"There is — by the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating reading of the country — a small specific other ingredient that the small specific salve will, by the small specific reading I am giving, take. The ingredient is the small specific *huang lian* root, which the country grows at certain small specific upper-hills slopes at the small specific shaded northern face. I have, by the small specific reading at the past three years, found the *huang lian* at a small specific slope perhaps half a *li* north of the bear-back's upper face. I will — at the morning of tomorrow — bring the lame brother and the master to the slope, and we will, by the small specific reading at the small specific careful gathering, take a small portion of the *huang lian* for the salve."

Lao Wen, at the small wooden stool, looked at Ah Chou.

He nodded.

He said in the small low voice: *brother. You have been at this country for three and a half years. You know the small specific upper-hills *huang lian* at a slope half a *li* north of the bear-back's upper face — a slope I have not, in nineteen winters, gathered at. The country has — by the small specific reading at this dusk — taught you what an old officer at sixty-one has not.*

He paused.

"Brother. The household will, by the small specific reading I am giving — yes, by your saying. We will go at the morning."

That morning, Lao Wen and Ah Chou and the lame brother went to the small specific slope. The boy and the smith's son and the big brother held the hut. By the noon, the three were back. They had — by the small specific reading at Ah Chou's small careful work — gathered a small folded portion of the small specific *huang lian* root, and Ah Chou had — at the small wooden table at the noon — laid the small specific careful preparation of the small specific addition to Lao Wen's old salve.

By the dusk of the seventh day, the lame brother's foot — by the small specific reading at his small still face at the small fire — had begun, at the small specific re-cracking, to take the small specific re-closing again.

By the second moon of the fifth year, the small specific re-cracking had — by the small specific reading at the past two months' careful application of Ah Chou's small added recipe — closed without re-opening. The lame brother, by the small specific reading at the past two months, was at the small specific working pace of his fifteenth year.

Ah Chou had, by the small specific reading at the past two months, become the household's medic.

In the same fifth year, the boy An Ashi — at the small specific accumulating noon at the small clear ground — finished, by the small specific reading at Lao Wen's eye, the small specific *circle-and-thrust* of his father's old western variant. The variant was, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past year, at the small specific accumulating shape that complemented the small specific *quarter-circle* and the small specific *cut at the recovery* of the Han form. The boy was, by the small specific reading at the noon of the third week of the fifth year's third moon, at perhaps four-of-ten on certain days at his own variant and at three-of-ten on certain days at the *cut at the recovery*. He was — by the small specific reading at his Sogdian-merchant's-son's careful eye — also at perhaps two thousand five hundred characters.

Wang Er, at the same noon, was at perhaps three of ten on certain days at the *quarter-circle*, with his slow honest weight at the small specific accumulating reading of a smith's son's accumulating fourth year at the saber. He had — by the small specific reading at the past two years — forged the third *横刀*, which had been laid at Heizi's hand at the spring of the fourth year. By the spring of the fifth year, he forged the fourth — which Lao Wen, after a quarter hour at the small wooden table looking at the small specific shape of the blade, said in the small low voice: *smith's son. By the small specific reading at the fourth piece — the smith's son has, at the fifth year, become a smith. The fourth piece is — by the small specific reading at an old officer's eye — at the small specific shape of a saber a small specific lower-country smith would have set out at his first year as a master. We will, by the small specific reading I am giving, lay the fourth saber at the boy's hand at the small specific accumulating reading of his recovery and his small specific accumulating fitness. The boy will, by the small specific reading at the fifth year, be at the small specific accumulating shape of a small five-man unit's full-saber.*

The boy had, at the small wooden table at the noon, bowed.

He had said in the small low voice: *thank you, master.*

The four sabers — Lao Wen's, Wang Er's, Heizi's, and now An Ashi's — were at the small specific accumulating shape of the household's small specific arsenal. The lame brother kept the spear-and-knife at the small specific defensive holding-place. Ah Chou, by the small specific reading at his own small specific careful saying at the dusk of the second day after his arrival, did not — by the small specific reading at the past ten years at the monastery — take a saber. *I will, by the small specific reading of an old monk's accumulating reading, keep the small wooden bowl at my belt and a small light staff at the small specific defensive position at the corner against the western wall. I have, in the small specific reading of the small specific old monastery's careful saying, not taken up a sword at any small specific moment of my ten years there. I will not, at the small specific accumulating reading of the next small specific years, take one up.*

Lao Wen had said: *brother. Yes. The small specific staff at the corner is — by the small specific reading at an old officer's old saying — the small specific careful work of a small specific defensive position. The household has, by the small specific reading I am giving, the small specific accumulating shape of a six-man unit at the small specific second formation: the small specific four sabers, the small specific spear, the small specific staff. The boy at the small specific Sogdian variant. The lame brother at the corner. Ah Chou at the western corner with the staff. The big brother at the bow as the small specific opening of any specific engagement. The master at the small specific *moment*-teaching at the noon.*

The household, by the small specific reading at the dusk of the third moon of the fifth year, was at the small specific shape of a six-man unit at the small specific second formation.

In the same fifth year, by the small specific reading at the lame brother's eye-station, the bandit-traffic at the lower contour — at the small specific accumulating reading of the past year — increased again. The 4-band of the eastern contour had — by the small specific reading at the dusk of the seventh moon — combined with another band Heizi had not seen before, at the small specific accumulating shape of perhaps eleven men. The 6-band of the southern fold had, by the small specific reading at the dusk of the eighth moon, become a 9-band. The 5-band of the northern bend had, by the small specific reading at the dusk of the ninth moon, taken a small specific accumulating leadership at the small specific *all-three-bands' joint ledger*.

By the small specific reading at the lame brother's saying at the dusk of the first day of the tenth moon: *master. The bandit-traffic at the lower contour is — by the small specific reading I am giving — at the small specific shape of a small specific accumulating local rebellion's small specific accumulating local power.*

Lao Wen had nodded.

He had said in the small low voice: *yes, lame brother. By the small specific reading at this dusk — by the small specific reading at the past five years' accumulating arithmetic of the country — the small specific failure is, by the small specific reading I am giving at this dusk, perhaps a year and a half ahead. By the small specific reading at the previous year's saying — two and a half. The country has — by the small specific reading at the past year — accelerated by another year.*

He paused.

"By the small specific reading at this dusk — perhaps the small specific failure will be at the spring of the seventh year at this hut. By the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating reading of a peddler's coming up the path next spring, perhaps. We will see."

That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire ring inside the south face.

He listened.

The shape of the silence at this watch was — by the small specific reading at this evening — the shape of a small old hut whose six-man household had, at the dusk, named the small specific failure at a year and a half ahead.

He filed it.

In the small lighter catalog, beside the small specific dusk of Ah Chou's arrival and the small specific dusk of the day of not-speaking, he set: *the small specific dusk of the first day of the tenth moon of the fifth year, when Lao Wen named the small specific failure at a year and a half ahead.*

The lighter catalog stood at perhaps thirty-six items.

The dark catalog stood at six names.

He sat his watch through.