Lin Shilan didn’t have a chance to answer Cao A’yi’s question.

Her ears felt as if someone had suddenly covered them with their hands. The voice on the other end of the phone became very distant, and the hand she was using to close the window passed straight through the latch, reaching outside the window.

Lin Shilan immediately knew it was too late. Not wanting to wake up on the cold floor, she immediately ran toward her bed.

Did she make it onto the bed? She quickly grabbed the blanket.

After grabbing the blanket, the blanket disappeared; she lay down, and the bed disappeared.

Well then, what was the point of sleeping? She had returned to the past again.

A pen appeared in her hand, a pile of homework materialized beside her. Lin Shilan covered her eyes, unwilling to face all this: she had just finished the homework from the other world!

Throwing the pen in her hand to vent her frustration, her mind echoed with Cao A’yi’s last sentence on the phone.

“…His name is Tan Ziheng. Do you know him?”

Cao A’yi had seen Tan Ziheng in reality.

So, he was alive?

As far as Lin Shilan knew, Tan Ziheng had returned to Yan County during the rainy season four years ago. He had come back from university for summer vacation, and she had even seen him, but when Tan Ziheng left, she didn’t know.

If he had left here before the roads were destroyed by the floodwaters, it was possible he was alive.

At this point, the question arose: why would she assume by default that Tan Ziheng was dead?

Lin Shilan sorted through her memories and finally found the source of this idea.

—In the hospital, the first time she met Tan Jin, he had said to her: “My family, my friends, they’re all gone.”

Was it a misunderstanding? Perhaps Tan Jin meant that aside from Tan Ziheng, his other family and friends… Lin Shilan seemed to have found a reasonable explanation, but still felt something was odd, though she couldn’t quite say what.

Since she had returned, then Tan Jin certainly had too.

Why not go downstairs and ask him across the way?

Lin Shilan quickly found a jacket to throw on, stuffed her house keys in her pocket, and prepared to go out.

She hadn’t taken two steps when she heard the sound of pots and bowls being placed in the dining room at home.

“Rui Rui, have you finished your homework?” Possibly hearing the sound, her mother shouted toward the door: “I’m keeping the chicken soup warm. Come out and eat when you’re done writing.”

“Okay.” Lin Shilan silently took off her jacket and put it back.

Her mother was home; going out was now impossible.

Sighing deeply, Lin Shilan picked up her pen and mechanically reviewed the progress on her homework.

When she finally finished the pile of papers on the desk, she sat at the dining table, already past the point of hunger.

Before her sat a large bowl of chicken soup filled with unknown Chinese herbal medicines. Lin Shilan stirred the oil floating on top with a spoon, not knowing where to start.

Having returned to the rainy season several times, she had drunk this soup several times, but she remained unable to accept its taste.

“Eat it while it’s hot,” Lu Xiaorong urged her. “I specially stewed it for you. Finish the whole pot.”

Lin Shilan picked up the spoon, also intending to serve her a bowl, but Lu Xiaorong wouldn’t let her.

“I won’t eat it. This whole pot is full of good ingredients—I worked on it all evening. The soup is the essence. You drink it all.”

As she spoke, she took away the white rice in front of Lin Shilan.

There were no other dishes on the table besides the chicken soup. Lu Xiaorong opened some leftover pickled vegetables from breakfast to eat with her rice.

On one side was chicken soup, on the other side pickled vegetables—the contrast was too obvious.

Lin Shilan thought that with such a large pot of soup, even if mother and daughter shared it, they might not finish it in one meal.

“Drink it together with me. I can’t drink it all.”

“No, I’m just a bag of old bones. What do I need such good things for?” Pushing away the bowl her daughter handed over, Lu Xiaorong’s attitude was firm: “You drink it. Even if you can’t finish it, you must finish it.”

Seeing her daughter’s furrowed brow, she added another piece of chicken to her bowl and praised it even more vigorously: “Look at this color, so appetizing. I specially bought an old hen—it’s from someone’s home-raised stock, normally fed only good things. Plus all the ingredients I added to the soup for you—half a month’s wages are in there.”

Their family was already poor. Looking at that piece of chicken, Lin Shilan felt truly heavy-hearted: “There’s no need to eat this. Why spend that money?”

“Why? Because your mother cares about you.” Lu Xiaorong’s pride overflowed.

“The college entrance exam is getting closer and closer. I must nourish your body properly. As long as you can get good grades, I’m willing to do anything.”

Lin Shilan picked up the bowl.

Ignoring the grease, she expressionlessly swallowed the soup mouthful by mouthful.

The chicken soup carried a medicinal flavor. After swallowing, waves of bitterness rose in her throat. She drank it with considerable difficulty, but not drinking it—wasting her mother’s money and good intentions—seemed especially unfilial.

Lu Xiaorong beamed with joy and immediately ladled another full bowl for her.

Unable to endure it any longer, Lin Shilan decided to make her feelings clear to her mother.

“It doesn’t taste good. I don’t want to drink anymore. Can’t we just eat normally like usual? Stewing soup costs money and time, and I don’t like drinking it either.”

Lu Xiaorong didn’t like hearing this: “Tsk tsk, you’re really so precious. Other children want to drink, but their parents aren’t willing to spend money to buy it for them. I worked hard for half a day, it’s my wishful thinking, thankless effort, is that it? You say you don’t like it so you won’t drink it?”

That wasn’t what Lin Shilan meant: “I know you worked hard, you spent money, you’re good to me…”

Before she could finish, her words were interrupted by her mother again: “I’m happy to spend money and time on you. You know I’m good to you—drinking it all is the best way to repay me.”

At this point, all her words were blocked.

Having lost the strength to resist, Lin Shilan lowered her head and, like every time before, silently drank all the chicken soup without a word.

Whether it was the soup’s fault or because she’d caught a chill, her stomach ached the entire evening after drinking the soup.

Outside, the rain pattered down.

Lin Shilan didn’t know if Tan Jin had come looking for her.

She didn’t sleep well all night, lying in bed tossing and turning with wild thoughts. What she thought about most was the vow Tan Jin had mentioned to her.

Was it the vow she made to her mother that prevented the rainy season from ending? If so, she would have to be even more obedient to her mother than before to end all this, right?

Could she do it? Lin Shilan searched her heart. In fact, toward her mother, whether in the past or in every repeated cycle of the past, she was already as obedient as could be.

More than caring about herself, Lin Shilan cared more about her mother’s feelings and thoughts.

After all, after the disaster, she no longer had a mother.

The next day.

Dragging her uncomfortable body, Lin Shilan held an umbrella and walked to school at a turtle’s pace.

Someone running up from behind deftly merged their umbrella with hers.

“Good morning! Lin Shilan, I’m here again.”

He paid no mind to how other students looked at them, greeting her loudly and enthusiastically.

She turned to look at him: “Tan Jin, good morning.”

Lin Shilan’s terrible complexion gave Tan Jin a shock.

“What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?” Tan Jin helped her put away her umbrella. His umbrella was large enough; sharing one was sufficient.

When the two stood closer, he examined her carefully.

Lin Shilan was already thin, her small face with little flesh showing a sickly pale-green white. Her delicate nose bridge seemed barely able to support her glasses. Bean-sized beads of sweat hung on her forehead, her thin lips had not a trace of color, and her eyes looked vacant.

“It’s nothing. It’s the chicken soup from last night. Every time I drink it, I feel uncomfortable.”

Seeing Tan Jin staring at her relentlessly, she added another sentence: “At most I’ll feel bad until this afternoon, then I’ll be fine.”

“You feel uncomfortable every time, yet you drink it every time?” He looked at Lin Shilan’s expression as if looking at an idiot: “If this were a time-travel novel, you definitely couldn’t be the protagonist. You’re given the cheat of rebirth, yet you use it to repeat the same mistakes.”

“Yes. So let’s quickly end the rainy season.”

Lin Shilan opened a packet of tissues, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and changed the subject: “Last time you said you’d thought of who the object of the vow was?”

“Oh…” Tan Jin scratched the back of his neck: “Yes, there is that. I’ll tell you in a bit.”

So the two of them stood at the school gate, waiting for the person he mentioned.

They waited until the class bell rang. Stepping through the gate just as it was about to close, the object of Tan Jin’s vow arrived late.

“It’s her.” He casually pointed into the crowd of latecomers.

Lin Shilan looked in the direction he indicated.

It was a female classmate with ordinary looks, the type difficult to pick out in a crowd.

Shoulder-length medium-short hair, overly long straight bangs completely covering both eyebrows and even blocking part of her eyes. Her build was more full-figured than the average female student; even wearing a school uniform, one could sense her well-developed figure.

The young girl carried a light yellow backpack. When she ran, her steps were small and compact, and the Chibi Maruko-chan charm hanging from her bag swayed along with her.

This person—Lin Shilan had an impression of her.

She asked: “Who is she?”

Tan Jin said: “My classmate, her name is Su Ge.”

—Su Ge.

Lin Shilan remembered in an instant where she had seen her before.

Two years ago, the second time she returned to the rainy season.

She had inadvertently witnessed a confession scene between a young man and woman.

That day, the young woman she saw confessing was dressed exactly the same as today.

Memory was truly a strange thing. Sometimes you deliberately tried to remember and couldn’t recall anything, but sometimes, with just one careless glance, in a flash, the scene before your eyes connected with your memory.

And then you completely and thoroughly remembered everything.

Lin Shilan not only remembered Su Ge but also remembered the object of her confession at that time.

He was right beside her…

“Let’s go, we’re late for class.”

The umbrella-holding youth had an innocent face, gentle eyes, a pure smile, and a small red mole by his cheek, adding a touch of allure to that innocence.

Dark currents surged in her heart. She absently agreed and followed him toward the classroom.

They climbed the stairs together.

Before heading in different directions, Lin Shilan suddenly asked him: “Is your brother doing well?”

Tan Jin didn’t react: “What?”

She simply made it clear: “Did Tan Ziheng avoid the disaster?”

The depths of Tan Jin’s eyes grew heavy, much like the lingering overcast rain that always followed behind them.

Blinking, his gaze shifted, and when he looked again, it was already the familiar smiling face.

“Why are you asking about him?”

Clearly unwilling to answer.

She understood and didn’t waste words with him.

Turning around, Lin Shilan walked toward her own classroom.

She hadn’t taken a few steps when her stomach suddenly twisted in pain, much more severe than before.

Her legs gave way, and she tripped and fell to the ground.

Her knees burned with pain, but that hurt less than her stomach.

She clutched her abdomen, her vision gradually blurring.