A strong gust of wind swept through the narrow gap between the ajar windows, bringing in the cool breeze of the monsoon season.
The mighty sun took a break today as the ashen clouds showed up and took its place.
Li Yanmei shivered due to the sudden drop in temperature, making her snuggle deeper into her warm blanket.
Her alarm went off when she was about to fall back asleep.
[6:00 A.M.], the clock read.
Sleep wouldn't come by again any time soon, so she might as well do something productive to jumpstart her day.
But it's nice to just lie down in bed and do nothing in this kind of weather, wasn't it?
She didn't want to get up yet!
Wrapping her thick blanket around herself more, her gaze moved toward the dark and gloomy sky.
The distant rumble of thunder gave a sign of the impending rainfall.
Sure enough, the sound of raindrops hitting the roof echoed through the quiet room soon after.
A few minutes passed by, with her zoning out, before she got out of bed and did her morning routine.
Li Yanmei walked out of her room and headed to the kitchen, where she smelled the aroma of coffee and pancakes.
Her mother stood by the stove, flipping some golden-brown pancakes on a plate.
Her father, on the other hand, sat at the dining table, adding maple syrup on top of each stack of pancakes.
The harmonious atmosphere between her parents was something she had always admired.
But never did she become envious of it because she never planned to look for another person to spend the rest of her life with.
Father Li was the first to notice her appearance, and he greeted her with a smile, "Good morning, Meimei! How was your sleep?"
"Good morning, Dad! Good morning, Mom!" Li Yanmei greeted back. "It was too cold! I woke up before my alarm clock even went off."
Mother Li happened to finish all the pancake batter at this moment, so Li Yanmei helped place the last stack of pancakes on the dining table.
"Thanks, Meimei." Mother Li said while washing her hands, "Even though there's no work today, you should still wake up your brother early. Don't let him develop the habit of sleeping in, or else he'll always be late for his internship."
"Okie dokie!" Li Yanmei flashed an 'OK' hand sign before running off to cause trouble—wake up his brother.
To her utmost surprise though, she met her brother, who was wearing his intern uniform, when she reached the top of the stairs.
"Eh? Why are you up so early when you don't have to go to work today?" Li Yanmei asked, bemused.
Li Yanzhen froze in his tracks upon hearing her question. "No work today?"
The bewildered expression on his face caused her to let out a giggle. "Uh-huh! Mom said so."
"Ugh! No way! You must be joking, right? Don't play with me!" Li Yanzhen hurried down the stairs, wanting to verify the shocking news for himself, without waiting for her reply.
Li Yanmei shrugged. Since he didn't believe her, she could do nothing about it.
When she re-entered the dining room, the first thing she noticed was her brother's sulking face.
"Told ya~"
The family had a hearty breakfast together, relishing the rare occasion they could all eat at the same table without pressing for time.
After the meal, Li Yanmei collected the plates and utensils before proceeding to wash the dishes as the others went to do their stuff.
Although they wouldn't have to clock in at work today, each of them had things they needed to do.
And as if they had a tacit agreement, they all brought their work materials to the living room, even moving an extra table to accommodate more workspace.
"Meimei, can you rinse the pot first? We'll be making hot cocoa!" Mother Li emerged at the kitchen door, holding up a small plastic bag of what seemed like cocoa tablets.
"Wow! Okay, okay! Just a sec!" Li Yanmei finished washing the dishes and the pot in no time.
Mother Li then took over the kitchen sink and shooed her away, leaving her no choice but to go and get her study materials upstairs.
The thought of drinking her favorite hot cocoa filled her with excitement!
Li Yanmei jogged to her room with a little spring in her step and a wide smile plastered on her face.
But soon, her footsteps ceased, and her smile turned to frown, noticing the tiny rain droplets on her study table upon entering her room.
Good gracious!
Without delaying for much longer, she closed the window and wiped the table, ensuring that none of the water would wet her stuff.
Thank goodness she had put away her papers the previous night, or else...
Li Yanmei shuddered at the thought of having to redo a whole day's worth of notes.
On the bedside table, her handwritten notes made up a pile, already a few inches thick.
Her old laptop, which she intended to retrieve, was next to the pile, completely free from the danger of getting wet.
Li Yanmei couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.
She grabbed her laptop and headed downstairs, but not before double-checking the window's lock for safety.
"We are experiencing a torrential rainstorm that has been dumping heavy rain across the area since this morning. The rain gauge has recorded over 6 inches of rainfall so far, and more is expected throughout the day. There is also a risk of flash flooding in low-lying areas, so please avoid driving or walking through flooded roads..."
The radio's volume almost drowned out the pitter-patter of rain on the roof.
Such a thing was an everyday occurrence; Li Yanmei sighed, helpless at their volume preference.
According to the news report earlier that morning, torrential rains had caused flooding in some parts of the country.
Was it raining on Xiao Bao's end too?