Chapter 37: Typhoon Day

As Lin Wei’s swimming lessons became a priority, the calendar turned to August.

Lin Wei had never really liked August. The first reason was the heat; in the countryside, people often referred to the “three hot ten days,” which meant the period from mid-July to mid-August, and she thought early August was the worst of it.

The second reason was the busyness. The busy harvesting season began in late July and stretched into late August. During the busiest days, everyone in the village, young and old, had to pitch in. Even after those days passed, the adults at home remained busy, and all the household chores fell onto her shoulders—washing clothes, cooking, taking care of chickens and ducks, and doing her homework squeezed into the little free time she could find.

After getting married, things were a bit better, but once she followed her husband to the military camp, her life felt like a dream. As August came, she felt uneasy.

Especially on the morning of August 1st, when Zong Shao suddenly remembered to tell her before he left for the military camp, “There might be a typhoon in the next few days. Stay safe at home and try to avoid going out.”

Lin Wei had been half awake, but at those words, she instantly became alert. “A typhoon? When?”

“In the next few days, but I’m not sure when exactly,” Zong Shao said, sitting down by the bed. “Don’t worry. I heard this typhoon isn’t too strong. Even if it makes landfall, it’ll only bring heavier winds and rain. You’ll be fine staying at home. Plus, the weather at sea changes rapidly. The typhoon might not even hit land; it could change direction.”

Lin Wei actually knew that this typhoon wouldn’t cause any issues. According to the original plot, she would die in a typhoon the following year.

From the clues she had now, she could only be sure that she would die on that day, but whether it would be because of the typhoon or something else was uncertain.

Because of this, Lin Wei hadn’t immediately told Zong Shao to return to Shicheng after arriving on the island.

If it wasn’t for her predetermined death, she might still be able to change her fate on the island. On the other hand, if she was truly destined to die, even returning to Shicheng might not help.

However, even though Lin Wei understood this rationally, when she learned that the typhoon was coming, her heart still fluttered with a touch of fear.

She grabbed Zong Shao’s hand and looked up at him. “Will you be going out these days?”

Noticing her unease, Zong Shao gently patted her head and said, “No. It’s risky to go out at sea during a typhoon.”

Lin Wei asked again, “What about at night? Will you come back?”

Though military officers with families could return home at night, there always had to be leadership in the camp, so every few days, Zong Shao had to take turns with others.

After calculating the time, Lin Wei realized Zong Shao would be on duty tomorrow night.

Zong Shao paused for a moment and said, “I’ll switch shifts with Old Zhou. I’ll be home these next few nights.”

Lin Wei sighed in relief. “Okay.”

…

As soon as Zong Shao mentioned switching shifts with Zhou Jianhai, he ran into him outside and decided to seize the opportunity and called him over.

After hearing the request, Zhou Jianhai asked, “Why the sudden change of shifts?” He wasn’t unwilling to switch shifts, but he was curious. After working with Zong Shao for so many years, this was the first time he’d encountered such a situation.

Zong Shao explained, “Well, the typhoon’s coming. Weiwei and the kids just arrived on the island. If the typhoon hits, they might be scared if I’m not around.”

“Your wife is scared of typhoons? I don’t think so,” Zhou Jianhai rubbed his chin, skeptical.

The two families lived near each other, and the wives were close, so Zhou Jianhai knew Lin Wei quite well. He knew that although she looked fragile, she was tough at heart.

“She’s scared of typhoons?” Zhou Jianhai didn’t believe it.

Looking at Zong Shao, he teasingly asked, “Actually, it’s not that your wife is scared, it’s that you’re worried about her being scared, right?”

Zong Shao didn’t answer directly. He only said, “Just tell me if you’re willing to switch shifts or not.”

The more Zong Shao avoided the question, the more Zhou Jianhai thought he had guessed the truth. He chuckled and said, “Sure, I’ll switch. Your wife just got here, she hasn’t experienced a typhoon, so she might be scared.”

That evening, Zhou Jianhai told his wife about the shift change: “You know, Lao Zong, he looks cold and unromantic, but he’s actually quite considerate of his wife.”

Deng Xiangyun responded, “How can you say he’s not romantic? If you ask me, you’re worse than him.”

Zhou Jianhai was taken aback. “What? Me? Worse than him?”

He pointed at himself, incredulous, “Are you sure your eyes are okay?”

Deng Xiangyun slapped his hand away. “What’s wrong with being cold? He doesn’t act that way with his family. If you look at it, Deputy Captain Zong is probably cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Honestly, someone like him is better than those who flirt with young girls even after they’re married.”

Zhou Jianhai felt something was off. “Wife, you’re hinting at something, aren’t you?”

Deng Xiangyun looked at him sideways. “Oh? Do you think there’s something hidden in what I’m saying?”

Zhou Jianhai straightened up and raised his hand. “Wife, I swear, I’ve never flirted with any young girls. I’m like ice when it comes to other women. I don’t even talk to them.”

Deng Xiangyun chuckled. “Alright, I never said anything about you.”

“Then who were you talking about? Can you let me hear it?” Zhou Jianhai leaned in to her ear.

“Why do you need to know?”

Zhou Jianhai was curious but knew she wouldn’t answer. So he pretended to be serious, “If I know who it is, I can stay away from them and avoid making the same mistake, right?”

“It’s fine, you don’t know them.”

Though Zhou Jianhai often joked around, he was actually quite reliable in his personal life.

People always thought that with Deng Xiangyun’s background, she should’ve immediately accepted a marriage proposal from someone who was willing to give up his future for her. But in reality, she had a hard time deciding after much internal struggle.

He sacrificed so much for her, and when their love was strong, everything was fine. But as feelings faded, he might regret it and feel she owed him. In that case, she would feel humiliated in their marriage.

She didn’t want that kind of life, so she hesitated.

But in the end, she chose to trust his character and decided to take the risk.

Looking back now, she was glad she made the right choice. Despite the hardships these years, he never showed any sign of regret in front of her, so she trusted him.

When Zhou Jianhai realized his wife trusted him, he felt happy and didn’t press further. But he did feel the need to clarify, “Even though Lao Zong is better than those guys who flirt with young girls, he definitely doesn’t care for his wife as much as I do.”

After making his point, Zhou Jianhai explained, “This time, I agreed to switch shifts because of the years of camaraderie and because his wife just arrived, and she hasn’t experienced a typhoon. But next time, if there’s another typhoon, I won’t be this accommodating, because I want to be with you, my wife, at night.”

“I’m not scared of typhoons. If you don’t come back, I’ll still sleep fine,” she replied, a girl raised by the sea, used to typhoons and never afraid of them.

Zhou Jianhai quickly added, “It’s me who needs you to stay with me.”

Deng Xiangyun smiled faintly, feeling content.

…

On August 2nd, the very day that marked one year since Lin Wei’s death in the original story.

After Lin Wei and the kids finished breakfast, while washing the dishes, she noticed the sky darkening. Suddenly, shouts from the family area rang out: “The typhoon’s coming! Quick, take in the laundry and close the windows!”

Lin Wei snapped to attention, quickly washed the dishes and placed them in the kitchen, then climbed to the top of the kitchen to bring in the almost dry clothes.

She then closed the kitchen window. When locking the door, she saw Ruirui playing outside in the yard and hurriedly shouted, “The typhoon’s coming! Come inside!”

After calling them, Lin Wei went to move the dining table and chairs. The two boys saw her and helped bring the two stools inside, closing the windows one by one with their mother.

As soon as Lin Wei closed the master bedroom window on the second floor, she saw the heavy rain pouring down, pattering against the glass. Because the window wasn’t fully closed, cold raindrops blew in with the wind, quickly soaking her, and water started to pool on the floor.

Lin Wei hurriedly closed the remaining half of the window and turned to close the window at the back.

The wind was blowing in from the sea, so the rain didn’t blow in from the back. But as soon as she shut the window, Lin Wei remembered the pot of jasmine that had been transplanted to the balcony a while ago. She rushed to the back door to move the flowers.

Though the wind was blowing from the front to the back, the balcony extended out, and as soon as Lin Wei stepped outside, she was drenched in the cold rain.

But two petals had been knocked off the flowers by the rain, and one flower stem had broken. If she didn’t move it inside, the plant might not survive this typhoon.

Lin Wei steeled herself and rushed out to grab the flowerpot.

The pot was actually a porcelain basin used for washing the face. It was already heavy to carry empty, let alone with all the soil inside. After bringing it down, Lin Wei bent over and had to set the pot down on the ground.

“Mom!”

The two brothers, who had come out of the main room, saw her drenched and were about to step outside. Lin Wei quickly called out, “Don’t come out!”

The two children stopped and didn’t move forward.

Lin Wei bent down to drag the flowerpot inside, closing the door leading to the balcony as she sat cross-legged on the floor.

She was so tired she didn’t want to move.

Mingming walked up to her, wiped the rainwater off her face, and said, “Mom, you’re completely soaked.”

Lin Wei replied with a sound, then looked up and asked, “Can you two go downstairs and bring me a towel?”

The two children immediately agreed and went downstairs one after another.

After they left, Lin Wei reached out to prop up the flower with the broken stem, trying to straighten it. But it was clearly a futile effort. While the flower could temporarily stand with external support, the stem had broken and there was no chance for it to grow again.

Just then, footsteps were heard downstairs, and in no time, the two children came back upstairs with towels.

Lin Wei thanked them, placed the towel over her face to wipe off the water, and then rubbed her wet hair a little.

When she lowered her head, she saw Mingming and Ruirui squatting next to the flowerpot. Ruirui reached out and touched the broken flower stem, looking up and asking, “Mom, is it going to die?”

Although the two jasmines had mostly been cared for by Lin Wei after being transplanted, the two brothers also liked them and would check on them every day. Ruirui was more sensitive and felt sad seeing the flower broken.

Lin Wei gently stroked the little one’s head and comforted, “As long as the roots are fine, the flower won’t die. This flower’s stem is like its hand or foot—it’s broken now, but after resting for a while, it will grow new flowers. As for this one…”

Lin Wei reached out and completely broke off the flower, saying, “We can keep it in water, and it will live for a few more days.”

Ruirui immediately said, “I’ll go get water.”

Lin Wei quickly stopped him, “It’s raining heavily outside. We’ll wait until later.”

Ruirui turned around and, looking out through the window, saw the storm and said, “Okay,” before squatting back down.

Lin Wei, feeling rested enough, handed the flower to Ruirui, pushed the flowerpot to the wall, and stood up, saying to the two children, “Mom’s going to take a bath. You two stay in your rooms and rest. Don’t run around, okay?”

“Got it! It’s raining so much outside, we wouldn’t run around,” Mingming replied, feeling like his mom was overthinking. “You go ahead and take a bath, don’t worry about us!” After saying this, he led his brother back to their room.

Lin Wei shook her head helplessly, went to find a skirt, and then went downstairs to take a bath.

The faucet was outside, and the bathroom didn’t have a tub to store cold water, so when Lin Wei said she was going to take a bath, it meant she was going to wipe herself down with hot water. She couldn’t wash her hair, so she just used a towel to dry it as best as she could. She would have to wait until the rain stopped to take a proper bath.

Even though she had only wiped herself down, after changing into dry clothes, Lin Wei felt much more comfortable, and her mood improved significantly.

But her good mood lasted only until noon. As time passed, the wind outside grew stronger, and all the windows upstairs and downstairs were rattling loudly.

What was even more frightening was that because the windows were fogged up, combined with the wind and rain blocking her view, Lin Wei couldn’t tell what was going on outside.

She and the two children seemed to be trapped on an isolated island.

Lin Wei felt down, and the two children didn’t feel much better either. Mingming had been excited when it first started raining, as he had never seen such a heavy downpour, and he thought it was very fascinating.

But as time went on, the novelty wore off, and he snuggled into Lin Wei’s arms and asked, “Mom, when will the rain stop?”

Lin Wei had heard that during a typhoon, heavy rain could last for days, and she wasn’t sure when it would stop. But after thinking for a moment, she said, “It’s been raining all morning, so it should stop soon. Do you want to take a nap with your brother? Maybe when you wake up, the rain will be gone.”

It was indeed boring just sitting in the room, and Mingming was starting to feel a little sleepy, so he yawned and said, “Okay, Mom, do you want to sleep with us?”

Lin Wei replied, “You sleep first, I’ll join you later.”

Mingming responded with an “Okay,” then slid down and quickly fell asleep.

Lin Wei couldn’t fall asleep. After lying there for a while, she got up, walked over to the window, and looked out through the foggy glass, lost in thought.

When the typhoon had first arrived, she had been a little scared, especially when she realized she couldn’t see what was happening outside, leaving her feeling uncertain.

But now, looking at the window glass that was shaking but not breaking, Lin Wei gradually calmed down.

Every military port location is carefully chosen, and the army would have measures in place to deal with a typhoon. If the typhoon were to make landfall here, they would surely evacuate the people.

Since this time they had only been informed of the typhoon in advance and told not to go outside, it meant the typhoon wouldn’t make landfall here. So, even though the wind and rain were fierce outside, as long as they stayed indoors, they would be fine.

Therefore, she knew for sure that she wouldn’t die because of a typhoon accident.

If she were to die, it would either be from going outside in the heavy rain for some reason or from some accident at home.

The first situation was easy to avoid; she just had to stay at home like she did today. The second, she could only be extra careful. If necessary, she could prepare food and drinks in advance and just stay in bed that day without going anywhere.

There was no way she would die from choking on water.

Outside, the wind and rain still raged, but after Lin Wei had sorted things out in her mind, she finally felt relieved.