The Fisherman's Day project went very smoothly. The resort entered its peak season two months earlier than usual, smoothly transitioning into the summer following the May Day holiday. The public relations department's work became less intense, while Ah Lian and her colleagues in the housekeeping department were extremely busy. We hadn't gotten together for a drink in quite a while.
It was a rare day when I could leave work on time, so we agreed to have a meal together at Ah Ri's food stall at the pier, because I had finally received my bonus.
The sky was overcast, and the harbor was full of fishing boats. As A-Lian poured me more wine, she said, "The weather station said there's a typhoon tomorrow, so all the boats have returned to port. I was just about to tell you that you should stay at my place for the next couple of days. Your house is too close to the sea; it's not safe."
"The typhoon came so early this year. To be honest, I've never seen a real typhoon at the beach before. Isn't it spectacular?" The liquor was a bit spicy, and I blinked repeatedly as I choked.
"It's all very romantic. All I know is that typhoons are terrifying. I guarantee you won't want to say 'goodbye' to them after you've experienced them."
"Romantic? You mean me? You're kidding. I'm the kind of person who, when I read a novel about a lovestruck couple eloping to a desolate mountain, my first thought is always, 'Where's the woman going to buy sanitary napkins when she gets her period?' Have you read *Paradise Lost*? There's a line in it that goes like this..."
Rinko said: When I was 7 years old, I got lost in a lotus field. The sun was setting, and I was very scared.
Kuki said: When I was 9 years old, my dad bought me a pair of boxing gloves. I was so happy that I fell asleep wearing them.
Rinko said: When I was 14, I wore stockings for the first time, and my feet felt slippery inside low-cut leather shoes.
Kuki said: When I was 17, President Kennedy was assassinated, and I was stunned in front of the TV.
Rinko said: She got married through a blind date at 25. A typhoon happened to hit her wedding day.
Kuki said: My eldest daughter was born when I was 27. I was so busy with work that I didn't even go to the hospital.
Rinko said: "I met you in the summer when I was 38, and we fell in love."
Kuki said: At 50, this is the first time I've been fascinated by a woman.
Rinko said: In the winter of my 38th year... I want to be with you forever, forever...
Kuki said: Forever…
I've never seen a lotus pond, never given birth, and never met a man willing to promise me forever. I'm 25 this year, and although I don't have a wedding, experiencing a typhoon might ease some of my regrets.
"Ah, so after all that detour, you just wanted to get married." Ah Lian said gleefully.
"Yes," I admitted frankly, "I don't know if it's because I'm getting old, but every time I come home and have to unlock the door myself, it feels a little sad. Don't laugh at me, but I'm not too scared to go for a walk on the beach by myself at night anymore. I always feel like something is following me." After saying that, I couldn't help but shudder.
Part Two, Chapter Eleven
"Hey, don't forget you're supposed to be an intellectual. If you're so kind, why are you spreading superstitions here? I'm embarrassed for you."
"You haven't taken a sex education class, don't you know what 'yin cannot produce, yin cannot grow' means?" I continued to spout nonsense, emboldened by the alcohol.
"Shh, keep your voice down!" Ah Lian blushed, looked around in despair, and I chuckled. The bowl on the table started spinning in the fun. Ah Lian's face suddenly turned pale.
"What's wrong? Do you run a paint shop? Your face changes color so quickly?" I asked her, amused.
Ah Lian didn't answer me. Instead, she stretched her hand out into the air, her face tense. Looking around, she suddenly noticed that everyone on the once orderly dock looked just as nervous and hurried as Ah Lian. A tense and mysterious atmosphere suddenly filled the air.
"What's wrong?" I asked A-Lian.
"The typhoon is coming ahead of schedule." Ah Lian's face showed disbelief and fear.
"Is it really necessary to be so nervous?" I chuckled. A-Lian didn't answer, but hurriedly called A-Ri over to pay the bill, saying in an unprecedentedly commanding tone, "You hurry back and pack your things and move to my place temporarily. I need to go back to the resort to arrange for typhoon preparedness." It seems the typhoon really wasn't a romantic storm for the people on the island. I had no choice but to suppress my not-so-kind curiosity and go back to pack my things.
Actually, I didn't have many important things. Besides my laptop and my bankbook, I only had a few pieces of clothing. By the time I had moved everything to A-Lian's house, the heavy rain had just started to fall. I sat leisurely on the bed, tidying up the clothes, but I felt a little uneasy. I threw down the half-folded clothes and went to the window. I opened the window, and A-Lian's mother and her older sister were downstairs collecting salted fish. A fishy smell mixed with the aroma of salted fish wafted over. "'The rascal' will go crazy when he smells this," I couldn't help but chuckle to myself.
"Rogue!" A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, tearing a heartbreaking crack, and the rain poured down like water gushing from a broken vat. I'd completely forgotten to bring "Rogue" with me! It must have been sleeping under the bed when I rushed back to pack! In my haste, I'd left it all alone in that little house! Without thinking, I grabbed an umbrella and dashed into the rain. Sister A-Lian grabbed me, but couldn't stop me, and called out anxiously, "A typhoon's starting! Where are you going?"
"I'm going back to get the cat, I'll be right back!" I said hurriedly as I ran.
Walking in the rain, I realized the wind was much stronger than I'd imagined. My poor umbrella only lasted less than five minutes before I was left with just a bunch of ribs. I hesitated for a moment, but decided to keep going. The thought of "Thug" cowering in fear made it impossible for me to stop. My hair, whipping wildly in the wind, was quickly soaked through. My clothes clung to my body, and the rain stung my face, head, and chest. The wind grew stronger, making it difficult to breathe. The sky darkened, and there was no one around. Everything above ground was being whipped about. The sound of the waves roared in the distance, the spray like wild beasts, baring their teeth as they crashed against the shore. Even from that distance, I could see the murky spray being tossed high into the air before crashing down, the earth trembling slightly.
A sense of fear began to creep in. I didn't dare hesitate for a moment, desperately pushing against the wind towards the cabin. Normally, it only takes about half an hour to get from A-Lian's house to my cabin, but this time, it took me at least twice as long. The seawater had already reached within four or five meters of the cabin, and was still expanding its territory under the force of the strong wind. I hurriedly ran upstairs, the stairs creaking beneath my feet.
I opened the door and turned on the light. I hurriedly crouched down and called softly twice. "Pizi" suddenly appeared out of nowhere with a "meow," throwing itself into my arms. Ignoring my soaking wet and freezing state, it buried its head under my armpits, trembling pitifully. It seemed terrified too. I felt panicked and guilty, wanting only to get it to a safe place as quickly as possible. I stood up, intending to find its cage, when suddenly a thunderclap seemed to strike the roof. With a loud "bang," all the lights went out. "Pizi," seemingly frightened, kicked its legs, trying to escape. I quickly held it tightly, but it seemed to have lost its temper, completely ignoring my attempts to comfort it. It turned and bit my left hand. I winced in pain and released it. With a powerful thud, it left three bloody gashes on my hand before disappearing. No matter how much I called it, it wouldn't come out; I couldn't find it in the darkness. The wind grew stronger and stronger, and suddenly a piece of the roof was ripped off and blown away with a "whoosh." The small wooden house was now a wind-blown bag, and rain poured in without mercy. The things inside immediately began to move around like they were being transported through the streets and alleys.
"You scoundrel!" I cried out one last time in despair.
"You're still calling yourself a 'thug' at a time like this? Are you out of your mind?!" A man suddenly appeared beside me and grabbed me.
"Who?!" I was startled, but hearing a human voice at this moment wasn't the worst thing.
"What do you think?! You're really quite stupid!"
"Yin Tianyu!" I exclaimed in surprise.
"Thank goodness, you haven't forgotten that there's still someone like me in this world."
"How did you get here? How did you know I was here? How did you get in?" I felt like my brain had really gone mad. Was I dreaming?
"Miss, shouldn't you be thinking about how we're going to escape first? Can't you see this dilapidated house is about to collapse?" Yin Tianyu said irritably.
I then realized that the water had already reached my calves: "But we still haven't found the 'rascal'." I suddenly felt so tired, and tears streamed down my face.
"Sigh, this cat is really lucky to be able to make you so sad. Don't worry, cats have nine lives, and it has its own way of escaping, even you can't compare. We have to get out of here quickly, it's too dangerous!" Yin Tianyu's words effectively calmed my emotions, but unfortunately, this calmness completely collapsed the moment we opened the door—what a terrible scene it was, I don't think I'll ever forget it: the cabin had become Noah's Ark, surrounded by a vast ocean, and a raging storm was hitting the small, teetering island beneath our feet with terrifying speed and force.
"Oh no!" My legs went weak and I sat down on the ground with a thud. A wooden plank fell down beneath my feet, which startled me so much that I immediately jumped up.
"You're not trying to tell me you can't swim, are you?" Yin Tianyu asked me with his last glimmer of hope.