Appointment

Hearing Wang Yan say this, Ma Du nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "Your experiences are far too legendary. They all admire you greatly. When they heard me say that you have unique insights into literature and that you were the one who guided me onto the literary path, they learned I knew you and kept begging me to arrange a meeting so they could hear you expound on the world and inspire their writing."

"You haven't changed at all after all these years. You still flatter people every time you open your mouth. If my willpower weren't so strong, you'd have praised me right up into the sky by now." Wang Yan chuckled, gesturing vaguely at him with the hand holding his cigarette. After taking a sip of tea, he said, "Then let's meet them. I ought to give you some face, shouldn't I? You arrange it. Just call me directly when the time comes."

Ma Du chuckled. "Thank you, Prince Wang, for honoring us. Let's set it for next Sunday, when you're off work, so it won't interfere with your job. I'll look around for the venue later and find a good restaurant. There are so many restaurants now, with all eight major regional cuisines from across the country and every kind of dish imaginable. We'll find somewhere delicious."

Ragpicker Hou interjected with an ah. "Speaking of restaurants, Chunming, you already have Tea Fragrance, Leave After Drinking, and Gather Friends—three of them. The old Chief Constable's wish is about to come true. So when are you opening Return Again House? You're not short of money now, are you?"

Han Chunming nodded. "Back when I was planning to open restaurants, Prince Wang told me to make the first three affordable places, then open a high-end gourmet restaurant as