Academy life had a rhythm to it.
Mornings started with cultivation practice at dawn. Then breakfast, which Tang Xiaoli had completely taken over by arriving every single day with a different plate of something. Bean paste buns on Mondays. Sticky rice cakes on Tuesdays. Some kind of bright green dumpling on Wednesdays that nobody could identify but somehow tasted amazing.
"What's in these?" Lan Yue asked, holding one up suspiciously.
"Spirit grass, lotus paste, and a tiny bit of crushed jade powder for spiritual energy absorption."
"Jade powder? Isn't that... expensive?"
"Not if you know where to find it." Tang Xiaoli winked. "The Academy's herb garden has a jade moss patch behind the east wall. Nobody uses it because it tastes like dirt on its own. But if you mix it with lotus paste..."
"You get green dumplings that taste like happiness," Zhao Han finished, already on his third one.
