Chapter 17: Warmth in the Heavy Rain

The earth-shattering day had passed just like that. That night,  Chen Shuilian lay on her bed, reflecting on everything that had happened that day.

Although it was just a short day, the events that unfolded felt like they outweighed her entire lifetime.

Her mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts, making her contemplate her future path.

But no matter how exhausted she felt mentally or physically, she couldn’t summon the strength to keep thinking.

Before long,  Chen Shuilian drifted off to sleep.

In the middle of the night, lightning split the dark sky, followed by a deafening roar of thunder.

The sound was so loud it seemed to strike right next to her, startling  Chen Shuilian and waking her up with a jolt.

Still shaken,  Chen Shuilian clutched her chest. The thunder sounded like the heavens were coming to take her away.

But as she calmed down, she realized it was just spring thunder—a fitting sound for the season, as it rumbled so powerfully.

Thunder continued to crash around her, almost as if it would tear the house apart, preventing  Chen Shuilian from daring to close her eyes and sleep.

Soon, the thunder didn’t subside, and a torrential rain began to rage, flooding the sky and earth.

Raindrops pounded the dilapidated roof, sounding like little stones endlessly tapping, each one making a sharp cracking noise.

 Chen Shuilian anxiously looked at the roof, and sure enough, as she had anticipated, before long, tiny streams began seeping through the roof.

The raindrops fell onto the bedding with a rhythmic drip-drip sound.  Chen Shuilian quickly sat up, intending to go to the kitchen to find something to catch the water.

But the wind outside had grown fiercer, as if it could blow her over at any moment.

Even if she managed to get to the kitchen without mishap, the large raindrops would hit her, and she might easily catch a cold.

Not to mention, she had hit her head earlier, and her body was already in poor condition.

After a long pause,  Chen Shuilian hesitated. She had been given another chance at life today, and she was reluctant to waste it. Her foot was about to step out, but she pulled it back, deciding against it.

Never mind. She had already moved the bedding away, so she could make do for tonight.

Just as she had resigned herself to that, she turned her head and saw the already wet wooden bed frame.

…

No, she couldn’t just leave it like this.

With a determined expression,  Chen Shuilian gritted her teeth and was about to push the door open.

But before her hand could even touch the door, it was suddenly flung open from the outside.

A drenched figure appeared before her.

At the door, the person wiped the rainwater from his head and said, “I knew you’d be awake, Mama. The thunder’s so loud today, and the rain’s heavy. Our place is leaking a bit, so I thought I’d check if there are any leaks here. I brought a wooden barrel with me.”

Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the scene, and in that bright light,  Chen Shuilian recognized the person.

It was Zhao Maizhou.

While she searched for a piece of cloth to wipe him down, she asked with a touch of concern, “You silly boy, why didn’t you wear a raincoat? Don’t you see how heavy the rain is outside?”

 Chen Shuilian continued wiping Zhao Maizhou’s head, offering him the kind of care he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“I saw some leaks in my place, and I was worried your place might be the same. With the wind and rain so fierce and it being so dark, I thought you might rush out to get the wooden barrel, and I was afraid you might fall. So, I was in a rush and didn’t think to wear a raincoat.”

He grinned, showing his full set of eight big white teeth, looking utterly silly.

“Laugh, laugh, laugh, that’s all you do! Hurry up and dry off!”  Chen Shuilian’s heart melted at the sight of him.

Although she scolded him, Zhao Maizhou could feel the affection behind her words.

Just as he was about to say something, another figure dashed inside.

Both of them were startled.

“Oh, it’s freezing!” The newcomer was none other than Zhao Fengtian.

He was holding a jar and grumbling, “Close the door quickly! The wind’s really strong. I was looking for the wooden barrel in the kitchen but couldn’t find any. Turns out, Second Brother, you took them all! If I’d known you were coming, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

 Chen Shuilian hurriedly closed the door, then grabbed another dry cloth to wipe Zhao Fengtian down.

“Just like your brother, clumsy and careless! Didn’t even wear a raincoat!” she said with a sigh, wiping his hair with tenderness. “You’re freezing, aren’t you? Hurry, let’s get you both dried off. You two can wear my raincoats to go back later.”

Zhao Fengtian, feeling as strong as an ox, waved his hand. “It’s fine, Mama! It’s just a short walk; I’ll be fine. I’ll first check where the roof is leaking and move the jar over.”

Once he came to his senses, Zhao Maizhou also grabbed a wooden barrel and said, “Right, let’s catch the leaks first, and Fengtian, help me move the bed to a dry spot. Otherwise, Mama won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

The brothers wasted no time. In no time at all, they had sorted out the situation in  Chen Shuilian’s room.

After a while, both of them were drenched in sweat.

Zhao Maizhou pushed a few strands of hair from his forehead and said, “Mama, everything’s done. We’ll head back to our place now. If there’s anything else, just call out to us loudly. Don’t go outside, your health isn’t good yet.”

“Okay, okay, I got it.”  Chen Shuilian quickly urged, “And you two, put on your raincoats first. When you get back, don’t worry about the house. Change into dry clothes, then get under the blanket for a bit. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

“Mama, we know.”

The brothers nodded obediently, each of them wearing the same silly grin.

They felt so fortunate—never had they imagined that Mama would care for them this much today.

Even if it was just a moment of warmth, both brothers felt it was worth coming out in the storm for.

“Alright, go back now.”  Chen Shuilian urged.

The brothers obediently donned the two old raincoats she had, disappearing into the rainy night.

Once the door closed again, the cold wind blew in through the gaps, causing  Chen Shuilian to shiver slightly.

But despite the cold, her heart felt incredibly warm…

After a while, she smiled to herself and lay back down on the bed.

At this point, no more rain was dripping onto her.

 Chen Shuilian soon drifted into a half-sleep, though her mind felt awake. Despite wanting to rest, her thoughts seemed clearer.

She lay on the bed, her thoughts vaguely drifting, deciding that she had to improve the living conditions at home. She couldn’t continue living like this, muddling through.

Suddenly, something clicked in her mind, and a straight line of thought flashed through her mind. She shuddered and opened her eyes wide.

Now, she was fully awake.

 Chen Shuilian slapped her thigh. That’s right—how could she forget such an important thing?

In her past life, there had been a storm like this. But back then, because of the discord caused by Zhao Jiagu’s actions, no one came to help her with the rain.

Instead, she had rushed to help Zhao Jiagu and Liu Hong with their room, fearing for their unborn grandchild.

She had been drenched, worked for hours, and was caught between the heat and cold, and the next day, she had high fever and nearly fainted.

Even then, it was not Zhao Jiagu who brought her a bowl of water but Maizhou and Fengtian, carefully looking after her until she fully recovered.

That memory stayed vivid in her mind.