99: The Brief Meeting
Li Mi came to Liyang at the dusk of the seventh day after the column's accumulating arrival.
He came — by the small specific accumulating reading at the senior gate-sentry's accumulating saying at the morning of that day — without a small accumulating *real* military escort. He came at the small accumulating *peddler-and-staff-officer* shape Heizi had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months' political-eye reading — recognized in Lao Wen's saying about Li Mi at the past five years: *Li Mi will come at the small accumulating *unannounced* shape when he comes to receive a small accumulating *not-yet* officer*. He came with one accumulating staff-officer at his side, perhaps thirty-five, with the small accumulating *Wagang-staff-officer's* uniform that had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four months' Wagang reorganization — taken its small accumulating *real* shape.
The senior gate-sentry sent the small accumulating word to the *forty-officer's tent* at the second hour after the dawn.
*Heizi-zhang. By the small specific reading I am giving — Li Mi has come. He is at the small accumulating *staff-officer's tent* of Liyang's accumulating Wagang sub-camp at this morning. He has — by the small specific reading I am giving — asked for the lad. He will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, see the lad at the small accumulating *fifth hour after dawn* at the *staff-officer's tent*.*
Heizi nodded.
He prepared.
He took his accumulating *横刀* from the small accumulating peg at the *forty-officer's tent's* eastern wall. He wore his small accumulating *clean indigo* coat the boy An Ashi had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two days — laid for him at the small accumulating *meeting* preparation. He did not, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, take any small accumulating *piece* of writing or any small accumulating *small piece* in the inner pocket of his shirt against his ribs that was not, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past nine years and ten months, already there.
The small finished indigo pouch with the *生*. The small carved horse with the charcoal eye. The small dark jade from Lu Wen-han. The small braid of his foster mother's hair. The small wooden bead from Mei-er. Ah Chou's small wooden bead. The small twist of paper from the eastern-pine hermit's incense, now empty but kept. The small accumulating *staff-officer's accumulating roll* of the *forty's* names, with the small accumulating *fifty's accumulating dark catalog* on the back.
He went, at the fifth hour after dawn, to the small accumulating *staff-officer's tent* of Liyang's Wagang sub-camp.
He was alone.
He left the brothers at the *forty-officer's tent*. He had — by the small specific accumulating reading at the dawn — said to them in the small low voice: *brothers. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — I will, at the small accumulating *meeting* with Li Mi, be at the small accumulating *eldest-position* of the household alone. The brothers will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, hold the *forty-officer's tent*. By the small specific accumulating reading at the meeting's accumulating outcome — I will return at the small accumulating noon and lay out, by the small specific reading I am giving, what we will, by the next moves, do.*
The brothers had nodded.
Heizi went.
He came to the small accumulating *staff-officer's tent* of Liyang's accumulating Wagang sub-camp at the small specific accumulating fifth hour. The senior gate-sentry waved him in.
He stepped into the tent.
Li Mi was inside.
He sat at a small wooden bench at the back of the tent. He was — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past three years' accumulating peddler-saying and at the past four months' accumulating reading — perhaps thirty-five. He was tall, by the small specific accumulating reading at his accumulating sitting. He had on the small accumulating *plain* wool of an accumulating Wagang officer at the small accumulating *not-on-campaign* shape. He had — by the small specific reading at the small accumulating *first sight* — the small accumulating *Sui-official's-son* eyes of a man who had been at a small accumulating magistracy court in his accumulating youth and had — by the small specific accumulating reading — laid in the small accumulating *political eye* of an accumulating *real* leader in his accumulating present years.
He looked at Heizi.
He stood up — slowly, by the small specific accumulating careful protocol of an old Han political reading.
He bowed at the small specific accumulating *equal-stance* bow.
He said in the small low voice with the small specific accumulating Sui-official's-son's careful accent: *Heizi-zhang. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past year and a half — Li Mi.*
Heizi bowed back at the small specific accumulating *equal-stance*.
He said: *master. Heizi-zhang of the *forty* of the past southern command, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, at the small accumulating *meeting*.*
Li Mi looked at him.
He did not — at the small accumulating first beat — speak.
He looked at Heizi for perhaps the small accumulating quarter of a long minute.
He said in the small low voice: *Heizi-zhang. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past four months' accumulating *not-yet* and at the small specific accumulating *master's accumulating call* of the past month — the lad has, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, declined the small accumulating *commitment* at four small specific accumulating opportunities and has, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, taken the small accumulating *useful work* of the *forty* at the small accumulating *cold-spring camp's accumulating sub-base* and at the small accumulating *escorting* of the small accumulating refugee column.*
He paused.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — that is, by the small specific reading I am giving, the small accumulating *correct* shape of an apprentice's accumulating not-yet."
He paused once more.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — Li Mi has, at this morning, come to the small specific accumulating *meeting* not at the small accumulating *commitment* shape. The small accumulating *meeting* is, by the small specific reading I am giving, at the small accumulating *receiving* of the lad's accumulating *not-yet* into the small accumulating *Wagang's accumulating recognized* shape. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the *forty* will, at the small specific accumulating *receiving*, be a small accumulating *recognized sub-unit of the Wagang's accumulating new shape*, with the small accumulating *cold-spring camp* at the small accumulating *recognized upper-hills sub-base* and the lad at the small accumulating *recognized staff-officer*."
He paused.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the lad will not, at this morning, be asked to come east to the new headquarters. The lad will not, at this morning, be asked to lay any small accumulating *commitment* of any specific further accumulating shape. The lad will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, hold the cold-spring camp and the *forty* at the small accumulating *upper-hills sub-base*, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, until the lad's accumulating *real* readiness — by the small specific accumulating reading at the lad's own accumulating reading — is at the small accumulating *real* shape of the lad's accumulating *full commitment*."
He looked at Heizi.
"By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — Lao Wen at the upper hills and Li Mi at the new headquarters have, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months' accumulating *not-yet* and the past month's accumulating *escorting*, come to the small accumulating *agreement* about the lad's accumulating *real* shape."
He paused.
"That is — by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — the small accumulating *meeting*'s reading."
Heizi looked at him.
He filed the small accumulating *Lao Wen and Li Mi accumulating agreement*.
He filed it carefully.
He had not — by the small specific accumulating reading at the past four months — known that Lao Wen and Li Mi were, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, in any specific accumulating *direct* communication.
By the small specific accumulating reading at the small accumulating *meeting* of this morning, they were.
He filed it.
He bowed.
He said in the small low voice: *master. By the small specific reading I am giving — yes. The lad will hold the cold-spring camp and the *forty* at the small accumulating *upper-hills sub-base*. By the small specific accumulating reading at this morning — the lad accepts the small accumulating *recognized* shape.*
Li Mi nodded.
He said in the small low voice: *Heizi-zhang. Welcome.*
He bowed at the small specific accumulating *equal-stance*.
The meeting was — by the small specific accumulating reading at this morning — done.
Heizi went out of the tent.
He came back to the *forty-officer's tent* at the small accumulating *brothers' fire* at the noon.
He sat at the small banked fire.
He said in the small low voice: *brothers. The meeting was, by the small specific reading I am giving, at the small accumulating *recognized-but-not-committed* shape. The cold-spring camp and the *forty* are, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, at the small accumulating *Wagang-recognized upper-hills sub-base* of an accumulating *not-yet* officer. By the small specific accumulating reading I am giving — Lao Wen and Li Mi have, by the small specific accumulating reading at the past two months' accumulating saying, been in some specific accumulating *direct* communication.*
The brothers nodded.
Lu Jingzhi at the small accumulating *political-voice* position said in the small low voice: *yes, big brother. By the small specific accumulating reading at the past year — that is the small accumulating *correct* shape of the master's accumulating reading. The master has, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving at this dusk, been at the small accumulating *political* arrangement at the upper hills, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, all along.*
Heizi nodded.
He filed it.
He said in the small low voice: *brothers. We will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, return to the cold-spring camp at the dawn of the third day. The *forty* will, by the small specific accumulating reading I am giving, hold the cold-spring camp at the small accumulating *recognized* shape, with the small accumulating *cooperation* of Liyang's accumulating sub-camp at certain specific accumulating moments of the next year's accumulating engagements.*
The brothers nodded.
That night Heizi at his watch sat at the small banked fire of the *forty-officer's tent*.
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* whose accumulating *not-yet* had — at the morning's brief meeting — been, by the small specific reading I am giving, *received* by the accumulating *real* leader of the small accumulating Wagang Rebellion as the small accumulating *correct* shape.
He filed it.
In the small lighter catalog of moments, beside the small specific dusk of Li Mi's first letter, he set: *the small specific morning of the meeting at Liyang, when Li Mi received the lad's not-yet at the small accumulating *equal-stance bow*.*
The lighter catalog stood at perhaps seventy-eight items.
The dark catalog stood at twenty-one named names plus the *unnamed thousand*.
He sat his watch through.