Rainy Day

The rain began in the latter half of the night. In his sleep, Lin Chen heard it striking the roof. At first, it sounded like fine sand falling onto tiles, but it gradually grew denser, becoming a steady rush that drowned out even the sound of the waves. Half-awake, he turned over and sensed the distinct dampness in the air drifting through the window crack before sinking back into sleep, wrapped in the humid air.

The rain had not stopped by dawn. The sea and sky outside the window had blended into a single gray backdrop, making it impossible to tell where the horizon lay except by slight shifts in shade. Water streaming from the eaves seeped into the soil along the base of the wall, forming short rivulets that gathered into a small puddle near the foundation. Raindrops constantly pounded the puddle's surface, leaving dense dimples like a sheet of water repeatedly being stirred.

When Lin Chen got dressed and went downstairs, Master Roshi was already seated beneath the porch. He had changed seats, moving from his bamboo chair to an old wooden chair against the inner wall of the corridor. A tile had been wedged beneath one of the chair legs to keep it balanced. He held a cup of hot tea, his gaze fixed on the rain.

"I've swept the ground beneath the shed. Some spots are still a little wet, but the middle section is dry. Run back and forth there, then go to the tool shed for stationary training when you're done," Master Roshi said.

The shed stood on the north side of the yard. It was a simple rain shelter built long ago to store firewood and miscellaneous items. Beneath it was a cleared stretch of open ground about ten meters long and two meters wide. The floor was packed earth, with several areas worn smooth by footsteps, and old shoeprints were still visible. The air carried the mixed scent of rainwater and dry soil, like old objects soaked by moisture slowly giving off the last traces of their dry smell.

Lin Chen began running beneath the shed. The path was short, but he had to turn around frequently, constantly shifting his center of gravity to maintain his speed. As he ran, he felt his footfalls becoming more orderly, and the transitions between each turn smoother. The sound of rain blanketed the entire yard, yet he heard nothing besides his own footsteps.

After running for an hour, he entered the tool shed and did a set of push-ups and squats in the limited space. The air inside was drier than outside, and the scent of wood mixed with motor oil and rust stood out sharply in the enclosed room. The light filtering through the two high windows had been softened by rain and mist, casting the whole room in an even gray-white glow. After finishing his squats, he straightened and rolled his shoulders. His shoulder joints made faint sounds as they moved.

He heard the rain growing sparser, changing from a dense rush to intermittent drips. The stream from the eaves had changed from a continuous flow to scattered droplets, each one making a crisp sound when it struck the puddles on the ground, as though the rhythm of the sound were slowing down. The sky had brightened as well. The gray-white clouds were thinning, revealing hints of brighter light.

The rain stopped completely around noon. The clouds parted, and sunlight spilled through the gaps, laying several slanting bands of light across the sea and turning the water shades of blue-green. Water still dripped from the eaves, beads rolling along the tile ridges before striking the mud and splashing into tiny sprays.

After lunch, Krillin came out of the house and stood beneath the porch for a while, looking at the gradually clearing sky. "Let's go to the bay east of here this afternoon. The tide probably hasn't come in yet," he said.

After changing clothes, Lin Chen followed Krillin east along the coastline. The ground after the rain was wetter than usual, and with every step, he could feel the soles of his shoes gripping more firmly. The sand and soil had absorbed the water, becoming compact and solid. Droplets still clung to the leaves of the plants by the roadside, and a few shook loose in the airflow as they passed, leaving broken wet marks on the ground. Water gathered on the rain-soaked grass slid down the stems and dripped onto the sand near their feet, quickly seeping in and leaving small circles slightly darker than the surrounding ground.

The eastern bay was about a forty-minute walk from Kame House. It was not large, embraced by rocky hills on both sides, and its waters were much calmer than the open sea. There were no waves, only faint ripples slowly spreading across the surface like traces left by wind brushing over the water. The bay was steadier than the open sea, and the water near shore was clear enough to reveal the sand and stones on the bottom of the shallows, as well as the occasional small creature moving about. Currents threaded through the gaps between the rocks.

Krillin took off his shoes at the shore and stepped into the water. "It's not deep. It's about three hundred meters to the other side. There's a slightly deeper section in the middle, but you can see the bottom the whole way." As he spoke, he began swimming forward. He was not fast, and his strokes were not large.

Lin Chen followed him into the water. The water was slightly warmer than in the open sea, like a surface layer warmed by the sun. When he reached the middle of the bay, he did feel the water deepen beneath him, but his view remained clear. He could see the sandy bottom continuing to slope downward like a gently descending incline. He did not stop and kept swimming until his feet touched the sandy bottom on the opposite shore.

The other side of the bay was a small, gently sloping area covered in vegetation, with low shrubs and wild grass growing across it. Several pieces of driftwood washed ashore by the waves lay stranded on the sand, their surfaces bleached white by the sun. Krillin had already gone ashore and was sitting on a piece of driftwood, wringing the water from his shorts. "Not many people come here normally."

Lin Chen also went ashore and sat on a rock beside him. The water in the bay was quieter than he had imagined. The sound of waves at its edges was nearly inaudible; only the occasional cry of seabirds passing overhead and insects chirping in the brush could be heard, like sounds filtering in from far away.

They stayed on the opposite shore for a while, then got up and swam back along the same route. On the return trip, Lin Chen felt that his strokes were slightly easier than before, and his breathing remained steady. The small splashes raised by his arms spread to either side at their intended angles.

By the time they returned to Kame House, it was already getting late. The sky after the rain had been dyed pale orange and light purple, while the clouds formed a thin band low in the sky, as though pasted along the horizon. Lin Chen stood beneath the eaves and wrung the water from his clothes. Rainwater still dripped from the roof, leaving a broken trail of dark circles on the ground near his feet. In the evening light, the puddles in the yard looked like scattered little mirrors, reflecting the clouds and sky. Whenever the wind passed over them, their surfaces trembled, breaking and reforming those reflections as though someone were repeatedly kneading the same piece of cloth.