"Sure thing." Xiao Li nodded, grabbed the black rubber rain umbrella hanging from the tent pole, and gently pressed a finger against the ribs. The canopy sprang open with a pop.
When he lifted the tent flap, icy rain immediately pelted his face.
The sky was still overcast. Fine rain wove a hazy gray curtain, pattering crisply against the umbrella.
The puddles on the ground were half a finger deep. Stepping into them produced a squelching sound.
Compared with yesterday's downpour, which had nearly snapped the tent ropes, today's rain was much gentler. The chill in the wind, however, was heavier.
Before Xiao Li had even made it halfway around the camp, the aroma of food had already drifted into every tent.
Soon, figures emerged from the tents one after another beneath their umbrellas. Some had rolled their trouser legs up to their knees, exposing calves speckled with mud.
Some clutched unfinished snacks, stuffing them into their mouths as they walked.
Others helped each other steady their crooked umbrellas, shuffling toward the temporary cafeteria along the shallow footprints left by those ahead.
The shelter had been pieced together from several sheets of waterproof cloth, with many recently made wooden tables arranged beneath it.
Liu Jialin was not in her tent. She stood atop a blue-gray boulder on the eastern side of the camp, holding a gray-black umbrella.
Rain had washed the stone's surface until it shone. Her left foot extended slightly forward as her gaze crossed the curtain of rain and settled on the mine pit taking shape not far away.
Mounds of earth half a person's height were piled around the pit. Rainwater rushed through several drainage ditches with a roar, while a few idle drilling rigs could vaguely be seen at the bottom, blurred by the mist.
Wind