As June arrived, the weather grew increasingly unpredictable. The sky had been cloudless before bedtime, yet by midnight, a steady drizzle had turned into a downpour. Lin Yue, who had risen earlier than Shen Huaizhi for once, stood at the doorway looking troubled.

The sky hung heavy and dark, thick clouds swirling over distant mountains veiled in mist. Rain pelted the fruit trees in the backyard, its clatter mingling with the steady drip of water from the roof, creating a sound that stirred unease.

The village paths were dirt roads, unlike the stone-paved streets of town that washed clean after rain. Here, they only turned muddy and treacherous. Puddles scattered across the uneven ground, and no matter how carefully one stepped, mud splattered everywhere.

Lin Yue stared blankly at the rain. Shen Huaizhi, who had been inside, rose to his feet. “Why are you standing at the door? Be careful that your clothes get soaked.”

Lin Yue turned to look at him. “This rain looks like it will last a while. Are you still going to the private school?”

Shen Huaizhi nodded. “It’s no trouble. We have an oil paper umbrella at home. I’ll take it with me.”

Oil paper umbrellas weren’t cheap, costing several hundred wen each. while straw raincoats were much more affordable. Even with a straw hat, the total cost barely exceeded a hundred coins. That’s why farmers rarely used oil paper umbrellas. The Shen family had bought theirs specifically for Shen Huaizhi’s studies. On rainy days, he’d wear his straw raincoat, don his straw hat, and carry the umbrella to arrive at the private school as dry as possible, ensuring his books stayed unsoaked.

Lin Yue understood the importance of education and didn’t try to stop him. He only reminded, “Then wear your thickest straw raincoat. Don’t get soaked.”

The door stood open, allowing cool breezes laden with rain to sweep into the room. They completely dispelled the summer heat, even bringing a hint of chill. Lin Yue had deliberately put on an outer robe earlier. Seeing Shen Huaizhi dressed lightly in only a single layer, he couldn’t help but ask, “It’s a bit chilly with the rain today. Would you like to put on another layer? The clothes that dried yesterday would be just right now.“

”Alright, I understand.”

While they spoke, Shen Zhengchu emerged wearing a straw raincoat, holding two more in his hands. “Here, take these. I didn’t expect the sudden rain. Next time, I’ll leave a couple of raincoats in your room, and an umbrella too, so you won’t be inconvenienced.”

After Shen Huaizhi took them, Shen Zhengchu hurried out. He’d slept deeply last night and hadn’t noticed when the rain started. He needed to check the water levels in the fields.

As Shen Huaizhi left, Lin Yue still felt uneasy. Standing at the kitchen door, he called out, “If the rain gets heavy after school, don’t come back. It’s unsafe. Go stay at home.”

Shen Huaizhi turned back with a smile. “Don’t worry. Teacher always lets us leave early on rainy days. If I haven’t returned by dark, it means I’m staying with Mom and Dad.”

“Alright, take your time on the way.”

Though the rain was a nuisance, in this summer heat, everyone longed for it. The crops in the fields were in their crucial growth phase, and Song Xunchun had been eagerly awaiting this rain.

Since there was no work today, the Shen family skipped breakfast. The three of them sat in the kitchen, each busy with their own tasks—Shen Huaizhi sewing clothes, Song Xunchun embroidering handkerchiefs—occasionally exchanging words, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Time passed, yet the kitchen remained dim. Opening the doors and windows did little to help. Song Xunchun glanced outside hesitantly. “Yue’er, Lingzhi, have you noticed the rain seems to be getting heavier? The village is becoming hard to see.”

Lin Yue looked up just as water seeped through the roof, dripping onto his forehead. “Mother, the roof is leaking!”

Glancing around, they saw water seeping in from four or five spots. The dripping sound had been drowned out by the rain outside, so none of them had noticed.

Song Xunchun sprang to her feet, exclaiming, “It’s leaking here! The bedroom must be leaking, too. Hurry back and check!”

The rain had been light all night. When the Shen family rose, they saw no signs of leaks. Little did they know that barely an hour after waking, the kitchen—whose roof they had just reinforced—began to drip.

Lin Yue slipped on his straw raincoat, grabbed a basin, and headed outside. “Mother, I’ll go back to the room first to tidy up. Don’t let Huaizhi’s books get wet. I’ll come to the main hall to help you guys later.”

Song Xunchun waved him off. “Hurry off. Lingzhi and I can handle the main hall.”

Lin Yue nodded and dashed back to the house, taking three steps at a time through the rain.

The bedroom was indeed leaking worse—not just drips, but streams of water. Only the bed and desk, shielded by the tiles above, remained dry.

To prevent the rainwater from his straw cloak from soaking other items, Lin Yue stripped off the cloak the moment he entered. Rolling up his sleeves, he began moving books and shifting cabinets. Only after securing all of Shen Huaizhi’s scrolls, brushes, and ink did he start relocating other belongings, placing basins beneath the worst leaks.

Water dripped from the bed’s foot as well. Lin Yue rolled up the bedding and placed a wooden bucket beneath it to catch the drips. Finally, he even used the bathtub. Only then was the room more or less tidied. Without pausing to catch his breath, Lin Yue donned his straw cloak again and headed to the main hall.

The main hall had even more leaks, but all the buckets and basins were already in use in the bedroom. He could only gather the belongings together and cover them with his straw cloak.

Without his cloak, Shen Lingzhi had to stay inside, emptying buckets as they filled. Lin Yue and Song Xunchun continued cleaning the kitchen.

Shen Zhengchu returned soaked through, his straw cloak drenched despite wearing it.

Song Xunchun protested, “Why did you wait so long? You should’ve come back the moment the rain intensified.”

Shen Zhengchu frowned. “It’s fine. I know these paths well. But this rain is only getting heavier. If we don’t clear the ditches, the crops will drown. Plus, the soil collapsed into the ditch on our family’s plot on the back mountain.”

Song Xunchun’s expression softened slightly, but she urged him, “Hurry and change out of those wet clothes. You’ll catch a cold.”

Shen Zhengchu didn’t move, staring fixedly at the water streaming down the eaves. He clearly intended to go back out.

Song Xunchun gave him a shove. “Hurry up! Even if you need to dig ditches or prop up corn stalks, you have to wait until the rain stops.”

Shen Zhengchu nearly stumbled from the shove, sighing helplessly, “Alright, alright. I’ll go once it stops. You’re way too strong.”

The rain poured down all day—thunder and lightning intertwined with the raging storm. At first, they could keep the door open, but soon the entire doorway was soaked, even pooling with water. They had no choice but to shut it tight.

Just as Shen Huaizhi was about to leave for school, Lin Yue remembered his morning instructions. Standing at the doorway, he called out to Shen Zhengchu and his wife in the kitchen: “Father, Mother! I specifically told Huaizhi this morning—if the rain hasn’t stopped, he should stay at my place. Don’t worry!”

Song Xunchun breathed a sigh of relief and called back loudly, “That’s good, that’s good. With rain this heavy, the river’s water has already risen above the bridge. I was truly worried about Huaizhi.”

That night, none of the family slept well. No sooner had they closed their eyes than they had to get up to mop up water and deal with new leaks.

The next morning, the rain showed no sign of letting up.

As Lin Yue stepped into the kitchen, he was met by three worried faces. His own heavy heart couldn’t help but sigh along with theirs.

Shen Zhengchu was consumed with anxiety, his voice thick with urgency. “If this rain doesn’t stop, the crops in the fields will be ruined. We might even have to replant everything.”

Song Xunchun’s brow was also deeply furrowed. “That’s not even the worst part. What if the roads collapse? And our house is right by the river. If the water rises, we’ll be the first to be flooded.”

Shen Zhengchu no longer felt like going out to the fields. With this downpour, even in his best physical condition, he couldn’t guarantee he’d return unscathed.

Unfortunately, the weather remained beyond human control. By evening, the rain hadn’t stopped—not even slowed. Inside the house, the light drizzle had turned into a steady downpour. Even though every pot, bowl, and ladle in the house was used to collect water, everything that could get wet was soaked.

Song Xunchun paced restlessly, fear etched on her face. As a child, her grandmother had told her stories of floods in the neighboring county decades ago—entire villages submerged, countless casualties, epidemics that followed, some villages wiped out entirely. Could it be their turn now?

Shen Zhengchu remained relatively composed, offering reassurance: “I checked the riverbank this afternoon. Though the water has overflowed the banks, it hasn’t reached a raging torrent. The seedlings in the flooded fields haven’t been swept away—only those in the low-lying areas were lost. As long as the rain stops within a day or two, it shouldn’t escalate into a disaster.”

Song Xunchun’s hands trembled slightly. Afraid of alarming Lin Yue and Shen Lingzhi beside him, she forced himself to stay calm. “It should stop. Look closely—the rain has already lessened.”

Lin Yue had remained silent the entire time. He wondered how Shen Huaizhi was faring, and his own parents were getting older. Lin Yang was still so young. He desperately wanted to return home right now to check on them.

As night deepened, Lin Yue absentmindedly finished his ablutions and retired to his room to rest. He was startled awake by a loud shout.