80: The Going-Down

The going-down began at the dawn of the first day of the fourth moon of the ninth year.

The brothers had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past seven days — laid in the small specific final preparation. The small folded letters of Lao Wen's small specific accumulating writing at the past two years had been set into a small folded oilskin packet at the small wooden chest at the foot of his cot. The brothers' small folded letters — Heizi's letter to Old Zhang, the boy's letter to his younger brother at whatever Liangzhou market, the lame brother's letter to Lan-gu at the hamlet of two wells, the smith's son's letter to his father at the small forge in the village — had been laid in a small specific second oilskin packet at the same chest. The packets would, by the small specific reading at Lao Wen's saying at the dusk of the seventh day, be carried by the brothers in the small bundle on Heizi's back, against the small specific accumulating possibility that, at some small specific accumulating moment of the small specific Wagang's accumulating campaigns, the small specific letters could — by the small specific accumulating reading of the rebellion's accumulating south-and-east movement — be sent at the small specific accumulating accident of a peddler's small specific accumulating road.

The small specific carved horse with the charcoal eye and the small dark ribbon — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two years — had been laid by the lame brother at Lao Wen's altar beside the three names. The lame brother had said in the small low voice at the dusk of the sixth day: *grandfather. The lame brother is, by the small specific reading at the past two years' accumulating reading, taking the small specific *holding-place* at the small specific accumulating shape of a young apprentice's role. The carved horse will, by the small specific reading I am giving, stay at this hut, in case — in case the lame brother does not, at the small specific accumulating road of the next year, come back.*

Lao Wen, at the small altar, had nodded.

He had said: *yes, lame brother. The horse stays. The lame brother is — by the small specific reading at this dusk — also coming back, by the small specific reading I am giving. But the horse, in case.*

The dawn of the first day came in clear and cold.

The seven young men — by the small specific arrangement Lao Wen had laid at the small wooden table at the dusk of the sixth day — gathered at the small clear ground in front of the south face.

Heizi at the front of the line, with the small bow at his back, the small specific *横刀* at his belt, the small bundle with the millet and the salt-pork and the letters and the small specific six folded papers of Heizi's own writing at his back. The small carved horse — Heizi's, the second one, the one that the lame brother had made for him at the eight-day jade trip nearly three years ago — was at the inner pocket of his shirt against his ribs, alongside the small finished indigo pouch with the *生* on the silk, alongside the small braid of his foster mother's hair from Old Zhang's wrapped jade, alongside the small wooden bead his sister had given him at his ninth year, alongside the small dark jade Lu Wen-han had given him at his door, alongside Ah Chou's small wooden bead he had brought back to Heizi at his arrival at the hut.

Wang Er, second in the line, with the small specific *横刀* he had forged at the spring of the fourth year, with his father's small forge-hammer in its sling at his back, with his small bundle of the small specific iron-keeper's tools, with the small specific accumulating shape of a young smith at the small specific *carrying-of-iron* of the small specific household.

Tie-zhu, third, with the small specific spear Lao Wen had given him at the dusk of the previous evening — the small specific gift of an old officer's old militia officer's spear at the small specific accumulating reading of the next year — at his hand. The bad foot, by the small specific reading at the past year, was at the small specific full working pace. The lame brother carried, in his small bundle, the small specific medical supplies Ah Chou had laid for him as the household's secondary medic.

An Ashi, fourth, with the small specific *横刀* the smith's son had forged at the spring of the fifth year, with his small light blade at the small inner sleeve of his coat, with the small specific bundle of the household's small specific *accounting*-papers — the small specific accumulating record of the past six years' arithmetic, plus the small specific *political-eye ledger* the boy had begun at the past year. The small specific bark-copy of Lao Wen's cloth map was at his inner pocket against his ribs.

Ah Chou, fifth, with the small wooden staff at his right hand, with the small specific medic's bundle of the *huang lian* and the small accumulating roots and herbs Ah Chou had laid for the road, with his small wooden bowl with the *無* at his belt.

Lu Jingzhi, sixth, with the small specific *横刀* the smith's son had — at the past four days' accumulating making — forged from the small specific accumulating reserve bog-iron the household had at the back of the hut, with his old short sword still at his belt as the small specific *second blade* of his small specific accumulating reading, with his small bundle of the small specific accumulating *political voice* the brother would, by the small specific reading at the past seven days at the small wooden table, carry.

The seventh — Lao Wen — stood at the small clear ground in front of the hut.

He stood, by the small specific reading at the dawn, in his small specific accumulating wadded coat, with the small specific accumulating reading of an old officer at sixty-three.

He bowed, at the small clear ground — by the small specific accumulating reading of the past Han protocol of an old master at the small specific *sending-down* of his apprentices — to each of the six in turn. He bowed at the small specific *full-stance* bow Heizi had seen Lu Jingzhi give him at the small specific *seeking-refuge* eight days ago.

The brothers bowed back — at the small specific *full-stance* bow of the apprentice's reciprocal acknowledgment.

Lao Wen said in the small low voice with the small specific southern-Henan accent: *lads. Six years and four months at this hut.*

"Six years and four months at this hut, master."

"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dawn — the small specific accumulating *small house's full count* the* Li Ji *named at the cloth map at the third moon of the first year is — at this dawn — at the small specific accumulating *eight*. The seven of you, plus my own. The country, by the small specific accumulating arrangement of an old scholar's small old reading, has — at this dawn — given me the small specific count I had been at the small specific *short* of for nineteen winters."

He paused.

"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the lads will, in the small specific accumulating *six-man unit* with the seventh as small specific *political voice*, go down at the small specific accumulating *recruitment-and-takes-everyone* of the small specific Wagang Rebellion. The lads will, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past five years' political philosophy, lay in their small specific accumulating decisions at the small specific accumulating *moments* of the rebellion."

He paused once more.

"And the lads will, by the small specific reading I am giving — *come back*. To this hut. At certain accumulating moments of the next several years. The country has — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — laid the small specific *eight* at this hut, and the small specific *eight* will, by the small specific reading at the next several years, hold."

He paused.

"That is — that is the small specific reading I am giving at this dawn."

He laid one hand once on the top of Heizi's head.

He did not, at the small clear ground, lay it on any of the others'. The small specific gesture was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past six years and four months at this hut — Heizi's own small specific gesture from the master.

He stepped back.

He said in the small low voice: *go.*

Heizi turned.

He started down the small old herder's path at the slow even pace of a small specific seven-man unit's first morning of the small specific *going-down*.

The brothers fell in behind him.

The lame brother, by the small specific reading at the past year's accumulating walking, went at the small specific full pace. The boy, the smith's son, Ah Chou, Lu Jingzhi — each at their small specific accumulating positions in the line.

By the lower bend of the path, Heizi paused.

He turned, briefly, in spite of the small specific accumulating reading at the past six years' discipline of *not looking back*.

He looked up.

Lao Wen was at the small clear ground in front of the south face of the hut. The small thin column of smoke at the small clay-pot chimney rose in its small steady patient way. The grove of twelve pines stood in the small accumulating shape of the past hundred years' rough circle. Lao Wen at the small clear ground raised one hand — once, light — and let it fall.

Heizi raised his.

He turned.

He went down the path.

By the noon, the seven were at the lip of the small flat hollow at the foot of the bear-back. By the dusk of the first day, they were at the small dry place at the foot of the eastern saddle of the long low ridge — the place where Heizi and Wang Er and Tie-zhu and Ah Si had camped on the second night of the road, eight years and one moon ago, when the household had been four.

Heizi laid the first banked fire of the small specific accumulating *going-down* at the same small banked fire ring of stones eight years ago.

The brothers ate a small portion. They watched in turns. Heizi took the first watch.

He listened.

The shape of the silence on this watch was — by the small specific reading at this dusk — the shape of an upper-hills evening at the foot of the eastern saddle of the long low ridge, with seven young men at the small dry place at the small banked fire ring, on the first night of the small specific *going-down*.

He filed it.

In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dawn of the going-down at the small clear ground in front of the south face, he set: *the small specific dusk of the first day of the going-down, at the same small banked fire ring of eight years and one moon ago.*

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

The dark catalog stood at six names.

He sat his watch through.

The owls of the upper hills called twice.

The wind, by the small specific reading at the second hour of the late watch, was at the small steady cool of the spring's first true night below the upper hills.

The country had — at this dusk — let the seven down.

The work, by the small unhurried way of the country, went on.