Moonlight Doesn't Reach | Chapter 7 | The Sound of Rain | Novela.app

Chapter 7 - The Sound of Rain During the humid stretch of the plum rain season, the entire city felt as though it were submerged in a basin of lukewarm water. The air was thick with moisture, leaving clothes perpetually damp and sticky, never truly drying. Chen Jinyue’s mother was often away, working long hours at the construction site; she would return only once or twice a week, and during the peak of the season, they might not see her for half a month. Lin Yunsheng was equally busy. Although her university schedule was less rigorous than high school, she balanced two part-time jobs. By the time she reached middle school, Chen Jinyue had grown accustomed to the rhythm of solitary mornings heading to school and quiet afternoons returning to an empty house. That six-year age gap was a curious thing. When Jinyue was in elementary school, she simply saw Lin Yunsheng as a much more mature "big kid." Now, however, Yunsheng had fully inhabited the "adult look." To Jinyue, that meant Yunsheng had a world of concerns that existed entirely outside of academics. The stream of love letters from local boys, which Jinyue used to be tasked with delivering, had long since dried up. The bright, grand, yet ultimately naive affections of teenage boys could no longer keep pace with the woman Yunsheng was becoming. If there was anything left between them, it was the realization that the effortless, fluid dialogue between a child and an adult was beginning to fray. This was the crack in Chen Jinyue’s heart. Lin Yunsheng had been the one to teach her how to ride a bicycle, but since then, the evening breeze rarely had the chance to sweep Yunsheng’s hair across Jinyue’s face. It had been twelve weeks since they last took a walk together at night. Those days of leaning over the overpass railing, watching the river of traffic below before turning to look at Yunsheng’s quiet profile, had vanished—much like the cars below that could never turn back. These fragmented feelings were like the love letters the anxious boys had once pressed into her hands; Jinyue tucked them away in the dark corners of her mind, ensuring they would never see the light of day. She didn't fully understand why she did it, only that her sister had to remain *her* sister. She could not accept anyone else attempting to encroach upon that bond. She didn't understand why she felt such a profound sense of impending loss, a weight that settled in her chest whenever Yunsheng looked away. Since childhood, people had praised them both for their beauty, but they were different. Chen Jinyue’s beauty was vibrant and bold, while Lin Yunsheng’s was quiet and restrained. Yunsheng had an unintentional way of erecting high walls that made her seem unreachable, almost ethereal. When Jinyue first heard older students talking about Yunsheng in such a distant way, she found it absurd. Lin Yunsheng wasn't like that at all. Lin Yunsheng was the one who, on the night of Jinyue’s first period, had been there even before their mother to gently teach her how to use a sanitary pad, her hand resting warmly on Jinyue’s lower abdomen to reassure her that everything was normal. She was the one who, in the middle of the night when Jinyue threw a tantrum out of hunger, would pull on a padded coat and cook a steaming bowl of Tomato and Egg Noodles. On weekend mornings, she would burst into Jinyue’s room to wake her; if she failed, she would simply slide under the covers and sleep for another thirty minutes beside her. And when Jinyue failed a test and needed a parent’s signature, she would squeeze Yunsheng’s hand and plead, "Don't tell Mom, I promise it’s just this once. Please sign it for me, Sister." Yunsheng would sigh, pick up the pen with a look of helpless resignation, and ask for a promise to do better next time. Then, on the way home from school a few days later, she would produce a piping hot roasted sweet potato from her pocket and ask softly if the pressure of school was becoming too much. It wasn't the pressure. It was simply that Lin Yunsheng was too good. How could such a person be unreachable? What Jinyue found even harder to accept was the growing fear that one day, even she would no longer be able to reach her. "Are you going to the shop this morning?" Jinyue asked as she woke up to find Yunsheng setting breakfast on the table. Yunsheng ladled the porridge into bowls to let it cool, nodding at Xiao Jin. "Mhm. I’m heading out as soon as I finish eating." "Oh. What about the afternoon?" Jinyue’s real intent was to ask if Yunsheng could pick her up after school. "In the afternoon, I have a lab class at the university. I’m not sure when it’ll end. If it’s early, I’ll come to the school to get you." "Okay..." Jinyue sat down, adding a few pickles to her bowl and stirring them into the porridge. "Xiao Jin, that’s sweet porridge," Yunsheng said, unable to suppress a small laugh. "You should have said so earlier..." Jinyue pouted, but she took a spoonful anyway. Yunsheng was in a hurry. She finished her breakfast quickly, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door. "It’s going to rain this afternoon. Remember to bring your umbrella. I’m off!" Once the sound of Yunsheng’s shoes faded and the door clicked shut, Jinyue hurriedly finished her meal. She cleared the table and stacked the dishes in the sink. Through the old, grease-stained glass of the kitchen window, she watched Yunsheng emerge from the apartment building. There was a boy waiting for her. Jinyue had seen him twice before near their home—once on a morning like this, and once when she happened to run into Yunsheng returning from work. Yunsheng hadn't explained who he was, and Jinyue hadn't asked. *Drip.* *Drop.* The faucet, perhaps not tightened properly by Yunsheng, leaked a single bead of water that struck the unwashed ceramic bowl with a sharp ring. Jinyue watched as Yunsheng and the boy walked away together. She looked back at the faucet and placed her hand on the handle. *Drip.* *Drop.* It was a strange sensation. The sound seemed to seep into the very cracks of her being, nourishing a peculiar, indefinable feeling that was beginning to take root. She turned to look at the folding umbrella Yunsheng had left for her on the table. Her gaze went blank for a moment, and then she tightened the faucet with all her might. *Drip.* It wasn't that Yunsheng hadn't tightened it; the faucet was simply broken. She let go, grabbed her backpack, and walked out the door, leaving the umbrella behind. "In this lesson, we will discuss sentence expansion. Everyone, turn to page thirty-two." Jinyue’s gaze drifted. She opened her book as instructed, but her mind was miles away. What exactly was the relationship between Lin Yunsheng and that boy? They seemed too close. She had seen him three times now, always right outside their building. Even if a twenty-year-old Lin Yunsheng dating was perfectly normal, a fourteen-year-old Chen Jinyue wasn't ready to accept it. She debated whether to ask her sister, but she couldn't decide on the right tone or how to transition naturally into such a topic. She spent the entire day rehearsing the conversation in her head. "Chen Jinyue, answer this question." "Huh...?" The teacher’s voice snapped her back to reality. She stared blankly at the figure on the podium for a few seconds before slowly pushing herself up from her desk. "Expand on this sentence, starting with: 'Actually, the rain isn't heavy,'" the teacher said, her finger tapping the lectern with impatient rhythm. She had clearly noticed Jinyue’s wandering mind. "It’s not small either..." "What?" "...Actually, the rain isn't heavy... but... it isn't light either." Jinyue bit her lip and looked down, her face flushing with embarrassment as the classroom erupted in laughter. She knew she had no defense. "Chen Jinyue, go stand at the back of the room for the next two periods!" As expected. She resigned herself to her punishment, mentally adding another mark against Lin Yunsheng’s name. Just as Yunsheng had predicted, the rain began in the afternoon. Droplets splattered against the windowpane, gradually growing into a steady downpour. Standing at the back of the classroom, Jinyue was more distracted than ever. She watched the scenery outside blur and distort through the rain-streaked glass, her mind returning to the umbrella left on the table and the broken faucet. *Drip.* *Did you bring an umbrella? You should be heading to the university now, right?* *Is someone with you?* *Who is holding the umbrella? Are you taking care of him the way you take care of me?* *Drop.* The rain intensified, and the sky darkened much earlier than usual. By the time school let out, the storm showed no signs of stopping. Jinyue gripped the straps of her backpack and ran downstairs. Lin Yunsheng was nowhere to be seen. *Liar.* "Chen Jinyue! What are you doing?!" Ignoring her classmate’s startled shout, she plunged into the rain and began running toward home. She could have waited; she knew Yunsheng would eventually come for her once she saw the forgotten umbrella at home. But Jinyue could no longer distinguish whether she was acting out of anger or intent. If it was anger, what was she angry at? If it was intentional, what was the goal? She felt as though the water that had been dripping since morning hadn't vanished down the drain. Instead, it had accumulated inside her, and now it was rising past her throat. After twenty minutes of running and stopping, her backpack heavy with soaked books, she finally reached the mouth of their alley. There, she saw Lin Yunsheng, umbrella in hand, rushing out of the building. Yunsheng didn't see her; she was heading toward the main road, likely to hail a taxi. "Lin Yunsheng!" Jinyue shouted her name. She saw Yunsheng turn in shock. The sudden halt caused her to step squarely into a deep puddle. Jinyue said nothing more. She simply watched Yunsheng as she walked toward the apartment entrance. "Why did you run home in the rain? I saw you forgot your umbrella when I got back. If you had just waited, I would have come for you! Why did you do this? What if you catch a cold?" Yunsheng ran over and grabbed Jinyue’s arm, her words coming out in a frantic, disorganized rush. Jinyue didn't answer. The concern in Yunsheng’s voice only made her feel more aggrieved. She felt the urge to cry, so she used the excuse of wiping rain from her face to rub her eyes with her wet hands. "Did something happen, Xiao Jin?" "Talk to me, Xiao Jin..." "Chen Jinyue..." Jinyue shook off Yunsheng’s hand and headed up the stairs. At their door, she fumbled in her soaked bag for her keys, but Yunsheng was faster, opening the door with her own set. Seeing that Jinyue remained silent, Yunsheng also fell quiet. She closed the door, took the dripping backpack and set it on a chair, then led Jinyue toward the bathroom. "Take a shower first. I’ll go get your pajamas." Jinyue stood motionless. Even when Yunsheng returned with the clothes, she made no move to move. "Chen Jinyue... tell me what happened." "Please, just shower first. I don't want you to get sick." Yunsheng knelt down, her fingers trembling slightly as she reached out to unbutton Jinyue’s school uniform. Jinyue caught her hand and pressed it firmly against her own chest. The frantic beat of her heart was transmitted through the touch. "Sister..." "Mhm?" Yunsheng looked up, her eyes filled with nothing but worry and confusion. A flash of lightning illuminated the cramped bathroom, followed seconds later by a low rumble of thunder. Jinyue had spent all day wondering how to ask, how to find the right words. Now, they simply spilled out. "That boy... who is he...?" The words left her lips just as the thunder crashed. The valve holding back the accumulated water inside her finally broke. Tears began to mingle with the raindrops on her face. "What? Who?" Yunsheng pulled her hand away, wiped it on her own clothes, and then reached up to brush away Jinyue’s tears. But the more she wiped, the faster they fell. "..." "I'll shower now..." "...Alright. Call me if you need anything." Yunsheng retreated from the bathroom and closed the door. Standing in the hallway, she finally realized what Xiao Jin was talking about. She went to the kitchen to boil some ginger soup, leaving it to simmer on the stove. Then she waited by the bathroom door until Jinyue finished and dried her hair. Only when the door opened did she feel a sense of relief. She took her sister’s hand—now clad in clean pajamas—and felt her hair to ensure it was dry. She led her to her own room, sat her on the bed, and made her drink the warm ginger soup. "Xiao Jin..." Yunsheng took Jinyue’s hand. Jinyue avoided her gaze, sitting obediently and remaining silent. "He’s a classmate. He’s the one who introduced me to that part-time job at the shop. Sometimes we walk the same way." "Are you angry with me because of him?" Yunsheng began to stroke Jinyue’s knuckles, a familiar gesture of comfort. "If you’re angry with me, I apologize. But you have to tell me. You can't play around with your health and safety like this." "Do you have any idea how worried I was? When I saw you didn't have your umbrella, I thought you’d be waiting at school for a long time. I rushed home as fast as I could." "And then I find you ran back on your own. My heart has been in my throat. If something had happened to you because I was late, what would I have done?" "If someone had bullied you on the way... what... what then?" Yunsheng’s voice wavered, thick with unshed tears. Jinyue looked up and saw the moisture in her sister’s eyes. "Xiao Jin..." Yunsheng reached out to cup Jinyue’s cheek, her thumb grazing her skin. "It’s my fault. I made you feel neglected." Jinyue hadn't said a word other than asking who the boy was, yet Yunsheng understood everything. Yunsheng’s care for her always seemed to transcend everything else—petty conflicts, childish outbursts, it didn't matter. As always, Yunsheng didn't blame her. Even though she had done nothing wrong, she was the one apologizing. With this Lin Yunsheng before her, how could Jinyue not greedily pray for more? "Lin Yunsheng..." "Can you... always be mine...?" She felt incredibly fragile in that moment, shocked that she had actually voiced the thought. But in the next second, Yunsheng pulled her into a hug—an embrace they hadn't shared in a long time. Jinyue breathed in her scent, leaning into the familiar warmth. "Lin Yunsheng..." she whispered, pressing her nose against the crook of Yunsheng’s neck. Then, she heard the reply: "Of course. You are my most precious little sister." *Ah...* A flash of lightning outside left her with nowhere to hide. In that single second of brilliance amidst the dark night, her murky, hidden thoughts were laid bare. She finally understood what that strange emotion nourished by the dripping water truly was. *Sister, that isn't the answer I wanted.* The thunder followed, and she remained in Yunsheng’s arms. She felt wretched, harboring such thoughts while shamelessly clinging to such a pure embrace. She suddenly remembered the sentence expansion from her Chinese class. *Actually, the rain isn't heavy. It’s just that the city on a rainy night is too quiet. When the endless grey covers the clamor in my heart, all that remains is the sound of the rain. It washes away the grime of the old buildings, turning the puddles murky and foul. Just like the small river flowing through my heart—a swirling vortex that you cannot enter, and I cannot leave.* *Drip.* ***