Su Yue suddenly came to herself, raised her right hand, and rubbed the tip of her nose. Her fingertips still carried a trace of coolness as she muttered softly.
"How come I suddenly sneezed? Could I have caught a chill yesterday? I'd better not come down with a cold!"
She briskly flipped off the little blanket, slid down from the sofa, slipped on her slippers, and pattered into the kitchen.
The weather was cold now, so the kitchen window was shut tight. Several pots of pothos sat on the windowsill, their leaves especially bright and fresh after being nourished by the rain.
Su Yue opened the cupboard and took out a small piece of ginger, then found a clay pot.
With practiced movements, she washed and sliced the ginger, added two bowls of water to the clay pot, and then put in a spoonful of brown sugar.
Finally, she turned on the gas stove. Blue flames licked the bottom of the pot, and soon tiny bubbles began rising in the water.
While waiting for the ginger soup to boil, she leaned against the kitchen doorframe and glanced toward the living room again.
The television was still playing advertisements, and a small pile of tangerine peels sat on the coffee table. Everything was much the same as before, except for the lively patter of rain outside the window.
A moment later, a rich ginger fragrance drifted from the clay pot. Su Yue turned off the heat, lifted the pot with heatproof gloves, and poured the ginger soup into a white porcelain bowl decorated with tiny flowers.
Holding the bowl, she shuffled back to the living room one step at a time. White steam curled from the rim, blurring her vision.
Su Yue sat on the sofa, blew on the ginger soup,