164: Chapter 164 Lin Feng Makes a Rocking Chair

The windmill spun for three days, and the cat watched for three days. Lin Feng squatted nearby, watching the cat's head turn round and round with the windmill; he felt that sooner or later, the cat's neck would get sore. He remembered that his legs would go numb after squatting for a long time, so the cat's neck must get sore from watching for so long. He decided to make a Rocking Chair for the cat. Not the large kind for humans, but a small one for a cat to lie in. With the cat lying on it, the windmill spinning, and the chair rocking, the cat wouldn't have to move to enjoy the comfort of swaying back and forth.

He went to Molly for materials. Molly pulled a few thin wooden boards, a box of nails, a hammer, and a roll of sandpaper from the storage room. Lin Feng moved the things under the tree and squatted on the ground to begin. First, he used the sandpaper to polish the boards smooth; sawdust flew up and landed on the cat's head. The cat crawled out of the tree pit, shook its head, and the sawdust fell off; it rubbed its nose with a paw and sneezed. Lin Feng looked at the cat. "This time it's not a windmill. It's a Rocking Chair. Once you lie on it, you won't have to rock yourself." The cat didn't answer; it squatted nearby, watching Lin Feng saw the wood. Lin Feng sawed very slowly, aligning every cut before proceeding. He first sawed the boards into two long and two short pieces; the long ones were for the seat, and the short ones were for the legs. The legs had to be curved for the chair to rock. He held the short boards over a fire to toast them, bending them into arcs once they softened. The first time he bent it too sharply, and the board snapped. The second time he bent it too gently, and there wasn't enough curve. The third time he bent it just right—neither too gentle nor too sharp—and when he placed it on the ground and gave it a light push, it swayed twice. Lin Feng nodded in satisfaction and nailed the curved legs to the seat. He nailed very carefully, only driving the nails halfway in for fear of piercing through. The cat squatted nearby and reached out a paw to bat at the Rocking Chair; the chair swayed, and the cat was startled, backing up two steps and tilting its head to watch. It reached out its paw to bat it again, and the chair swayed once more; this time it didn't retreat but stayed in place, watching the chair rock back and forth.

Lin Feng placed the Rocking Chair in the tree pit, on top of the blue cloth. The chair was small, just big enough for the cat to curl up inside. He took a step back, looking at the chair and then at the cat. "Go on, give it a try." The cat jumped into the pit, circled the chair twice, sniffed it, and then jumped on. The chair swayed, and the cat, losing its balance, slid off. It jumped on again, this time crouching very low with its four paws gripping the seat, and the chair began to rock slowly. The cat's eyes were wide and its tail was held straight; it seemed a bit nervous. Lin Feng squatted nearby, watching the cat. "Relax. The chair won't flip over." The cat didn't answer, but it slowly released its grip, its body going limp in the Rocking Chair as the swaying became steadier. The cat closed its eyes, and a purring sound vibrated from its throat. Lin Feng reached out and gave the chair a gentle push; it swayed higher, and the cat's purring grew louder accordingly. He gave it a third push; the cat opened its eyes to glance at him, then closed them again. It seemed to have grown accustomed to it.

Margaret came out of the Restaurant and saw a small Rocking Chair in the tree pit with the cat lying on it, swaying gently. She squatted down to look at the cat. "You made this?" Lin Feng nodded. Margaret reached out to touch the armrest of the chair; it was slick and very smooth. "You know carpentry too?" Lin Feng said, "I just learned." Margaret asked, "From whom?" Lin Feng said, "I figured it out myself." Margaret smiled. "You're figuring out more and more things." Lin Feng said, "I have nothing to do while squatting, so I just think about things." The cat rolled over in the Rocking Chair, belly to the sky and four paws curled, its tail hanging outside the chair, swaying back and forth. Margaret looked at the cat. "It looks very comfortable." Lin Feng said, "Mhm. More comfortable than sleeping on the ground." Margaret asked, "How do you know?" Lin Feng said, "It used to sleep on the blue cloth, tossing and turning, flipping over several times a night. Now that it sleeps in the Rocking Chair, it doesn't toss anymore. It sleeps right through until dawn." Margaret looked at him. "You even know how many times it tosses at night?" Lin Feng said, "I have nothing to do while squatting, so I saw it."

In the afternoon, Old Zhou came to deliver the mail. He parked his bike by the pit and looked at the cat in the Rocking Chair; the cat was sleeping deeply, its purring coming from the chair, muffled as if from a far-off place. Old Zhou squatted down and gave the chair a gentle push; it swayed, the cat's purring stopped, and its eyes opened a crack to glance at Old Zhou before closing again. Old Zhou smiled. "It's not shy with strangers." Lin Feng said, "It is. It knows it's you. When you push it, it doesn't run." Old Zhou pulled a letter from his bag and handed it to Lin Feng. "Yours." Lin Feng opened it; there was only one piece of paper inside with a single line of text: "Lin Feng, the Rocking Chair is finished; does the cat like it?" There was no signature. Lin Feng took out a pen and paper and wrote a reply. "It likes it. It lies on it and sleeps until noon. It gets up at noon to drink milk, and after drinking, it goes back to lie down." He posted the letter on the wall and walked back. Old Zhou was still squatting by the pit, watching the cat. He asked Lin Feng, "Are you going to make more things for the cat tomorrow?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "Yes. I'll make a Sunshade. When the sun gets strong, the cat suffers from the heat." Old Zhou nodded. "You understand cats better than cats do." Lin Feng said, "When you squat enough, you understand." Old Zhou stood up and patted his pants. "I'm heading back." He got on his bike, the chain clinking as he rode away.

By evening, the sun was moving west, and the tree pit was covered by shade; the cat didn't need a Sunshade. Lin Feng squatted by the pit, watching the cat purr in the Rocking Chair. He suddenly remembered that he had been squatting all this time, from morning till night, from night till morning. Margaret had a chair, the cat had a Rocking Chair, and he only had the tree roots. He stood up, found a few leftover boards by the tree pit, and began making a Small Stool for himself. He sawed faster and nailed more accurately. He sawed a board into a square seat and four short legs, then nailed them together. The legs weren't straight, and it wobbled when he sat on it. He took the legs off and re-nailed them, this time using a level to measure; the legs were even. He sat on it, and it no longer wobbled. The seat wasn't large, just enough for one person to sit. He sat on the Small Stool, watching the cat. The cat was in the Rocking Chair, he was on the stool, the windmill was spinning, and the leaves were rustling. He felt that this was quite nice.

Margaret came out carrying a plate of mushrooms and was stunned for a moment when she saw Lin Feng sitting on the Small Stool. "You're not squatting anymore?" Lin Feng said, "I'm sitting for a while. I got tired of squatting." Margaret put the plate of mushrooms on the ground and squatted beside him. "You can make things for yourself too." Lin Feng said, "The cat has a Rocking Chair; I can't be without one." Margaret smiled. "You're more petty than the cat." Lin Feng said, "It's not being petty. It's about fairness. If it has one, I should have one too." Margaret looked at the cat; it rolled over in the Rocking Chair, its paws resting outside the chair and its tail hanging down, swaying back and forth. "It's very comfortable." Lin Feng said, "Mhm. So am I." Looking at Lin Feng sitting on the Small Stool, Margaret felt he looked even shorter than when he was squatting, but more stable. She asked, "Are you going to sit from now on?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "Not necessarily. I'll squat when I want to squat and sit when I want to sit. Sit when I'm tired of squatting, and squat when I'm tired of sitting." Margaret laughed. "Since when did you become so flexible?" Lin Feng said, "I learned it while making the Rocking Chair. The chair rocks, so people must also be able to change."

That night, Lin Feng sat on his Small Stool instead of squatting. Margaret came out with a plate of mushrooms and sat beside him—she had her own chair, brought out from the Restaurant. The two of them sat there, looking at the sky. The stars lit up one by one, just like yesterday. The cat crawled out of the Rocking Chair, 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 looked at the cat. "It's not sleeping in the Rocking Chair today?" Lin Feng said, "It did. It slept all afternoon. It woke up at night and came out to see the stars. After watching, it'll go back to sleep." Margaret asked him, "Are you sitting on the stool tonight instead of squatting?" Lin Feng said, "I'm sitting. I'll squat again when I'm tired of sitting." The wind blew, carrying the fresh scent of wood, the ink smell of colored paper, the aroma of coffee, and the light sweetness of mushrooms. Lin Feng closed his eyes and took a sniff. He opened his eyes, stood up, and patted his pants. "I'm going to sleep." Margaret also stood up. "Are you still making something for the cat tomorrow?" Lin Feng nodded. "Yes." Margaret asked, "What are you making?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "A Sunshade. When the sun gets strong, the cat suffers from the heat." Margaret smiled. "You said that already today." Lin Feng said, "Even if I said it, I still have to make it." He turned and walked into the Restaurant, with Margaret following behind. The door closed, and the lights went out. The cat jumped down from the steps, walked back to the tree pit, hopped onto the Rocking Chair, curled up on the blue cloth, and closed its eyes. The Rocking Chair swayed slowly, and the windmill spun slowly. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting the cat's shadow on the ground—small and round, like a ball of yarn. The wind blew, and the shadow wavered but did not break. Lin Feng stood in the Restaurant, looking out the window. He saw the cat's shadow, the Rocking Chair's shadow, the windmill's shadow, and the shadow of his own stool. He watched for a long time, then drew the curtains and went to sleep.

[Chapter 164 End]