Qiu Yun had a dream.
She rarely dreamed anymore, especially during afternoon naps. She dreamed that her body was covered in a red rash. She went to the hospital, but no matter how many tests they ran, they couldn't find the cause. Just as she was at her wit's end, it suddenly occurred to her—could this be a sign that she was about to go back? She jumped for joy! But as she jumped, she began to cry.
Someone asked her, *What are you crying for?*
Wiping the tears from her face, she said, "I don't know, but I just feel so sad."
—*Why are you sad?*
Qiu Yun shook her head.
—*Is there someone or something you can't let go of?*
Qiu Yun paused, lost in thought, and then nodded.
—*Who is it?*
Qiu Yun wondered, *Who is it? Who has made me feel this attachment, this reluctance to leave?* Vivid faces flickered before her eyes: Wang Chen, Chang Huan, Liu Yujin, Gao Zhifei... many people passed by one by one, but she always felt something was missing.
No, that’s not right. She murmured, "There’s someone else."
*Is it him?* Another voice rang out, and a blurred face appeared. In that instant, before Qiu Yun could even see his features clearly, her heart began to thrum wildly—yes, it was him! Just as she was about to run to him and embrace him, a giant countdown timer appeared in the sky.
A voice boomed from above: *Countdown: ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight, seven... two, one!*
Qiu Yun scrambled out of bed, her body drenched in sweat and her face slick with oil. The window was open, and the scent of earth carried by a thundershower wafted in. She got up, closed the window, and washed her face with cold water. Looking at her youthful reflection in the mirror and thinking back to the dream, she decided to go to No. 89 Phoenix Street to ask: were dreams also a sign of an impending return?
***
Liang He was soaked to the bone.
He hadn't taken an umbrella when he left the house; in fact, he hadn't even noticed how heavy the rain had become. But he didn't go back for one, and of course, no one came out to bring him one.
He tilted his head back to welcome the falling rain. The world was vast, yet he had no idea where to go.
He walked aimlessly until, as if guided by some unseen force, he found himself at No. 89 Phoenix Street. A faint smile touched his lips. He simply went to the nearby grocery store, bought a few bottles of beer, and sat down on the ground.
The rain pitter-pattered as it dripped from the eaves.
The moment he sat down, Liang He felt incredibly childish. Yes, he was just that immature, never able to handle things with adult composure. He mocked himself inwardly, yet his limbs continued to act on their own. He was born a contradiction—clearly knowing some things shouldn't be said, yet unable to stop himself from speaking them. Materialist dialectics stated that contradiction is the driving force behind the development of all things, possessing both identity and struggle. But applying this to himself felt skewed—his heart was in a state of perpetual struggle without identity; his world saw no development, forever stalled at that unsolvable knot.
***
Qiu Yun closed the door to Qiu Zhenghong’s room and peeked into her own. On the second day after her return, Qiu Zhenghong had cleared out the eastern wing so that Qiu Yun would have a place to stay when she came back on weekends. Qiu Yun walked around the courtyard, confirming no one else was there. She remembered Qiu Zhenghong telling her he would be there on weekends, so she usually only returned on Sundays. She hadn't expected him to be out on a weekday.
She had no choice but to head back. Just as she pulled open the courtyard gate, a figure nearly tumbled off the steps.
"Teacher Liang?" She jumped in fright. She hadn't realized Liang He was sitting against the door; the moment she opened it, he leaned backward.
Fortunately, Liang He reacted quickly, bracing himself against the ground with one hand.
Her heart still racing, Qiu Yun looked at his drenched state in astonishment. "You... are you performing a disappearing-reappearing act at my house?"
Liang He hadn't expected Qiu Yun to be home. Didn't she only come back on weekends? But again, he reacted quickly, saying, "You're home? I... I intended to do a home visit."
Qiu Yun glanced at the beer bottles beside him and grimaced. "If you're coming for a visit, that's fine, but why did you bring supplies..."
Liang He stood up. His hair stood in stubborn, wet clumps. Ignoring her teasing, he simply said, "I'll come back another day."
He turned to leave, but Qiu Yun hastily called out, "Hey, hey... Teacher Liang, where are you going in this rain? Come in and dry off!"
***
Qiu Yun pulled Liang He inside. He was soaked through, like a walking sprinkler. She found him a clean towel to dry himself and then went to Qiu Zhenghong’s room to fetch some winter charcoal.
While drying his hair, Liang He surveyed the room's layout. A bed, a table, a chair, a stool; the peeling parts of the wall were patched with newspaper, and a wooden wardrobe stood behind the door. Next to the wardrobe was a shorter cabinet with some books on it. This was Qiu Xiaoyun’s bedroom—neat and simple. Perhaps because she didn't stay here often, there was a thin layer of dust on the table.
"Teacher Liang," Qiu Yun ran back in clutching two garments. "I checked, and my senior brother is about your size. He has two clean shirts; you should change into them for now."
"No need, summer clothes dry quickly." As he spoke, Liang He began to unbutton his outer shirt. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt underneath a deep blue plaid button-down. Both were originally loose-fitting, but because they were soaked, the inner shirt clung tightly to his skin the moment he shed the outer layer. His inverted-triangle physique was on full display, his abdominal muscles faintly visible.
Qiu Yun knew Liang He enjoyed basketball and soccer, but she hadn't expected him to be in such good shape. She stared for a moment before averting her eyes before he noticed, hurriedly placing the clean clothes on the bed. "Wear these. They're clean. I... give me that outer shirt first, I'll hang it up for you, and then... I'll get you some hot water."
Without waiting for his reaction, she shut the door and stepped out.
Only after she was outside did she realize her hands were empty. Hadn't she said she was going to hang up his shirt? She slapped her forehead and immediately pushed the door open again. At that exact moment, Liang He had just pulled off his undershirt and was bare-chested.
Their eyes met, and both froze.
"Ah..." Qiu Yun suddenly shrieked, snatched the clothes from the stool, and bolted out the door.
*[200 words omitted due to censorship. Unimportant.]*
Qiu Yun felt parched. *Don't think about it, don't think about it,* she told herself. *Go drink some water.* But as luck would have it, the thermos was empty, the tap water was cut off, and even the large water vat used for storage was dry.
Qiu Yun felt a bit frustrated. The well water in the courtyard wasn't potable. Usually, there was running water, but the lines in this area were unstable and cut off frequently. Thus, Qiu Zhenghong kept a large vat in the kitchen as a backup, but she hadn't expected that to be empty too.
While Qiu Yun was fretting, the bedroom door opened and Liang He walked out.
Qiu Zhenghong’s clothes were all black, and Qiu Yun didn't know where he got the money, but the two items she had grabbed at random were made of silk. In contrast, Liang He was usually quite casual with his attire; his colors and styles were typical of a contemporary college student—shirts, t-shirts, vests, and shorts. Now, dressed in Qiu Zhenghong’s black silk, his entire aura seemed to have shifted, becoming deep and settled. It was a bit... Qiu Yun thought dazed, a bit like how he looked thirty years in the future.
Liang He saw Qiu Yun staring at him the moment he stepped out. Even when he was right in front of her, she was still staring. He cleared his throat and asked, "You said you were boiling water..."
Qiu Yun snapped back to reality and immediately replied, "Oh! Yes! Just a moment!" She looked left and right, then suddenly grabbed the kettle by the door, opened the lid, and placed it directly under the eaves.
"What are you...?" Liang He was confused.
"Collecting water." Qiu Yun stood up and explained, "The water is cut off. Fortunately, the heavens are being kind; I won't die of thirst."
Liang He was speechless. He gestured outside. "Isn't there a well in the courtyard?"
Qiu Yun shook her head. "You can't drink that."
"Why not?"
"My senior brother caught two dead rats last week and threw them in." Qiu Yun spoke with total earnestness.
"..." Liang He recalled the image of Qiu Yun’s senior brother—mute and lame. He couldn't imagine the man catching rats.
"Where is your senior brother, then?" Liang He asked casually. "Why isn't he here?"
"Him..." Qiu Yun answered offhandedly, "He went to the temple to perform a funeral service for those two rats."
Liang He: "..."
"Don't worry," Qiu Yun comforted him. "The water will be ready in a bit."
The rain continued to pour, and the dark clouds showed no sign of leaving. Qiu Yun caught a few drops in her hand and looked at the sky, murmuring, "This rain will last a while longer."
She crouched down to check the kettle. It was nearly half full, which she figured was enough, so she stood up and placed it on the stove. She walked back into the room and saw Liang He still standing there. The lights weren't on, and she couldn't see his expression clearly in the dimness; she only felt that he was looking at her somewhat blankly. She couldn't help but smile as she beckoned him. "Why are you standing? Sit down."
Only then did Liang He withdraw his gaze and slowly sit.
Qiu Yun went to turn on the lights, only to find that due to the thunderstorm, the power was out as well as the water. She couldn't help but grumble, "What a nightmare, this weather."
Liang He looked out the window and said, "During a rainstorm, lightning can easily strike a surge protector and cause a short circuit, leading directly to a power outage. Once the power is out, the water plant has no electricity to pump the water, so the water supply gets cut off as well."
Seeing how knowledgeable he was, Qiu Yun asked curiously, "How do you know all that?"
Liang He said, "My dad told me once."
"Is your father at the power plant or the water plant?"
"Neither," Liang He said softly. "He was a university physics professor."
"Oh..." Qiu Yun responded. She suddenly remembered that a long time ago, Gao Zhifei had mentioned Liang He’s father was a physics teacher. She also recalled the time at the Xinhua Bookstore when her roommates had snatched a copy of *Classical Mechanics* that Liang He had almost bought. She had been quite puzzled then—they were all art students, so why would he be interested in physics? Thinking about it now, it was likely because of his father.
While Qiu Yun’s mind wandered, Liang He remained silent. By the time she snapped out of it, the room was still quiet. The atmosphere was a bit awkward, so Qiu Yun added, "Your dad sounds amazing."
Liang He gave a very, very faint smile.
Qiu Yun didn't know what else to say, so she silently turned to open the doors and windows to let a bit more light into the room.
The sound of the rain rushed in unobstructed. The interior was darker than the exterior; looking out from inside, it felt as though they were hiding in a water-curtain cave.
The image of Liang He soaked to the bone and those empty beer bottles flashed through Qiu Yun’s mind. She didn't know why he had appeared at her door in such a state, but she was certain he had encountered something upsetting.
No one is a saint; everyone has their troubles.
Perhaps he just wanted some peace and quiet. Everyone has worries, but not everyone chooses to confide in others. She walked over and sat on the stool next to Liang He, waiting for the water in the hallway to boil while watching the rain outside.
The most beautiful thing isn't a rainy day, but the eaves where we once shared shelter.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
落汤鸡 | soaked to the bone / drenched like a drowned rat | Idiom: "a chicken in soup," meaning someone who is soaking wet.
大变活人 | appearing out of thin air / magic trick | Literally "transforming a person out of nowhere," a common magic trick term.
唯物辩证法 | materialist dialectics | A philosophical framework Liang He references.
师兄 | senior brother / fellow apprentice | Refers to Qiu Zhenghong in this context.
水帘洞 | water-curtain cave | A reference to the cave in "Journey to the West," used here to describe the view through the rain.
