149: Chapter 149 Lin Feng Enters the Door
Lin Feng had never taken the path on the right. He had been to the left; there were swings and rainbow mushrooms. He hadn't been to the right, but he heard there was a lake, willow trees, and the small tree the cat had planted. He didn't want to go, not because the distance was far, but because he didn't want to know what was there. Once he knew, he'd want to go. Once he went, he wouldn't want to come back. He squatted under the Old Locust Tree, looking toward the door. The door was inside the church; he couldn't see it, but he knew it was there. Margaret came over carrying a plate of mushrooms and squatted beside him. "Are you going to the church today?" Lin Feng said, "Yes." Margaret asked, "To look at the wall?" Lin Feng said, "To look at the door." Margaret was taken aback for a moment. "Aren't you not going in?" Lin Feng said, "I'm going in today."
He stood up, patted his pants, and walked toward the church. He walked very slowly, looking at his feet with every step. People greeted him on the way; he nodded but didn't stop. The cat jumped out of the tree hollow and followed behind him, stopping every few steps to sniff the flowers by the roadside before continuing. Lin Feng reached the church entrance and pushed open the door. There was another letter on the wall—a new one, white, with crooked handwriting. He didn't look at it and walked straight to the small door, gripped the handle, and gave it a gentle turn. With a click, the door opened. The dirt road inside was still there, as were the wild flowers on both sides. The cat slipped in first, squatted in the middle of the road, and looked back at him. Lin Feng stepped inside.
He walked very slowly, looking at his feet with every step. The road was a dirt path, soft, making no sound when stepped on. There were even more wild flowers on both sides than last time—red, yellow, purple, white—clumps of them, like someone had overturned a paint box. The cat walked ahead of him, tail held straight up, stopping every few steps to sniff the roadside flowers before moving on. After walking for about ten minutes, they reached a fork in the road. The cat squatted at the intersection, looking left, then right. He had been to the left, but never to the right. The cat stood up and took the right path. Lin Feng followed it.
The road widened, and instead of wild flowers, there were bamboo groves on both sides. The bamboo was very tall, leaves rustling overhead; when the wind blew, it sounded like many people whispering. Lin Feng walked slowly, listening as he went. Some rustles were loud, some soft, some hurried, and some long-drawn. The cat walked ahead of him, faster than him, but it would wait. Every few steps, it would glance back at him as if to confirm he was still there. Lin Feng looked at the cat and remembered the day he first walked into a mine. It wasn't him; it was George. He had never been down a mine, but he had seen George's hands. Those hands were covered in calluses, with coal dust under the nails that couldn't be washed away. George said he had walked underground for forty-five years, from age eighteen to sixty-three. When he came out, his hair was white, the calluses on his hands were thick, and his knees were shot. But he came out. Now Lin Feng was walking in a bamboo grove, soft soil beneath his feet and rustling bamboo leaves overhead. He hadn't walked for forty-five years; he had only walked for a few minutes. But he felt that this path would also be walked for a long time.
After walking for about twenty minutes, the bamboo grove suddenly vanished, and a lake appeared before him. The water was very clear and blue, reflecting the clouds in the sky. There was a willow tree by the lake, its branches drooping to the water's surface, swaying with the wind. The cat squatted by the roots of the willow and pointed its paw under the roots. Lin Feng walked over, squatted down, and saw a small tree by the roots, thin and straight, its leaves a shiny green. A red ribbon was tied to the trunk—the one Molly had tied. It had faded, but it was still there. He reached out and gently touched a leaf; the leaf swayed as if greeting him. The cat also reached out a paw and gently flicked a leaf; the leaf swayed again. It flicked it once more, and the leaf swayed again. It seemed to be talking to the tree.
Lin Feng stood up and walked to the lakeshore. The water was very clear, showing the stones at the bottom and small fish swimming about. He squatted and dipped his hand into the water. The water was cool and very comfortable. A few small black fish gathered, pecking at his fingers; it was ticklish. He didn't pull back, just squatted there, letting the fish peck. The cat came over, squatted beside him, and also put its paw into the water. It flicked the surface, splashing water that landed on its nose. It sneezed, then flicked again, splashing water onto Lin Feng's face. Lin Feng didn't wipe it off, just squatted there, letting the droplets slide down his face. The cat looked at him, head tilted, as if asking: Aren't you angry? Lin Feng said, "I'm not angry." The cat flicked again, the splash going higher and landing on his hair. He smiled. "You're more annoying than the System." The cat didn't answer; it jumped onto a large rock by the lake, squatted there, and looked down at the water, the tip of its tail twitching gently.
Lin Feng stood up and walked along the lakeshore. The lake wasn't large; a full circuit took only ten minutes. On the other side of the lake stood a large tree with a swing made of an old tire hanging from its trunk. He walked over but didn't sit, just looked at it. The swing swayed gently in the wind, creaking with the same sound as Old Zhou's old bicycle. He watched for a while, then turned and walked back to the willow tree. The cat was still squatted on the rock; seeing Lin Feng return, it jumped down, walked to his feet, and rubbed its head against his calf. Lin Feng squatted and stroked the cat's head. "The tree you planted has grown." The cat didn't answer; it walked to the small tree and flicked the trunk with its paw. The trunk swayed, and the leaves rustled. It flicked again, and they rustled again. It seemed to be listening to the tree speak.
Lin Feng sat by the lake for a long time. He sat by the willow roots, back against the trunk, watching the clouds on the lake. The clouds drifted slowly from left to right, then drifted off the lake's surface. The cat squatted on his lap, curled into a ball, eyes closed, purring in its throat. Lin Feng didn't move, just sat there, letting the cat lie on his legs. He remembered the day he first walked through this door; the weather had been just like this, the sun was good, and the wind was light. He had taken the left path and seen the swing and the rainbow mushrooms. He hadn't taken the right path because he felt it would be different. Now he had come and seen the lake, the willow tree, and the small tree the cat had planted. It was different, but it was all good.
He stood up, and the cat jumped off his lap, stretched, and walked ahead. He followed the cat back the way they came. Passing through the bamboo grove, the leaves were still rustling. Reaching the fork, the cat stopped and looked at the path to the left but didn't take it. It followed Lin Feng and continued back. Leaving the wild flowers, they reached the small door. Lin Feng stepped over the threshold and returned to the church. The cat followed him out. He turned, gripped the handle, and pulled gently; the door closed. He squatted by the door, looking at it for a long time. Then he stood up, pushed open the church door, and walked out.
Margaret was standing at the restaurant entrance. Seeing Lin Feng coming from the direction of the church, she was taken aback for a moment. "You went in?" Lin Feng nodded. "I went in." Margaret asked, "Which way did you go?" Lin Feng said, "The right." Margaret brought out a plate of mushrooms and set them on the steps by the door. "Did you see the lake?" Lin Feng squatted, picked up a mushroom, and put it in his mouth. "I saw it." Margaret squatted beside him. "Did you see the willow tree?" Lin Feng chewed the mushroom. "I saw it." Margaret asked, "Did you see the tree the cat planted?" Lin Feng swallowed. "I saw it. It's grown." Margaret smiled. "You went in once, and you've become even more quiet." Lin Feng said, "When you've seen more, you have less to say." Margaret looked at him. "Then what did you see?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "I saw water, clouds, fish, trees, and the cat. The water flows, the clouds drift, the fish swim, the trees grow, and the cat sleeps. They don't speak, but they are all there." Margaret didn't say anything and also squatted down. The two of them squatted on the steps, looking across the street. The cat ran over from the direction of the church, jumped onto the steps, squatted beside them, and looked up at the sky. The sky was very blue, the clouds very white, and the breeze very light.
In the evening, after Old Zhou finished delivering the mail, he parked his bike in front of the restaurant. He saw Lin Feng and Margaret squatting on the steps, walked over, and squatted beside them. "You went through the door today?" Lin Feng nodded. "I went in." Old Zhou asked, "Which way did you go?" Lin Feng said, "The right." Old Zhou smiled. "I've never taken the right. I've only ever taken the left." Lin Feng looked at him. "The left has a swing and rainbow mushrooms." Old Zhou said, "I saw them. The swing creaks just like my old bike. The mushrooms are sweet; eating them makes you remember happy things." Lin Feng pulled the spotted mushroom from his pocket, took a bite, and handed it to Old Zhou. "Try it." Old Zhou took it, took a bite, and as he chewed, he remembered the day he first rode his old bike. The bike was new, the chain was shiny, the tires were black, and the bell rang the moment it was pressed. He rode it, starting from the Post Office, through Millfield, through Greenfield, and to places whose names he didn't know. Back then, the roads were still dirt, full of potholes, and the ride was so bumpy it made his backside ache. But he felt fast, much faster than walking. He swallowed and opened his eyes. "It's sweet." He handed the mushroom back to Lin Feng, who took it and put it back in his pocket. Old Zhou stood up and patted his pants. "I'm heading back." He got on his bike, the chain clinking as he left.
The wind blew, carrying the scent of lake water and the rustle of bamboo leaves. Lin Feng closed his eyes and inhaled. He opened his eyes, stood up, and patted his pants. "I'm going to sleep." Margaret also stood up. "Are you going through the door again tomorrow?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "No. The door is there, the road is there, the lake is there. On a day I want to go, I'll go again." Margaret smiled. "Then what will you do tomorrow?" Lin Feng pointed to the large tree. "Go look at the hollow." Margaret asked, "Is the cat there?" Lin Feng said, "Yes. It slept by the lake all afternoon today; it should go back to the hollow to sleep tonight." Margaret asked, "How do you know?" Lin Feng said, "Just a guess." He turned and walked into the restaurant, Margaret following behind him. The door closed, and the lights went out. The cat jumped down from the steps, walked back to the tree hollow, curled up on the red cloth, and closed its eyes. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting its shadow on the ground—small and round, like a ball of yarn. The wind blew, and the shadow swayed but didn't break. Lin Feng stood in the restaurant, looking out the window. He saw the cat's shadow, the tree's shadow, and the moon's shadow. He watched for a long time, then pulled the curtains shut and went to sleep.
[Chapter 149: End]