Weathers of the Memory and Present Day--Nieh's Several Blessings

In Nieh's short story Several Blessings I deeply appreciated the numerous locations that were mentioned. In some stories with one setting heavily described I find the line line being crossed; the symbolism is too overdone, too emphasized, too plain. I found Nieh's to be in complete equilibrium. 

It's wonderful the way the different stages of life are alluded to through weather and nature. I'm enamored by Sage when he recalls the picture-perfect mise-en-scene of his stroll down Lovebird Road with his friend's wife who we discover is the one who got away. His adoration of her astounding beauty combined with her many emotional lightings highlighted by the two willow trees at different times of day is a very interesting juxtaposition. Nieh then breaks from that cyclical day comparison and leads the reader to many other nature representations through the different periods of one's life. 

Later in the short story Nieh writes in more gloomy weather for the unknown (and probably tumultuous) future of Ta-nien and Sage. In stark contrast to the springtime or summer memory of Sage, this windy weather's emphasis is blatantly shown in the last paragraph: "And turning into his own house, Ta-nien pretended to feel afraid of nothing in the whole wide windy world". Now that the character is back in the present day, the uncertainty and mercurial nature arise and frankly make us really, really scared. (I know, using my big girl words.) We're safe in our memories where we know what to expect. But then again, risk and living only happen in the present. 

Unrelated: There's this memory, this thought that keeps coming up when I think about the many settings of Ta-nien and Sage. Whenever I think of my 5th grade year, I do not instantly recall social dalliances or other run-of-the-mill memories. Instead, I picture in my mind the view of my classroom from out in the hall. This glance, without any of any classmate or faculty member, speaks to me. I can't describe what it makes me feel, but I do know that it is my visual label of that year. It's a still of that period of time that lends itself to be repeated. This is the only thing that comes to mind when Sage's mind brings up the willow tree walk. 
I haven't explained this fully, or to any degree of quality really, but I'll try to mull this thought over in the hope of sharing it later.