The road narrows in front, and after passing the slope root, Main Road merges into a gate.
The eaves of the door are set low, and the afternoon sun slants down on the eaves.
There was an empty space fifty steps away from the door, and people were standing outside the line.
He walked outside the line and stopped.
The side with the worn out sole of the shoe hits the ground first, causing obvious irritation. You have to change your foot after taking two steps.
There was only one mouthful left in the water bag, there was no sound of water when it swayed, and the weight on my waist became lighter.
There is new camel dung on the track, and old tracks are cracked and turned over underneath. The new seals are pressed against the old ones, layer by layer.
These are all things that have come out, no one needs to say anything.
The soil on the side of the door was trampled hard, leaving a bright mark, the section near the door being the whitest.
There are no ruts on the road beyond the gate, and the gate is closed to traffic today.
The bags were all placed outside, as if they were going back, and no one looked at the door to unload them.
People standing outside the line each carried their own luggage, and their bags were unloaded on the ground. They were tied loosely with straw ropes, and rags picked up on the road were padded under the ropes. The sun shrank their shadows at their feet, and no one made a sound. Only the bags occasionally snored. The dust drifted close to the ground toward the door, and dispersed when it reached the line.
Inside the door is the place to go, and this side of the door is the place to stand.
This is not a familiar guard.
The familiar one is like a bayonet: check the book, place the words, and release.
There is only one door here and only one appearance.
You can clearly distinguish between the inside and outside of the line.
People waiting did not crowd or push forward.
Some people sat with their luggage at their feet, while others stood holding the pack.
The line under the feet made the soles fade a little, and the places where they were rubbed were stepped on firmly.
There is a piece of rope hanging under the eaves of the door. The end of the rope is hanging down, and there is no wind.
The place where the talisman is checked is on the side of the door, with a low table and a person sitting behind it.
There were stacks of talisman tokens on the table, the edges of the paper were frayed, and half of an old paper was pressed on the top piece.
The door was half open, and the voice coming from inside the door was not real. It seemed like someone was calling someone, or explaining something.
The line on the origami paper was pressed in my arms until the corner of the paper became soft.
The side gate has changed its inspection method.
This is the wicket line we take.
The doorkeeper behind the low desk looked up, first at his feet, then at the luggage on his shoulders.
"Character."
Straight answer.
"No."
"Without a talisman, you are not allowed to enter."
That hand was placed on the edge of the case, but he didn't stand up or wave.
There is another booklet on the edge of the case, with a stone pressing on the corner of the booklet.
The sound of turning the pages of the booklet is small, and the pages are turned in order wherever they are turned.
In the open space beside the case, the line was stretched straight, and people outside the line stood and watched.
After moving forward, the guard's gaze fell firmly on him.
The stone on the line is polished and turned white, which is the white color after it was withdrawn.
"Back outside the line."
He withdrew.
The heels first fall outside the line, and then the soles of the feet are flattened after standing firm.
The sun shone on the luggage on my shoulders, making it really hot.
For the first time, I was blocked from the door according to the procedures.
The line does not stop people, it only draws the line. The land inside the line belongs to those in the door, and the land outside the line belongs to those waiting. No one can cross it.
There was a person standing in the shadow at the base of the wall, with his face hidden in the shadow and his hands in his sleeves.
No one looks too much at anyone.
Stop, don't go any further, and stop your feet a little above the line.
The gatekeeper didn't say it a second time, that sentence was enough.
The wind came out from the door, bringing with it the smell of dust inside the door.
The door was neither closed nor opened.
The pen is resting behind the low desk with the nib facing down.
The talisman cards are piled up, and whoever takes them must put them in the order listed on the table, and those who put them back must be placed in the correct order.
A group of people walked past the inside of the door, making a short sound with the soles of their boots stepping on the stone surface.
The person at the head of the team handed over a talisman with a sand pattern on the surface.
The sand lines are pressed out, and there is an old crease on the corner of the card.
The sand pattern is the mark of Sunagakure, which is not the case elsewhere.
The talisman examiner took the card, glanced at the back of the card, then turned it over to look at the front, and then put the card back to its original place.
The hand of the talisman examiner is very steady, and he does not look at anyone when receiving and passing cards.
"Sunagakure."
The person at the head of the team responded.
The talisman examiner handed the card back and waved his hand.
A group of people entered through the opening on the side of the door. No one looked back when they entered.
Someone in the team who entered the team looked back at the line and then back again.
I could see clearly who the people in the team were. The man walking in the team had a large folded fan on his back.
Temari was walking in the queue with a large folded fan on his back.
She didn't look this way and didn't stop.
The hem of the cloak swept over the stone beside the door, picking up a little dirt.
That card is not money, it is the rules of a sect.
The price is on one side, and the door is on the other side. They are next to each other, but they are not interchangeable. One side is for the brand, and the other side is for the price.
The shadows inside the door receded, and the sun moved another inch.
The gatekeeper stopped flipping through the book, as if he remembered something.
Not asking the people outside the line, but asking the people in the team who have already entered.
The gatekeeper asked something, and someone in the queue answered him.
One sentence inside the door, half a sentence outside the door, and some are cut off by the wind.
The gatekeeper half-closed the book and said a short sentence.
Those words were spoken in a low voice, leaving only one sentence when it fell outside the door, and the people nearby only heard this sentence: It is rarely seen in discussions these days.
Remember this sentence.
Among the people waiting outside the line, someone answered half of the sentence.
"The last time I passed through this door, there were only a few."
The other lifted his luggage up.
"Everyone says there is less, but no one says what the lack is."
The two sentences were facing each other, but no one said the whole thing. There was no reply from the other side of the door. The people who were waiting each thought the words in their hearts and swallowed them back. No one added a word, no one looked at the other, and no one moved. The wind blew the end of the words across the thread, but the thread remained the same as before, and the rope ends under the door eaves were still hanging down.
One of the people outside the line moved his baggage to his feet, as if he was about to leave.
There was a soft sound of closing books coming from the door, and then it became silent.
That half sentence fell into everyone's ears and became everyone's meaning.
The people who turned back came out from the other side of the door and took another path. When they passed the line, no one in the queue asked them, and they didn't look at the people waiting.
Someone rejoined the waiting group and handed over the water. The person who took the water shook his head.
The seal on the booklet is new and the indentation on the paper has not faded.
This sentence has its own place.
It's not about the news, it's about the price tag. The news should ask about its origin, but the price tag only asks about the distance.
The message needs to spread far and the price tag needs to spread close.
When the rules in the house change, the prices will follow.
Temari's team went out and reached the crossing.
She turned around and stood still, pressing her hand on the handle of the fan.
"Don't go this way."
After saying that, he left.
The team followed her and turned onto a fork in the road. Dust settled at the intersection. The grass beside the fork in the road was dry and made a loud noise when stepped on. After walking for a while, the dust was no longer heard.
There are old ruts on the forked road, and the ruts are deep. It is a road that is often traveled.
I didn't chase him or ask for directions.
There is still some dry food in the bag.
I took half a sip of the water bag, and the remaining half was shaken and pressed against the wall of the bag.
The luggage was moved to the other shoulder.
I changed the foot on the side with the thin sole.
The rope in his hand was loosened half a turn and then tightened.
The door is still standing there, and the line is still fifty steps outside the door.
Turn around and walk towards the other end of the intersection.
On the same road, more people were waiting.
Still no one was crowded.
Another pair of travelers came behind.
The burden is kept low, and the words are kept low.
There is a little bit of cloth exposed at the corner of the baggage, the kind worn out on the road.
The soles of the traveler's boots were filled with fresh mud.
He spoke in a low voice, as if he was afraid of being heard by the other side of the door.
"The next buyer in the store raised the price again."
The other person responded, taking two steps faster, and the baggage swayed along with it.
When those words fell on my back, they were more real than the sun.
There is no looking back.
If you can't get in at the door, you will follow people outside the door. The door will be inspected, but if you don't, the door will only open to that line, and you will follow the line.
There was a bit of wind on the road, and the floating dust was collected close to the ground. Half of it was collected, and then it was blown away again.
The sun was tilted half a foot, and the shadow of the door eaves was pulled to the line.
He went to the other end of the forked road and didn't stop.
The dust on the road has not yet settled.