The third floor was still lively at night.
Sun Wukong pestered the shopkeeper for two more plates of meat, White Donkey brayed twice in the back courtyard, and after eating, Tang Monk went to copy scriptures beneath the lamp. Chu Yang sat by the window with a teacup between his fingers. Whenever he happened to look up, he could see the warm yellow glow spilling from the innermost window on the second floor.
The light was quiet against the window paper, swaying now and then as though she were moving about inside.
After watching for a while, he suddenly felt some part of his heart grow still as well.
The next morning, when Su Wanwan came downstairs, she already had that Haitang jade hairpin in her hair.
She had probably tried it in front of the mirror for a long time. In the end, she simply pinned up half her hair and let the rest fall softly over her shoulders. The hairpin was not flashy, yet it made her seem even more delicate and refined. When she walked down the stairs, even the shopkeeper stared blankly for two seconds.
Sun Wukong sat at the table, and the bun in his hand nearly fell. "Not bad. That crying actually got results."
"Shut up." Su Wanwan's face heated up as she snapped at him. Then, unable to help herself, she looked toward Chu Yang. "...Does it look good?"
She asked it softly, as though it were merely an offhand question, but her gaze landed squarely on him.
Chu Yang looked up at her and watched her for a moment without answering right away.
Su Wanwan's heart inexplicably tightened. Just as she was about to look away and pretend not to care, she heard him say, "Mm."
"What does 'mm' mean?"
"It means