After the party entered the grand hall, the confucian scholar beamed benevolently at the three men and said, “So there are friends who made it first. Do excuse us.”
He turned and shouted while he walked along to a dark corner at the other side of the grand hall, removing the basket he carried on his back. “Cook, quickly grow a fire for us.”
“Alright!” The man who came in first replied and began to take down the mess of items on his body. He held onto a butcher knife as he went off to find firewood.
The soft palanquin shrouded by light muslin was also moved to a dark corner on that side. Although it could be said to be a soft palanquin, in actuality it was a lightweight and portable chair bed. From the light of the fire, the three of them could see a woman lying down on her side inside it, looking relaxed and at ease. However, they couldn’t clearly see her appearance.
