In the middle of the night, around three in the morning, a sudden downpour mixed with hail came crashing down, drumming a frantic RAT-A-TAT-TAT against the roof.
Li Xiang was startled awake. He went out to check and saw the large terrace covered in hailstones the size of eggs.
Fortunately, his house was new and the roof was sturdy.
He glanced into the distance. The chicken coop and duck shed had also been repaired and reinforced, so they wouldn't collapse from the impact. Some tiles might be damaged, but he could just replace them with new ones once the weather cleared.
After last year's super-blizzard, most of the houses in the village had been reinforced, so there was no need to worry too much.
The only concern was the crops in the fields.
But there was nothing to be done about that.
Favorable weather has always been up to the heavens. That has been true since ancient times, even with today's advanced technology that sometimes allows for artificial rain.
