“Hongxing, here’s the thing. Let me tell you about an experience I had first…”
Zhao Weiguo then recounted the incident where he had gone to pick up Gu Jianing, Sheng Zexi, and their family of four. Gu Jianing had predicted a heavy storm, but he hadn’t listened—only to end up caught in the downpour.
At the time, the whole thing had been too embarrassing to talk about, so aside from the people directly involved, no one else knew—not even his younger brother. But now, Zhao Weiguo felt it was time to bring it up, as a way to set the stage.
Zhao Hongxing had no idea such a thing had happened.
“I know about Dr. Gu…” Gu Jianing and her husband had only been in the military district for a little over six months, but the entire family of four—even their dog—had already become well-known.
Yes, they were all famous.
Sheng Zexi, their two children, and their dog had gained recognition for uncovering a drug cartel, defusing bombs, and discovering military supplies left behind by R-country. They had directly contributed to major achievements and had even received commendations not long ago. Zhao Hongxing had attended the ceremony.
He’d heard that the family’s four dogs had since been sent to the military dog training base. Once their training was complete, they would officially become military dogs.
As for Sheng Zexi’s wife, Gu Jianing, she was also famous—largely due to Niu Cui and Zhang Qiumei.
The explosive impact of Gu Jianing’s credentials was still a hot topic among the families in the residential compound. Zhao Hongxing had first heard about it from his wife, who admired Gu Jianing greatly. She often said how impressive Dr. Gu was—a medical professor who had even been invited to help set college entrance exam questions.
She was also the deputy director of the county hospital, with exceptional medical skills. Countless people sought her out for treatment.
Because his wife had mentioned her with such admiration, Zhao Hongxing was familiar with Dr. Gu.
But he never expected that she also had the ability to predict weather.
Zhao Hongxing himself was skilled in weather observation. With technology still underdeveloped, meteorological forecasting relied heavily on human experience. That was why he had been able to work in the military district’s meteorological department and even rise to a leadership position.
However…
A severe typhoon? He really hadn’t detected anything about that.
If it were to arrive in three days, at best, they might detect it tomorrow. Today was unlikely.
Was a severe typhoon even possible?
Could someone really predict it three days in advance?
One thing Zhao Hongxing had over his older brother was that he was never overconfident and was always open to others’ opinions—especially when it came to someone like Dr. Gu, who was not the type to make baseless claims.
Plus, with his brother’s story as proof, there was no doubt that Dr. Gu had remarkable meteorological observation skills.
Zhao Hongxing pondered what to do and finally made a decision.
“Brother, thank you for coming to warn me.”
“How about this?”
“I’ll continue monitoring over the next two days. If I detect even the slightest sign of a typhoon during that time, I’ll take Dr. Gu’s warning seriously and report it to the leadership. That way, they can prepare the island for the possibility of a severe typhoon.”
“But if nothing shows up by tomorrow, then…”
Then he might keep quiet about it.
Zhao Hongxing was certain that if a severe typhoon really was coming, they would detect it by tomorrow. If they did, it would confirm Dr. Gu’s abilities.
But if nothing showed up, perhaps Dr. Gu had made a mistake?
After all…
Predicting weather changes three days in advance based solely on personal experience—even more accurate than machines. That was just too incredible.
So incredible it was hard to believe.
Zhao Weiguo: “…Alright, then we’ll proceed like this for now.”
“Regiment Commander Sheng is waiting outside, right? I’ll go with you—I should speak to him in person,” Zhao Hongxing said.
“Fine.”
So, Sheng Zexi ended up meeting Zhao Hongxing, who had come with Zhao Weiguo.
“Regiment Commander Sheng, my brother has already told me about your intentions and Dr. Gu’s concerns…”
Zhao Hongxing then explained the decision he had made after careful consideration.
“…Let’s wait until tomorrow. If we detect even the slightest sign of a typhoon by then, I’ll report it to the leadership immediately!”
Sheng Zexi: “Alright, that works.”
Sheng Zexi knew this was the best possible outcome.
The fact that Zhao Hongxing hadn’t outright dismissed the warning was already a positive sign.
After all, there wasn’t the slightest hint of a typhoon in today’s weather. Convincing Zhao Hongxing—let alone the military district’s leadership—would have been difficult.
But if signs of a typhoon were detected tomorrow, combined with Ningning’s prediction today, the credibility would be much stronger.
Ever since Sheng Zexi left to find Zhao Weiguo, Gu Jianing had been waiting at home.
Finally, he returned and told her the outcome.
After listening, Gu Jianing fell silent for a moment. “His approach isn’t wrong. We’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow, they should be able to detect signs of the typhoon.”
After all, the future newspaper article had mentioned that meteorological signs were indeed observed two days before the severe typhoon hit—though at the time, it was only identified as a tropical depression, not a full-blown typhoon.
That was why defenses had been lax, leading to such devastating consequences.
Now, with her warning in place, even if tomorrow’s readings still only showed a tropical depression, her input would likely be taken into consideration.
So for now, all they could do was wait.
What Gu Jianing didn’t expect was that Sheng Zexi’s visit to Zhao Weiguo and Zhao Hongxing had been overheard by a military wife who happened to be passing by.
Her name was Chen Mei.
Chen Mei’s husband was currently in a promotion period, and his direct superior was Lin Chushi.
So, in an effort to help her husband’s career, Chen Mei had been shamelessly flattering Lin Chushi’s wife, Zhang Qiumei, lately.
She was, of course, well aware of the past conflicts between Zhang Qiumei and Gu Jianing.
Now, having stumbled upon this information about Gu Jianing and Sheng Zexi, she thought it over and decided to visit Zhang Qiumei to share the news.
Zhang Qiumei gently stroked her slightly rounded belly, deep in thought, before smiling at Chen Mei.
“Sister Chen, I think you must have misunderstood something.”
“I’ve long since put the past behind me.”
“So, I’m not particularly concerned about their affairs.”
“Right now, all I care about is taking good care of the child in my belly.”
Chen Mei: “…”
Chen Mei had hoped to use this as leverage to gain Zhang Qiumei’s favor—maybe even get her to whisper a few words in her husband’s ear to help her own husband’s career.
But she never expected Zhang Qiumei to respond like this.
Hmph. She didn’t believe for a second that Zhang Qiumei didn’t care at all.
She just didn’t want to owe Chen Mei any favors.
How stingy.
Chen Mei’s expression immediately soured, and after a few perfunctory words, she left.
Watching Chen Mei’s retreating figure, Zhang Qiumei let out a cold snort.
Did she think Zhang Qiumei couldn’t see through her little scheme?
But right now, Zhang Qiumei took pleasure in watching people beg for her help—only to walk away empty-handed.
Even though she knew Lin Chushi adored her, and that he would definitely consider her requests if she asked.
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