The sudden downpour roused Bai Sha from her deep slumber.
Outside, a dense curtain of rain had already descended, a swift and relentless winter shower.
Wrapped in a blanket, Bai Sha settled by the window to watch the rain fall, while the little one beside her remained fast asleep.
It was already past six, the thick, dark clouds having smothered the sunlight, and the damp weather brought with it a host of inconveniences.
Bai Sha exhaled a plume of white mist, noting the further drop in temperature; her planned mountain hike was now definitively off.
According to the weather forecast, this abrupt rainfall was expected to persist for some time.
Autumn and winter rains often behaved this way, always lingering, regardless of their intensity.
Collecting some loose change, Bai Sha placed her phone on the bedside table, ensuring that if the little one woke, they would know their mother hadn’t vanished.
After her morning ablutions, Bai Sha prepared to step out for breakfast.
As she reached downstairs, she spotted Zhou Haochen, clad in a grey-and-white sweater, standing by the main entrance.
“Why are you up so early?”
Bai Sha asked, her footsteps light as she approached.
“Company trouble, just came out for a walk.”
After more than a month of diligent effort, he had successfully joined his senior’s startup group, becoming one of its shareholders.
The roar of a heavy rain invariably quiets its surroundings, its tempestuous clamor scattering all extraneous noise and grime, leaving the world feeling empty and still, making one almost forget its own booming presence.
“And you? Why aren’t you sleeping in?”
“The rain started so suddenly, and I just woke up suddenly with it.”
Bai Sha swayed the umbrella in her hand.
“I’m going to buy breakfast.
Are you?”
Zhou Haochen extended a hand, asking, “Together?”
“This umbrella is quite small.
I don’t think couples getting drenched together is very romantic.”
Zhou Haochen retrieved his own umbrella from behind the door.
“When you’re hungry, you eat.
When it rains, you bring an umbrella.”
He extended his hand once more.
“Shall we walk together?”
Bai Sha took his hand, and the two walked shoulder to shoulder into the curtain of rain.
“Alright.”
****
By the time they returned to the hotel room, the rain showed no signs of letting up.
“I finally come back to my hometown, and this is how it greets me,” Bai Sha lamented with a sigh.
Zhou Haochen wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
“Perhaps it’s washing away the dust for your welcome,” he offered.
“When I was in school, I hated rainy days the most,” Bai Sha complained.
“Why?”
“My raincoat was always too short; it never properly shielded me from the wind and rain.”
“What about an umbrella?”
“I always lost my umbrella, and whenever it rained, my umbrella was never with me.”
“What happened after that?”
“After that, I rarely went out.
Alone in S City, it was just training or sleeping.
Unless the club required it, I seldom left the base.”
“That won’t happen again.”
Bai Sha turned around, placing her hands on his shoulders, teasing, “Are you going to become my umbrella then?”
Zhou Haochen embraced her, stating earnestly, “You have me and Xiao Yu.
You won’t be alone anymore.”
Bai Sha cupped his face, playfully kneading it before laughing.
“You’re only 19.
Don’t always comfort me.
Your older sister is tougher than you think.”
Despite his firm features being twisted this way and that, Zhou Haochen affirmed, “I know, but everyone needs comfort.
It’s not a distinction between strength and weakness.”
“How can you say that?”
‘You must have flirted with plenty of girls back in school, didn’t you?’
He buried his head in Bai Sha’s neck.
“You’re my first love.”
“You are too.”
****
In a forgotten corner, little Zhou Yuying woke up.
Opening her eyes, she immediately saw her dad and mom embracing, and the little one promptly blinked her eyes shut again.
‘Wasn’t Dad in the next room? How did he end up here?’
The little one rolled over and spotted Bai Sha’s phone on the bedside table.
Her eyes lit up.
She glanced at her parents, then at the phone.
‘Hahaha! The great crewmate has found precious treasure without being discovered by the monster!’
Carefully, the little one picked up the phone, but before she could unlock it, Bai Sha caught her.
“Go brush your teeth first when you wake up.
Mom and Dad bought breakfast.
You can play after you eat.”
“Oh! But didn’t Mom say we were going to play outside today?”
Bai Sha pointed to the heavy rain outside the window.
“The rain is too heavy.
We’re not going out today.”
“Wow! It’s really raining hard!”
She seemed overjoyed, skipping into the bathroom.
Bai Sha pulled away from Zhou Haochen’s embrace.
“Let’s eat breakfast.
This afternoon, I’ll take you two to see my older sister and brother-in-law.”
Jiangxi’s breakfast generally falls into three categories: various `guo` (TL Note: A type of steamed or pan-fried cake or dumpling, often made from rice or other starchy flours), various `fen` (TL Note: Noodles, typically rice noodles), and various steamed buns.
Of course, there’s also the versatile porridge.
Once the little one had finished washing up, the family began to eat.
Outside, heavy rain poured; inside, the family was filled with joy.
After breakfast, Bai Sha pulled a set of Ludo (TL Note: Known as ‘Feixingqi’ or ‘Flying Chess’ in China, a board game similar to Ludo) from her suitcase.
Seeing it, the little one gasped in surprise.
“Mom, are you Doraemon? How do you have everything?”
This game was actually a gift from a teammate when Bai Sha retired.
That guy loved Ludo, and once during a world championship, he was caught playing it with a teammate, which immediately landed him on trending searches, getting scolded.
It had been stored away at the bottom of her luggage, but she suddenly thought of bringing it out this time, and it truly came in handy.
Thus, the three of them spent the entire morning playing Ludo.
****
By the afternoon, Bai Sha took the man and child to her sister’s house.
Bai Qing’s husband was a courier, working from eight in the morning until nine at night, so he was rarely home.
However, his income was considered high compared to most, and since the couple didn’t have children yet, even after buying a house, their financial pressure wasn’t significant.
Moreover, their family background wasn’t bad, and her brother-in-law’s parents could also help out.
Since the hotel wasn’t far, the three of them walked over, sharing umbrellas.
Small towns were mostly populated by the elderly and children.
Bai Sha didn’t see many young adults along the way; even the couriers and food delivery drivers were older men.
“Zhou Haochen, do you know what Yiwu’s local specialty is?”
He answered without hesitation, “The Three Treasures of Yiwu, I suppose.”
“We have a saying here: ‘Yiwu’s specialty is Jiangxi small stir-fries.'” (TL Note: This is a humorous saying implying that so many people from Jiangxi migrate to Yiwu to open small stir-fry restaurants that it has become an unofficial ‘specialty’ of the city, highlighting the economic struggles of Jiangxi that lead its residents to seek opportunities elsewhere.)
Indeed, Jiangxi’s economy was so poor that everyone, good or bad, fled elsewhere.
“As a child, I loved this place.
As I grew older, I hated it.
As an adult, I left it.
As I age, I miss it.
How can people be so contradictory?”
Zhou Haochen said helplessly, “Alright, my great philosopher, if you don’t move, the green light will pass.”
“Oh, oh, oh! Quick, let’s go, let’s go!”
Although many people jaywalked, as an excellent celebrity player and a wonderful, outstanding mother, Bai Sha had to set a good example!
Upon arriving at her sister’s doorstep, Bai Sha was about to unlock the door with her key when it opened from the inside.
“Sis! Why are you home?”
Bai Qing smiled, “No classes this afternoon, so I came back early.
Where’s the surprise you mentioned?”
Bai Sha moved aside, revealing the two people behind her.
Bai Qing pointed at the tall, sturdy man, asking, “This is…”
“My boyfriend.”
Zhou Haochen waved somewhat nervously, “Hello, Sister!”
“And this…” Bai Qing’s finger trembled slightly as she pointed at Zhou Yuying.
“Auntie!!” The little one pounced into Bai Qing’s arms.
“My child.”
“And his? Biological? Adopted?”
“Yes, biological.”
Bai Qing’s vision swam.
‘What is happening to this world? Has spiritual energy recovered? How can this be so magical!’