155: Chapter 155 Lin Feng Listens to the Wind

After finishing counting the steps, Lin Feng felt his Ear had suddenly become sharper.

It wasn't the kind of sharpness that hears distant sounds, but the kind that hears sounds nearby.

He squatted under the Old Locust Tree and heard the wind passing over the crown, the leaves rustling, but not all the leaves were making sound.

The leaves facing south rustled lightly, the leaves facing north rustled heavily, the leaves facing east rustled hurriedly, and the leaves facing west rustled slowly.

He listened all morning, hearing all the directions: east, west, south, and north.

Margaret came over carrying a plate of mushrooms and squatted beside him.

"What are you listening to?" Lin Feng said.

"The wind."

Margaret also listened for a while, but couldn't hear anything.

"What's so good about listening to the wind?" Lin Feng said.

"It has direction. The south side is light, the north side is heavy, the east side is hurried, and the west side is slow."

Margaret looked at him.

"You can even hear that?" Lin Feng said.

"I was just squatting here with nothing to do, so I heard it."

Margaret placed the mushroom plate on the ground, stood up, and returned to the Restaurant.

Lin Feng continued to listen.

The wind stopped, and the leaves made no sound.

He waited a while, and the wind came again.

This time it came from the west, slow and steady, like the speed of Old Zhou riding his new bike.

He closed his eyes, listening to the wind blowing from the west, passing the Coffee Shop, passing the church, passing the farm, and passing him.

When the wind blew past the Coffee Shop, it carried the aroma of coffee beans.

When it blew past the church, it carried the rustling sound of letter paper.

When it blew past the farm, it carried the fresh sweetness of mushrooms.

When it blew past him, only a chill remained.

He opened his eyes and looked at that big tree.

The crown didn't move, but the leaves were moving.

Every leaf was moving, but the direction of movement was different.

The ones facing south swayed north, the ones facing north swayed south, the ones facing east swayed west, and the ones facing west swayed east.

They seemed to be pushing each other, yet also seemed to be pulling each other.

The cat crawled out of the tree pit, stretched, walked to his feet, squatted down, and also closed its eyes to listen.

It listened for a long time, then opened its eyes and rubbed its head against his calf.

Lin Feng looked down at the cat.

"What did you hear?"

The cat didn't answer, but it perked up its Ear, turned it, and then lowered it.

It seemed to have heard, and yet it seemed not to have heard.

In the afternoon, Lin Feng changed his position.

He walked to the church entrance, squatted on the steps, and listened to the wind drilling through the gaps in the stained glass windows.

The gaps were very small, and when the wind drilled inside, it made a very thin sound, like someone whistling.

He listened for a while, then walked to the Coffee Shop entrance, squatted on the steps, and listened to the wind drilling through the door gap.

The door gap was larger than the church window gap, and when the wind drilled inside, it made a woo-woo sound, like a cat purring.

He listened for a long time, then walked to the farm entrance, squatted at the doorway, and listened to the wind passing through the mushroom racks.

The gaps between the racks were large, and when the wind passed through, there was no sound, but he felt the mushrooms moving.

Not moving for real, but feeling like they were moving.

He squatted there, looking at the mushrooms on the racks.

White, brown, tan, gray, spotted ones, patch after patch.

The wind passed between them; they didn't move, but he felt they had heard it.

George poked his head out from behind the racks, saw Lin Feng squatting at the doorway, and was stunned.

"What are you doing here?"

"Listening to the wind."

George walked over and squatted beside him.

"What's so good about listening to the wind?"

"When it passes through the racks, the mushrooms will hear it."

George looked at those mushrooms for a long time.

"Mushrooms can't hear."

"They can. Only if they listen can they grow."

George laughed.

"You understand mushrooms even better than the mushrooms do."

"If you squat long enough, you'll understand."

In the evening, Lin Feng walked back to the Restaurant.

Margaret was busy in the kitchen, and he squatted at the doorway, looking at that big tree across the street.

The crown swayed gently in the wind, and the leaves rustled.

The wind was much smaller than in the morning, and the sound was also much smaller.

The cat crawled out of the tree pit, walked to his feet, squatted down, and also looked at that tree.

Margaret came out carrying a plate of mushrooms and squatted beside him.

"The wind has lessened."

"Yeah."

Margaret placed the plate on the ground.

"Are you still listening?"

"Listening. Even if it's smaller, I still have to listen. When it's small, it has a small sound. When it's big, it rustles; when it's small, it hisses."

He closed his eyes and listened for a while.

"Now it's hissing."

Margaret also closed her eyes and listened for a while.

She heard it, very light, like someone speaking from a very far place.

She opened her eyes.

"I heard it too."

"Yeah."

Margaret laughed.

"You've talked even less today."

"If you listen more, you talk less."

Margaret looked at him.

"Then what did you hear?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment.

"I heard the wind moving. Coming from the west, going to the east. Passing the Coffee Shop, passing the church, passing the farm. It moves very fast, but the sound is very light. When it's light, you can hear it in detail."

Margaret didn't speak, also squatting.

The cat stood up from the ground, jumped onto the steps, squatted at the doorway, eyes closed, its tail tip swaying gently.

It was also listening.

At night, Old Zhou returned after delivering the mail and parked his bike at the Restaurant entrance.

He saw Lin Feng, Margaret, and the cat squatting on the steps, walked over, and squatted beside them.

"Not much mail today."

"Yeah."

Old Zhou also listened for a while.

"The wind has lessened."

"Yeah."

Old Zhou asked: "You've been listening all day?"

Lin Feng nodded.

"Listening all day."

Old Zhou laughed.

"Don't you get bored?"

"Not bored. The wind changes. Big in the morning, small at noon, even smaller in the evening. When it changes, I listen. When it doesn't change, I also listen. Once you listen, you know where it comes from and where it's going."

Old Zhou looked at Lin Feng.

"You know where it's going?"

Lin Feng pointed to the east.

"That way. To Millfield, to Greenfield, to even further places."

Old Zhou looked east; the sky was already dark, and nothing could be seen.

But he felt that the wind was indeed going that way.

He stood up and patted his pants.

"I'm heading back."

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

The sound of the chain carried far in the wind, getting lighter and thinner, until it couldn't be heard anymore.

Lin Feng stood up and patted his pants.

"I'm going to sleep."

Margaret also stood up.

"Will you listen to the wind tomorrow?"

Lin Feng shook his head.

"No more. Listened for a day, that's enough."

Margaret asked: "Then where are you going?"

Lin Feng pointed to that big tree.

"To go look at the pit."

Margaret laughed.

"Is the cat there?"

"It is. It listened to the wind all day today, it's tired, it will sleep very soundly tonight."

Margaret asked: "How do you know?"

"Guessed."

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

The door closed, and the lights went out.

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

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

The wind blew over, the shadow swayed, but it didn't disperse.

Lin Feng stood inside 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 shut and went to sleep.

[Chapter 155 End]