53. On a thundering night, hide in his arms
It often rains in Hong Kong in September.
Chu Yanhui hates rainy days because rain means there might be thunder, and she has been afraid of thunder since she was a child.
Just like today.
A flash of lightning suddenly appeared in the sky, illuminating the entire bedroom through the thin gauze curtains in front of the French window. The rumbling thunder woke her from her sleep. She listened to the thunder one after another, hiding under the quilt with fear, her face pale.
His body curled up like a shivering rabbit.
The room flickered, as if an old-fashioned light bulb had malfunctioned, creating an indescribable eerie feeling.
She closed her eyes tightly and her shoulders trembled slightly.
Some people are afraid of dogs, some are afraid of snakes, but she is afraid of thunder, firecrackers, and balloons. Anything that might suddenly explode with a loud noise next to her ears will terrify her.
Chu Yanhui gritted his teeth and encouraged himself again and again in his heart. Finally, when the thunder became quieter, he got out of bed and went to get the headphones hanging on the desk.
Just put on your headphones and turn up the music loudly, and you won’t be afraid...
She comforted herself.
Just as her feet touched the ground, thunder suddenly sounded outside.
"Boom—"
The hairs on her body stood up and she was shaking with fear. She fell down and sat down on the narrow wall between the bed and the window, leaning on the small shadow provided by the wall to gain a sense of security.
Seeing the sudden light coming in through the window, she closed her eyes again, her hands covering her head and ears tightly, her tears of fear soaking the knees of her nightgown.
The weather forecast clearly said it wouldn't rain for a week, so why did it suddenly become like this...
Her frightened mind went blank.
The thunderstorm came unexpectedly, which was more terrifying to her than putting her in a haunted house.
"Yan Hui! Why are you sitting on the ground like this?"
As soon as Fu Rongshen heard the thunder, he immediately put down his work and rushed back from the company. When he opened the door, he saw the girl curled up in the corner of the bed, frowning with heartache. He hurriedly picked her up and put her on the bed, wrapping her in a thin blanket.
"Uncle..."
She looked at him, and the accumulated fear rushed out like a raging river, and she couldn't help crying.
She clutched the fabric on his wrist tightly and sobbed, "I'm scared... I'm scared of thunder..."
"I know, I know..." He sat on the edge of the bed, letting her lean on him, holding her cold hand in one hand and her shoulder with the other, "When you were little, you would cry when there was thunder. How could I not know that?"
The thunder outside has subsided.
She felt the warmth from his broad chest and hands, and the trembling in her body gradually subsided.
My breathing finally returned to normal and I no longer felt breathless.
But before she could recover, the thunderstorm started again.
"Boom! Boom! Boom—"
She shuddered violently, fear once again filling her deer-like almond-shaped eyes, and she was so frightened that she couldn't even make a sound when she cried.
She covered her ears tightly with her hands and suddenly shrank into his arms.
Fu Rongshen patted her shoulder gently and comforted her gently: "Don't be afraid, Yan Hui, don't be afraid, your uncle is here."
"Uncle... don't go." She grabbed the corner of his clothes tightly, as if she was grabbing a life-saving straw.
He hugged her and said softly, "Uncle will always be with Yan Hui and will not go anywhere."
"Tell me a story..."
"What kind do you want to hear?"
She buried her head in the quilt and said sullenly, "...anything is fine."
"good."
Fu Rongshen curled the corners of his mouth.
I have been preparing for this day.
When she was a child, she always pestered me to tell her stories. When she was in a bad mood, when she was scared, before going to bed...
Over the years, he never changed his habits because of her departure and estrangement. He even deliberately took time out from work to read some stories, always preparing for the day when they met again and she asked to hear his stories again.
So without having to think too much, many storylines will emerge in your mind.
"Once upon a time, there was a man whose parents arranged a marriage for him as soon as he came of age. His wife was a stranger, a woman of equal social status. He protested to his parents, saying, 'I would rather die than be with her,' and so he chose to run away from the marriage."
The man's voice was as clear as jade, calm and gentle, and his words were so eloquent that people were immersed in them.
Chu Yan was addicted to listening, so absorbed in his story that she didn't even notice the thunder and rainstorm. Desperate to know what happened next, she anxiously asked him, "Did he succeed in escaping the marriage? What about that woman?"
"Don't be impatient," he held her hand and chuckled helplessly, "You are always impatient when listening to stories."
Then continue:
"The man failed in his attempt to escape his marriage and was forced by his parents to marry the woman. The two became husband and wife. As they lived day to day, he discovered that she was a very talented poet. He came across her poems, and through them, he got to know her and fell in love with her."
"Does the woman love this man too?"
Fu Rongshen shook his head: "No."
"A year ago, the woman accidentally fell down the stairs while climbing a mountain to worship Buddha. She happened to be rescued by the man. She had a deep affection for him and believed that their marriage was made in heaven."
"But after the marriage, she heard from others that the man hated her and had sworn to his parents and run away from the marriage. She became disappointed with him and gradually distanced herself from him. Their relationship gradually drifted apart."
Chu Yanhui curled up the quilt with her knees, still keeping the posture of covering her ears, but she no longer trembled in fear because of the thunder. Instead, her thoughts were completely occupied by his story, and she felt a little sad.
"It's such a pity. When the woman liked the man, he hated her because of the unfree marriage. When the man fell in love with the woman, she was already disappointed in him. The two missed each other."
Especially because I had cried before, my nose was stuffy and my words sounded particularly sad.
"Xiao Yanhui, I haven't finished yet," he said with a teasing smile in his voice, "Why are you giving me such an ending?"
"Then just continue talking." Her face felt a little hot because of the muffled laughter, and she said blankly.
Fu Rongshen patted her head and slowly recounted the contents of the book:
"In winter, the woman fell seriously ill and was burning hot all over. The doctor said, 'No one can help until the temperature drops.' The man took off his clothes and lay on the ice. When his body cooled down, he hugged the woman. He repeated this countless times until the woman's temperature finally dropped and she woke up not long after."
"After the woman recovered, she learned about this incident and saw that the man loved her deeply. She decided to express her gratitude and love to him."
The girl listened, her lips curled up. "Is it the end? This doesn't seem like a fairy tale. Uncle, what book is this story from?"
"It's an ancient article from a long time ago. I forgot where it came from, but it has no ending here."
She wondered, "But this is already perfect. The ending must be that they both understand each other and live happily together!"
"The woman didn't find the man. He disappeared. No one could find him."
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