He turned his head to look at Mo Sanniang again, and asked in a low voice, "You, how did you offend someone from the Yamen?"
Thinking that he was afraid, Xie Zhiyuan scorned his cowardice even more. He "sincerely" advised Mo Sanniang, who was protected by Meng Liangdong, "Sanniang, look at your choice of men. I thought if you didn’t follow my advice, you’d at least find a man stronger than me. And what happened? Hah, nothing but a coward!"
Mo Sanniang’s face went pale, she bit her lip, and tried to push Meng Liangdong aside, but the stubborn man wouldn’t budge.
With no other choice, Mo Sanniang could only lean out from behind him, stretched her neck defiantly, and retorted, "Xie Zhiyuan, you’re about to get married, why can’t you leave me alone? Today you come to my shop making a scene, and now you’re slandering my relationship with Mr. Meng, do you realize how disgusting you are making yourself look to me?"
Xie Zhiyuan’s face went through a drastic change; this was the first time someone told him that he was disgusting, especially since it was from a woman who had been with him for so many years.
"Mo Sanniang, don’t be ungrateful! You say I’m disgusting, but who’s really disgusting here? I’ve admired you with all my heart and stayed by your side for many years, yet you turn your back on me and throw yourself into another man’s arms! A fickle and flirtatious woman like you is the one who’s really disgusting!"
Because of Xie Zhiyuan’s commotion, a crowd had already gathered outside the cloth shop. Hearing Xie Zhiyuan’s words and seeing a man indeed standing in front of Mo Sanniang to protect her, everyone sided with Xie Zhiyuan.
Lin Yuan stood at the doorway, hearing everyone’s comments, and felt cold inside. This was the sadness of the era; when a mistake was made, everyone believed the man and blamed the woman.
Mo Sanniang got anxious, "Xie Zhiyuan, clarify your words, who exactly is being fickle? Huh? I waited for you for so many years, and you never made a promise, and now you’re getting married and still pestering me, who really is the most disgusting person here!" She began to cry.
Seeing Mo Sanniang cry, Meng Liangdong felt as if his heart was being crushed. His usually mild-mannered self, who never spoke harshly, was now so angry he felt fire could burst from his eyes.
"Xie Zhiyuan, is it?" Meng Liangdong stepped forward a few paces. He was taller than Xie Zhiyuan by a good margin, and when they got closer, Xie Zhiyuan had to tilt his head slightly to look up at him, a position he found rather uncomfortable.
"Xie Zhiyuan, Mr. Meng doesn’t know why you came here today to bully Boss Mo, but just based on what you just said, Mr. Meng feels obliged to speak up for justice on behalf of Boss Mo."
Meng Liangdong looked at the crowd gathered at the doorway and declared loudly, "I, Meng Liangdong, have been doing business on West Street for at least ten years, and I’ve been Boss Mo’s neighbor for two or three years. Not to mention anything else, but as far as Boss Mo’s character is concerned, I think every shopkeeper here, or anyone who has bought from Boss Mo’s store, should know very well. To say that she is fickle and flirtatious is completely unfounded, a vile slander!"
At the door, the onlookers were mostly shop assistants or owners from the nearby shops, and there were also many ordinary folks who lived in the area. How could they not know what kind of person Mo Sanniang was when they saw each other so often?
After Meng Liangdong finished his statement, many people voiced their agreement.
"Right, Boss Mo is warmhearted and generous, nothing like he described!"
"Who is this man, slandering a young woman , truly shameless! And he is from the Yamen too; no wonder people say no good person comes out of the Yamen!"