Morning arrived like a thunderclap over the Whisper Bowl.
The sun barely climbed above the rooftops when the street outside the restaurant turned into a river of people. Carts rattled. Vendors shouted. Fresh fish glistened on woven mats. Baskets of peaches were unloaded from wagons. Horses snorted as stable boys hurried past.
But inside the Whisper Bowl—
it was chaos multiplied by ten.
The moment the doors opened before dawn, customers flooded in as if driven by a storm.
Some carried baskets.
Some carried children.
Some came in silk.
Some in patched clothes.
Yet all of them said the same things—
"Move, move! The Whisper Bowl will run out of food!"
"I heard they serve lotus duck!"
"They say the Empress herself tasted their dishes!"
"Let me in first!"
The twins, Lin and Lian, were running like wild cats.
"Lin! Faster!"
"I AM running faster!"
"Not fast enough!"
Wei Jie moved like a quiet mountain, carrying trays full of bowls without spilling a single drop of soup.
