"Ran all the way back?" Madam Lin's tone was mild as she picked up the serving chopsticks and placed a helping of stir-fried asparagus in her bowl. "You're covered in sweat. Aren't you afraid of catching cold? Don't rush like this next time. If you miss mealtime, then you miss it. Rules are dead; people are alive."
"I know, Mother!" Dou Congtong relaxed inwardly and quickly sat down, lifting her bowl to shovel in a couple mouthfuls of rice before mumbling, "I just didn't want to keep you waiting."
"The Gao Ying Competition is over?" Madam Lin also picked up her chopsticks, as if making idle conversation.
Dou Congtong's hand, reaching for food, paused almost imperceptibly, then returned to normal. "Mm, it just ended. Today was the last day... Mm, it was pretty lively. It just ended a little late."
"How did Heaven Dou Academy do this time? Not too well?" Madam Lin asked casually, adding a small piece of Steamed Perch to her bowl.
Dou Congtong froze mid-shovel, and the fish nearly stuck in her throat.
She hurriedly drank a mouthful of soup to wash it down, then forced herself to stay calm. "It was... it was all right, I guess. Anyway... it's a competition. Some win, some lose. That's normal."
She did not dare look into her mother's eyes, only lowered her head and stared intently at the grains of rice in her bowl, as if she could count them one by one.
"Oh?" Madam Lin's expression was calm. "I heard Madam Zhou next door say today that things didn't look too good for Heaven Dou Academy? Especially since the famous 'Heaven Dou Three Heroes' were all injured?"
Dou Congtong's heart skipped, and she inwardly cursed Madam Zhou for having such a loose tongue.
She kept her tone