154: Chapter 154 Lin Feng Counts the Steps

Lin Feng was idle again.

He had replied to letters, walked the roads, looked at the pit, picked leaves, changed the cloth, and fed the cat.

He squatted under the Old Locust Tree, chewing on a straw, wondering what he should do today.

Margaret came over with a tray of mushrooms and squatted beside him.

"Why are you lazier than the cat today?" Lin Feng said.

"The cat is sleeping."

Margaret glanced at the tree pit; the cat was curled up on the blue cloth, its nose buried under its tail, purring loudly.

"How long has it been sleeping?" Lin Feng said.

"From last night until now."

Margaret laughed.

"Aren't you going to wake it up?"

Lin Feng shook his head.

"It sleeps its sleep, I squat my squat."

Margaret put the mushroom tray on the ground, stood up, and went back to the Restaurant.

Lin Feng squatted for a while, felt his legs go a bit numb, then stood up and walked a few steps.

He walked to the entrance of the church, pushed the door open, went in, and squatted for a while.

There was one more letter on the wall, written to the "Squatting Person."

He opened it; inside was only a single piece of paper with one line of text: "Squatting Person, are you tired?"

There was no signature.

Lin Feng looked at it for a long time, then took out a pen and paper and replied: "Not tired. If I get tired, I stand up. Stand for a while, then squat down again."

He stuck the letter on the wall, stood up, and walked out of the church.

He walked to the entrance of the Coffee Shop; Molly was wiping a table.

The cat was not there; it was still sleeping in the pit.

Lin Feng squatted at the entrance, and Molly saw him and smiled.

"Why are you squatting here?"

Lin Feng said: "Walked until I was tired, resting for a while."

Molly brought out a glass of water and placed it on the ground.

Lin Feng picked it up, took a sip, and put the glass back.

He squatted there, watching the pedestrians on the street.

A child rode by on a bicycle with a red balloon tied to the handlebars.

An old lady walked slowly with a cane, stopping to catch her breath every few steps.

A young man with a large backpack walked by, head down looking at his phone, almost bumping into a lamppost.

Lin Feng watched them and felt that everyone was walking, only he was squatting.

He stood up, patted his pants, and walked back under the Old Locust Tree.

Margaret came out with a tray of mushrooms and squatted beside him.

"Where did you go?"

Lin Feng said: "Went to the church, went to the Coffee Shop."

Margaret asked: "What did you see?"

Lin Feng said: "Saw a child, an old lady, a young man. They were walking. I was watching."

Margaret laughed.

"You watch every day."

Lin Feng said: "Yeah. Can't finish watching."

Margaret put the mushroom tray on the ground and also squatted down.

The two of them squatted there, looking across the street.

The cat climbed out of the tree pit, stretched, walked to their feet, squatted down, and also looked across the street.

There was no one on the street, only the wind, only fallen leaves, only the sunlight.

Lin Feng suddenly said: "I want to count the steps."

Margaret was stunned for a moment.

"What steps?"

Lin Feng pointed at the church.

"The steps at the entrance of the church."

Margaret looked at the church entrance; she had walked those steps countless times but had never counted them.

"How many are there?"

Lin Feng said: "Don't know. That's why I need to count."

He stood up, walked to the church entrance, squatted in front of the first step, and touched the edge of the stone slab with his hand.

Then he stood up, stepped onto the first, second, third...

He counted very slowly, stopping after every step to look back.

The cat followed behind him, also jumping up step by step.

Margaret followed as well, standing below and watching.

When Lin Feng counted to the tenth step, he stopped.

There were more than ten steps at the church entrance; there were more above.

He continued counting.

Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.

He walked to the very top, stood at the church entrance, turned around, and looked down.

Margaret stood on the fifth step, looking up at him.

The cat squatted on the third step, the tip of its tail swaying gently.

Lin Feng said: "Fifteen steps."

Margaret asked: "Finished counting?"

Lin Feng said: "Finished counting."

He walked down from the top, step by step, and counted again.

Fifteen steps.

He squatted on the first step, took out a pen and paper from his pocket, and wrote: "The steps at the church entrance, fifteen steps. I counted twice. The first time was fifteen, the second time was also fifteen. No mistake."

He folded the paper and put it in his pocket.

Margaret came over and squatted beside him.

"Why did you count them?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment.

"Once counted, I know. Once I know, I don't need to count next time."

Margaret laughed.

"Will you count next time?"

Lin Feng said: "Won't count. Counted already."

He stood up, patted his pants, and walked back under the Old Locust Tree.

The cat followed, jumped into the tree pit, curled up on the blue cloth, and closed its eyes.

In the afternoon, Old Zhou returned after delivering letters and parked his bike at the entrance of the Restaurant.

He saw Lin Feng squatting by the tree pit, walked over, and squatted beside him.

"What did you do today?"

Lin Feng said: "Counted steps."

Old Zhou was stunned for a moment.

"What steps?"

Lin Feng said: "The ones at the church entrance. Fifteen steps."

Old Zhou looked in the direction of the church.

"I've been walking for so many years, never counted them."

Lin Feng took the piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to him.

Old Zhou took it, read it, and laughed.

"Your memory is really good."

Lin Feng said: "Written on paper. Paper won't forget."

Old Zhou returned the paper to him, stood up, and patted his pants.

"I'm going back."

He got on his bike, the chain jingling, and left.

In the evening, Lin Feng sat on the steps at the entrance of the Restaurant.

Not squatting, sitting.

Margaret came out with a tray of mushrooms and sat beside him.

The two sat there, looking at the sky.

Stars lit up one by one, just like yesterday.

The cat climbed out of the tree pit, walked to their feet, squatted down, and looked up at the stars.

It watched for a long time, then closed its eyes, curled into a ball, and started purring.

Margaret watched the cat.

"It didn't follow you to count the steps today."

Lin Feng said: "It did. It followed behind me, jumping up step by step."

Margaret looked at him.

"It counted too?"

Lin Feng said: "It doesn't count. It jumps. It jumped fifteen times."

Margaret laughed.

"You even know how many times it jumped."

Lin Feng said: "I counted. It jumped once, I counted once. Fifteen times."

Margaret looked at him.

"Weren't you counting the steps?"

Lin Feng said: "Steps were counted, cat jumps were counted too. Doesn't conflict."

The wind blew over, carrying the aroma from the Coffee Shop, the rustling sound of letter paper from the church, and the fresh sweetness of mushrooms from the farm.

Lin Feng closed his eyes and sniffed.

He opened his eyes, stood up, and patted his pants.

"I'm going to sleep."

Margaret also stood up.

"What are you counting tomorrow?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment.

"Not counting. Counted already, so won't count."

Margaret asked: "Then where are you going?"

Lin Feng pointed at the big tree.

"Go look at the pit."

Margaret laughed.

"Is the cat there?"

Lin Feng said: "Yes. It jumped fifteen times today, tired, will sleep very soundly tonight."

Margaret asked: "How do you know?"

Lin Feng said: "Guessed."

He turned and walked into the Restaurant, and Margaret followed behind him.

The door closed, and the lights went out.

The cat jumped down from the steps, walked back to the tree pit, curled up on the blue cloth, and closed its eyes.

The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting its shadow on the ground, small, round, like a ball of yarn.

The wind blew, and the shadow swayed, but did not disperse.

Lin Feng stood in the Restaurant, looking out from the window.

He saw the cat's shadow, saw the tree's shadow, saw the moon's shadow.

He watched for a long time, then pulled the curtains and went to sleep.

[Chapter 154 End]