45: Xu Damao escapes and takes Lou Xiaoe home

“Hey, girl, how is that considered foolish?”

Upon hearing Lou Xiaoe’s words, Qin Huairu immediately stood up, righteously defending Sha Zhu.

She raised her voice, a hint of urgency and seriousness in her tone, and said, “Back then, the money from selling those steamed buns was enough to feed a family for a whole month with mixed grain flour. In an era of extreme material scarcity, saving the steamed buns meant saving a family’s livelihood.”

The neighbors listened and nodded in agreement.

Everyone knew that in those difficult times, a month's supply of mixed grain flour was extremely precious; if eaten sparingly, it could last a month and a half.

That was a crucial resource for a family's survival.

“Mixed grain flour?” Lou Xiaoe murmured softly, her eyes full of confusion.

Although she had heard of this flour, ground from coarse grains like corn and sorghum, and knew it didn't taste great, she had never seen it in her own home.

Now, listening to the neighbors' words and seeing the serious expressions on their faces, Lou Xiaoe truly felt the hardship and difficulty of ordinary people's lives.

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing that in this era, people used mixed grain flour to measure the value of things.

“Then, Aunt Zhang, how exactly did Sha Zhu get his nickname?” Long Feiyang seized the opportunity, quickly asking during a lull in the discussion.

His curiosity was thoroughly ignited, his eyes gleaming with eagerness, desperate to know the full story.

“After Sha Zhu dropped off the wounded soldier, he should have gone straight home. But this child, he didn't. He met a few passing merchants on the way and actually sold all the steamed buns. Then, Sha Zhu happily went home with the money from selling the buns, and as soon as he entered the door, he handed the money to his dad. And what do you think happened next?”

Jia Zhangshi paused deliberately at this point, her eyes slyly sweeping over the faces of the younger neighbors, building suspense.

“What happened?” The younger neighbors were deeply engrossed in Jia Zhangshi’s narration, and upon hearing this, they eagerly pressed for more, craning their necks, their faces full of curiosity.

“His dad took the money, counted it carefully, and found it was all counterfeit! Sha Zhu’s dad was so angry he jumped and yelled in the Siheyuan: ‘You Sha Zhu, you idiot, why didn’t you bring the steamed buns back! Sha Zhu, Sha Zhu!’ And that’s how the name Sha Zhu was coined by his dad. At first, he didn’t like it when others called him Sha Zhu, but after being called it so many times, he got used to it and didn’t care anymore.”

Jia Zhangshi shook her head and sighed as she spoke, yet a faint smile played on her face, as if she found this past event both helpless and amusing.

The younger neighbors suddenly realized that Sha Zhu’s name was something his dad had blurted out in anger.

“Think about it, Sha Zhu was young then, how could he have known he’d be tricked?” Qin Huairu continued, her words full of protection and sympathy for Sha Zhu, a hint of pity in her eyes.

Everyone listened and nodded in understanding.

In their view, Sha Zhu was young at the time and lacked social experience, so being tricked was understandable.

“Girl, don't listen to others' nonsense. Sha Zhu is not foolish at all; he’s a good person. In this Siheyuan, only Xu Damao and Long Feiyang have been beaten by him, but they deserved it because they acted improperly.”

An old neighbor couldn't help but speak up, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.

Long Feiyang’s face slightly darkened upon hearing this, cursing inwardly.

However, he knew this was a “mess” left by the original owner, and since he had inherited this body, he could only silently endure it.

“I’m really not here for a blind date; Long Feiyang invited me to his house for dinner.”

Seeing the conversation return to blind dates, Lou Xiaoe quickly explained again, her face showing helplessness and anxiety, her hands unconsciously gesturing.

“Alright, alright, girl, if you say it’s not, then it’s not.”

Everyone listened and smiled, expressing understanding and acceptance.

In fact, everyone knew that whether it was a blind date or not, it had little to do with them; it was just for fun and excitement.

Lou Xiaoe gave Long Feiyang a helpless glare, as if to say, “It’s all your fault for making things so complicated.”

“Alright, you’ve already beaten him. Long Feiyang, let go of Xu Damao. Don’t cause a real big problem.”

Qin Huairu looked at Xu Damao, whose head was still being stepped on by Long Feiyang, feeling a bit of pity, and quickly advised, a hint of worry in her eyes.

“Exactly. If Xu Damao dares to call the police, we’ll all testify for you. He was the one who slandered someone first, so you only acted in response.”

The surrounding neighbors nodded in support of Qin Huairu’s words, their tone full of righteousness.

After what had just happened, everyone saw Xu Damao’s true character and naturally didn't wish him well.

In everyone's opinion, what happened today was entirely Xu Damao’s own doing; Long Feiyang had a reason to act.

As long as Xu Damao wasn't seriously injured, even if the police investigated, with so many neighbors testifying, Long Feiyang wouldn't be in big trouble, at most he'd get a few reprimands.

Long Feiyang listened to everyone's words, hesitated for a moment, and slowly released his foot from Xu Damao's head.

He lowered his head, staring intently at Xu Damao with icy eyes, the coldness in his gaze seemingly able to freeze a person.

In fact, Long Feiyang had already secretly decided to find another opportunity to deal with Xu Damao next time he went to the countryside to show movies.

By then, it would be far from the Siheyuan, with fewer people, making it less likely to arouse suspicion.

After being released, Xu Damao was as if granted amnesty, scrambling to get up from the ground and running home without looking back.

Upon arriving home, he got on his bicycle and hastily left the Siheyuan, looking as pathetic as a stray dog.

Long Feiyang watched Xu Damao leave, and after confirming he wouldn’t return to cause trouble, he led Lou Xiaoe into the Siheyuan.

Lou Xiaoe’s eyes were wide open, staring intently at Long Feiyang, as if she wanted to bore two holes into him, and questioned, “Are you really not tricking me into a blind date?”

She still harbored suspicion about Long Feiyang’s identity and the purpose of his invitation, feeling that things weren’t that simple and there must be some hidden agenda.

“Of course, it’s true. How could I trick you? These past few days, I’ve invited Sha Zhu to eat at my house, and today is no different. It’s just everyone having a meal together to get to know each other; you don’t mind, do you?”

Long Feiyang naturally wouldn’t easily admit it. His eyes darted around, and he quickly found an excuse, then asked a rhetorical question to try and change the subject, putting on an innocent expression.

Lou Xiaoe’s eyes widened again upon hearing this, and she muttered to herself, “How can this person be like this? He never said there would be others at the dinner.”

She had originally thought it would just be her and Long Feiyang’s family of three.

Lou Xiaoe glared at Long Feiyang indignantly, but her glares had no effect on him.

Long Feiyang stood there, his expression calm, not intimidated in the least.

Lou Xiaoe was still not giving up and decided to get to the bottom of it, asking, “Weren’t you also beaten by Sha Zhu? How come you’re so close to him now?”

“Sigh, it’s all because I was foolish before and did something terrible, like beating my wife if I didn’t get money. Sha Zhu is an upright person and couldn’t stand it, so he taught me a lesson. Looking back now, I really deserved that beating.”

Long Feiyang’s face showed an awkward expression, and he secretly cursed, these were all the original owner's misdeeds, but now he had to take the blame.

“By the way, why did you come so early today? The Steel rolling mill doesn’t get off work until five, so my wife won’t be back that quickly.”

Long Feiyang asked Lou Xiaoe, looking at her strangely, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

After all, they had agreed for her to come at five, but Lou Xiaoe arrived at the Siheyuan at four-thirty.

“Hmph, I heard there were Golden Eagles around here, and I was curious, so I came early to take a look.”

Lou Xiaoe replied grumpily, a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone.

“So that’s it. Don’t worry, it won’t be long, those two Golden Eagles will be here soon.”

After understanding the reason, Long Feiyang didn't ask any more questions and led Lou Xiaoe home.

At this moment, Li Ruzhen was standing at the Long Family’s doorway. She had just gone out to check the situation outside and had stayed there to look after the two children upon her return.

“Long Feiyang, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Li Ruzhen watched Long Feiyang and Lou Xiaoe approach, saying with a smile, a hint of teasing in her eyes.

“Sister-in-law, this is Lou Xiaoe, a friend I just met…” Long Feiyang had just started speaking, but hadn’t finished his sentence.

“I understand, I understand. Hello, Miss Lou, I am Li Ruzhen, the Lei Family’s daughter-in-law.”

Li Ruzhen smiled and interrupted Long Feiyang’s words.

In fact, she had heard what Long Feiyang said outside earlier and had guessed his intention, so she greeted Lou Xiaoe proactively, her face beaming with a warm smile.

“Hello, Sister Li.” Lou Xiaoe responded politely, a faint smile on her face.

“You two chat. I’ll go back to make dinner now. Nana will stay at your house for now; I’ll come pick her up later.”

After greeting them, Li Ruzhen said something to Long Feiyang and then turned to leave.

Long Feiyang led Lou Xiaoe into the house, deliberately leaving the front door open to avoid misunderstandings.

Third Aunt across the way occasionally glanced towards the Long Family’s side, her face full of curiosity, her eyes sparkling with inquiry.

“This is my daughter Yaoyao, whom you’ve met. And this is Nana, Sister-in-law Li’s daughter.”

Long Feiyang introduced Nana’s identity, his tone gentle.

“Hello, Yaoyao, Nana.” As soon as Lou Xiaoe entered the room, she smiled and greeted the two children, her smile very kind.

“Hello, Sister.” Yaoyao responded obediently, and Nana also followed Yaoyao, greeting her cluelessly.

After greeting, Nana leaned into Yaoyao’s ear and whispered, “Yaoyao, who is she?”

“Sister Nana, she might be Uncle Zhu’s future wife.”

Yaoyao blinked, also whispering her reply, a hint of mystery in her eyes.

“Oh, oh.” Nana nodded, half-understanding.

Although the two children spoke softly, Lou Xiaoe had sharp ears and heard everything.

[Sure enough, Long Feiyang invited me for a blind date. I was tricked. That hateful Long Feiyang!]

Lou Xiaoe was secretly annoyed, feeling she had found the truth, and at this moment, she really wanted to turn around and go home, not wanting any more involvement with Long Feiyang.

However, she was truly unwilling to leave just like that.

Lou Xiaoe was very curious about the source of Long Feiyang’s vast knowledge and wanted to figure it out.

Moreover, she hadn't yet received the book Long Feiyang had promised her.

Additionally, she was still determined to find out whether Long Feiyang was an enemy agent.

So many questions lingered in her mind, leading her to decide to stay for now... After Long Feiyang entered the kitchen, he confirmed that Lou Xiaoe was in the living room with Yaoyao and Nana, then quietly went into the basement.

“Red Queen, if Xu Damao enters an area without surveillance, remember to analyze his walking direction on the 3D map and find all of Xu Damao’s relatives.”

Long Feiyang instructed with a stern expression, his eyes revealing firm determination.

Red Queen: [Understood, Master.]

There were too many people outside earlier, making it inconvenient to communicate with Red Queen.

Long Feiyang thought, he needed to find a way to add convenient communication devices, such as a communication watch.

With a communication watch, he could quietly give instructions to Red Queen with a raised hand, which would be both convenient and discreet.