The town entrance is still the same town entrance.
The wooden sign stood beside the tea shed. The white paint on the sign had faded due to the sun, and there were a row of scratches on it, one deep and one shallow.
He couldn't understand any of the prices underneath each one.
People touch the lower half of the wooden sign more, and a circle of dark color appears.
The Wooden Training Post used for tying horses on the shed posts has rounded ends, and the rope marks are stacked one on top of the other.
A corner of the brick at the base of the pillar was missing, and the edge of the gap also blunted the feet.
A half-rolled straw mat was leaning against the card, and a stone was resting on the mat. The stone was hot from the sun.
The four pillars of the tea shed support a grass roof. The grass roof is depressed, making the inside of the tea shed one level darker than the outside.
The other end of the bench was empty, its surface polished and shiny.
He sat down on the bench with the knife across his knees and the wrap around the handle facing outward.
The cut on the side of the forehead was covered with a thin scab, and it felt tight when I raised my hand.
The tea doctor came over with a pot and refilled the water for him without saying much.
The spout is retracted, and heat rises from the bowl in a thin line.
The tea in the bowl has been changed once, and this is already the second pot.
There were no other guests in the tea shed, only him, a foreigner, was sitting there. The small stove for boiling water was smoking in the corner of the shed. The tea doctor sat across from the stove without saying hello a second time. Those who were supposed to have stalls in the town came out of their stalls one after another, and the voices of people came from the other end of the street. After falling into the shed after a short distance, there was only a little sound. There was still moisture hanging on the grass roof, which condensed into a drop, slid down the eaves, and hit the soil at the base of the pillar, making a small mark.
The white paint on the sign has cracked fine lines, and the lines run down the wood and break when it reaches the edge. When the sun shines obliquely, the wooden sign drags a short shadow on Brick Floor, and the lines of Grass can be seen in the shadow.
A group of bearers passed by on the street, and the poles made a loud noise as they walked away, and the sound was lost in the sound of cars.
The coals in the furnace moved, and half of them collapsed. The sparks jumped and went out again.
Someone in the distance opened the door and removed the door panels, and the wooden boards knocked against the door frame, making a sound after another.
After the ox cart passed by, the road was empty for a while, with a small area of light shining in the ruts filled with rainwater from the previous few days.
The hard thing in my arms pinched me.
I pressed it through the cloth, pressed it firmly, and took my hand back.
The tea swayed in the bowl and became flat again.
The water on the stove rumbled for a while and then went down again.
Someone was driving an ox cart into the town on the road, with fodder tied to the bed of the cart. The ox's tail brushed its back. The cart had been driving for a long time, and the sound of the axle was still rolling on the road.
No one looked into the shed.
Someone came from the roadside, lifted the curtain and entered the shed.
The straw curtain fell back and the shed became dark for half a minute.
The man didn't say hello and sat down on the stool opposite him.
The stool legs made a short sound as they rubbed against Brick Floor.
The man sat upright, with his hands on his sleeves. He sat down and spoke first, "Have you tested it?"
He didn't answer this sentence.
A flat box was passed from the opposite side and placed on the low table, with the lid facing up and the seal side facing him.
The box is old, the corners are polished and shiny, and the seal is affixed properly.
The box was placed right next to his hand. Once it was placed, the hand was taken away and placed back on his lap.
The man didn't ask the price.
The box lay on the table and no one touched it again.
There was no money bag, no bill of goods, nothing laid out on the table.
The word "price" has never appeared on this table from beginning to end.
The water vapor in the tea bowl drifted diagonally across the table and scattered above the box.
The hand that handed the box was clean, and the cuffs returned to their original positions after being put down, without even a single wrinkle.
She didn't even look at his face, she just glanced at the cloth on the handle of his knife and put it away after scanning.
The color of the wrapping cloth is still the original color and has not been changed.
There was another figure under the eaves outside the shed, standing by the pillar and not coming in.
The place where you stand is chosen well, so that you can see into the shed without stepping forward.
Dr. Tea glanced this way, then lowered his head and turned on the stove.
The tea in the bowl is emitting fine steam and moving up line by line.
He put the tea bowl back on the table and knocked it.
"What exactly did you buy?"
After asking, the water on the stove was buzzing.
The person opposite didn't answer.
The man reached out and lifted the lid of the box halfway, then tilted it over to show him.
There is a leaf vein pressed on the inside of the cover. The leaf is flattened and dried, and the veins are arranged neatly. There is still a small piece of unpressed green on the end of the handle. There is a horizontal notch on the tip of the leaf, which is not deep. It cuts a line of wood color. The knife is raised and closed on the leaf surface. There are no words or other marks. There is a small gap in the edge of the leaf, and the gap is old. The lid is just held up without pressing it.
The surface of the leaf is glowing with a dry yellow, and the veins radiate from the end of the petiole. Some thick ones go to the edge of the leaf and divide into thin ones, and the thin ones go back together.
The scratches broke two thin tendons, and the fractures turned white, and the lines of wood stubble could be seen in the white stubble. The wrist he held up was very steady and did not waver.
The veins of the leaf were one foot away and could be seen clearly.
Who the mark is for is not stated on the cover.
The person opposite didn't say anything either.
The figure outside the shed was still standing by the pillar, not moving as before.
The lid of the box was snapped back again, very lightly.
The man lowered his head and inspected the seal. He pressed his fingertips from the edge of the seal to his head and stopped.
After the test, he stopped moving and didn't say a word.
The shed became quiet, with only the smoke from the stove rising.
The figure under the eaves moved.
People walked in from the side of the pillar, walked around the bench, and stood in front of the low table.
It's Kakashi.
There was a newspaper box pressed under his palm, and the seal on the mouth of the box was not broken.
He took the pen out of his pocket and put the pen cap on the edge of the box.
The tip of the pen tapped twice on the seal.
After clicking, the pen fell onto the paper.
"Remember what."
"Remember it until the name."
Kakashi After finishing speaking, he lowered his head to write again.
I didn't write very fast, and the pen tip pressed against the paper, stopping at intervals, as if I was copying something that was already in my hand.
The pen tip paused three times on the paper, each time short.
The paper is tilted, and what is written cannot be seen.
When a page is full, turn it over and continue writing.
A car passed by outside the shed, and the sound of the axle was very low, and it passed by.
Stretch out your hand and press the lid of the box.
The fingertips paused for a moment on the mark on the cover.
Then buckle the lid back, press it again, and fasten it firmly.
He raised his chin towards the opposite side, signaling to stop.
"No."
The person sitting didn't move.
Only then did I add the second half of the sentence.
"I won't answer."
This sentence fell to the ground, and the sound of water on the stove seemed loud.
The person opposite does not get angry or dissuade, but just sits there, as this is within the rules.
He picked up the box with both hands and put it into his sleeves.
He closed it slowly, and the cuffs hung down, hanging over the edge of the table, and it was impossible to tell which end the box was placed on.
Kakashi raised his head and glanced at him.
After reading it, he lowered his head again, put the pen tip back on the paper, and continued writing the line just now.
The person opposite didn't get up immediately.
The cuffs moved again, and something was taken out and pressed on the corner of the table.
It was the same leaf vein, flattened, with the scored end facing him.
"The mark is not the price. It is for people who recognize this face."
The words were said while sitting.
After saying that, the man stood up, lifted the curtain and left the shed.
The straw curtain fell, cutting off the noise outside.
The figure walked up the road towards the outside of the town. The pace was neither fast nor slow. He walked through the section under the wooden sign without looking back from the beginning to the end.
The eaves were empty, and there was no one around the pillars.
The veins of the leaf at the corner of the table were blown up by the wind, and then fell back.
The sitting posture has not changed.
The tea is completely cool, and the thin layer of steam on the surface has long since dispersed.
The shadow of the shed pillar casts a short shadow on the ground, pressing against the cracks in the bricks.
The shadow along that line dimmed the brightness outside by half.
The voices of people on the other side of the street came one after another, and the sound of cars on the road never stopped.
The tea in the bowl got cold and there was no refill.