79: Auntie Wu

The week between Saturday and Saturday ran at its own pace.

The Tuesday seminar ran. Doctor Mu set us a small applied-coursework module on the small careful column-band-asymmetry-and-pressure-drop relationship. I worked it. The Wednesday Mu lab ran. Bai Yueran was at the bench in the rust-colored sweater. We ran two columns. She had on, this Wednesday, the same small careful pinned-at-the-collar gold pin — the small careful gold pin signaling her father's 12.4%-block judgment that the small careful Wednesday-window the small careful Bladeless of *Severing Light* would, by his own small careful judgment, walk into was, on this particular Wednesday the tenth, also not yet the small careful Wednesday-window.

I did not, at four PM on the Wednesday the tenth of December, walk into the small careful White Crane.

I walked, instead, the small four kilometers from the dorm to the small careful east-side trolley stop and back at the small careful four-PM-Wednesday hour the way I had walked it the small careful Wednesday the third. Wanqing — by her own small careful Hangzhou-9 first-cycle-adjunct-training cadence — was, on the small careful Wednesday the tenth, at the small careful HZUT central library at the small careful third-floor mathematics-and-civic-historical-context reference shelves where she had, since the small careful Wednesday the third's small careful 5:42 PM dorm-corridor western-lane intersection, decided to be.

We had not, on the small careful Wednesday the tenth, talked about the small careful Wednesday-window.

We had, by our own small careful pace, decided to wait.

The small careful Wednesday the seventeenth — the small careful last day of the small careful Hangzhou-Six 1968-founding-formation's small careful naming-window — was, by my own small careful Wednesday-the-tenth-evening's small careful judgment, the small careful Wednesday-window I would, by my own small careful pace, walk into.

I had, on the Wednesday the tenth at 5:42 PM IRL at the dorm-corridor western-lane intersection, met Wanqing with a small folded note in my own pencil hand: *I will, on the small careful Wednesday the seventeenth, be at the small careful White Crane corner-window table at the small careful east window two tables west of the small careful corner-back at four PM. I will, by my own small careful Wednesday-the-tenth-and-third-pace, have walked into the small careful naming-window on the small careful last small careful day before its close. The pace is mine.* She had read the small folded note. She had folded it. She had put it in the inside pocket of her dark coat.

She had said, in her ordinary voice: "All right."

The Friday morning shift was the empty-pod-12 again.

Manager Fang gave me the small envelope. He did not, this Friday, have any side-ledger items — the small careful suit-gentleman had been at the small careful Suzhou-eastern-county field office through the small careful week; the small careful Sister Lin proper was, by the small careful Beijing-pipeline-internal calendar, scheduled to be at the small careful White Crane corner-back-table at four PM on Saturday at the small careful one-IRL-day-prior-to-the-knock confirmation tier; my father had not, this Friday, called the small careful shop telephone.

I walked back to the dorm at noon. I slept until five. I made the small early dinner. I went to the pod at six. Wanqing and I worked the small careful Lv 30-cap calibration runs at the small careful Black Iron Beasts upper floor for two cycles. We logged out at 11:18.

The Saturday December thirteenth ran.

Wanqing took the 9:40 AM train to Suzhou. I took the same train. We did not, on the train, sit together — she had, by her own small careful judgment for the small careful Pingjiang-Road auntie-network's small careful Saturday-December-thirteenth witness-protocol, taken the small careful window seat at the small careful third car and I had taken the small careful aisle seat at the small careful sixth car. The small careful eight rows between us were the small careful eight rows the protocol asked.

We came into Suzhou north at 11:14.

I took the No. 4 bus three stops to Pingjiang Road. Wanqing took the small careful No. 4 bus three stops to Pingjiang Road on the small careful next No. 4 bus.

I walked up the cobbled lane at 11:38 AM IRL.

Auntie Wu was at the small careful eastern end of the small careful east-west cross-lane at her brazier.

She was a small wiry woman in her late sixties in the small clean grey work-coat. She had at the small careful brazier the small careful chestnut-roasting iron pan. She had at the small careful folding table behind the small brazier the small careful three small paper-cone stacks for the three small careful Saturday-morning-customer sizes. The small careful late-November-going-into-December cold was at the small careful air. The small careful chestnuts in the small careful pan were at the small careful turning-and-popping cycle that the small careful chestnut-vendor's-mother-1962 recipe asked. The smell of the chestnuts roasting over the iron pan was the smell of Pingjiang Road on a winter Saturday morning — the specific warm-sweet-carbon smell that came from the oil in the shells beginning to release as the heat from the brazier moved through the turning cycle from the outer layer inward. I had walked past this smell in the old timeline without stopping. I had been twenty-two and in a hurry and I had not known it was a smell I was going to want to remember.

I stopped at the small careful three meters from the brazier.

She did not, this morning, not look up.

She looked up.

She looked at me for the small careful four seconds the small careful looking took.

She said: "Boy."

I said: "Auntie Wu."

She said: "Four cones."

I said: "Four cones."

She turned to the small careful folding table. She picked up four of the small careful medium-sized paper cones. She lined them at the small careful brazier's small careful side rim. She turned the small careful chestnut-roasting iron pan. She took out, with the small careful long-handled iron tongs, the small careful chestnuts at the small careful turn-cycle's small careful done-mark. She filled the four cones — four to a cone, sixteen total. She handed me the four cones at the small careful three-meter mark.

She did not, in handing, drop the small careful eye-contact.

She said: "Boy. The small careful 1962 line is, by the small careful 25-place long table at the small careful Greenleaf Inn private second-floor room my own small specific 1990-Pingjiang-Road kitchen-table-cadence-receipt-line's small careful third-pair-second-hand has, since 1990, been waiting twenty-four IRL years for it to be at — at the small careful Pingjiang-Road auntie-network's small careful November-fifteenth Wednesday-meeting third-row-table count — at. The wait is over. The line will, by your own small careful four-things charter that you have signed at the small careful Mei Yulan permanent civic-affiliate arrangement's small careful Tuesday the twenty-fifth dual signature, hold."

She paused.

She said: "Walk safely. The small careful chestnuts are for the small careful four members of the small careful Su family kitchen table on the small careful Sunday afternoon you will, on the small careful Sunday tomorrow, walk to. Mrs. Su has, by the small careful Pingjiang-Road auntie-network's small careful Wednesday-meeting third-row-table's small careful December-tenth confirmation, set the small careful Sunday-afternoon table for the small careful four. You and Wanqing and Mr. Su and Mrs. Su. The small careful chestnuts are the small careful Pingjiang-Road auntie-network's small careful Saturday-morning gift to the small careful Sunday-afternoon table."

I held the four cones.

I said: "Auntie Wu. Thank you."

She said: "Don't thank me. Thank the chestnut-vendor's-mother who taught me in 1990 the small careful 1962-line, who taught your own small careful grandmother in 1972 the small careful 1962-line that your own grandmother taught your own mother in 1985 — by the small careful 1972-Pingjiang-Road first-hand-down's small careful triangulation principle. The chestnut-vendor's-mother is at the small careful Pingjiang-Road eastern lane in the small careful 1972-Pingjiang-Road first-hand-down's small careful retired-third-pair-second-hand-mother's small careful east-end flat. She is, this Saturday morning, at the small careful flat. She does not, by her own small careful 1990 retirement, take small careful Saturday-morning visitors. She does, however, send the small careful weekly small careful late-November oolong tea to the small careful Su family kitchen on the small careful Sunday-afternoon you will walk to. The small careful tea will be at the small careful pot at the small careful kitchen table when you arrive. The pot is — by her own small careful 1990 retirement-protocol — the small careful tea she has been sending to the small careful Su family kitchen since 1990 for the small careful Sunday-afternoon table the small careful 1962-line would, by the small careful 1990 retirement-protocol's small careful 24-IRL-year wait, eventually be at."

I held the four cones.

I held them at the small careful four-meter mark from the small careful brazier the small careful four-second longer than the holding took.

I said: "I will."

She said: "Walk safely. The small careful Wanqing is at the small careful next No. 4 bus stop at the small careful eastern end of the small careful Pingjiang Road. She has, by her own small careful eight-row-on-the-train protocol, been at the small careful next No. 4 bus stop since 11:34. She will, when you walk past, walk with you to the small careful Su family flat."

I held the four cones for the small careful four seconds.

They were warm. The paper was warm from the chestnuts and the paper was light and the chestnuts inside it were the chestnuts Auntie Wu had taken out with the iron tongs at the done-mark of the turning cycle, which was the done-mark the chestnut-vendor's-mother had taught her in 1990, which was the done-mark the chestnut-vendor's-mother had learned from a woman on a street corner in Suzhou's old-city district in 1962. The warmth passed from the paper to my palms. I noted it. I set it beside the other things I was noting this Saturday morning — the cobblestones of the lane underfoot, the cold December air, the weight of the four cones for four people at a kitchen table.

I bowed — the small careful inclination Old Wei would, in either timeline, have given the small careful 1962-line third-pair-second-hand at the small careful chestnut-vendor's-stall meeting.

She returned the small careful inclination.

I walked east.

At the small careful next No. 4 bus stop at the small careful eastern end of Pingjiang Road, Wanqing was at the small careful bench in the dark green sweater under the dark coat. She did not, when I walked past at the small careful one-meter distance, stand. She stood at the small careful one-meter past mark. She walked beside me at the small careful steady walk to the small careful Su family flat.

She did not, at the eight-centimeter mark, take my hand.

We walked the four cones to the small careful Su family flat.

At the small careful Su family flat's small careful gate Mrs. Su was at the small careful kitchen window. She did the small careful Suzhou-shopkeeper's-wife careful nod the way she had done it at the small careful second-Saturday meeting on November first.

She said, through the open kitchen window: "Cangtian. Wanqing. The small careful chestnuts are for the small careful Sunday-afternoon table tomorrow. Set them on the small careful kitchen counter. Cangtian — there is, this small careful afternoon, a small careful four-PM small careful Sister Lin appointment at the small careful White Crane I have, by the Pingjiang-Road auntie-network's Wednesday-meeting third-row-table's December-tenth confirmation, been told you have. Take Wanqing back to Hangzhou north on the small careful 1:18 train. Wanqing — you will, by my own small careful protocol, sit at the small careful HZUT central library through the four-PM-Sister-Lin appointment. The small careful Sister Lin appointment is the small careful White Crane appointment. The small careful Sunday-afternoon table is, by your own and Cangtian's small careful tomorrow's-train, the small careful Sunday-afternoon-table. Walk safely."

I bowed.

Wanqing bowed.

I set the four cones on the small careful kitchen counter through the small careful kitchen window.

We walked back to the No. 4 bus stop at 12:42.

We took the 1:18 train back to Hangzhou north.

We came into Hangzhou north at 2:42.

The train from Suzhou north to Hangzhou north ran the same route it had run this morning in reverse. Wanqing had the window seat again — the third car, the window side — and I had the aisle seat in the sixth car. The eight rows between us were the same eight rows. The distance was a chosen distance and it was, like all chosen distances at this point in the November-December arc, a provisional one. The small careful December landscape outside the train window was the same landscape in the other direction.

In my chest the second voice — *four-month-flat* — was quiet. The first voice — the old counter — said:

*Auntie Wu's mother sends the small careful late-November oolong tea to the small careful Su family kitchen for the small careful Sunday-afternoon table the small careful 1962-line would, by 1990 retirement-protocol's 24-IRL-year wait, eventually be at. Tomorrow's Sunday-afternoon table will be at the four chairs the four chestnut cones are for. The small careful Sister Lin appointment is at four PM today. The small careful chestnut-cone-from-Mrs.-Pan I will, at the close of the small careful Sister Lin appointment, find at the small careful empty Wednesday-window table is the small careful Mrs. Pan invitation to walk into the small careful Wednesday the seventeenth at four PM.*

I closed my eyes.

I did not, in closing, sleep. I had only the four-PM Sister Lin appointment ahead.