Chapter 8: Torrential Rain

Guan Yuanfeng was woken by the sound of rain.

He propped himself up in bed, looking at the flat blanket covering the area where his legs used to be, and then out the window where heavy rain was pouring down.

The window wasn’t fully closed, and thick gray clouds loomed in the distance. The heavy rain brought a surge of moisture into the room, and the wind filled the empty space.

For a moment, he felt disoriented, almost forgetting where he was. With such heavy rain, there would be no training today, right?

It wasn’t until he saw the thin quilt slip down and felt the emptiness of his lower body that he remembered—he had already retired.

The familiar phantom limb pain hadn’t come last night.

Since the amputation, every night had felt like being trapped in the fiery pits of hell.

Time, measured by minutes and seconds, became terrifying and unbearable, with life feeling meaningless and desolate.

He longed for an unconscious, eternal sleep, but his strong sense of pride viewed that as a defeat by cowardice, a surrender without a fight.

This kind of pain, which doctors called "phantom pain," had haunted him. He had already lost his legs, yet he felt unbearable pain in places that no longer existed. It was as if he couldn’t accept reality, drowning in pain out of weakness.

When life is reduced to endless battles, with no possibility of rebirth or new beginnings, just as limbs cannot regenerate, he had become a withered plant, with no chance of new life or passion.

In contrast to his withered, lifeless body, his senses and nerves became increasingly sharp and awake. Like a house gradually falling apart, once brightly lit and full of life, it now sat in darkness, listening to the wind pass through broken window panes, feeling the weight of every speck of dust, enduring the gnawing of insects on the decayed beams.

The pain became unbearable, but even more terrifying was the feeling of being abandoned by the world, no longer needed by anyone. For him, living each day was a victory, but no one cared that a burden had survived another day.

No one needed him anymore. His meaningless struggle had turned into self-denial and self-torture. Every day, he was tempted by the desire to give up, to accept his failure and await his demise.

Yet, he had experienced a rare night of peaceful sleep, a dream from the past. In the dream, he was whole, wearing his familiar military uniform, playing basketball on the field with his brothers who had faced life and death together.

He picked up his phone to check the time and saw a message from Zhou Yun: "Good morning, it’s raining today. Breakfast is steamed taro cake, fried dough sticks, and shrimp and lean pork porridge."

Half an hour later, another message came: "The rain is too heavy. I’m tidying herbs on the rooftop. When you wake up, come over to eat."

Concise and to the point, without any flattery or sympathy, just an ordinary message like every other day, a simple menu that always brought a glimmer of anticipation.

The taro cake, he imagined, might be made in the same way as green bean cakes—taro and glutinous rice mixed and steamed—but it would likely be savory.

The fried dough sticks sounded ordinary, but homemade ones should be crispy. As for the shrimp and lean pork porridge, Zhou Yun liked to add dried scallops, ginseng slices to his porridge.

It was only today that he realized he actually felt joy and anticipation from these messages. In just a few short days, he had grown accustomed to these menu texts and even found himself imagining the dishes.

He pressed his temples and, lowering his head, truly felt the hunger in his stomach.

His bodily sensations were slowly returning, but with sufficient sleep, his mind, once filled with violence, frustration, and irritation, suddenly became clear.

His emotions seemed to stabilize, and the rational perception that had once guided him returned.

Sleep was important; he knew that, but he refused to take painkillers for temporary comfort, forcing himself to endure the trials life had given him.

Today, however, he thought of how life wasn’t always about constant battles.

Life should be about simple things—three meals and sleep, eating when hungry, sleeping when tired, the natural rhythm of day and night, the changing weather.

Just like his young doctor neighbor, he realized that ordinary days could be lived with meaning, making each day flavorful and fulfilling.

"Rumble!"

The thunder outside jolted Guan Yuanfeng from his thoughts, and he glanced out at the darkening sky and heavy rain, growing concerned.

He got up, slipped on his prosthetic leg, pulled on his pants, and eased himself into the wheelchair. He went to close the window first, then opened the door and found Comet waiting by the entrance. The dog greeted him with a friendly nudge against his knee.

After patting Comet's head, he quickly freshened up and wheeled himself down the hallway to the balcony door. Outside, the rain was coming down in sheets, and the sky was so dark it felt like nighttime. As he pushed open the balcony door, the rain splattered in.

Thankfully, the balcony led to a glass-enclosed greenhouse. Inside, he saw a figure standing motionless in the dim, flickering light. Sure enough, it was Zhou Yun standing there. He was holding an umbrella, wearing a raincoat and rain boots, looking up at the rainwater collectors and lightning rods on the rooftop.

The rooftop was shrouded in darkness, almost like midnight. A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by a deafening boom of thunder. In the brief flash of lightning, Zhou Yun's stern expression was visible—his lips pressed tight, his chin slightly raised, a far cry from the gentle demeanor he usually showed around Guan Yuanfeng.

Guan Yuanfeng started to call out but froze, taken aback by Zhou Yun's intense expression.

However, Zhou Yun quickly sensed him and turned around, striding into the greenhouse. He closed his umbrella and pressed a switch on the wall by the greenhouse door.

The lights in the greenhouse came on, and Zhou Yun's previously cold expression softened under the solar lighting. "Awake? Don't go out in this heavy rain. Let's go down for breakfast. How did you sleep last night?"

Guan Yuanfeng said, "It actually worked. I slept very well last night."

Zhou Yun examined his face closely. "Let's go down and eat. I'll take your pulse, and later I'll brew some medicine for you. It'll be more effective if taken with the meal."

He naturally took over pushing Guan Yuanfeng's wheelchair downstairs, saying as he did, "Shouldn't we modify the stairs here to a ramp for easier wheelchair access?"

Guan Yuanfeng replied indifferently, "Too much trouble. Forget it."

But Zhou Yun continued, "Lately, there've been reports of strangers coming and going at night, which isn't exactly safe. The property management is also talking about stepping up security after a reported burglary. Apparently, a child was frightened."

"I want to install a security iron door at the entrance of our unit, and while I'm at it, I can help you renovate the staircase. It’s pretty straightforward—just a few bricks, some cement, and it’ll be smooth."

Guan Yuanfeng was somewhat surprised. "Have there been burglaries in the complex?"

Zhou Yun said, "Yes, our complex is in the mountains, so it's indeed easy for people to hide there. It's better to enhance security. We just need to install an iron door at the entrance of the corridor in our unit. There are only two households here, and we're on the top floor, so it would be safer to keep the entrance secure when we’re not home. I've already placed a custom order, and it will be installed once the rain stops."

Guan Yuanfeng: "..." Compared to his usual courteous demeanor, Zhou Yun’s tone left no room for debate.

He was about to say that two grown men didn’t need to worry about a petty thief, but then he remembered that he was a disabled person and could end up being a liability. After a pause, he said, "Pay attention to fire safety. If it's locked, it might block the escape route in case of a fire."

Zhou Yun said, "Don't worry, there's an emergency exit, and the key will be hung on the inside so it can be opened at any time. No need to worry."

He pushed Guan Yuanfeng to the dining room, first stroking Comet's head and giving Comet a bowl of savory bone broth noodles, then brought over steamed taro cake from the steamer.

Two fried dough sticks and a piping hot bowl of seafood porridge were successively placed on the table. Zhou Yun then took kitchen scissors and cut the fried dough sticks into pieces, putting them into the seafood porridge for him.

This way of eating was new to him. Guan Yuanfeng took a spoonful of porridge to eat, while Zhou Yun turned on the TV to watch the news.

A piece of international news happened to be reporting: "In August, global weather anomalies occurred frequently. In recent days, several Gulf countries have been hit by severe convective weather, suffering from heavy rainfall. In the central city of a desert country, it rained as much in one night as it usually does in a year. Before the heavy rain arrived, dark clouds gathered overhead, and the storm clouds swept over the giant desert city within ten minutes."

"This heavy rain was the biggest in eighty years, with a rainfall of 65 millimeters, ten times the region's average rainfall."

"The heavy rain has caused disruptions to local traffic and daily life. Many roads have been flooded, numerous flights have been delayed or canceled, and some areas have experienced power outages, forcing factories to shut down and schools to close."

On TV, torrents of floodwater rushed through the streets, with water levels almost reaching knees. Several cars were underwater, and someone was standing on top of a car making a phone call.

An expert appeared on the news to explain, "This is a rather rare climate phenomenon, related to meteorological factors such as the westerlies and cut-off lows."

"This heavy rain may lead to a desert locust outbreak. Desert locusts prefer to lay their eggs in moist sandy soil, and rainfall benefits their survival and reproduction. If a locust infestation occurs, it could cause significant harm."

The news finally listed recent places around the world where weather anomalies have occurred: an unprecedented weather event occurred in the Southern Ocean, a tornado struck one area, and hail fell on a summer day in another.

Guan Yuanfeng saw that Zhou Yun was mixing dough in a glass basin, but his eyes were fixed on the TV screen, his expression quite serious.

He asked Zhou Yun, "Making some pastries?"

Zhou Yun seemed to snap out of it. "No, I'm making sweet wine starter. I bought a basket of red smartweed flowers at the market yesterday, which is quite rare. I'm making starter to use for sweet rice wine later."

Although Guan Yuanfeng didn’t drink, he asked offhandedly, "How do you make it?"

Zhou Yun rolled a small ball out of the mixed dough in his hand. "The red smartweed flowers are pounded and mixed with glutinous rice flour to form small balls, which are then left to ferment. When white fungal filaments appear, it means the fermentation is successful. After drying, it can be stored for future use."

As he spoke, he grabbed a tray from nearby, lined with fresh pine needles. He quickly and dexterously placed the rolled balls evenly on it, then covered them with another layer of pine needles before putting the tray near the sausages that were still airing.

Guan Yuanfeng remembered seeing him make chicken sausages the day before, and now they seemed to have turned into dark red beef sausages. He asked curiously, "What kind of sausages are these?"

Zhou Yun replied, "Beef sausages."

Guan Yuanfeng nodded.

Zhou Yun came over and glanced at his bowl. "How about another bowl? This seafood porridge is quite good, isn't it?"

Guan Yuanfeng didn't refuse. "It is good, and the fried dough sticks go well with it." The savory seafood porridge was sprinkled with crispy fried dough sticks, an unusual but delicious combination.

Zhou Yun poured another bowl of porridge for him and opened the clay pot on the side. Guan Yuanfeng smelled the medicinal aroma and shuddered slightly, thinking of the black scorpion skins and snake skins he had seen the day before.

Unaware, Zhou Yun poured out the medicine, added a bit of honey, and placed it next to Guan Yuanfeng. "You can take the medicine after you finish your porridge."

His brow creased. "On a rainy day, I'm afraid you might feel pain. Today, I’ll give you a moxibustion treatment. It takes longer, but it’s much more effective."

Guan Yuanfeng casually agreed, "Okay." At that moment, he had some trust in Zhou Yun's techniques.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yun was urging the maker of the Tang sword and dagger he had ordered. "Can the Tang sword and dagger be shipped now?"

The shop owner replied, "They just came out today. These are considered crafts since they are unsharpened, but there are still various inspections needed for mailing. It should arrive in a few more days."

Zhou Yun frowned and urged, "Could you please hurry it up? Thanks!"

Time was running out, and he needed those items soon.