On the eve of Qixi Festival, Wufu was brandishing a stick in the courtyard with great vigor, while Liu Jin was also imitating the movements nearby.
"Wufu, stop practicing. It’s so hot out, and you’re still running and jumping around. Aren’t you afraid of heatstroke?" Madam Zhou came out of the kitchen with a pot of mung bean soup, frowning at the sight of Wufu, drenched as if he had just come out of the water, still practicing martial arts.
"There’s no sun today, it’s not too hot." Wufu looked up at a large swath of dark clouds overhead and smiled, saying, "Besides, it looks like it’s going to rain soon."
"Miss, are you sure? It’s been overcast these past few days, but the rain just hasn’t come," Hongyu said, glancing up at the sky.
Without rain, the air turned still, lowering the pressure even more. Even standing motionless, sweat poured down one’s face, the oppressive heat causing irritability.
A breeze came through, carrying a hint of coolness and moisture. Wufu closed his eyes to feel it and said with a smile, "I’ll bet you a handkerchief that it will rain."
"It would be great if it really rained. It hasn’t rained this whole month, and the crops in the fields have all died. If it rains, they can be replanted, and we won’t come out empty-handed in the second half of the year. The common folk will have a way to survive," said Madam Zhou, a compassionate soul. "Every day I hear about someone who has nothing to eat, about those who have to sell their children. My heart aches."
Wufu, hearing this, glanced at Liu Jin, who seemed not to have heard, fumbling around with a stick in hand. He then said, "Sweeping Thousands of Troops is not done this way; the stick should be slanted, the movement quick, and the force steady. You’re not strong enough yet. You should carry water more often and run up the mountain with stones tied to your legs ten times."
After Liu Jin arrived and saw that Wufu was training every day, he too became eager to learn martial arts from Wufu.
Wufu thought that since Liu Jin was his servant now, having more skills would benefit the household, so he gave guidance. However, martial arts did not come naturally to Liu Jin, so learning a bit of self-defense would be good enough.
Liu Jin, face red, said, "Miss, I’ll listen to you."
No sooner had he spoken when suddenly a drop of water fell on his face, surprising him.
Another drop, and Liu Jin looked up, raindrops started to fall, and he couldn’t help but shout, "Miss, Madam, it’s raining!"
Wufu had already noticed, large drops of rain started to fall, one by one, then began to increase in size.
"It’s really raining." Hongyu dropped the handkerchief in her hand and ran into the courtyard, opening her arms to catch the rain.
This month’s absence of rain had nearly dried her out completely, not to mention the crops; even the water in the streams was about to dry up.
Now with the rain, everything would be alright.
Madam Zhou saw that the rain was getting heavier and a smile appeared on her face: "Amitabha, Heaven has finally opened its eyes."
With hands together, she chanted Buddha’s name a couple of times and then hurriedly went inside the house to offer incense to the Bodhisattva.
The pouring rain came down like a basin being overturned, splashing noisily.
Wufu simply threw aside the bamboo stick and opened her arms to get soaked in the rain in the courtyard, having felt stifled throughout the month.
Seeing the young mistress enjoying the rain, Hongyu and Liu Jin joyfully frolicked around her, filling the small courtyard with laughter thanks to the long-awaited downpour.
In the village, there were many others doing the same as Wufu and her group: children played in the rain while the adults, overcome with emotion, knelt down to bow and give thanks.
With the rain, the drought seemed to be coming to an end, and being only July, there was still time to replant a crop of rice. By the autumn harvest, there would be something to eat.