11:40, Ma Lu and Old Wang arrived on a tricycle outside Yan Wu's courtyard.
Jin Xin Plumbing and Hardware Store was closed today, and Yan Wu was standing on a ladder around a leather skirt, pruning a date tree.
He saw the two men standing outside the courtyard wall and said, "Come in, the door's unlocked."
"Have the guests not arrived yet?" Ma Lu quickly scanned the surroundings, seeing no one other than Yan Wu.
"They should have been here by now, but they sent me a message half an hour ago saying they were attacked on the road and are busy fighting. They'll be a bit late."
"Attack? There was a fight?" Ma Lu was startled, "Where? In City B?"
"Where else? If they haven't reached City B by now, how would they make it in time for lunch?"
Ma Lu took out his phone to check the local news but didn't see any reports of a large-scale brawl, though it's also possible that it was suppressed by that pigeon.
"Aren't you going to help them?" Ma Lu asked Yan Wu.
