After thinking it over, Gray realized Dad was right. The ignorant life that he used to lead was terrible. He might have made mistakes at any moment and be dead.

“Now I’m on the right track,” he said to his father.

Afterward, they squatted down again and gathered some oxalis and birdweed to use as medicine for the neighbor with a urinary tract infection. As Gray picked them, he realized that because he hadn’t paid any attention to these beautiful grasses before, they had also ignored him. And so he had turned himself into a loner, feeling sorry for himself all the time. His self-pity seemed so affected. Oh, thought Gray, the grasses were joyfully welcoming his harvest, for they longed for the journey of life! It would be a great journey.

It was the morning of the fifth day after Spoon had left, and Gray was making herbal medicine in the house. All of a sudden, he heard a landslide.

He ran out at once. His mother chased after him, shouting, “Gray, Gray! Where are you going . . . Danger!”

“I’m going to Mrs. Yi’s . . . She went to Niulan Mountain today . . .”

Gray’s voice grew weaker and weaker, and was soon blown away by the wind. His mother fell to the ground.

In the herb garden, Gray saw Mrs. Yi and her husband observing Niulan Mountain from a distance. They all smelled the strong odor of sulfur.

“Ah, Mrs. Yi, you’ve come back . . . ,” Gray said. He felt as if his body were about to fall apart.

“Oh my God, the mudslide is so close to our village. Fortunately, we got the message in time. Mrs. Yi is blessed. Don’t you think so, Gray?” Mr. Yi said.

“Who sent the message?” asked Gray, pressing his hand on his chest.

“It’s Dr. Lin Baoguang. The guard from Blue Mountain stopped Mrs. Yi and told her to go home right away. You can see, she’s all right. She said she flew back and the mudslide couldn’t catch up with her.”

Gray smiled as he imagined Mrs. Yi flying. Then he noticed that he was standing under Mr. Yi’s umbrella, and his clothes were drenched.

Mrs. Yi urged him to go inside to change. So the three of them went in.

Gray came out wearing Mr. Yi’s clothes, which were too big for him.

“We haven’t told you about Tauber.” Mrs. Yi turned to Gray. “I couldn’t see Tauber on the mountain, but he kept telling me, ‘Go home, go home.’ He also said that he no longer paid attention to landslides here or there, but I had to be careful. So I came down the hill immediately. You see, there are good people protecting me everywhere. Do you feel the same way?”

Gray nodded with tears in his eyes. Thinking of the recent past, he became emotional.

The rain stopped and the sun shone again. Surprised, the three of them went outside together. They walked straight in the direction of the mudslide and soon reached the end of the village. Farther on, they saw the debris flow. What kind of debris flow was this? Gray used the stick he was carrying to poke at the thing next to his feet. It looked like mud. Oh my God! It was coal! This great mass of high-quality coal had slid halfway down Niulan Mountain and piled up at their feet. What a generous gift! Gray felt feverish, as if the coal were burning. Soon they heard the villagers shouting.