Suddenly, a blue figure drifted down from the sky and landed squarely at the bow on the top deck of the Xinglong Hao. Greetings rang out from inside the pleasure boat at once. "Tu Lao San, you're late. Three cups of punishment!"
The blue figure was a young man of about thirty. His two wisps of mustache spoiled an otherwise rather refined face.
Tu Lao San stepped into the pleasure boat and respectfully cupped his fist toward the purple-robed young man in the host's seat. "Second Brother, I'm late, I'm late. My sincerest apologies." As he spoke, he picked up a nearby cup and downed several in a row.
The purple-robed young man waved a hand. "We're all brothers here. No need for that. Take a seat."
Tu Lao San turned and cupped his fist to the seven or eight people filling the seats, then grinned as he settled into an empty one.
"Third Brother, with that smug, shifty-eyed look, you're surely cooking up some mischief again. What is it this time? Set your sights on some girl from another household and want to bring her home as a concubine?"
A long-faced young man beside him teased.
"Old Fei, if you don't take a jab at me at least once a day, I suppose you can't sleep at night."
Tu Lao San shot back, snatched up a translucent jade-green grape, and popped it into his mouth. "And don't you glare at me, Old Fei. This time, unless you ask me, Tu Lao San, nicely, you can forget about hearing the latest from the outside world."
The long-faced young man laughed and cursed. "Bullshit. What's going on in Huaixi Prefecture that I don't know about?"
Tu Lao San only smiled. He lifted the jade cup on the table and gave a