Ding Songyan glanced at Twelfth Madam Luo only once before looking away. Then he ordered two more dishes to accompany his wine and slowly poured himself cup after cup from the pot of Jade Spring, enjoying himself.
Apart from him, there were two tables of customers in the Wine Shop. One group seemed to have been eating since noon; their table was a jumble of cups and plates, and they were all drunk.
They insisted that Twelfth Madam Luo come over before they would settle the bill, their mouths spewing filth. The sharp-tongued proprietress gave as good as she got. One of them even tried to use drunkenness as an excuse to take liberties with her, but with two nimble steps, Twelfth Madam Luo slipped behind Yu Qilang, the young waiter.
Yu Qilang deftly intercepted the man. Together with the other waiter, who also did odd jobs, he politely escorted the group out. The two cooks watched from a distance, each holding a sharp kitchen knife as a deterrent.
At the sight, Ding Songyan leisurely counted out thirty copper coins, set them on the table, and strolled out of the Wine Shop.
He followed the group at a distance until he had confirmed the street and alley where the man who had tried to take liberties with Twelfth Madam Luo lived. Only then did he resume surveying the terrain around Prince Kang's Residence, imagining how he would exploit it, cause trouble, and retreat if he were a fiend of the outer dao.
As evening approached, he returned to the courtyard at the edge of the prince's residence.
Bored out of their minds, Wu Mo and Fan Chunlin had each claimed half the courtyard and were practicing their martial arts without disturbing one another. Li Baima had brought out a stool