Chapter 2887: Town Infrastructure Construction Proceeds Happily 07

Huo Zhaoye walked toward the wooden ladder, intending to go up and have a look, but when he reached the ladder, his foot hadn't yet stepped onto it.

"Tap."

The sound of a shoe stepping on the wooden floor came from the second floor.

Immediately after, a dim yellow light appeared above the stairwell; the light wasn't bright, it was from a handheld kerosene lamp, and as the light and shadow swayed, Jin Chen held the lamp and slowly came down from upstairs.

He wore white clothes and pants, with the sleeves rolled up, revealing fair wrists and a totem; one hand held the lamp, the other held something like wooden pieces.

The light from below illuminated his face half-light, half-dark; hearing the movement below, Jin Chen lifted his eyes and met the gaze of Huo Zhaoye standing at the foot of the stairs.

Jin Chen's steps stopped; he stood where three steps remained, slightly tilted his head, and said, "Lord Huo?"

Huo Zhaoye looked at him; the worry in his heart settled, only to be replaced by a new doubt.

"You're inside the house, why didn't you close the door?" Huo Zhaoye asked, his tone carrying a hint of reproach but not severe, "And you didn't light a lamp? It's so dark—what if you fall?"

Jin Chen held the lamp and slowly descended the last three steps, standing before Huo Zhaoye.

The two were close enough that Huo Zhaoye could clearly see Jin Chen's eyes lit by the lamp, their color a shade deeper than in daylight.

"The door's open for ventilation; the lamp… I was doing something upstairs just now, I didn't need it."

His gaze fell on Huo Zhaoye's face, and he lightly lifted the corner of his mouth; the curve was somewhat blurred in the swaying lamplight.

"I've been waiting for you," Jin Chen said.

Huo Zhaoye's expression shifted slightly, and his heart skipped half a beat.

"Waiting for me?"

Jin Chen, however, seemed not to notice his change, and lifted the other hand holding the thing.

"I'm preparing teaching aids for next class," Jin Chen said in an utterly natural tone, raising the hand holding the lamp slightly to illuminate the subtle changes in Huo Zhaoye's expression.

He turned sideways, gestured toward the upper floor, and said, "Lord Huo, would you like to come up and have a look?"

He lightly shifted the topic away.

It was as if something had scratched through a barrier—an itch that couldn't be grasped, yet left a trace.

It turned out he was waiting for this.

Huo Zhaoye stared at him for two seconds, then brushed back the sweat-dampened bangs on his forehead, his eyebrows rising.

"All right," he said, "let's see what fresh novelty Teacher Jin has come up with this time."

Jin Chen held the lamp, turned, and went upstairs again, with Huo Zhaoye following behind.

The attic was low, so they had to stoop slightly when going up; it was filled with miscellaneous items, but a space in the middle had been cleared, laid with an old canvas, on which various tools and materials were scattered, and on the old low table sat some half-finished objects.

Jin Chen placed the handheld lamp on the corner of the table, illuminating this small area.

Huo Zhaoye leaned in to look.

On the table lay several oddly shaped objects he had never seen before.

"What is this?" Huo Zhaoye wanted to reach out and fiddle with the rotating part, examining it closely.

"A wind vane."

Jin Chen sat down beside him, pointed to the thing that looked like a small windmill, and said, "It's simple, and there's also this."

He then picked up the graduated disc, saying, "It's a rain gauge, or perhaps a hygrometer? It can roughly predict pressure changes; though not precise, it's sufficient."

Huo Zhaoye listened, somewhat dazed, playing with the small wind vane in his hand while glancing at the other items.

"Why make these…?"

Jin Chen looked at him, the lamp light flickering in his pale pupils.

"Which way the wind blows, how strong it is, when the weather will change—these aren't completely random."

"In the old era there's a saying: 'Watch the sky to eat.' To live better on this land, avoid sudden troubles, learning to read heavenly signs is important."

He used his fingertip to lightly nudge the cross of the wind vane; the wooden blades, in the nearly windless interior, turned ever so slightly by a tiny angle.

Jin Chen had his back to the window's sparse starlight, facing Huo Zhaoye and the warm lamp.

Huo Zhaoye looked at him, then at the tiny turning blades in his hand, speechless for a moment, never having imagined that such a thing could be studied or predicted.

Actually, in the old century, these things weren't really rare.

In even earlier ages, farmers and fishermen also knew how to observe clouds to know the sky, to watch the wind and discern direction.

Even now, some large bases that have preserved more of the spark of civilization might possess similar or even more advanced meteorological observation methods.

But here, in the remote Peace North Town, while most people are still struggling for their next meal and to fend off aberrant monsters, no one would know to do these things.

"It can still… be done this way?"

If one could truly know the weather changes in advance… the significance for North Town would be enormous!

Farming, fishing, drying and storing, even sandstorms or rainstorms and floods—all could gain an advantage.

"We can try," Jin Chen said. "Start simple: place it in a high spot, like the top of a watchtower, record the wind direction and the deflection of the needle on this disc at fixed times each day, observe for a few days, note the results, see if it's accurate—children can learn too."

Jin Chen explained in detail the principle and use of each simple instrument, using words as simple and easy to understand as possible.

Huo Zhaoye sat on the small wooden stool Jin Chen had moved for him, his body leaning slightly forward, arms propped on his knees, eyes fixed on the things in Jin Chen's hands, occasionally asking a question or two.

Huo Zhaoye listened, entranced, feeling that the person before him was truly amazing, as if his mind held countless unknown, strange yet useful bits of knowledge.

The lamp light cast the two shadows onto the attic's sloping roof, close together.

Time passed unnoticed.

Huo Zhaoye played with a tiny balancing blade in his hand used to demonstrate wind direction, while the explanatory voice beside him suddenly stopped.

He turned his head, puzzled.

The handheld lamp still glowed warmly, placed in the center of the table.

Jin Chen leaned sideways, lying on the edge of the table littered with small parts and wood shavings, his face turned toward Huo Zhaoye, eyes closed, breathing light and even—he had fallen asleep.

Huo Zhaoye looked at him, motionless for a moment.

Light from the side fell on Jin Chen's face, half in shadow, half tinged orange-yellow; his eyelashes lay over his eyelids, a few strands of black hair softly resting on his forehead and temples.

Huo Zhaoye stared at him for a while, his Adam's apple bobbed once, he looked away then back, only then remembering he should wake him.

Sleeping like that, his neck definitely won't be able to take it tomorrow.

Huo Zhaoye reached out and shook Jin Chen's arm resting on the table.

"Hey," Huo Zhaoye said softly, "Teacher Jin, go sleep in the room. It's uncomfortable to lie here."

Jin Chen flinched at his touch, his eyelashes trembling, and slowly opened his eyes.

But his light brown eyes were unfocused, hazy, his gaze drifting over Huo Zhaoye's face; after a moment of recognition, he reached back and grabbed the hand still resting on his arm, pulled it over, and placed it under his cheek as he lay on his side, then closed his eyes again.

Huo Zhaoye: "..."

His palm was pressed by Jin Chen's cheek, warm and moist breath brushing over his inner wrist, once, again.

Huo Zhaoye felt his whole arm, from palm to shoulder, go numb as if electrified.

His heart beat a little faster, his face felt warm, but the dim yellow light hid it.

He just sat stiffly, keeping his arm in the position of a pillow, afraid to move.

Time passed minute by minute.

Huo Zhaoye watched Jin Chen's side profile as he fell asleep again, waiting a while until his breathing slowed and he slept deeply.

He took the few pieces of wood and tools loosely held in Jin Chen's hand, set them on the table, then slowly pulled his hand from under Jin Chen's cheek.

In his sleep, Jin Chen's brows furrowed slightly, but he did not wake.

Huo Zhaoye stood up, moved his slightly numb arms and legs, looked down at the person sleeping insensibly at the table, then glanced at the cramped, stuffy attic.

He bent his knees, exerted a little strength, and scooped the person up in a horizontal hold.

Jin Chen was a bit heavier than he looked, but still within Huo Zhaoye's easy carrying range; sensing the lift, he stirred in his sleep, turning his head to rest against Huo Zhaoye's neck.

Huo Zhaoye's body tensed, then gradually relaxed, he steadied himself and carefully descended the narrow wooden ladder to the floor below.

By the moonlight streaming in through the window, he entered Jin Chen's room, gently laid him on the bed, and pulled the thin blanket over him.

Huo Zhaoye stood at the bedside, watching him for a moment, then suddenly felt the night was a bit hotter than usual.

As he turned to leave, his wrist was seized.