The rain had just stopped, and An'an stood at the edge of the shiny stone pavement in Chestnut Hat Square, his little paws tightly gripping the handle of his small red umbrella. Under the umbrella was a circle of dry ground, quietly resting at his feet, just right, as if it was specially left for two people to stand together. The puddles in the square reflected the gray-blue sky, and when the wind blew, the water's surface gently trembled. An'an looked down at the circle of dry ground, feeling a slight tightness in his heart. He thought: It would be nice if someone could walk with me under this umbrella.
At that moment, a cheerful voice called out from the other side of the square: “Come on, there’s a little snail by the playground!” An'an heard it and slowly moved his feet, following the crowd, while drops of water fell from the umbrella's edge. That invitation lightly nudged at his throat, but he quietly swallowed it back. One step, one thought; another step, still not spoken. An'an felt a jumble of emotions inside, like a little gust of damp wind swirling around.
Just then, Yaling ran over, stepping along the edge of a puddle, her footsteps light and quick, like a string of bouncing water droplets. The tips of her hair glistened with moisture, and she was huddling her shoulders, carefully dodging the raindrops falling from the leaves. An'an stole a glance at her and quickly looked away, but he gripped the small red umbrella even tighter. That hidden thought, which had been tucked away for a while, jumped even more vigorously this time, almost reaching his lips. An'an thought: If I don’t say it now, it will probably slip back into my heart again.
The path to the playground was damp from the wind, and tiny water droplets still clung to the grass blades nearby. As An'an walked along the path, he heard his footsteps go pat-pat, pat-pat, each sound counting his courage. When Yaling passed by him, he finally mustered his courage and quietly asked, “Yaling, would you like to share the umbrella with me?” As soon as he said it, he held his breath, nervously waiting. For that brief moment, even the sound of dripping water by the roadside seemed to become very clear.
Yaling immediately brightened her eyes and cheerfully replied, “Yes!” She quickly slipped under the umbrella, moving close to An'an, and the previously empty circle of dry ground was suddenly filled. An'an was momentarily stunned, and the tightness in his heart loosened suddenly, as if warmed by the gentle sunlight. On top of the little red umbrella, raindrops rolled off, but underneath it was warm, quiet, and bright. An'an quietly glanced at Yaling, and he couldn’t help but smile.
They walked side by side toward the playground, their footsteps slow but gently in sync. The water on the path had not yet dried, leaving behind two closely spaced footprints that stretched forward. The post-rain wind slipped past the edge of the umbrella, carrying the moist scent of earth and grass, but An'an didn’t feel cold at all. Yaling walked beside him under the umbrella, occasionally looking down at the path and sometimes glancing ahead. An'an held the umbrella handle, feeling a quiet brightness in his heart, like a small beam of sunlight getting ready to peek out from behind the gray clouds.
