"No." Tang Monk gently shook his head. "I've simply become a little more at ease."
Su Wanwan lowered her head and looked at the ring of pastry crumbs around White Donkey's mouth. After a long while, she softly said, "Maybe it's because... you no longer treat me like an outsider."
Tang Monk paused slightly, then smiled. "If you are willing to stay, then naturally you are not an outsider."
She said nothing more, merely raising a hand to pluck a blade of grass from White Donkey's forehead.
That evening, a light rain began to fall.
The mountain road turned muddy, and the group could only quicken their pace, reaching a ferry crossing by the water before nightfall. Several wooden houses stood by the crossing, their eaves hanging low. Lines of rain dripped from the corners like gray-white curtains. The wind wrinkled the river's surface, while the opposite bank lay pitch-black, its tree shadows impossible to make out.
Only two rooms inside were fit for lodging, and the lamps were tended by an elderly couple.
Seeing the group covered in travel dust, the old woman hurriedly brought out a brazier and a pot of hot water. Su Wanwan had wanted to help in the kitchen, but the moment she stood up, the old woman pressed her back down.
"Young lady, you're soaked through. Hurry and warm yourself by the fire. The kitchen's full of smoke and grease—let my old man handle it."
Su Wanwan blinked in surprise. "I actually..."
"Actually what?" The old woman stuffed a bowl of ginger soup into her hands. "Your little face is frozen pale, and you're still trying to act tough."
Holding the bowl of ginger soup, Su Wanwan felt its warmth travel from her palms to her chest. For a moment, she did not know