(｀)Headless Case
The next day, in the inner city of Yangzhou.
Though it wasn't yet noon, the sunlight was already blazing down on the pitted blue-stone road, leaving people feeling limp and languid.
That was why the tavern near Master Kong Alley was doing especially brisk business today.
After all, in weather like this, as long as you didn't have to work for a living and had a few spare coins in your pocket, who wouldn't want to sit around for half a day with a cup of Qionghua Dew, brewed from Yangzhou's local spring water and sweet and clear on the palate?
See?
Though it wasn't mealtime yet, seven or eight out of every ten seats in the tavern were already occupied by regulars.
At a window table in the first-floor hall, two old fellows were also seated, drinking and chatting over their cups, their faces flushed.
"..."
"..."
The older one wore a blue cotton robe that had seen better days, its cuffs worn pale. He was Old Xiao, who ran a rice shop in the neighborhood.
His companion was slightly plump, dressed in a tight-fitting brown silk shirt, his eyes darting about. He was Old Wang, who lived next door to the rice shop and ran a silk shop. He was known as "the man who knew everything."
Several small dishes were spread across their square birch table: salted peanuts, a little dish of marinated beans, a few meat and vegetable dishes, and a pot of Qionghua Dew warmed to just the right temperature.
No one knew how long they'd been drinking, but by now they were both tipsy. Old Xiao's cheeks were especially red, and he had clearly had more than a few rounds.
"Tsk—"
Old Wang picked up a peanut and tossed it into his