Wang Yang cried out in protest, "What am I longing for?! I've been in Jingzhou all this time, and I've never been to the Reed Pavilion, Hibiscus Lane, West Xitong Lane, or the Thirteen Fuyun Courtyards!"
Xie Xinghan and Xiao Ning both froze.
Xie Xinghan asked Xiao Ning, "Do you know the places he's talking about?"
Xiao Ning looked puzzled. "I've never heard of them. Where's West Xitong Lane? Does Fuyun mean Fuyun Ferry out in the western suburbs? There are thirteen courtyards there?"
Xie Xinghan turned to Wang Yang with a complicated look. "You really have done your research..."
Wang Yang hastily clarified, "No, no! It's all hearsay!"
Xie Xinghan smiled. "Don't be so modest, Young Master. Why not tell us which thirteen courtyards they are? Let us humble young women broaden our horizons."
"Oh, there's really not much to tell. These thirteen courtyards started out as thirteen unlicensed brothels. Later they built houses and courtyards, linked them into streets and lanes, and gradually became a flourishing quarter of flowers and willows. There are far more than thirteen now. They supposedly offer all sorts of settings: painted boats by the water, with pipa music, singing, and dancing; secluded courtyards, quiet and tender. People call it 'Little Qinhuai'! But the prices are much fairer than on the Qinhuai River. I hear Hibiscus Lane fleeces its customers the worst. The moment you step inside, whether you ask for a girl or not, first-"
Wang Yang was getting carried away when he suddenly noticed Xie Xinghan's chilly gaze and Xiao Ning's peculiar expression. Realizing at once that he had said too much, he coughed and said:
"I only heard all this from other people. I'm just parroting what they said. I really don't have an interest in this! I just have a