Thump! Thump! Thump!
Heavy knocks slammed against the door.
“Are you all alright in there?”
The wind carried a man’s urgent shout. Outside the window, the beam of a flashlight swept back and forth.
Tao Nanfeng pulled the door open. The gale-force rain and wind surged in, battering her. A flash of lightning struck, momentarily illuminating the world as bright as day.
Beneath a wide-brimmed bamboo hat stood a man with a sharp, well-defined face.
His eyes were frantic, his broad shoulders hunched. His clothes, soaked through, clung to his skin and dripped relentlessly.
It was Xiang Bei.
Breaking his usual silence, he swept the room with his flashlight. “The wind’s too strong,” he shouted. “This building won’t hold. Pack your essentials and head to the farm headquarters, now!”
Before waiting for a response, he turned to the other two rooms, pounding on their doors.
The roar of the wind, the lash of the rain, the thumping on the doors, the desperate shouts… It all converged into a cacophony that made Tao Nanfeng’s heart tighten with a sense of dread.
The scene from her dream flashed before her eyes again.
“The building is going to collapse!” she yelled. “Hurry!”
She threw on her raincoat and boots. The other three girls scrambled to pack their things.
Xiao Aiyun hesitated over this one belonging, then that one. Ye Qin insisted on lugging her precious pillow to the farm headquarters. Li Huilan stomped her feet in frustration.
“How are we supposed to carry all that stuff? Just go! If this house collapses, we’re dead!”
Tao Nanfeng thought for a moment, then pulled a plastic sheet from the corner and spread it across a bed. She packed the four girls’ quilts and pillows tightly inside, wrapped it all in a bedsheet, and rolled it into a massive bundle.
“Tao Nanfeng, what are you doing?” Li Huilan cried. “How can you possibly carry all that? Just take your own things and leave ours!”
Ye Qin scrambled to stop her. “Tao Nanfeng, don’t worry about me! I don’t need the pillow. Just take your own stuff!”
Tao Nanfeng shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m strong.”
She hoisted the giant bundle onto her back with one arm and grabbed her dark red rattan trunk with the other, leading the way out.
The wind howled, and the rain poured down in sheets.
A month had passed, and the bite marks on the back of her hand had long faded. Yet that same searing, powerful energy still surged through her entire body.
Tao Nanfeng felt an inexhaustible well of strength coursing through her. The waist-high bundle of bedding she shouldered felt light as a feather, and not even the fiercest wind and rain could hinder her.
The only thing bothering her was the ground. The muddy path was slick and treacherous, each step sinking into a pit of slime that clung to her shoes.
Seeing Tao Nanfeng head out first, Xiao Aiyun quickly threw on a raincoat and rushed after her.
“Tao—”
Xiao Aiyun’s attempt to call out ended abruptly. As she opened her mouth, the wind whipped rain and grime into her face, the air smelling cold and metallic. She choked, gagging on the taste.
She spat several times, then hurried to Tao Nanfeng’s side and shouted, “Let’s go together!”
Tao Nanfeng nodded. They drew close, supporting each other as they pushed forward.
More and more people joined them, forming a ragged line. At the rear, Xiang Bei shone a flashlight to light their way. Though the dirt road had turned into a muddy slog under the torrential downpour, they pushed on, buoyed by mutual encouragement.
When they finally reached the farm headquarters, the group crowded into the first-floor hallway, their clamor quickly drawing the attention of a disgruntled staff member from the second-floor dorms.
“What’s all this?” he demanded, swinging the door open. “Why are you all out here in the rain instead of staying inside?”
Xiang Bei wiped the rain from his face, stood his ground in the middle of the concrete yard, and raised his flashlight.
The man who had been shouting immediately threw up a hand to shield his eyes. “What the hell is this? Who’s shining a light in my face?”
Recognizing the man, Xiang Bei yelled back, “Huang Xingwu, open the office door!”
Qiao Yadong chimed in from the side. “Chief Huang, the wind and rain are too fierce. The thatched cottages at the Zhiqing Settlement can’t withstand this. Just let us stay here for the night.”
Huang Xingwu yawned and muttered, “What do you mean ‘can’t withstand’? If they leak, just use a basin to catch the rain. Fix them tomorrow when it stops.”
Fury erupted in Xiang Bei’s eyes. He stormed up the stairs two at a time, grabbed Huang Xingwu by the collar, and hissed through clenched teeth.
“This is the ‘fine work’ of your Infrastructure Department! If someone dies, how do you plan to pay them back? There are twenty educated youth here, all top students from the big cities. If even one of them is lost, flaying your skin won’t be enough to compensate them!”
The raw menace in his voice startled Huang Xingwu, his gaze darting away guiltily. “No… how could that be? Sure, the storm is bad, but it’s not like the houses are just going to collapse.”
Xiang Bei thrust the flashlight forward, the harsh yellow beam illuminating Huang Xingwu’s face. The light accentuated the sinister, sunken look of his triangular eyes.
“Youth Point No. 6 is right in the wind’s path. Do you have any idea what that means?”
As the Head of the Infrastructure Department, Huang knew the thatched cottages’ quality all too well. A flicker of panic crossed his face.
He glanced at the closed doors along the corridor. “But… Director Luo has the office keys. When he sleeps, not even thunder can wake him.”
Xiang Bei let go of the man’s collar and jerked his chin toward the room. Huang Xingwu awkwardly rolled his shoulders, walked to the door marked 210, and knocked softly.
Xiang Bei strode forward and pounded on the door. “Emergency! Open up!”
Silence answered from within.
He pounded again. Still nothing.
Huang Xingwu offered a thin, joyless smile. “Like I said, Director Luo—”
Without another word, Xiang Bei turned and walked away.
Huang watched him go, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. “Captain Xiang,” he called out, his voice dripping with false concern, “maybe they should just sleep in the stairwell for the night.”
Xiang Bei didn’t look back, heading straight down the stairs.
The educated youth crowded around him. Those in raincoats had their pants soaked halfway up, while the umbrellas had long since been swept away by the wind, leaving everyone drenched to the bone.
Cold and sodden, they shivered as the wind pierced them, sending chills deep into their marrow.
The moment Xiang Bei appeared, Qiao Yadong stepped forward, his face etched with worry. “What’s the word? Did you find us a room? We need to get out of these wet clothes before the cold settles into our bones and makes us all sick.”
Xiang Bei’s gaze remained steady. He gave a curt nod.
In their darkest hour, it had been Xiang Bei who stood up and led them away from the thatched cottage as it swayed in the storm. Now, the group trusted him implicitly. At his nod, their anxiety visibly eased.
Xiang Bei walked to an office door and inspected the padlock. He drew a folding army knife from his belt and jammed it into the lock, applying a sharp burst of pressure.
Crack!
The lock gave way.
He kicked the door open.
The crowd stared, stunned by the sudden violence of the act. *Picking locks? Breaking and entering?*
Before anyone could even process it, Xiang Bei had repeated the feat on two more offices.
“Push the desks together,” he commanded. “We’ll make do for the night. We’ll figure out the rest when the sun comes up.”
The educated youth answered in unison and hurried inside, dragging their belongings as they began to arrange the desks.
Huang Xingwu, who had followed them down, saw the tide turning and rushed to intervene. “Are you all planning a rebellion? How dare you break the locks!”
Several of the more hot-tempered youth slammed their luggage to the floor.
“Rebellion?” one snarled. “Is the cottage your Infrastructure Department built even fit for humans? The roof flew off the moment it started raining!”
“If Captain Xiang hadn’t gotten us out of there, who knows what would have happened!”
“Exactly! Our bedding and luggage are still in that room, getting soaked in the rain, and now you can’t even give us a place to shelter? Is this how the farm treats the educated youth sent to the countryside?”
“We brought this up ages ago, but you people never listen!”
Wei Min, who was in the middle of moving his gear, deliberately swung his nylon bag. The heavy fabric whipped across Huang Xingwu’s waist.
The short man stumbled, nearly falling over. He roared in fury, “Which son of a bitch dared to strike me?”
Xiang Bei grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, hauling him forward.
“I’m the one who broke the locks,” he said, his voice cold. “Got a problem with that?”
Xiang Bei’s gaze was electric, his words laced with blatant provocation.
Huang Xingwu cowered, his confidence evaporating. He forced a smile. “Captain… Captain Xiang, why are you getting so upset?”
Finally breaking free, he cast a wary glance at the seething youth before retreating upstairs to his room, abandoning any attempt to interfere.
Tao Nanfeng stepped into an office.
Click.
She pulled the cord, and the incandescent bulb flickered to life.
The room was a mess, but its thick brick walls, sealed glass windows, and hard, dry concrete floor made it a hundred times better than the thatched shacks at the Zhiqing Settlement.
Before they could even savor the luxury, the four girls worked together to push eight office desks into a single, massive bed. Tao Nanfeng unfurled a plastic sheet, shaking off the rainwater before rolling out the bedding.
One by one, their familiar things appeared: Tao Nanfeng’s beige plaid duvet, Xiao Aiyun’s crimson pillowcase, Ye Qin’s buckwheat pillow, and Li Huilan’s spring-green satin quilt.
A cheer erupted in the room.
Ye Qin hugged her dry pillow, her face beaming. “Tao Nanfeng, you’re a lifesaver! This is my favorite pillow!”
“Hurry and change your clothes,” Li Huilan interrupted, her voice mock-critical but her eyes twinkling. “Don’t go wetting the bedding.”
Xiao Aiyun pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed the rain from her face. She shot Ye Qin a sharp look. “You have absolutely no class. You can’t even say thank you properly. ‘Reborn parents’? Honestly!”
Ye Qin rolled her eyes right back at her, then turned to Tao Nanfeng with a beaming smile. “I really mean it. Thank you so much. From now on, if I get anything good to eat, you get it first. And if I find anything fun to do, you’re definitely coming with me.”
“We’ll do the same!” Xiao Aiyun and Li Huilan chimed in, their voices perfectly in sync.
The night’s terrors still lingered, but the image of Tao Nanfeng’s incredible strength—single-handedly lugging all their bedding to safety—was etched into their minds.
She’s so strong!
And so kind!
A wave of gratitude, admiration, and affection surged through them. The girls rushed Tao Nanfeng, throwing their arms around her in a crushing group hug.
“Tao Nanfeng, you’re amazing!” they cheered.
Tao Nanfeng gasped, her face flushing red as she was squeezed tight. “It was nothing,” she murmured. Since her mother’s death, no one had ever praised her so fervently.
After changing into dry clothes and drinking the ginger tea Xiang Bei had asked the kitchen to prepare, the girls snuggled into their warm, cozy beds.
Only then, feeling the heat spread through their bodies, did they finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Huddled together on the makeshift bed, Xiao Aiyun rested her head against Tao Nanfeng’s. “It’s all thanks to you…” she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.
It really was all thanks to Tao Nanfeng, she thought.
Otherwise, we’d be sleeping under newspapers like the boys.
Tao Nanfeng sank deeper into her soft pillow, the familiar scent of sun-dried fabric enveloping her. Hearing Xiao Aiyun’s words, she pulled the quilt over her mouth and let out a quiet sigh.
It was all thanks to that dream.
Without it, without this newfound strength, her delicate, pampered self would never have survived today’s crisis.
In the dream, the thatched cottage had collapsed. The educated youth had all been injured to varying degrees.
Now, with Xiang Bei leading the evacuation, the immediate danger was gone.
But if I hadn’t been so strong...
The wind had been howling as they navigated that narrow mountain path. What if she had slipped and tumbled down the cliff?
What if she’d caught a severe chill after being soaked to the bone and shivering in the cold all night?
Would she have just… died?
A shudder ran through Tao Nanfeng, and she wrapped the quilt tighter around herself.
An arm draped across her, accompanied by Ye Qin’s sleepy murmur: “Tao Nanfeng… my mom sent cookies… you can have them first.”
In the quiet of the night, the steady breathing of her roommates and the rhythmic patter of rain outside filled Tao Nanfeng with a strange, comforting sense of security.