Cozy Day Indoors in the Rain

今天一大早就下起了瓢泼大雨，街上行人稀少，我只好待在家里。

Jīntiān yí dàzǎo jiù xià qǐ le piáopō dàyǔ, jiē shàng xíngrén xīshǎo, wǒ zhǐhǎo dāi zài jiālǐ.

Early this morning a heavy rain started, the streets had few pedestrians, so I had to stay home.

窗外水珠顺着玻璃往下滑，雨点敲在窗台上，跟闹钟一样有节奏。

Chuāngwài shuǐzhū shùn zhe bōlí wǎng xià huá, yǔdiǎn qiāo zài chuāngtái shàng, gēn nàozhōng yíyàng yǒu jiézòu.

Outside, water beads slid down the glass, and raindrops tapped the windowsill with a clocklike rhythm.

原本约了朋友去看展览，因为雨越下越大，只能临时取消。

Yuánběn yuē le péngyou qù kàn zhǎnlǎn, yīnwèi yǔ yuè xià yuè dà, zhǐnéng línshí qǔxiāo.

I had planned to see an exhibition with a friend, but as the rain got heavier, we had to cancel.

屋里有点发潮，我把电热水壶烧上水，先泡了一杯姜茶暖暖身子。

Wū li yǒudiǎn fā cháo, wǒ bǎ diàn rè shuǐhú shāo shàng shuǐ, xiān pào le yì bēi jiāngchá nuǎnnuǎn shēnzi.

The room felt a bit damp, so I put the electric kettle on and made a cup of ginger tea to warm up.

猫咪蹲在窗边看雨，它的尾巴一摇一摇的，像在数滴落的声音。

Māomī dūn zài chuāngbiān kàn yǔ, tā de wěiba yì yáo yì yáo de, xiàng zài shǔ dīluò de shēngyīn.

The cat squatted by the window watching the rain, its tail swaying as if counting the falling drops.

我把客厅的灯开得亮一些，边听老歌，边把上周没整理的照片慢慢挑选。

Wǒ bǎ kètīng de dēng kāi de liàng yìxiē, biān tīng lǎogē, biān bǎ shàng zhōu méi zhěnglǐ de zhàopiàn mànmàn tiāoxuǎn.

I turned the living-room lights brighter, listened to old songs, and slowly sorted last week’s photos.

中午肚子饿了，便做了碗热腾腾的番茄鸡蛋面，蒸汽在厨房里打着卷。

Zhōngwǔ dùzi è le, biàn zuò le wǎn rè téngténg de fānqié jīdàn miàn, zhēngqì zài chúfáng lǐ dǎ zhe juǎn.

At noon I got hungry, so I made a bowl of steaming tomato-and-egg noodles, and steam curled through the kitchen.

吃完后，给外地的妈妈打电话，她说老家也阴雨连绵，我们都笑说“正好补个觉”。

Chī wán hòu, gěi wàidì de māma dǎ diànhuà, tā shuō lǎojiā yě yīnyǔ liánmián, wǒmen dōu xiào shuō “zhènghǎo bǔ ge jiào”.

After eating, I called my mom in another city; she said it was also rainy back home, and we joked it was perfect for catching up on sleep.

午后雨势小一点了，却还是断断续续，我索性铺开地垫，跟着视频做了会儿瑜伽。

Wǔhòu yǔshì xiǎo yìdiǎn le, què háishi duànduànxùxù, wǒ suǒxìng pū kāi dìdiàn, gēnzhe shìpín zuò le yíhuìr yújiā.

In the afternoon the rain eased a little but still came and went, so I rolled out a mat and followed a video to do some yoga for a while.

傍晚时分，窗外依旧灰蒙蒙的，但屋子里亮堂又有香味，心里也慢慢踏实下来。

Bàngwǎn shífēn, chuāngwài yījiù huīmēngmēng de, dàn wūzi lǐ liàngtang yòu yǒu xiāngwèi, xīn lǐ yě mànmàn tāshi xiàlái.

By evening it was still gray outside, but the room was bright and fragrant, and I felt myself settling down.

想起没出门却过得很充实，便在日记里写下：下雨天，原来也能把生活过得有条有理。

Xiǎngqǐ méi chūmén què guò de hěn chōngshí, biàn zài rìjì lǐ xiě xià: Xiàyǔ tiān, yuánlái yě néng bǎ shēnghuó guò de yǒu tiáo yǒu lǐ.

Thinking how fulfilling the day was without going out, I wrote in my diary: On rainy days, life can still be neat and orderly.