I just became the Pirate King, and you're telling me I also time-traveled at the same time.

Chapter 1037 Even More Gossipy Than the Sugar Painting Seller

Around noon, they sat down to rest at a riverside teahouse outside the restaurant.

The river is wide, and occasionally a painted boat glides slowly by, its bow adorned with small copper bells that tinkle in the wind. Willows droop low along the banks, and the sunlight dapples the water like shimmering gold. Inside the teahouse, bamboo tables and chairs are set up, and nearby are stalls selling pastries and candied lotus root. Passersby stop and sit, creating a lively yet peaceful atmosphere.

Chu Yang ordered a pot of light tea and a plate of sweet lotus root.

Su Wanwan stared at the plate of candied lotus root, then suddenly whispered, "How did you know I like sweet things?"

"Your eyes lit up the first time you picked up that bag of sweet cakes from me at the entrance of town."

"Is there?"

"Don't you realize it yourself?"

She lowered her head, picked up a slice of lotus root with her chopsticks, and the sweetness melted on her tongue, and her heart also slowly melted a little.

"Chu Yang".

"Um?"

"Why are you suddenly being so nice to me today?"

Chu Yang paused in his tea-serving motion, then raised an eyebrow: "Was I bad to you before?"

"It's not that it's bad." Su Wanwan pursed her lips, "It's just... you used to bully me all the time."

"Would I call that bullying you?"

"Call me!" she said immediately. "You make me wash pots, mend clothes, pick out socks, and mix mud, and you're always making me angry."

"That's because you weren't honest back then."

"You're going to behave now?"

"I'm better now than before," Chu Yang said slowly, taking a sip of tea. "At least I know how to take a knife for someone else, and I know who my people should take care of first."

Su Wanwan's grip on the chopsticks tightened slightly.

"So..." she looked at the plate of candied lotus root in front of her, her voice growing softer, "So all of this is a reward for you today?"

"There are rewards and compensation."

"Compensation for what?"

"It's to make up for the fact that you've been following us all this way, and your food and lodging have been quite uncomfortable," Chu Yang said casually. "Especially following Brother Monkey, your ears have been quite uncomfortable too."

"How can you blame that?" Sun Wukong's voice suddenly came from behind.

The two were startled at the same time. They turned around and saw Sun Wukong standing outside the teahouse, holding a bag of roasted chestnuts, grinning from ear to ear, while Tang Sanzang shook his head helplessly behind him.

"Why are you here?" Chu Yang asked.

"I finished at the temple, guessed you were probably having a good meal here, so I came looking for you." Sun Wukong slammed chestnuts on the table, his eyes darting around. "Oh, candied lotus root, light tea, sitting by the river. Brother, you've got some good ideas."

After sitting down, Tang Seng first looked at Su Wanwan and saw that she looked even better than in the morning. He smiled slightly and said, "It seems you had a good shopping trip."

Holding the bag of jewelry and trinkets, Su Wanwan suddenly felt a little embarrassed and gave a soft "hmm".

After sitting down, Sun Wukong was the first to act without ceremony, picking up a piece of candied lotus root and stuffing it into his mouth, chewing and clicking his tongue as he said, "I've noticed that ever since this fox came, we've been living a more and more refined life on the road."

"You're not happy about it?" Chu Yang asked.

"I'd be happy to," Sun Wukong grinned, "but it'll be tough on your wallet."

"I think the person you should suffer the most from is your mouth."

The group chatted, enjoying the pleasant breeze blowing along the river. The aromas of tea, candied lotus root, and roasted chestnuts mingled together, making even the hustle and bustle of the riverside street seem to be bathed in soft sunlight.

Su Wanwan sat at the table, listening to their back-and-forth conversation, her fingers gently stroking the small silk pouch containing the jewelry. Suddenly, she felt a little overwhelmed.

It's not that my body can't take it.

The heat, sourness, and grievance that had been building up in my heart since last night suddenly surged up all at once.

She had received things before.

People had given her hairpins, gold bracelets, and even a whole box of pearls, saying they would give her anything if she stayed. But never before had she felt such a pang of sadness, holding a hairpin, a bracelet, and a dress, her heart pounding with tears.

Because when those people gave things away, they had something else on their minds.

But Chu Yang didn't.

He bought her shoes, clothes, and hairpins, still as cheeky as ever, still as irreverent as ever, as if he were just doing a few trivial things on a whim. But it was precisely this sense of entitlement that stripped away all her previous wariness, scheming, flattery, and feigned charm.

She lowered her head, trying to hold back her tears, but the tip of her nose felt increasingly sore.

Chu Yang was the first to notice something was wrong, turning his head to look at her: "What's wrong?"

Su Wanwan shook her head: "No..."

His voice was hoarse as soon as he spoke.

Sun Wukong, who had been eating chestnuts, stopped upon hearing this: "Why are you making that noise? It sounds like you're about to cry!"

"Who's going to cry?" Su Wanwan immediately retorted, but when she looked up, her eyes were already red.

Even Tang Sanzang was taken aback: "Female benefactor?"

Chu Yang frowned, about to say something, when Su Wanwan suddenly stood up, clutching the bag, and whispered, "I...I'll go for a bit..."

She turned and walked towards the back of the teahouse.

Chu Yang could tell at a glance that Chu Yang truly couldn't hold on any longer, so he got up and followed. Sun Wukong was about to follow as well, but Tang Sanzang gently shook his head: "Let Benefactor Chu go."

Behind the teahouse is a riverside path lined with two rows of willow trees, where there are far fewer people. A breeze blows across the water, gently swaying the drooping willow branches.

Su Wanwan stopped under the tree, her back to the person, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Chu Yang took two steps closer and stood behind her: "You really cried?"

She didn't turn around, but her voice was already trembling with tears: "Don't come any closer."

"What if you fall into the river if I don't come over and you stand here all by yourself?"

"I'm not stupid."

"Then why are you crying?"

Upon hearing this, Su Wanwan seemed to have been struck by something, and tears suddenly fell down her cheeks, landing on the silk pouch in her arms. She raised her hand to wipe them away, but the more she wiped, the more tears streamed down her face. Finally, she simply turned around, glaring at him with red, swollen eyes.

"It's all your fault."

Chu Yang was taken aback by her question: "What's it to blame me for?"

"It's your fault for suddenly being so nice to me." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again, and the tip of her nose turned red. "I... I didn't want to cry anymore, but you still bought me clothes, hairpins, this and that... Were you doing it on purpose?"

Chu Yang looked at her, and for a moment he couldn't say anything.

Even when Su Wanwan felt wronged, she usually kept it to herself, or if she got angry, she would retort with a few words. She rarely shed tears so openly in front of him. Not to mention that she was still tightly clutching that small silk bag in her hands, as if she was holding onto something she couldn't bear to let go of, crying and saying that he did it on purpose.

"What did I do on purpose?" he asked, softening his tone.

"You deliberately made me feel..." She choked up, tears streaming down her face, her voice broken, "that you were all too good to me."

Upon hearing this, she herself couldn't hold back, lowered her head, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

"I've never... I've never encountered anything like this before." She sniffled, her crying not at all pretty, yet captivating. "Others give me things, but not like this. You knew I had ill intentions from the start, yet you still kept me; when I was injured, you gave me medicine, a room, hot water... you even bought me these things..."

"I'm just a fox." Her tears fell even harder. "What do you think I am that deserves all this?"

Chu Yang stood in front of her, silent for a moment.

A breeze blew by, willow branches brushed against the hems of their clothes, and the river water lapped against the stone bank not far away, making a soft, gurgling sound. Her eyelashes were soaked with tears, and her whole face was a mess, but when she uttered the words "I'm not worthy of it," Chu Yang suddenly felt as if something had twisted his heart hard.

He's never been good at comforting people.

They especially don't know how to comfort a fox that's crying.

But seeing her crying like this, he didn't know whether to scold her or laugh. In the end, he could only reach out and move the silk pouch in her arms, which was almost soaked with tears, away a little, so that it wouldn't get really damaged from crying.

"Who says you're not worth it?"

Su Wanwan sobbed as she looked up, "Then...then what do you think I'm worth?"

"Worth it..." Chu Yang originally wanted to casually retort, "Worth two meals," but when he saw her red eyes, he held back and his tone became unusually serious. "Worth it for your trip back to Yueze. Worth it for you obediently following along afterwards. Worth it for the socks you mended for Master at night. Worth it for the soup you cooked for Brother Monkey. Worth it for pulling the white donkey out of the mud pit and not throwing it back in. Worth it for you being one of us now."

When the last sentence came out, Su Wanwan's eyes widened, and her tears seemed to stop for a moment.

"When...when did I...?"

"You've been one all along," Chu Yang said, looking at her and lowering his voice. "Otherwise, why do you think I'd let you stay in a single room, or buy you all this? Do you think I'd have nothing better to do?"

Su Wanwan opened her mouth, but tears welled up again in an instant. This time, she wasn't just feeling wronged; she simply couldn't hold back anymore. She lowered her head, covered her face, and cried until her shoulders trembled.

Chu Yang sighed with a headache: "Alright, why are you crying even harder the more you talk about it?"

"It's all your fault..."

"It's my fault again."

"It's all your fault."

"Okay, it's my fault." He pulled out the crabapple blossom handkerchief that the landlady had insisted on giving him from his pocket. He had initially thought the pattern was too delicate, but now it came in handy. He handed the handkerchief over, "Wipe your hands."

Su Wanwan didn't answer; she was crying so hard she couldn't open her eyes and just kept her head down, tears streaming down her face.

Having no other choice, Chu Yang had to raise his hand and awkwardly wipe her face himself.

"Stop crying, you don't even have makeup on, why are you crying and ruining it?"

"I...I wasn't wearing any makeup."

"That's perfect, saves us the trouble of making it up."

"You..." Her crying paused for a moment, angered by his words. She raised her hand to slap him, "Can you please not say things like that at a time like this!"

"No," Chu Yang replied smoothly. "If I don't say something, how long will you keep crying here?"

Su Wanwan was both angry and amused, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, but he had truly blocked her from crying, leaving her only able to sob and glare at him. She looked both pitiful and somewhat comical.

Chu Yang looked at her, then suddenly reached out and lightly flicked her forehead.

"I've found that you, fox, can be quite troublesome at times."

"I... I'm not in any trouble."

"You cry when I buy you things, will you cry again if I don't?"

"I won't."

"So what are you doing now?"

"I..." Su Wanwan sniffed, her voice muffled, "I just... couldn't help it."

Chu Yang hummed in agreement: "Have you finished crying?"

She raised her hand to wipe her face, then twitched again: "Almost, nearly."

"Let's head back soon."

"How am I supposed to get back like this?"

"Why can't we go back? It's not like I haven't seen you cry before, Monkey King."

"Who would cry in front of him!"

"Then just say the willow catkins got in your eyes."

"What season is it now? Where did all this willow catkins come from?"

"Then say it's because the river wind was too strong."

Su Wanwan finally chuckled, her voice still trembling with tears, her eyes and nose red as she laughed. She lowered her head, took the begonia-shaped handkerchief, wiped her face, and after a moment, whispered, "Chu Yang."

"Um?"

"Could you... please not be so suddenly nice to me in the future?"

Chu Yang raised an eyebrow: "Why?"

"I'm afraid I'll cry again."

"Then you'll get used to it after crying a few more times."

"Who wants to get used to this?"

"Fine, if you're not used to it, you're not used to it." He stuffed the bag back into her arms and straightened her slightly crooked hairband. "Anyway, I've already bought it, so you have to accept it whether you cry or not."

Su Wanwan hugged the package and gave a soft "hmm".

As the two walked back along the riverbank, the wind was much gentler than before. Willow branches drooped down, occasionally brushing against their shoulders. Painted boats drifted slowly by on the river, and someone on one of them played a tune. The sound was too far away to hear clearly, but it added to the leisurely atmosphere.

As she approached the teahouse entrance, Su Wanwan suddenly slowed her pace.

"What's wrong?" Chu Yang asked.

"Are my eyes still red?"

"red."

"What should we do then?"

"What are you afraid of? If Monkey King sees you, he'll just laugh at you a bit."

I don't want him to laugh.

Chu Yang thought for a moment, then suddenly reached out and pulled her behind him.

"Then you walk behind me."

"……what?"

"I'll block it a bit, okay?"

Su Wanwan paused, then her ears began to burn again. Standing behind him, she whispered, "Why are you always like this?"

"What?"

"……that's all."

Chu Yang didn't respond to that, and simply stepped into the teahouse.

Sure enough, as soon as Sun Wukong saw the two return, he glanced at Su Wanwan's face and immediately chuckled, "Oh dear, why are those fox eyes so red? Little brother, you didn't really make her cry, did you?"

"Eat your chestnuts." Chu Yang pressed the bag of roasted chestnuts into his arms.

Tang Sanzang didn't ask any further questions, but looked at Su Wanwan and said gently, "If you are tired, female benefactor, please go back and rest."

Su Wanwan, holding her things, nodded: "Okay."

She turned to leave, but Chu Yang called her back: "Go back and try on the hairpin."

Su Wanwan paused, her eyes still red when she turned around, but she couldn't hold back her tears: "I understand."

As soon as she left, Sun Wukong immediately came up to her, his eyes shining as if he had found some new play script: "Tell me, why were you crying? What exactly did you do?"

"Nothing."

"She didn't do anything wrong, so why was she crying like that?"

"Brother Monkey, how come you're even more gossipy than the sugar painting seller?"

"This shows concern for the teammate's emotional life."

"roll."

Tang Sanzang sighed softly, but couldn't help but smile slightly: "Benefactor Chu, Miss Su is rather delicate. You should slow down your speech more often."

"I've calmed down quite a bit." Chu Yang picked up his teacup, recalling how she had cried and said, "Were you doing this on purpose?" He couldn't help but smile again. "If I calm down any further, I won't be myself anymore."

When he returned to the restaurant in the evening, Su Wanwan was no longer downstairs.

She had the waiter bring the food to her room, probably not wanting Sun Wukong to see her after she had just cried. As Chu Yang went upstairs, he passed the door to that second-floor room and heard very light footsteps inside. He hesitated for a moment, then decided not to knock. He stood outside the door for a brief moment before turning back to the third floor. (End of Chapter)