Chapter 226: Dig Up Her Grave
The man chuckled nervously and nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, I overstepped. I was just momentarily curious, and I apologize, Brother Tao.”
Tao Ming gave him a cold sideways glance, then swept his gaze over the other nine men, his voice turning even icier.
“Don’t forget your status. No matter who you served before, your indentures now belong to Miss, which means you belong to her. Miss and the Master and Madam are not the kind to mistreat their people. If you remain loyal, wealth, prosperity, and even the chance to leave this wasteland will be within reach. But if any of you harbor ulterior motives, I suggest you ask Miss for your indentures now. The silver spent to buy you means nothing to her—she would rather grant you freedom.”
Although Tao Ming was far less seasoned than Zhang Hu, in front of these ten men, he was still an “elder” of the household, having been here a few days before them.
So when he put on airs and scolded them, he looked the part, and the rebuked man was so startled that he hurriedly bowed and apologized again.
Leaning against the storeroom entrance, Yu Luo couldn’t help but smirk, a trace of approval flashing in her eyes at Tao Ming’s sudden display of authority.
She quickly hid her amusement and stepped inside.
The sight of her startled the eleven men, who immediately turned and saluted.
“Miss, I was helping them select weapons,” Tao Ming said.
Yu Luo smiled and nodded at him. “I overheard what you said just now.”
Tao Ming stiffened slightly, a hint of awkwardness crossing his face. He had been putting on a bit of an act, and he hadn’t expected to get caught by Miss herself.
Yu Luo turned her gaze away from him and toward the ten men.
“Tao Ming was right. The money spent to buy you doesn’t matter to me. If you want your freedom, I’ll grant it without holding grudges. But if you choose to stay, your body and heart must both be loyal to me.”
“Miss, we wish to follow you!”
The man who had asked Yu Luo to buy the others stepped forward, bowing deeply. His expression was serious and resolute.
“Miss, you are our benefactor. A woman daring to enter Feng City alone and making it out safely—your courage earns our respect. We believe following you is the best decision we could make. We will not leave.”
The other nine men immediately followed suit, kneeling on one knee in unison.
“We swear loyalty to Miss and will serve you to the death!”
Seeing their response, Yu Luo’s eyes softened with satisfaction.
“In that case, you are now part of the household. The only thing I ask is that you protect this home. Now, get up.”
“Thank you, Miss!”
The ten men rose together, gratitude evident on their faces.
Yu Luo then focused on the man who had spoken first. “What’s your name?”
The man immediately knelt again and cupped his fists. “Please grant me a name, Miss.”
Yu Luo raised an eyebrow.
As expected of former government slaves, they were exceptionally well-mannered. This much kneeling, though, was a bit much for her.
“Alright, from now on, all of you will take ‘Luo’ as your surname. You will be Luo Yi, Luo Er, Luo San, and so on.”
The ten men were visibly moved, bowing again to express their gratitude.
“Enough kneeling. We’re all on the same side here. Just do your jobs well and be efficient, and I’ll be satisfied. Also, each of you will receive a monthly stipend of 20 taels of silver. You might not have much use for money in this place now, but one day, when we move on, you shouldn’t be left empty-handed. And since you’re all men, you’ll eventually need to marry and start families. Saving up for that is only natural.”
At these words, the ten men’s faces lit up with surprise and joy.
Though they had been trained as house guards from childhood, even then, their monthly wage had only been 10 taels. That was because they had served in noble households.
But now, they were merely indentured servants bought from a black market, and Miss could have given them nothing at all.
Yet she had not only given them a name and status but also a generous salary.
And beyond that, she was thinking about their future.
Just this morning, they had been locked in a cage, resigned to a fate worse than death.
Their emotions overwhelmed them, and they almost knelt again—until Yu Luo quickly raised a hand to stop them.
“Didn’t I just say I don’t like unnecessary kneeling? As long as you understand that I won’t mistreat you, that’s enough.”
She then looked around at them. “Does anyone here know how to keep accounts? This household needs a bookkeeper.”
“Miss, I can do it!”
A soft voice suddenly spoke from behind her.
Everyone turned in unison.
Yu Luo also spun around in surprise and saw Ming Ye standing in the storeroom doorway, looking at her with wide, bright eyes.
She blinked. “Are you sure you can handle it?”
Ming Ye’s beautiful face was filled with determination. “Yes. I learned to read and write at three years old and could manage accounts by eight.”
Yu Luo’s eyebrows lifted in pleasant surprise.
Perfect! She had been wondering what to do with him, and here he was, offering himself for a role she needed to fill.
Since the storeroom mainly contained supplies, she could let Ming Ye manage its inventory. The truly valuable items were stored in her system.
She only needed to maintain a visible balance of funds for expenses.
If this city truly flourished in the future, she would need more bookkeepers anyway.
“Alright. Your task is to record everything in this storeroom. Half of you,” she said, turning to the ten men, “will help him take inventory. The rain will probably continue for a few more days, so we might as well get the household properly organized.”
“Yes, Miss!”
Yu Luo then personally selected ten swords for them. Since they had previously trained with swords, it was best to let them continue using their preferred weapon.
These swords had been taken from a blacksmith shop in the small town they had passed through.
As for the weapons she had taken from the secret mine?
She still didn’t dare to bring those out.
Now that she thought about it, that entire stockpile was a huge liability. She had them but couldn’t use them. The thought alone made her uneasy.
Returning to the main courtyard, she found Ye Jiamei and Yu Haojie still discussing Yu Zhengqing’s situation.
Seeing Yu Luo enter, Ye Jiamei motioned for her to sit down.
“What do you think? Do you believe Old Madam Chen is really dead?”
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity—there was not a hint of grief.
Yu Luo smirked. “It’s highly likely. But we can confirm it for sure if we dig up her grave.”
