午后一场骤雨印证了天气预报：湖北全境普降大到暴雨。
今日格外特别——恰逢夏至、父亲节，是湖北省中考第二天，亦处在端午小长假第三天。
夏至是北半球白昼最长、黑夜最短的一天。这一日太阳直射北回归线，此后直射点缓缓南移。夏至前后草木疯长，我居所周边的秧苗、芝麻、绿豆、黄豆、花生日日换新模样，满目青翠，生机勃发。
农作物生长既需充足热量，更赖雨露滋养。夏至逢甘霖，田间作物分外舒展。看田里青苗长势，便知这场雨来得恰逢其时。
一席夏雨驱散连日酷热，带来清爽凉意。考场内考生伏案作答，气温宜人，心绪安稳，下笔从容。虽进出考场需备雨具，但降雨降温，对赶考学子而言实为幸事。
记得1982年7月，我在莲花初中（彼时校名亦作莲花高中，高中部已停招，以初中教学为主）参加中考。时值盛夏酷暑，热浪逼人。考试那几日，我似染风寒又似中暑，整日食不下咽；白日伏案答题，夜晚寄宿集体宿舍，闷热之外蚊虫成群，燥热与瘙痒轮番侵扰，彻夜难眠。当年宿舍没有电扇，更不必说空调。带队老师与我们同吃同住，顶着炎炎烈日照料考生，同样备受煎熬。
纵然应试环境艰苦，如今回想，考试发挥并未受太大影响：擅长的科目依旧稳定出彩，分数偏低的学科本来就是平日短板。当年化学是我的优势科目，满分100分考卷取得80多分；英语最为薄弱，仅二三十分。对比往昔，如今的孩子何其幸运：中考期间，家庭、社会全方位关怀保障，衣食住行皆照料周全。再遇上这场及时雨，天公作美，洗尽燥热尘埃，让人神清气爽。
今日是六月第三个星期日，父亲节。它并非我国传统节日，可网络之上满是赞颂父爱、感念亲恩的文字。
孙子幼儿园班级群里，老师提前组织孩子录制祝福视频，孩子们奶声奶气地骄傲呼喊：“爸爸你最棒，给爸爸颁奖状！”句句皆是纯真感恩。
上午，儿子在家人群发来一句“爸爸，节日快乐”，瞬间幸福感满溢，半生辛劳奔波皆有归宿。世间最珍贵的家事莫过于子女孝顺，最值得骄傲的成就莫过于孩子心怀感恩。
在我的家乡，端午有特殊习俗：出嫁女儿感念父母养育恩情，携桃子、李子、粽子等礼品回娘家，陪父母闲谈、共享家宴，端午堪称一年一度名副其实的“女儿节”。
中考恰逢夏雨，夏至巧遇父亲节，端午假期尚未落幕，万般心绪涌上心头：万物成长离不开阳光雨露，人生收获皆要常怀感恩。过往拼搏的岁月、父母托举扶持、师长谆谆教诲、社会暖心关怀，皆不可忘怀，值得以笔墨细细记录珍藏。
2026年6月21日
Summer Rain Falls on High School Entrance Exams, Summer Solstice Coincides with Father’s Day, and the Dragon Boat Festival Holiday Lingers OnA sudden downpour in the afternoon matched the weather forecast: heavy to torrential rain blanketed the whole of Hubei Province.This day is truly exceptional. It marks the Summer Solstice and Father’s Day, falls on the second day of Hubei’s high school entrance examinations, and remains within the third day of the Dragon Boat Festival break.The Summer Solstice features the longest daytime and shortest night of the year. On this day, the sun shines directly over the Tropic of Cancer, after which its direct point shifts gradually southward. All vegetation thrives vigorously around the Solstice. Near my home, rice seedlings, sesame, mung beans, soybeans and peanuts take on brand-new looks day by day, stretching into a lush green expanse brimming with vitality.Crops require ample heat as well as nourishing rainwater to thrive. Rain on the Summer Solstice breathes new life into all farm plants. One glance at the flourishing seedlings tells us this shower could not have come at a better time.The summer rain chased away sweltering heat and brought refreshing coolness. Exam-takers bent over their desks writing calmly in comfortable temperatures, with peaceful minds and fluent pens. Though umbrellas were needed when entering and leaving exam venues, the cooling rain was a blessing for all candidates.I recall sitting the high school entrance exam in July 1982 at Lianhua Junior High School, also known as Lianhua High School back then. Its senior high division had ceased enrollment, and the campus catered mainly to junior students. July blazed with unbearable heat. During those exam days, I felt alternately feverish and sunstroke-stricken, unable to swallow a single bite of food. I sat exams by day and lodged in shared dormitories by night, tormented by stifling heat and swarms of mosquitoes—heat and itchiness robbed me of sleep. There were no electric fans, let alone air conditioners. Our supervising teachers shared our simple meals and lodging, enduring the scorching sun to look after us, suffering just as much as the students.Despite the harsh testing conditions, looking back, my performance was barely affected. My strong subjects yielded solid scores as usual, while low-scoring ones had always been my weak points. Chemistry was my best subject; I scored over 80 out of a full 100. English was my worst, with merely 20 to 30 points. Young test-takers today are far luckier by comparison. Families and the whole society offer comprehensive care throughout the exam period, attending to every detail of daily life. This timely rain is an extra gift from heaven, washing away stifling heat and dust to refresh everyone’s spirits.Father’s Day, observed on the third Sunday of June, is not a traditional Chinese festival, yet social media abounds with tributes and gratitude for fathers.In my grandson’s kindergarten group chat, teachers shared pre-recorded blessing videos. The children cried out innocently and proudly: “Dad, you’re the best! We award you a medal!” Their voices brimmed with sincere gratitude.In the family chat group this morning, my son sent a short message: “Happy Father’s Day, Dad.” Warmth instantly flooded my heart, making every hardship and struggle worthwhile. Nothing in family life matters more than filial children; no achievement brings greater pride than a child’s grateful heart.In my hometown, the Dragon Boat Festival carries a beloved custom: married daughters travel back to their parents’ homes bearing peaches, plums and rice dumplings. They chat with their folks and share a home-cooked feast, earning the festival a well-deserved title as “Daughters’ Day”.As summer rain accompanies the entrance exams, the Summer Solstice meets Father’s Day, and the Dragon Boat Festival holiday is not yet over, countless reflections well up in my mind. All growth relies on sunshine and rain, and every harvest calls for gratitude. I shall never forget the struggles of my youth, my parents’ selfless support, teachers’ earnest teachings, and the kindness of society—these precious memories deserve to be preserved in writing.
（英语翻译借助AI）
