Dinner did not officially end until more than an hour later. Most of the food went into Na'er's bottomless stomach, and only after she could not eat another bite did Tang Wulin step in and finish all the remaining dishes.
Both Master Zhao and Huo Yutong were top-tier chefs, and everyone ate to their hearts' content. Na'er in particular looked noticeably gentler toward Huo Yutong by the end of dinner; her attitude had shifted from hostility to friendliness.
Master Zhao's pre-dinner challenge of "Guess which dishes Yutong made" also ended with everyone getting every answer right.
When Master Zhao told them to guess, Ya Li had assumed they would judge by the taste of the dishes, picking whichever ones were slightly inferior.
Only after actually eating did she realize that the criterion was not "taste," but "feeling."
Whichever dish gave people a heartfelt sense of warmth had been made by Huo Yutong.
This left her clicking her tongue in amazement.
After dinner, Ya Li led everyone to the Inner Court and said somewhat apologetically,
"I'm terribly sorry, but Sea God's Pavilion does not have enough vacant rooms for all of you to stay there."
Tang Ziran smiled.
"That's all right. The accommodations in the Inner Court are already good enough."
He was not merely being polite. Compared with the small house their family of four had lived in back in Aolai City, any Inner Court dormitory was vastly more luxurious.
The dormitories for Inner Court disciples were furnished exceptionally well. In the outside world, even an average family might not earn half that amount after working without eating or drinking for ten years.
He was already quite satisfied to enjoy such material comforts thanks to Tang Wulin. He could not ask for more.
Thus, Tang Wulin and the others settled