Chapter 2: Dreams in the Wind and Rain (02)

  Often heard people say: A night of wind and rain enters a dream, all the cold and warmth in the world are known.

  But is it true?

  Chen Haonan felt extremely puzzled, for the wind and rain had quietly entered his dream that night, yet he couldn't sense the coldness or warmth of the world. Instead, he felt his own dreams drifting further away, becoming more bewildered and impossible to find. Perhaps, life's affairs are indeed like the wind and rain, with no absolute certainty, and no one can predict what tomorrow will bring...

  That day, Chen Haonan showed off his skills on the winter school sports meet's field. Because he defeated many physically gifted students, he suddenly became a focus of attention in Yannan. To be honest, he himself didn't expect to win first place in the 5000-meter long-distance run and even break the record for all previous school sports meets, and he was overjoyed in his heart.

  The school has a rule that any student who gets first place in the men's 5000m long run will be awarded 50 points for their class, second place is 30 points, third place is 20 points, and fourth to sixth place can get 10 points. In addition, anyone who can complete the full course can earn 5 points for their class. Because Chen Haonan won 50 points for his class, plus Li Donglin persisted in running the full course and got 5 points, Class 211 was at the top of this winter sports meeting, ranking first among all grades and classes in the school, crushing the morale of many strong sports classes.

  However, it was also because of his fame on the track that many physical education teachers came to talk to Chen Haonan, hoping he could accept specialized training and show off his skills in the future. If only he had persisted back in middle school, perhaps his athletic achievements wouldn't be so mediocre now. But after all, he had abandoned it for so long, and besides, sports competitions weren't really his interest, so he politely declined the good intentions of the physical education teachers...

  Chen Haonan was born into a large family with nearly twenty people. From a young age, this kid had a bit of cleverness, was eager to learn and make progress, and his brain worked quickly, earning him the liking and pampering of his family members. Also because of this, the whole family had high expectations for Chen Haonan, hoping he would work hard for three years in Yannan Middle School and then smoothly get into a key university. Of course, Chen Haonan himself also dreamed of getting into a key university, preferably to study journalism or Chinese language, so that he could become a journalist or editor one day, although he also had the intention of becoming a teacher. However, can things in life always go as people wish?

  A storm is coming, Chen Haonan can't defend against it, as if all his dreams are floating in the wind and rain. He often loses direction, feeling confused and having difficulty moving forward!

  Three months after the school reunion, at the beginning of the new semester, Chen Haonan's father went to the city hospital for a check-up due to physical discomfort. Who would have thought that this examination revealed late-stage gastric cancer? At that time, the doctor made a definitive diagnosis, saying that Chen's father had at most three months left, and at least one month, and asked all relatives and friends to prepare themselves mentally in advance. This definitive statement was like a thunderclap on a sunny day, instantly bringing stormy weather to the originally happy and harmonious family of four (Chen Haonan also had a younger sister named Chen Jiayi), replacing all joy and laughter with gloom and tears.

  Fortunately, Chen Haonan's uncles and aunts were all people who valued relationships and righteousness. They took turns to take care of him with kindness and attention. With the addition of his father's positive and optimistic attitude towards treatment, his condition had once improved slightly. However, since this disease was already in its late stages, the cure rate was almost zero. Under the doctor's advice and Chen Haonan's strong request, his family arranged for him to be discharged from the hospital.

  During his convalescence at home, especially during this summer vacation, Mr. Chen told his son many things, including some of his experiences when he was young and his views on society, as well as his expectations and encouragement for his son. Many times, Chen Haonan's eyes sparkled with tears.

  Since he was young, in Chen Haonan's eyes, his father was stern and unapproachable. He always felt that his father treated his sister better than him. Under the long-term psychological influence, he became afraid and timid when facing his father, even harboring some resentment towards him. However, during the summer vacation, as they spent more time together, he gradually realized that his father was actually so kind and lovable, just like other people's fathers who loved their sons dearly, only that he rarely expressed it in words.

  Looking at his father's increasingly thin face, Chen Haonan felt a deep sense of guilt in his heart. He blamed himself for not communicating with his father earlier, he regretted that he had always made his father angry before, and he hated himself even more for always disappointing his father...

  It's been almost half a year, and Chen Haonan's heart has been clenched and pained all this time. In his spare time, he often went in and out of the school library, Linfeng Town, and the county town "Lin Kou" big and small bookstores, frantically searching for books and materials related to cancer. He hoped to find some kind of miracle that could save his father's gradually weakening life. However, Chen Haonan ultimately didn't find anything magical. After his father survived three months, which was considered a "miracle" by the doctor, the miracle did not reappear. Watching his father grow weaker day by day, Chen Haonan felt like his heart was being cut with a knife.

  Chen's father's condition rapidly deteriorated, and by this summer break, just taking some painkillers was no longer enough to alleviate the pain. In order to relieve his pain, the doctor had already used a strong analgesic containing morphine. Chen Haonan knew clearly that for cancer patients, when they could only use morphine-containing analgesics to relieve their pain, their time was running out...