"..."
Munch, munch!
But Annie was clearly familiar with the restaurant owner, this old woman, so she paid no mind to the scolding. She picked out another pastry she liked and ate it on her own.
As for whether it was bad to be picky and fussy, she didn't care about that!
"..."
Seeing that she couldn't talk Annie out of it, the old woman didn't press the matter. She simply went back to her seat and continued sipping her tea.
The room fell quiet for a while. Only the occasional birdsong outside the window and the faint cries of vendors from deep in the alley broke the silence. Steam continued to curl up from the tea by the stove, while sunlight slipped through the lattice window and crept a little farther across the rough wooden floor.
"By the way."
After a while, the old woman seemed to remember something. She set down her teacup and lightly tapped the tabletop with her bony fingers, asking in a casual tone:
"Some time ago, I heard your disciple, Lin Daiyu, had finished the written portion of the Heavenly Court's immortal examination?"
"I wonder..."
"How did she do? Did it all go smoothly?"
As she spoke, her gaze seemed to settle casually on Annie's face, yet for some reason, there was a trace of scrutiny hidden in it.
"Hm?"
-
Munch.
Annie was reaching for another pastry, but she didn't pause at the question. She shoved it straight into her mouth, then shook her head with puffed-out cheeks and mumbled:
"No idea..."
Although Lin Daiyu was her disciple, Annie clearly didn't care much about exams. Her answer was perfunctory, and her attention stayed fixed on the delicious pastries.
Especially the few that suited her taste. She had to gobble those up as quickly