Listen to the Melody of Wind and Rain

On a stormy night, a baby’s cry broke the silence of a quiet village. I was born, beginning a timid, somewhat insecure life, but Yu Jing’s arrival would save me. This is a cross-generational story of rural life from 1990 to 2010. In the early spring of 1990, an unexpected downpour swept over Qinchuan after dusk. Dark clouds shrouded the entire village, plunging it into utter silence. Then, suddenly, a baby’s cry broke the quiet of the night. Qinchuan is an ancient village cut off from the outside world. During the War of Resistance, it was a quarrying area. I, Guo Heng, grew up in this place. My father, Guo Mingshi, is a quarry worker, and my mother, Wang Jinye, is a traditional silk weaver. They’re both past fifty now. I watched them go from their energetic prime to the slow-moving people they are today. It’s 2010, and communications are only just taking off, but Qinchuan Village is still as backward as ever. Built against the mountains and beside the water, Qinchuan boasts breathtaking scenery! We have Yang X, the village chief who stepped down three years ago, to thank for that. Otherwise, Qinchuan might still be buried under clouds of dust. I’m twenty this year and work at Yinyang Ferry, doing manual labor every day, unloading and carrying goods for customers and boatmen. I have an older brother, Guo Zhi. He’s clever and capable, and I’ve always thought him arrogant, yet he’s highly respected in Qinchuan. And then, five years ago, I met Yu Jing. Her arrival changed my timid life!