Light rain had fallen all night, and the next day it still hadn't cleared up, with a trend towards turning into a heavy downpour.
Jiang He leaned against the windowsill, staring blankly into the rain curtain outside.
"If it rains harder, it'll be almost like the day I arrived."
"May and June are always like this."
"It's much cooler."
"Once the rain stops, we'll be into the real summer."
On the cusp of June, a heavy rain like this, and in the days that follow, the sun would begin to assert its dominance.
In Jiangcheng, this damned place, with its cold winters and hot summers, the extreme divide–where the summer heat could twist the very air above the tar roads.
By the afternoon, the rain grew heavier, still carrying a trace of chill. Jiang He, holding a large black umbrella—the very one Xu Qing had offered to lend her at the door—stepped out with her small basket to buy groceries, while Xu Qing used the flimsy little umbrella she got from a health talk.
