It was nine o'clock.
Thunder rumbled without end, and the rain kept falling.
In the quaint little courtyard, Boss Lady held an umbrella and led Dong Xuebin and Jiang Min out of the house. They walked across the soaked ground against the light wind toward the Backyard. Inside were rows of Small Wooden Houses on both sides. Some were larger, presumably double rooms. The one they were headed for was in the innermost row. Red lanterns were lit outside several doors. Some people had already gone to sleep, while others were still leaning against their windows, enjoying the rainy view.
Only the lantern outside the unit in the middle was unlit.
Boss Lady went in first, took out the key, and opened the door. With a click, the lights came on, illuminating both the lantern outside and the room within.
"This is it."
"Great, thanks a lot."
"There's hot water in the bathroom. You can take a shower."
"Okay, we got it."
"If you need anything else, tell me in advance."
"An extra quilt, please. Oh, and do you have any clean clothes?"
"We have quilts, but no clothes. If you didn't bring any, just hang yours up to dry. If the rain lets up and the sun comes out tomorrow, they should be dry by noon."
"All right, that's our only option."
"Would you like a late-night snack?"
"A little. What do you have?"
"Hot milk, hot coffee, bread... nothing else, really."
"Teacher Jiang, does that sound okay?"
"Anything warm is fine."
"Then hot milk and bread. Thanks."
"Mm. I'll have someone bring it over shortly."
After saying that, Boss Lady left under her umbrella. Dong Xuebin saw Teacher Jiang shiver and quickly urged her inside. He closed his umbrella, shook it out, stood it on the floor, and