140: Chapter 140 Shade of Trees

The tree grew larger and larger. Its canopy was like an open umbrella, shading the area in front of the Coffee Shop. When summer arrived, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting countless small spots of light on the ground. As the wind blew, the light spots danced like a swarm of golden butterflies. The number of chairs under the tree increased from two to four, and then from four to six. Some people sat drinking coffee, some leaned against the trunk for a nap, and others crouched by the roots, lost in thought. Every day, the cat sat in the densest part of the shade, eyes closed, its tail tip swaying gently, like a boss who didn't need to go to work.

Lin Xiaohe came back from school and, before even putting down her backpack, ran to the tree. She crouched beside the cat, looking up at the leaves. The leaves were larger than her palms, shiny green with fine serrated edges. She reached out, but couldn't reach them. She jumped once, but still couldn't reach. The cat opened its eyes, glanced at her, and closed them again. She laughed. "Can you reach them?" The cat didn't answer, but it stood up, stretched, and with a light leap, jumped onto the lowest branch. It crouched on the branch, looking down at Lin Xiaohe, its tail hanging down, swaying back and forth. Lin Xiaohe looked up, reached out, and touched the hanging tail. The cat retracted its tail, then let it hang down again, and she touched it once more. The cat jumped down from the branch, crouched at her feet, and rubbed its head against her lower leg.

The shade grew larger and larger, until even the stone steps at the entrance of the Coffee Shop were covered. Molly moved the tables and chairs outside, and customers sat under the tree drinking coffee without needing umbrellas or hats. Some came from Millfield, some from Greenfield, and some from even further away. They sat under the tree, sometimes chatting, sometimes silent, sometimes one person speaking while many listened. The shade was like a room without walls; anyone could come in, and anyone could leave.

An old man from Pennsylvania came, leaning on a cane, having walked a long way. He sat under the tree and ordered an Americano. He took a sip and frowned. "Bitter." Molly smiled. "Would you like some sugar?" He shook his head. "No need. Bitter is good. Only bitter things are memorable." He held the cup, looking at the tree for a long time. "I had a tree in my hometown, too, about this size. When I was a child, I would cool off under it and listen to the adults tell stories. Later, the tree was cut down, and the adults left, too." He lowered his head, looking at the coffee in his cup. "Now I am sitting under a tree again." He took a sip, swallowed, and smiled. "Bitter. Memorable."

A young woman from California came, carrying a large hiking backpack, looking travel-worn. She sat under the tree, ordered a latte, took a sip, set the cup down, took a book from her bag, opened it, and began to read. She read very slowly, spending a long time on each page. The cat jumped onto the chair, crouched beside her, and tilted its head to look at the book. She smiled. "Do you want to read, too?" She turned the book toward the cat. The cat stared at the page, reached out a paw, and batted at it, flipping the page. She flipped it back, the cat batted it again, and it flipped over once more. She laughed. "You don't want to read this page." She closed the book, placed it on her lap, and stroked the cat's head. The cat narrowed its eyes, and a purring sound came from its throat.

A boy from Millfield came, riding a small bicycle with a red balloon tied to the handlebars. He parked the bike under the tree, took a paper bag from the basket, opened it, and inside was a piece of cake. He placed the cake next to the tree roots, crouched down, and looked at the cake. "This is something I made myself. For the tree to eat." He stood up, clapped his hands, and rode off. The red balloon drifted in the wind, getting further and further away. Molly walked out, saw the cake by the roots, and was stunned for a moment. She crouched down, took a look, and smiled. The cat walked over, sniffed it, licked it, and then crouched beside the cake, its tail tip swaying gently. It didn't eat it; it just crouched there, as if waiting for the tree to eat it itself.

There were more and more people in the shade, and there weren't enough chairs. Some people sat on the stone steps, some on the tree roots, and some sat directly on the ground. Molly brought out several cushions from the shop and spread them on the ground; they were soft and comfortable to sit on. The cat lay on every cushion, chose the most comfortable one, curled up on it, closed its eyes, and a purring sound came from its throat. Lin Xiaohe came back from school, saw the cat lying on the cushion, and laughed. "You're even more comfortable than the customers." The cat didn't answer, but it rolled over, exposing its belly. Lin Xiaohe crouched down and stroked the cat's belly; the cat stretched out its four limbs, its tail tip swaying gently.

One day, George walked over from the farm, holding a white mushroom in his hands. He walked to the tree, placed the mushroom next to the roots, crouched down, and looked at the tree. "You've grown taller," he said. The leaves rustled, as if in reply. He stood up, brushed the dirt off his pants, turned, and walked away. The cat stood up from the cushion, walked to the roots, sniffed the mushroom, and then crouched beside it, its tail tip swaying gently. It seemed to be receiving the gift on behalf of the tree.

The shade was there from morning to night. In the morning, the sun shone from the east, and the shade fell to the west; at noon, the sun was overhead, and the shade shrank into a ball; in the evening, the sun shone from the west, and the shade fell to the east. The cat moved with the shade, crouching in the west in the morning, under the roots at noon, and in the east in the evening. It moved several times a day, each time moving a short distance, neither hurried nor annoyed. Lin Xiaohe watched the cat move, feeling that it was even more punctual than the sun.

One evening, Old Zhou came back after delivering the mail and parked his bike under the tree. He crouched by the roots and took a letter out of his pocket, placing it under the roots. Who was the letter written to? There was no recipient written, just four words: "To Tree Shade." He stood up, got on his bike, and rode away. The chain jingled, getting further and further away. Lin Xiaohe walked over, saw the letter under the roots, crouched down, picked it up, and opened it. Inside was just a piece of paper with only one line of text: "Tree Shade, thank you. It was very hot delivering mail today; I sat here for a while and cooled down." She looked at it for a long time, then folded the letter and put it back under the roots. The wind blew, and the paper curled up, as if waving. The cat walked over and used its paw to press down on the paper, not letting it fly away. It pressed for a while, let go, and the paper curled up again, so it pressed it down again. It seemed to be playing with the paper.

That night, Lin Feng crouched under the old locust tree. Margaret brought over a plate of mushrooms and crouched beside him.

"Lin Feng, the shade is getting bigger and bigger. Many people are cooling off under the tree; some bring cake, some bring mushrooms, and some write letters to the shade."

Lin Feng took the mushrooms and ate one. "The shade doesn't accept things. But it will remember."

Margaret looked at him. "Remember what?"

Lin Feng chewed the mushroom. "Remember those people. Those who have sat under it. Those who have come and gone. Those who left things and took things away. It remembers them all."

The next morning, Old Zhou came to deliver mail. He parked his bike under the tree and saw that the letter under the roots was still there, its corners curled, having been pressed by the cat several times. He crouched down, picked up the letter, looked at it, and put it back. He stood up, took some mail out of his bag, and posted it on the wall. After posting, he stood under the tree, looking up at the leaves. The leaves were shiny green, and the sunlight filtered through the gaps, falling on his face, bit by bit, like stars. He smiled. He got on his bike and continued riding forward. The chain jingled; he rode very slowly, but very steadily. He thought of that tree, that shade, and those who had sat in the shade. They had come, and they had gone. The shade remained. He smiled and continued riding forward.

[Chapter 140 End]