The sky was clear for miles, and the sun blazed overhead. Though it was a little hot, that was still better than rain.
During the days he rested, Father Ye had hired help to repaint both boats, and the paint had dried completely during the two clear days.
Taking advantage of the fine weather, they had also dried and put away the last batch of dried squid and dried fish. But before he could take his freshly maintained fishing boat out to sea, the weather turned unexpectedly, and thunder and rain suddenly arrived at midday.
Over at the small workshop, they had only just finished filling in the foundation over the past few days and built a small section of adobe wall when the downpour hit, washing the newly built section down.
Ye Yaodong waited until the rain stopped that afternoon before going over to look. Only then did he discover that all the walls built over the past two days had collapsed, leaving mud everywhere.
After the rain stopped, Father Ye had also hurried over first thing, worried. After looking, he returned to the house to discuss it.
"Dongzi, it looks like adobe walls won't work. July, August, and September are all typhoon season. These walls haven't even had a few days to dry. If another heavy rain comes along, they'll keep collapsing before they've been up long. This won't work, it just won't. They aren't as sturdy as stone or brick walls. At least stone and brick would be more solid and last for decades."
His father hardly needed to tell him; he had just seen it himself. The small workshop faced the sea directly. Sometimes the waves surged up and made the place even damper. Adobe walls wouldn't do.
In fact, during the first two days of