An Offer Accepted
The group got up early the next morning and went into the parlor for breakfast. Perhaps because she knew who Zhou Lihua was, the person serving them was the inn’s proprietress.
She was an older woman who looked to be between middle and old age. Her graying hair was tied into a neat bun and a few strands framed her face. She wore makeup to cover the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. It was clear from her appearance that she wasn’t a cultivator, since people who cultivate usually looked a lot younger than they appeared.
The proprietress came out of the kitchen alongside a pair of servants and presented them all with that morning’s breakfast—a literal smorgasbord of food. There was congee, of course, a traditional breakfast food, but there was also steamed buns, dumplings, noodles cooked in sesame oil, and jian bing (breakfast crepes filled with eggs, scallions, and soybean paste).
They were also served tea.