Fu Teng stood there for another brief moment after apologizing.
The tension in the kitchen still had not fully disappeared, and the silence pressing down on the room felt heavier than before.
His expression remained stiff.
Almost uncomfortable.
Then without saying another word, he turned abruptly and walked out of the kitchen.
No one stopped him.
The sound of his footsteps faded back into the courtyard until the room finally became quiet again.
For several moments, nobody spoke.
The steam continued rising slowly from the pots while the fire beneath the stove crackled softly, but the earlier peaceful atmosphere had already been broken completely.
Zhao Yin remained standing beside the stove with her head slightly lowered.
Zhao Yue looked worriedly toward her older sister but did not know what to say.
Master Fu let out a quiet breath before finally turning around.
"Continue preparing breakfast," he said calmly.
His voice had softened slightly now compared to earlier.
