77: The Patient Spring

The spring of the eighth year came in slow.

Lao Wen, at the small wooden table at the noon of the first day of the third moon of the eighth year, said in the small low voice: *lads. The small specific decision at the second day of the eleventh moon of the seventh year was — by the small specific reading at this morning — the small specific *decision*. The small specific *event*, by the small specific reading I am giving at this morning, is not yet the small specific *moment*.*

He paused.

"By the small specific accumulating reading at the past four months at the lame brother's eye-station, by the small specific accumulating reading at three more peddlers' visits — the small specific *outer arc* at the lower contour has — at the past three months — neither broken into the small specific *recruitment-and-takes-everyone* nor receded. The small specific *holding camp* under Bing Yuanzhen has held, by the small specific reading at the past three months, against the small specific Sui patrol-engagements at three small specific lower-country towns. The small specific *holding camp*, by the small specific reading I am giving, will, at the small specific accumulating reading of the next four months, perhaps move into the *recruitment-and-takes-everyone* or perhaps shift to a small specific *consolidating* posture before the small specific accumulating *recruitment*."

He paused once more.

"By the small specific reading I am giving at this morning — the lads will, by the small specific reading at the small specific accumulating *not-yet*, wait one more year."

The brothers were quiet.

Heizi, at his place at the small wooden table, said in the small low voice: *yes, master.*

"Lad. By the small specific reading at the past four months — the lads' small specific accumulating preparation has, in the small specific *not-yet* of the past four months, gone past the small specific *full* accumulating reading of the small specific shape an old officer can teach at a small clear ground at a small wooden table. The lads will — by the small specific reading at the next year — be at the small specific accumulating shape of *practicing* the small specific accumulating shape, not at *learning* it."

He paused.

"The practicing is — by the small specific reading I am giving — the small specific accumulating shape of the next year's work. The lads will, by the small specific reading at the noon of the next year's spring, go down."

The brothers nodded.

That spring and that summer, the household — by the small specific reading at the small clear ground at every noon — practiced. The small specific *moment* at the saber and the bow was, by the small specific reading at the past four months' accumulating preparation, at the small specific *full reading* of an apprentice's seventh year.

Heizi, by the small specific reading at the dusk of the eighth moon of the eighth year, was at perhaps eight of ten on certain days at the *cut at the recovery*, seven of ten on certain days at the *quarter-circle*, six of ten on certain days at his own small specific compound move, and at the small specific reading at the bow of nine of ten on certain days at thirty paces and seven of ten at fifty paces.

Wang Er, by the same dusk, was at six of ten on certain days at the *quarter-circle* and at the small specific accumulating reading of the small specific *thrust-and-set*'s small specific *real* form of a smith's son's full reading.

Tie-zhu, at the small specific defensive holding-place at the corner, was at five of ten on certain days at his own adapted *quarter-circle*; he had also, by the small specific reading at the past two years' walking, become — by Lao Wen's small specific saying at the noon of the third week of the seventh moon — at the small specific accumulating reading of a *moving-defender* who could now, by the small specific reading at the bad foot's accumulated healing, move from the corner at the small specific instant of the engagement to the small specific second position three paces east of the south face. *Lame brother,* Lao Wen had said. *The defensive holding-place is — by the small specific reading at the past two years — the small specific *first-position*. The lame brother has, by the small specific reading at this morning, the small specific accumulating shape of being able to take the *second-position* also. The household will, by the small specific reading at the next year's accumulating *practice*, lay in the small specific accumulating shape of the lame brother's two-position guard.*

The lame brother had nodded.

An Ashi, by the same dusk, was at six of ten on certain days at the boy's father's *circle-and-thrust* and at four of ten at the *cut at the recovery*. He was at the small specific accumulating reading of perhaps four thousand characters and had begun, by the small specific reading at the past three months, to keep — at his small slab — a small specific running political-eye ledger of the small specific accumulating peddlers' sayings, in the small specific way of a small Sogdian merchant's son's accumulating reading of a country's small political shape.

Ah Chou, by the same dusk, was at the small specific accumulating shape of the household's medic — by the small specific reading at the past three years, he had treated three small specific minor injuries at the small specific accumulating noon practice (a cut at Wang Er's shoulder from a saber-misjudgment at the small specific *thrust-and-set*'s second formation; a small re-cracking of Tie-zhu's foot in autumn that the new salve had closed in two weeks; a small specific mild fever of Heizi's at the deep cold of the past winter). He was, by the small specific reading at the past year, also at the small specific accumulating shape of a *seeing-without-being-seen* eye on the brothers' small specific accumulating training, with the small specific saying he would — at certain noons — give in the small low voice from the eastern wall: *big brother. The small specific accumulating *cut at the recovery* — by the small specific reading at this morning — has the small specific *moment* not at the small specific *just before the recovery's full extension* but at the small specific *just after the attacker's foot has set down*. The small specific timing, by the small specific reading at the past three months, is — by the small specific reading I am giving — at perhaps a small specific quarter-breath earlier than the big brother has been laying it.*

Heizi had — at the second laying of the *cut at the recovery* at the noon — moved the small specific timing a quarter-breath earlier.

The shot had landed at eight of ten that day instead of seven.

Lao Wen, at the edge, had nodded.

He had said in the small low voice: *brother. By the small specific reading at the noon — the brother's eye is at the small specific accumulating *seeing-without-being-seen* of an old Buddhist's accumulating reading. The household has — by the small specific reading I am giving — its small specific *teacher's-second-eye*.*

Ah Chou had bowed, very slightly.

He had said: *master. By the small specific reading at my own small specific accumulating reading at the past three years, the brother has — by the small specific way the master has been teaching — taught at the same time he has been teaching the lads. The brother has been, by the small specific accumulating reading, at the small specific accumulating learning at the eastern wall.*

Lao Wen had smiled, very small.

He had said: *yes, brother. The teacher teaches at the small specific accumulating teaching of every small specific eye that watches.*

That summer, by the small specific reading at the lame brother's eye-station, the small specific *outer arc* at the lower contour shifted. The small specific *holding camp* under Bing Yuanzhen, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months, broke up at the small specific accumulating shape of the *holding* and reformed at the small specific accumulating shape of a *recruiting* — three small specific recruitment-camps, each at perhaps eighty men, set at the small specific accumulating crossroads of the lower country.

By the small specific reading at the dusk of the first day of the ninth moon of the eighth year, the *recruitment-and-takes-everyone* had — by the small specific reading — begun.

Lao Wen, at the small wooden table at the noon of the second day of the ninth moon of the eighth year, said in the small low voice: *lads. By the small specific reading at this noon — the *event* has begun. The small specific *recruitment* at the lower contour is, by the small specific reading I am giving, the small specific *door* the lads will, at the spring of the ninth year, walk through.*

He paused.

"By the small specific reading I am giving — the lads will, in the small specific accumulating six months between this noon and the spring, do the small specific final accumulating practice. By the noon of the first day of the third moon of the ninth year, the lads will go down."

The brothers nodded.

"Yes, master."

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 past four months' accumulating *practicing* and by the small specific reading at the past noon's small specific saying of the small specific *door* — the shape of a small old hut at the grove of twelve pines whose six-man household had, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five years and ten months, become the small specific shape an old officer's small specific accumulating saying had, six years ago, predicted.

He filed it.

In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific evening of the second day of the eleventh moon of the seventh year and the small specific dusk of the small specific *failure* at Yongqiu, he set: *the small specific noon of the second day of the ninth moon of the eighth year, when the *door* was named.*

The lighter catalog stood, at this dusk, at perhaps forty-six items.

The dark catalog stood at six names.

He sat his watch through.