44: The neighbors dislike Damao, and Jia Zhang explains the origin of Shazhu's name.

“Exactly. Sha Zhu is just foul-mouthed and stubborn, he doesn’t have any major flaws. Xu Damao, on the other hand, is utterly rotten!”

Among the crowd, a young man spoke with righteous indignation, his tone filled with resentment towards Xu Damao.

Everyone immediately chimed in, mercilessly cursing Xu Damao, and for a moment, various accusations echoed in the air.

These neighbors lived with Sha Zhu day in and day out, and knew him inside and out. They didn't believe for a second that Sha Zhu would do the despicable things he was being accused of, and were firm in their belief of his upright character.

“Slander?” Lou Xiaoe’s eyes widened when she heard the crowd's discussion, her face filled with astonishment, then she suddenly realized.

She had originally thought that Xu Damao was Long Feiyang’s enemy and was kindly warning her, but she never expected it to be malicious slander.

Lou Xiaoe’s gaze towards Xu Damao instantly filled with disgust and disdain, as if she was looking at a repulsive bug.

“I… I didn’t…” Xu Damao noticed the change in everyone's attitude and panicked. He wanted to explain, but his head was firmly pressed to the ground by Long Feiyang, making it difficult to speak. His voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, completely unconvincing.

Long Feiyang saw that Xu Damao still wouldn't admit it, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he turned to ask Lou Xiaoe, “Lou Xiaoe, tell me, what did this Xu Damao tell you?”

Lou Xiaoe looked deeply at Long Feiyang, paused for a moment, and slowly began, “He said Long Feiyang is a scumbag, that he mixed with enemy agents for two years, indulged in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, and beat his wife when he had no money. He also said that Long Feiyang invited me here to set me up on a blind date with Sha Zhu, and asked if I knew Sha Zhu. He actually said Sha Zhu was a fool, short-tempered, always hitting people, and liked to flirt with women, even Long Feiyang’s wife had been flirted with by Sha Zhu, slandering Long Feiyang for wanting to push me into a fire pit…”

Lou Xiaoe spilled out Xu Damao’s words exactly as they were said, like beans from a bamboo tube.

The neighbors instantly erupted into an uproar upon hearing this.

“This Xu Damao is too presumptuous, how dare he slander Sha Zhu like that! Sha Zhu did hit Xu Damao and Long Feiyang, but they brought it upon themselves. Sha Zhu never bullies others, they deserved to be beaten!”

A middle-aged uncle’s face turned crimson as he waved his arms and spoke loudly, his anger clearly visible on his face.

“That’s right, it’s a good thing Long Feiyang caught him red-handed this time, otherwise, we wouldn't be able to do anything about this Xu Damao in the future, and he’d become even more arrogant!”

An Aunt echoed, pointing at Xu Damao, her eyes full of anger, wishing she could go up and kick him a few more times.

“I always thought Xu Damao was a decent person, but I never expected him to be this kind of person. Bah!”

A young woman couldn't help but spit, her face full of disdain, her eyes showing extreme disgust for Xu Damao.

For a time, condemnations of Xu Damao rose and fell.

Those who had dealings with Xu Damao now stared at him with disgusted eyes, as if he were a heinous villain.

In the past, the Siheyuan had three elders who presided over justice. When conflicts arose, most major issues were minimized, and minor issues were resolved, using small punishments or appeasement methods.

Therefore, matters concerning Courtyard No. 95 rarely spread outside.

But this time, the conflict between Long Feiyang and Xu Damao occurred at the entrance of the Siheyuan, and the three elders were not present, so no one could stop Long Feiyang.

Thus, Long Feiyang's on-the-spot announcement amounted to a public “execution” of Xu Damao, allowing everyone to see Xu Damao's sinister and ugly true colors.

“Hey, is this girl being introduced by Long Feiyang to Sha Zhu?”

Among the crowd, someone exclaimed in surprise, and everyone's attention immediately turned to Lou Xiaoe and Long Feiyang.

Many people felt that Long Feiyang had changed dramatically; they had never heard of him actively introducing a partner to Sha Zhu before, especially such a beautiful girl.

“Girl, don't listen to that Xu Damao talking nonsense. Sha Zhu is really a good person, he’s righteous, just straightforward in his speech and not very savvy in social etiquette, but his heart is absolutely kind.”

A warm-hearted Aunt stepped forward, smiling and praising Sha Zhu to Lou Xiaoe, her eyes full of sincerity, wanting to eliminate the impact of Xu Damao’s slander.

Lou Xiaoe just opened her mouth, wanting to explain that she wasn't here for a blind date, but before she could speak.

“Could this Xu Damao be trying to steal her? Oh my god, he would actually do something so despicable!”

A hot-blooded young man exclaimed loudly, his tone full of shock and anger.

These words were like a bomb, instantly changing the complexions of everyone present.

Especially the young single men, upon hearing this, their unfriendly gazes stared intently at Xu Damao, their eyes seeming to spit fire.

As the saying goes, it’s better to tear down ten temples than to ruin one marriage; one should always encourage reconciliation, not separation.

Xu Damao dared to do something as immoral as stealing a potential partner, which incited public anger and touched everyone’s taboo.

In the entire Nanluoguxiang, if this matter were to spread, few people would tolerate Xu Damao’s behavior.

Xu Damao felt the terrifying gazes of the crowd, became extremely scared, and dared not move, cowering on the ground, trembling like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

Qin Huairu stood to the side, looking at Xu Damao with disgust, her eyes full of disdain.

Then, she curiously sized up Long Feiyang and Lou Xiaoe, especially when she saw Lou Xiaoe, she scrutinized her up and down, seemingly guessing her identity.

After sizing up Lou Xiaoe, Qin Huairu showed a satisfied expression, nodded slightly, and said, “Long Feiyang, you have excellent taste. I didn't expect you to introduce such a good girl for Sha Zhu to go on a blind date with.”

“Sister-in-law Jia, look at what you’re saying, you don’t even consider my relationship with Sha Zhu. Sha Zhu and I have the closest relationship in the whole Siheyuan. However, I need to make it clear to you, today is really not a blind date. I’m just inviting this girl and Sha Zhu to my house for a meal. This girl is a new friend of mine, and I need to introduce her to my wife, otherwise, it’s easy to cause misunderstandings later.”

Long Feiyang’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained normal. He quickly explained sincerely, his eyes full of earnestness.

Qin Huairu listened, rolled her eyes at him, and thought to herself: It's already at the stage of having a meal together, what's the difference from a blind date? However, she didn't expose him on the spot.

“Long Feiyang, you invited me here, is it really just for me to meet your wife, and not for me to go on a blind date with Sha Zhu?”

Lou Xiaoe frowned slightly, her eyes questioning, staring intently at Long Feiyang, as if trying to see through his thoughts from his gaze.

“Lou Xiaoe, I really didn’t lie to you. I said before that if you want to ask me questions in the future, you have to get my wife’s permission. I invited you here this time just for you to meet my wife, and you also have to promise her that you have no other purpose in seeking me out. I’m doing this because I don’t want my wife to misunderstand.”

Long Feiyang raised his voice and answered loudly, with a hint of urgency in his tone.

The surrounding neighbors listened, looking at each other, their eyes full of doubt, wondering if Long Feiyang was telling the truth.

“Really?” Lou Xiaoe still looked suspicious, the doubt in her eyes undiminished, she still didn't quite believe Long Feiyang’s words.

“Of course it’s true, why would I lie to you?” Long Feiyang saw that Lou Xiaoe didn't believe him, felt a little anxious, and quickly reassured her again, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

“But you just said Sha Zhu would be at your house for dinner.”

Lou Xiaoe’s eyes darted around, and she raised another question, seemingly feeling that Long Feiyang’s words were full of loopholes and couldn't stand up to scrutiny.

“Sha Zhu is my good brother, he’ll definitely come to dinner. Sha Zhu has been eating at my house every day these past few days. If you don’t believe me, ask the neighbors.”

Long Feiyang pointed at the people around him, explaining loudly and helplessly, hoping to get everyone’s support.

“Oh…” The neighbors suddenly understood and nodded one after another.

Some people even had strange smiles on their faces, as if they had seen through Long Feiyang’s thoughts.

“Oh, I really envy Sha Zhu, being able to eat at your house every day.”

Third Aunt watched from the side, her face full of envy, and couldn't help but say, her eyes revealing a longing for delicious food.

The aroma of food wafting from the Lei Family these past few days was too tempting, and she was terribly hungry.

But every time Long Feiyang cooked, he only invited the He Family and the Lei Family, so Third Aunt and the others could only watch enviously.

Third Aunt’s words confirmed that Sha Zhu indeed often went to the Lei Family to eat.

Although there were witnesses, Lou Xiaoe still felt that Long Feiyang had another purpose in inviting her.

She lowered her head in thought but couldn't think of any words to refute.

After a moment of hesitation, Lou Xiaoe still asked curiously, “Then is Sha Zhu really a fool, as others say?”

“Girl, don't listen to others talk nonsense, Sha Zhu is not foolish at all.”

At this moment, a slightly hoarse but strong voice came.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, and it was Jia Zhangshi speaking, a notoriously difficult person in the Siheyuan.

“Aunt Zhang, since you say so, you must know how Sha Zhu got that nickname, right?”

Long Feiyang’s curiosity was piqued, and he turned to look at Jia Zhangshi with anticipation, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

In the original owner's memory, he had no impression of the origin of Sha Zhu's nickname, only remembering hearing people call him Sha Zhu when he was a child, but not knowing why.

In fact, not only was Long Feiyang curious, but many young neighbors around also pricked up their ears, their eyes sparkling with curiosity, clearly all wanting to know the reason.

The older neighbors, hearing this question, showed knowing smiles on their faces, seemingly already familiar with the story.

“That's a long story, it goes back to the year Sijiucheng / Beijing was just liberated. At that time, Sha Zhu was only twelve or thirteen years old.

His father was a chef, and one day, his father, for some reason, insisted that Sha Zhu go alone to sell steamed buns outside Dongzhimen.

As a result, Sha Zhu encountered wounded soldiers robbing things on the road. This Sha Zhu was stubborn, he hugged all the steamed buns, forcefully pushed past the wounded soldiers, and ran for his life.

Who would have thought that those wounded soldiers were also pig-headed, chasing him all the way from Nanshuncheng Street to outside Chaoyangmen.

However, Sha Zhu was a native of Sijiucheng / Beijing, familiar with all the streets and alleys in the city, so even if the wounded soldiers chased him closely, he eventually relied on his familiarity with the terrain to successfully shake off the wounded soldiers.

You tell me, weren't those steamed buns literally protected by Sha Zhu with his life?”

Jia Zhangshi narrated vividly, her expression changing with the development of the story, sometimes tense, sometimes excited, as if she had returned to the scene of that year.

“Just for a few steamed buns, is it worth fighting so hard? This Sha Zhu, he really is foolish.”

Lou Xiaoe listened, frowned slightly, her eyes showing doubt and incomprehension.

In her opinion, they were just a few steamed buns; if her family wanted to eat them, what kind of steamed buns didn't they have, with various fillings to choose from.