Chapter 228: If You Hurt Others, Qingluan Will Be Angry
The man, who had been struggling in the hands of the two brothers, suddenly stopped moving.
His messy hair covered most of his face, revealing only a glimpse of his eyes. Previously clouded and lifeless, they now held a faint glimmer of light. He obediently curled his lips into a small smile and nodded slowly before taking steps backward toward the bed.
With each step he took, the iron chains on his feet clanked, breaking the eerie silence in the room.
“Qingluan, I’m hungry… hungry.”
Yu Luo: …
“Miss, I’ll go get him some food!”
Zhang Xiaoliang hesitated as he looked at the man, who had now obediently sat back on the bed and was staring at Yu Luo with a dazed expression. He turned to her for confirmation.
Yu Luo nodded lightly. Zhang Xiaoliang shot a worried glance at Zhang Hu before rushing out of the room.
Moments later, Tao Ming hurried in as well—likely because Zhang Xiaoliang, feeling uneasy, had called him over first.
When Tao Ming entered and saw the man sitting on the bed, staring blankly at Yu Luo, he was completely baffled.
“What’s going on? He’s at this age already, and yet he—”
“Shut it!”
Before Tao Ming could finish his sentence, Zhang Hu shot him a glare, and Tao Ming instantly swallowed his words.
“You only remember Qingluan?”
Yu Luo approached the bedside. Zhang Hu quickly placed a stool for her to sit on. Her voice was soft, coaxing, as she asked again.
The man nodded blankly. “I finally found Qingluan… Qingluan, don’t leave.”
“I’m not leaving,” Yu Luo reassured him. “Listen to me. I found a doctor for you. In some time, she will come to treat you, and everything you’ve forgotten will come back to you. Do you understand?”
The man stared at Yu Luo, then nodded blankly once more. His eyes, however, remained fixated on her face, unwilling to look away for even a moment.
“Qingluan… why am I tied up?”
Just as Yu Luo was about to ask the system something, the man looked down at the iron chains binding him. When he raised his eyes again, they were filled with grievance.
“You are ill,” Tao Ming spoke up before Yu Luo could respond. “Sometimes, you lose control and try to hurt people, so our miss had no choice but to tie you up. Once the doctor treats you, the chains will be removed.”
As expected, the man, whose mind was in chaos, was as naïve as a blank slate. He was not violent, just lost in a daze.
He nodded dazedly, his expression utterly obedient.
“If I don’t hurt others… Qingluan won’t be angry?”
Yu Luo took a deep breath. This man was clearly much older than her, yet he was acting like a child. She had no idea why the system had assigned her such a ticking time bomb.
Oh well… she could only hope the system would fix him soon. Whether he wanted to stay or leave, she wanted closure.
Before long, Zhang Xiaoliang returned with food.
As soon as the man’s eyes landed on the food, he finally broke his gaze away from Yu Luo. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hungrily.
“Feng City’s people probably never fed him properly,” Tao Ming muttered sympathetically. “Even Ming Ye was starving when we rescued him… sigh.”
Watching the once-powerful man reduced to this pitiful state made Tao Ming’s heart ache.
Sure, their lives had been tough before, but at least they had their freedom—they could hunt for food and fend for themselves.
But this man… if Yu Luo’s earlier speculation was correct, he must have been a formidable figure.
And yet, despite his strength, he had ended up like this—reduced to nothing, treated like livestock, and sold off in a cage.
As Tao Ming sighed with sympathy, Ye Jiamei’s voice rang out before she even stepped into the room.
“He’s awake?!”
Both she and Yu Haojie had hurried over after hearing the news.
The man, who had just taken a large bite of chicken, suddenly froze mid-chew. His eyes flickered with vigilance, and he turned toward the door.
The moment Ye Jiamei stepped inside, his grip on the chicken loosened, and it slipped onto the bedding, leaving grease stains behind.
He stared at her with wide, bewildered eyes.
Then, as if struck by lightning, he violently threw off his blanket and attempted to rush toward Ye Jiamei.
His previously calm demeanor evaporated, replaced by frenzied agitation.
Zhang Hu and Tao Ming reacted instantly, lunging forward to restrain him. The iron chains rattled furiously as the man thrashed wildly, his face contorted in distress.
Yu Luo shot a glance at her mother, then at the struggling man.
“Second Sister! Second Sister! Let me go! Second Sister!”
Yu Luo: …
Ye Jiamei: …
“Calm down. Your Second Sister lives here now. She’s not going anywhere,” Yu Luo quickly assured him, then turned toward her mother, subtly signaling her with a glance.
Being mother and daughter, they understood each other instantly.
Ye Jiamei, still caught off guard, quickly forced out a smile and took two hesitant steps forward.
“Yes, your Second Sister is right here. I’m not going anywhere. Be good now. Don’t scare them, alright?”
Her voice was laced with a soothing gentleness, like coaxing a child.
The man had just managed to struggle upright from Zhang Hu and Tao Ming’s grip, but upon hearing Ye Jiamei’s words, his erratic breathing slowed, and his restless energy began to settle.
“Yes… Qingluan said I have to be good… can’t scare Second Sister… Second Sister…”
Yu Haojie, watching the scene unfold, felt his head throb. He glanced at Yu Luo, then at the grown man acting like a lovesick fool.
His mouth twitched.
After another round of coaxing, the man finally settled down and resumed eating. Zhang Xiaoliang brought hot water to wash his hair and clean his face and body, making sure he was properly tended to.
Later, back at the main courtyard, the family of three gathered with serious expressions.
“According to what Xiao Luo said, does this mean that every time this man sees a woman, he assumes she is someone he knows?”
Yu Luo frowned and shook her head. “That might be the case… we could test it once the rain stops. I’ll go to Stone Mountain and bring back two more women to confirm.”
The three of them quickly agreed on the plan.
For now, to be cautious, they continued to keep the man restrained. His emotions occasionally turned volatile, but as long as Ye Jiamei or Yu Luo appeared, he quickly calmed down.
Three days later, Ming Ye and Luo Yi had completed the inventory of the warehouse.
Every single item—down to the last needle and thread—had been meticulously recorded in the ledger.
When Ming Ye handed over a stack of ledgers to Yu Luo, she flipped through them, her eyes lighting up with delight.
“Wow, this is incredible. I didn’t expect you to be this young and already have such neat handwriting. The accounts are also so clear—I can understand everything at a glance.”
“Big Sister, I’m thirteen,” Ming Ye said seriously.
Yu Luo: …
“Alright, alright. You probably weren’t taking care of yourself before,” she said, patting his head. “But now that you’re with me, I’ll make sure you eat well and rest properly. You’ll catch up in height in no time.”
