Chapter 116: Xu Damao: Basket, Don't Go (Happy Lantern Festival!)

In the evening, Yang Qing's genius reputation echoed throughout the Siheyuan.

The people of the Siheyuan all had varied expressions.

Xu Damao, meanwhile, pulled a long face and unhappily questioned Lou Xiao'e.

"I told you not to get involved with them, why didn't you listen?"

"Don't you know what kind of background your family has, and you're still mixing with them?"

"Your father, no matter how great his contributions, can't tolerate your being so clueless."

"Yang Qing is someone who's been inside, he's on the blacklist."

"Running into him is trouble, do you understand?"

"Damn, I married you to borrow your family's influence, not to have you bring me trouble."

"Relying on Lou Banche's status, he had enjoyed a few days, but his own wife got him tangled in such big trouble."

Lou Xiao'e gave him a white-eye.

"You're overthinking it, aren't you? Don't you wonder why the others in the courtyard are so polite to that old lady of Yang Qing's family?"

"Do you think the others are idiots?"

"You say Sha Zhu is stupid, but is Liu Shumin stupid?"

"If Yang Qing were really a big trouble, would he still go cook for Yang Qing's family?"

"You keep saying you're smart, but I see your cleverness is fake."

Lou Xiao'e's words made perfect sense, and Xu Damao immediately realized it.

He was too clever, overconfident, and as a result, without figuring things out, he picked a side.

He instantly changed his expression, coaxing Lou Xiao'e with a grin.

"Ezi, you're saying there's still something else here I don't know about?"

Lou Xiao'e put on a tsundere act.

"That's for sure; in our courtyard, the biggest idiot is you."

Xu Damao continued to hehehe silly-smile, kneading Lou Xiao'e's shoulders and pounding her back.

"Wife, tell me."

Lou Xiao'e narrowed her eyes and spoke leisurely.

"That old lady came from the military compound and became a sworn sister with Chen Hong."

"It's said that Chen Hong's current job was arranged by that old lady."

Xu Damao shuddered.

"What?"

"The military compound, arranging work?"

"Damn, how's his performance these two days?"

"Yang Qing is his comrade-in-arms, but because of his own short-sightedness, he gave him a cold shoulder, and Yang Qing ended up hanging out with Sha Zhu."

"And after abandoning his comrade, his comrade soared—soared yet still had nothing of his own; is there anything more heart-wrenching than this?"

"Ezi, you say Yang Qing, why doesn't he take the usual path?"

"You say he has such a background, what's he doing getting locked up?"

Lou Xiao'e gave him a white-eye.

"Who in our courtyard hasn't been locked up?"

"It's not because of Zheng Changgui, right?"

"Zheng Changgui is suspected of crime; his wife gets no pension, and their house was confiscated by the factory."

Lou Xiao'e asked.

"What crime did Zheng Changgui commit that could drag our whole courtyard into misfortune?"

"This has been her puzzlement lately; the commotion is too big."

Xu Damao glared.

"Could he be an enemy spy?"

Lou Xiao'e said she didn't know; she got up to steam buns, but by noon she had given all the white flour buns to Yang Qing, leaving only wo wo tou for the evening.

No choice but to steam wo wo tou.

Xu Damao thought about the enemy spy while staring at the wo wo tou.

"Ezi, weren't those just-steamed white flour buns? How did they turn into wo wo tou?"

"Your man I've worked all day, and you give me this to eat?"

"Keep the white flour buns for yourself to eat."

Lou Xiao'e felt a bit guilty and explained.

"At noon Yang Qing invited me to eat at his place; I couldn't go empty-handed, so I took some buns."

Xu Damao widened his eyes.

"So you're teaching Yang Qing, feeding him white flour buns, while I can only gnaw on wo wo tou?"

Xu Damao's eyes darted about, bad thoughts continually flashing in his mind.

Speaking of which, everyone outside says Yang Qing is a genius; now Yang Qing's meals are good, he's put on meat, his face has filled out, he's grown, and indeed he's become handsome.

No way, no way, my family's basket?

I dare not think about it, I dare not think.

Lou Xiao'e's actions are indeed a bit slow; she hasn't noticed Xu Damao's abnormality, instead putting on a young lady's temper, speaking in a coquettish voice.

"Oh, I wasn't paying attention? From now on I'll specially keep good buns for you, and that still isn't enough?"

Xu Damao's eyes widened, looking at Lou Xiao'e in disbelief.

"And what about later?"

Xu Damao clutched his chest.

"E'zi, you're going to make me furious."

Lou Xiao'e was bewildered.

"What's wrong? It's just some steamed buns; is it worth making a fuss over?"

"Besides, in the future I'll be teaching Yang Qing to read, and he'll let me eat at his place—I can't very well not bring staple food, can I?"

"Or, you could let me eat cornbread?"

Xu Damao pointed at Lou Xiao'e and said firmly.

"No, I won't allow you to go teach Yang Qing to read in the future."

Lou Xiao'e had an expression that said, "You're harassing me."

"Are you sick? With Grandma Xing's background, I'm not going to improve relations—I'll make them as strained as you do."

"In the future, in the big courtyard, Chen Hong still works at the Jiedao office—aren't you afraid of being isolated?"

Xu Damao still shook his head firmly.

"That's also not allowed; you won't let me go, so should I go improve relations?"

Lou Xiao'e, looking at Xu Damao's angry expression, and then thinking about him not letting her meet Yang Qing, finally realized something.

She also got angry.

"Ah……"

"Xu Damao, I say you're fine, why won't you let me go? Do you think I'm having an affair with Yang Qing?"

Xu Damao held his neck stiff, as if to say, "Exactly what you think."

"You two are stuck together all day; who knows what could happen."

"Well done, Xu Damao, you actually think that of me—am I really so unworthy of your trust?"

"If you think I'm that casual, why did you marry me?"

Saying this, she burst into tears.

"Xu Damao, you're insulting people."

"I can't go on living like this."

"In your eyes, I'm actually such a shameless person."

"What's there to keep living for?"

Xu Damao, at Lou Xiao'e's crying, was left somewhat at a loss.

"Stop, stop, stop, let's reason—what I said isn't wrong, right? You're an unmarried man and woman; who knows what could happen over time?"

"Besides, even if nothing happens, will others think that way?"

"You believe me or not, within a few days rumors will spread saying you and Yang Qing are having an affair."

"By then, let's see if you still have any face left!"

"What Xu Damao said still made some sense; Lou Xiao'e, choking up, asked."

"Really?"

Xu Damao guaranteed.

"Absolutely certain."

Lou Xiao'e explained.

"We were studying in the courtyard, and there were other people with us."

Xu Damao froze.

"In the courtyard? There were other people?"

Damn, I overreacted again.

"Cough cough."

"Even in the courtyard it's no good; you don't know how the people in our courtyard are—they don't care whether it's true or not, or whether you're actually there."

"They'll just say you and Yang Qing are stuck together all day, not doing anything good—listen to me and you won't be wrong."

Seeing Xu Damao say that, Lou Xiao'e also stopped insisting.

After all, reputation is more important than anything.

"Ah, what a pity—teaching Yang Qing was so enjoyable; it feels like she's lost her favorite toy."