Thursday of the third week was March 5th, also Awakening of Insects Day.
Awakening of Insects referred to hibernating insects being startled awake by the vibrations of spring thunder and emerging from their hiding places. Insects that had lain dormant all winter crawled out of their burrows as the weather warmed and spring thunder rolled, awakening the land's Life Force as well.
Of course, that was only what happened in theory. Like the "rational man" of economics, theoretical conditions often deviated in one way or another when put into practice.
For instance, during the winter of 08–09, because of the previous year's Silent Tideback anomaly, the insects' time spent hibernating underground had been drastically shortened. Many bugs had already poured out of their burrows with the black tide at the start of spring, so by the actual Awakening of Insects Day, the stars of the season had become supporting players instead.
But regardless of whether the insects had already crawled out of their underground burrows, the spring thunder that ought to accompany Awakening of Insects Day still rang through the entire campus without missing a single peal, courtesy of First University's Astrology Observatory.
From Wednesday night onward, the climate on campus had grown damp. The next morning, after Zheng Qing finished his morning exercises, the sun still had not risen, and the entire sky was blanketed by a thick layer of rain clouds.
By noon, rumbling thunder began to sound from afar, slowly drawing closer. Even through the classroom windows, Zheng Qing could keenly feel the tremors rippling through the air.
"March 5th, Awakening of Insects Day. Around ten in the morning. Spring thunder rolled, fine rain fell, and spring was in full bloom."
Clutching his Quill Pen, Zheng Qing wrote that entry in his weekly journal.
Ever since Professor