The strong wind made the window sash rattle and creak. As the window sash swayed back and forth, the wooden stick supporting the window lost its balance and was swept away by the wind. Without the stick, the window sash lost its support and crashed back with a bang, knocking over the flower pot on the windowsill. The pot shattered, and soil and broken flower branches were scattered all over the ground.

"Oh my goodness!" He Liu was startled by the sudden noise.

Looking back, I realized the noise came from the window and the flowerpots.

Some quick-thinking guests rushed over to help close the other two windows and the flowerpots.

He Liu quickly grabbed a broom and, while thanking her, swept the floor clean.

"How did it suddenly become so cloudy?"

Lin Moniang came out of the kitchen and looked for candles on the counter. She found some and took them back to the kitchen, lighting two on the stove and two on the dish rack. The kitchen faced north, so it was even more difficult to see anything now.

Su Yun'er and He Liu peeked out through the crack in the door and saw gusts of dust being blown up on the road, with handkerchiefs, hats and other items swirling in the wind. Su Yun'er swore she even saw a shoe fly past from outside, spinning around.

At the dock, all the laborers were blinded, and the clerk in charge of recording the goods had his ledger flying around in the wind, making it impossible for him to work properly. Everyone hurriedly squinted and covered their heads, running to hide in the surrounding houses.

The ships moored at the dock were tossed about and rocked by the wind and waves whipped up by the gale, their sails and masts creaking and groaning.

The entire dock area was shrouded in a terrifying atmosphere of impending disaster.

Having experienced the famine of the previous few years, everyone's faces were very solemn. People were either silent or talking in hushed tones, but their attention was all focused on the sudden change in the weather.

Seeing that He Liu and Lin Moniang were very frightened, Su Yun'er spoke up to comfort them in a low voice.

Actually, she was worried too.

Grandma Chen is taking care of her four children alone at home, and she doesn't know how they are doing.

With such strong winds, won't something be blown down and hit them?

The wind howled and raged for a while, then suddenly it started to rain.

The raindrops, as big as soybeans, pelted down relentlessly, instantly engulfing Su's Food Shop with the tremendous noise of the rain hitting the roof.

"Now that's bad. With the wind and rain so heavy, no one can get in or out." He Liu sighed, took off her apron, sat down by the counter, poured three glasses of water, and called Su Yun'er and Lin Moniang over to drink some water.

There were only a few customers dining in the shop. They were almost finished eating, but the wind and rain prevented them from leaving, so they huddled together and chatted idly. They didn't need the staff to bother serving them.

About an hour later, the wind subsided and the rain lessened, but it still didn't stop.

Su Yun'er felt the room was getting stuffy, so she opened the shop door, and a cool breeze immediately blew in.

Lin Moniang tightened her clothes as the cold wind blew.

Su Yun'er looked up at the sky. The rain was continuous, splashing up water droplets as it hit the ground.

Just then, Su Yun'er suddenly seemed to hear someone calling her name.

"Yun'er, it sounds like someone is calling you."

Lin Moniang heard it too.

The three of them crowded around the door and looked outside. They saw a figure running towards them through the rain.

Although the man was wearing a raincoat, he was still soaked from head to toe.

He called out Su Yun'er's name as he ran closer and closer.

For some reason, Su Yun'er's heart suddenly started pounding.