Tao Nanfeng returned to the Zhiqing Settlement just as the rice was being cooked.
The young men were already handing out the chestnuts and wild fruits they’d gathered from the mountains, and the others ate and talked excitedly about the day’s harvest.
“I’m telling you, there’s so much food in the mountains in autumn.”
“We’ve already finished picking the corn. While we were at it, we went up the slope to gather chestnuts. Those prickly husks really sting.”
“The hawthorns and cherries are everywhere, too. They’re so sweet.”
Tao Nanfeng didn’t join in. Instead, she bent down, grabbed a wood-chopping knife from beside the earthen stove, and headed straight for the pine grove on the northern slope.
The others were too busy chatting and laughing to notice her departure, but one young man—a fair-skinned, handsome youth in a white shirt and blue trousers—quietly watched her every move.
His name was Qiao Yadong. With parents both working in the education system, he was known for his passion, fairness, and leadership skills, which had led the other educated youth to elect him as their class monitor.
He followed Tao Nanfeng and asked, “Tao Nanfeng, what are you doing?”
“It’s going to rain,” she replied. “I’m cutting pine branches to weigh down the roof.”
Qiao Yadong looked skeptical. “Rain? I don’t see how. The weather’s perfect. The villagers are all out harvesting the camellia seeds for oil. How could it possibly rain?”
Tao Nanfeng offered no explanation.
The dream she’d had, and Xiang Bei’s warning, weighed on her heart like a mountain.
I saw our thatched-roof house collapse in the storm, she thought. People were injured, falling ill. I heard them screaming in agony.
Who would believe her if she told them?
Xiang Bei had warned that rain was coming today, urging the Infrastructure Department to repair the houses. But the sky was a flawless, cloudless blue, and the villagers were all busy drying the camellia seeds.
No one had listened to him. Why would they listen to her?
In the month she’d been with the road construction team, Tao Nanfeng had learned more about Xiang Bei.
A veteran with countless military honors, he bore a scar on his face from the battlefield. He never spoke of his past, keeping his stories locked away.
All anyone knew was that his parents were farmers from the Xiufengshan Nanpo Brigade, known for their gentle nature and generosity. Three years ago, Xiang Bei had returned to the farm to serve as the road construction team’s captain.
After widening the mountain paths, he had planned to build a proper road for cars.
Xiang Bei spoke rarely, but when he did, his words were always true.
Once a decision was made, Tao Nanfeng simply acted. What did other people’s opinions matter?
She raised her knife and brought it down with a crisp *swish*. A branch the thickness of a wrist fell away.
Qiao Yadong watched her, mesmerized.
She wore a beige floral-print shirt and oversized army-green trousers. Her tall, slender figure moved with a grace that was both elegant and powerful.
As she raised her arm, her pale, jade-like wrist emerged from the sleeve, its brightness almost blinding.
There was nothing flashy about her movements, yet every lift of her elbow, every swing of her arm, possessed a profound sense of rhythm and strength. Each motion felt like a pulsing note in a sweeping, triumphant symphony.
The scent of pine filled the air, and in the gathering twilight, the atmosphere seemed to thicken. Qiao Yadong held his breath, afraid to disturb the beauty of the scene.
Tao Nanfeng felled several more thick branches, then dragged them from the woods, the long boughs scraping the ground with a soft rustle. Only then did Qiao Yadong snap out of his trance and follow her, hauling the remaining pine branches out of the forest.
Their commotion was too great to ignore. The other educated youth, waiting for dinner, watched them with curiosity.
“What are you two doing? Building a house?”
“Tao Nanfeng, aren’t you exhausted dragging all those branches?”
“It’s almost dinner time. Why are you two still working? Come on, take a break and get ready to eat.”
“It’s going to rain,” Tao Nanfeng replied, dragging the branches to the front of the thatched cottage.
She looked up at the roof, a flicker of doubt crossing her face. It was over ten feet high—how was she going to get the branches up there?
Qiao Yadong watched her from behind. Seeing her unwavering resolve, he knew there was no point in arguing.
He softened his tone with a hint of resignation and glanced at the others. “Tao Nanfeng, I’ll go borrow a ladder from the farm headquarters.”
The other educated youth started heckling them. “Rain? Haha! It’s a perfectly clear day—what are the chances of rain? Qiao Yadong, you’re really going to follow along with her nonsense? So obedient… hehehe.”
Qiao Yadong’s heart gave a nervous thump. He glanced sideways at Tao Nanfeng. She was still staring intently at the roof, seemingly unfazed by the comments. A wave of relief washed over him.
Hearing the others mock Tao Nanfeng’s judgment, Xiao Aiyun immediately took her side. She stepped up, planted her hands on her hips, and shot the hecklers a glare. “If Tao Nanfeng says it’s going to rain, then it’s going to rain! What do any of you know?”
Xiao Aiyun stood her ground, her expression defiant.
Wei Min grinned. “If you’re so devoted to her, why didn’t you help her cut those branches earlier?”
Xiao Aiyun froze, her mouth hanging open.
She did tell me it was going to rain when we came back, she realized. But I didn’t believe her. And she didn’t ask me to help…
A wave of panic washed over her. Is she angry with me?
Immediately, Xiao Aiyun wrapped an arm around Tao Nanfeng, her expression turning pleadingly sweet. “Tao Nanfeng, you’re not mad at me, are you?”
“It’s fine,” Tao Nanfeng said with a shake of her head.
Xiao Aiyun beamed. Turning to her roommates, Li Huilan and Ye Qin, she called out, “Tao Nanfeng says it’s going to rain. We should hurry and get the house in order. A leaking roof would be a nightmare.”
Li Huilan was the daughter of an employee at the Jiangcheng Pharmaceutical Factory, and Ye Qin was the child of an official from the Jiangcheng Bureau of Agriculture.
Both had been assigned to the pig farm together and had become inseparable.
At Xiao Aiyun’s words, Li Huilan glanced at the clear sky. “It’s going to rain today?”
Ye Qin looked at her friend, her expression skeptical. “No way, right?”
The group was still debating whether to help reinforce the thatched cottage when the sound of quick, rhythmic footsteps echoed from the dirt road. Emerging from the shadows, Xiang Bei, Mao Peng, and two other road construction team members strode toward them, carrying a wooden ladder between their shoulders.
Qiao Yadong hurried forward to meet them. “Captain Xiang, Deputy Captain Mao! What are you doing here?”
Mao Peng’s expression was grim. “Heavy rain is expected tonight. We’re here to help you all reinforce your houses.”
Ever since Xiang Bei had hauled over a large iron pot, and Tao Nanfeng and Xiao Aiyun had brought back a hatful of hawthorns and ten wild pheasant eggs, the Jiangcheng educated youth had grown close to the road construction team.
The youth were newcomers in an unfamiliar land, whereas the construction workers were veteran farm employees. The youth were students who had just entered society, but the workers were hardened men who had weathered the demands of the professional world.
Over time, the construction team had become a model for the educated youth to emulate.
Xiang Bei, in particular, fascinated them. His mysterious military past sparked endless speculation; the less he spoke, the more profound and inscrutable he seemed.
The youth might have doubted Tao Nanfeng’s warnings, but when the construction team arrived with a ladder, any lingering skepticism vanished. Everyone sprang into action.
After all, if it rained, it was the educated youth who would suffer in their leaking thatched cottages. Xiang Bei and his team were here out of genuine concern, offering their help.
Under Qiao Yadong’s direction, one group bound branches together, propping them against the walls and sealing the gaps with yellow mud.
Another group formed a human chain, passing branches to Xiang Bei, who laid them neatly across the thatched roof.
The dense foliage would create an effective barrier against the rain.
They worked tirelessly until eight or nine o’clock that night. By the time the reinforcements were complete, the moon had dimmed.
The youth, already exhausted from a full day’s labor, collapsed from the additional strain. After a quick meal, they lacked the strength even to wash up, groaning as they fell onto their beds.
“Rain? Where’s the rain coming from?”
“Preparing for a rainy day… I guess it’s fine. But the timing was too tight. I’m exhausted.”
“I’ve been doing a mason’s work for hours. I can’t even lift my arms!”
“Go to sleep, everyone. We have to wake up early tomorrow.”
Soon, the snoring from the large communal beds rose and fell in a steady rhythm, and the group drifted into a deep sleep.
In the middle of the night, the rain finally began.
Pitter-patter…
Drip-drop…
The rain struck the roof, filtered by pine branches and thatch, creating a soft, rustling sound. The rhythmic patter acted like a lullaby, sending them into an even deeper slumber.
The wind picked up without warning.
Howl—
It roared like a beast unleashed, a sudden, fierce gale that swept through the room, scattering bean-sized raindrops and jolting Tao Nanfeng from her sleep.
Awooo—
The wind shrieked. As the storm tore through the valley, the entire thatched cottage began to shudder.
Whoosh—
The rain intensified, lashing the roof and walls in a frantic torrent.
The girls in the room were all awake now. They threw on their coats and stood up, staring tremulously at the ceiling.
“We reinforced it,” one murmured. “It should be fine, right?”
Tao Nanfeng didn’t answer. She tilted her head, listening intently to the sounds around her.
The boys had also been roused. A flurry of footsteps echoed as Qiao Yadong called out, “Is everyone okay?”
For now, they were.
Drip. Drip.
The sound of two water droplets hitting the floor put Tao Nanfeng on high alert.
She scanned the darkness, but saw nothing.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The dripping grew more frequent. Tao Nanfeng scrambled to her feet, threw on her clothes and shoes, and fumbled for the flashlight by the wicker chest.
A beam of light sliced through the dark.
A palm-sized wet patch had spread across the top of the chest.
Xiao Aiyun saw it too.
“Is it leaking?” she asked, her voice trembling as she tried to keep her composure. She rushed to the wall, grabbed an enamel basin, and placed it on the chest to catch the drips.
Thump! Clang!
Thump! Thump! Clang—
The raindrops hammered into the enamel basin, the sound amplified until it seemed to beat against their own hearts, filling them with dread.
Li Huilan and Ye Qin followed the beam of the flashlight, their eyes fixed on the thatched ceiling. Rain was already seeping through the gaps.
“Quick, over here! It’s leaking!” a voice cried out from the next room.
“Over here too! Someone bring a basin!”
“The leaks are spreading! Everyone, move your bedding and bags together, fast!”
Whoooo—Whoooo—
The wind shrieked through the night.
CRASH!
A thunderous sound tore through the air. A section of the roof, ripped away by the gale, slammed to the floor.
“The branch holding down the thatch fell off!” Ye Qin’s voice broke with a sob.
With the weight gone, the thatch was swept away in an instant. A sudden, icy draft tore through the newly opened gap in the ceiling, and rain poured down, instantly soaking the bed between Xiao Aiyun and Tao Nanfeng.
“Help! It’s leaking here!”
“Help us! There’s a huge hole in the roof! Our beds are soaked!”
“What do we do? The wind is too strong! The whole house is going to collapse!”
Panic swept through the room like wildfire. The educated youth had no idea how to cope.
In the face of nature’s raw power, Tao Nanfeng felt the crushing weight of human helplessness.
This was the storm from the dream!