Chapter 43 The Long Journey to Find My Wife (Part 2)

The madam was dumbfounded, pointing at Chi Mei and then at the food on the table: “You… how did you…?”

Chi Mei looked at the madam in confusion: “What’s wrong with me? Oh, brother, do you think I ate too much? Actually, I don’t usually eat this much, I was just really hungry today. But don’t worry, brother, my Jiang Yang is very rich. When I find her, I’ll make sure she pays you back double.”

“You… you…” The madam still couldn’t believe it.

Chi Mei scratched his head, not understanding why the madam who was just acting normal suddenly became like an idiot, unable to say a coherent sentence.

Actually, the madam’s confusion was understandable. That was an amount of aphrodisiac that even a bull couldn’t resist. Even if you were Lu Chai, you’d still turn into a beast with such a potent drug. How could he eat it and act like nothing happened?

Seeing Chi Mei about to leave the room, the madam finally reacted: “Stop right there! You think you can eat my food and just leave!”

Since the soft approach didn’t work, she decided to use force.

The madam assumed the aphrodisiac had expired and lost its effect. Her heavily made-up face suddenly turned fierce, her slanted eyes flashing coldly as she shouted: “A-Da, A-Er, grab him!”

Two tall, dark shadows loomed over Chi Mei like ghosts. Chi Mei stepped back, glaring angrily at the madam: “You clearly said you wanted to treat me to a meal, why are you going back on your word now?”

The madam sneered: “So what if I changed my mind? Once a man enters our Red Sleeve Pavilion, there’s no way out! Just stay here obediently and serve customers!”

“Serve customers?” Chi Mei murmured, recalling Jiang Yang’s warning words: “…Is this a brothel?”

The madam laughed loudly: “What else could it be?” She mocked mercilessly: “You’re such a fool. A brothel is a brothel, you can’t recognize it just because it has a different name?”

Chi Mei gritted his teeth, his hateful gaze looking as if he wanted to carve a piece of flesh from the madam’s body. Having just left the sea for land, he was completely ignorant of this unfamiliar place, unaware of human malice, and thought he had met kind people like Jiang Yang.

“How dare you glare at me!” The madam narrowed her eyes and shouted at the two people standing beside her: “What are you waiting for? Get him! I’ll teach you a good lesson tonight.”

“Yes!” Two muscular women lunged at Chi Mei.

“Don’t damage his face!” The madam instructed.

Chi Mei nimbly dodged the two women’s grasp, but ultimately two fists were no match for four hands. Even if a man exerted all his strength, he couldn’t fight against women, let alone two of them. Chi Mei was quickly captured by the two women. But before the madam could rejoice, several piercing screams were heard from the room, and splattered blood stained the window paper red.

—

“Hong’er, take this roasted sweet potato to the brother next to us.”

In a dilapidated temple, amidst heavy rain, a young widower fleeing to Changning Prefecture in Lingnan with his three children handed a roasted sweet potato to his 4-year-old son.

Along this journey, Chang Sui had a tough time taking care of the three children, enduring countless harassment from women. Thinking that Chi Mei was also heading to Changning Prefecture, and being exceptionally handsome even with mud smeared on his face, having such a companion could help Chang Sui fend off most women’s malicious intentions.

So Chang Sui deliberately took advantage of the heavy rain when everyone was sheltering in the temple to have his Hong’er offer food to get close, hoping to travel together. After all, who would refuse a little child?

Hong’er obediently took the sweet potato with his thin little legs and ran to Chi Mei: “Brother, this is from my father for you.”

Hong’er’s pure eyes stared at Chi Mei. He had been observing this brother for a long time. This brother wore tattered clothes and looked disheveled. No matter how much father tried to talk to him, he never responded, not even sparing a glance. His beautiful eyes were extremely cold.

He had very little food, sometimes not even eating one meal a day. When tired, he would sit by the river, silently gazing at the water surface, and continue walking after resting enough.

The black mud smeared on his face obscured his features, but judging from the glimpse of his arm as white as jade peeking out from his ragged clothes, he must be a very handsome brother if he washed his face.

Looking at the mud on Chi Mei’s face, Hong’er proudly thought that he hadn’t played with mud since he turned three.

“…” Chi Mei didn’t respond to Hong’er’s words, nor did he take the sweet potato. His empty gaze stared blankly at the wind and rain outside the temple.

Hong’er looked back at Chang Sui, not understanding why this brother, who was almost starving, wouldn’t eat the fragrant sweet potato… But if this brother didn’t eat it, would father give it to him? He was so hungry.

Chang Sui hadn’t expected this man to be such a hard-hearted stone, not even giving face to a child. But not wanting to give up, he waved at Hong’er, gesturing him to try harder.

Hong’er nodded obediently, suppressing his craving for the sweet potato. His little hands held the sweet potato high, almost touching Chi Mei’s lips.

“Slap—” Chi Mei swung his hand, knocking the sweet potato from Hong’er’s hands onto the ground.

Hong’er burst into tears. The sweet potato he couldn’t even eat himself was now on the ground, impossible to eat anymore.

Chang Sui immediately stood up, his tone angry as he accused: “What’s wrong with you! I saw you haven’t eaten all day, kindly offered you food, gave you a meal, and not only are you ungrateful, you even threw the sweet potato on the ground!”

Chi Mei raised his head, looking directly at Chang Sui for the first time, his gaze cold and devoid of any warmth.

Chang Sui shuddered.

“I didn’t ask you to give me anything,” Chi Mei spoke coldly, his voice like ice floating on the winter sea surface.

Without waiting for the heavy rain outside to stop, Chi Mei slowly walked into the rain, disappearing in the downpour.

Chang Sui was dumbfounded, looking at the sweet potato on the ground that could no longer be eaten. He spat towards where Chi Mei had been sitting: “Ptui, what a piece of work!”

The heavy rain washed the muddy road, raindrops like broken strings of beads hitting Chi Mei’s face. The cold dampness invaded his body, the pouring rain blurring his vision. He slipped and fell from the muddy road into a grassy slope beside it, his brow bone hitting a rock, fresh blood washed away by the heavy rain.

He numbly wiped the wound and got up to continue walking.

If it had been a month ago, when Chi Mei had just escaped from the Red Sleeve Pavilion, he might have been willing to trust a child of a few years old. But now he dared not trust anyone.

He had been deceived too many times – by men, women, the elderly, children. Kidnapped, sold, abducted. Every person on land was more terrifying than sea demons. If not for the mermaid pearl healing his wounds and giving him the strength to resist, he would have died countless times already.

The last time, he was forcibly kidnapped by a group of human traffickers who put a sack over his head. He escaped covered in blood. Since then, he no longer dared to trust anyone, nor speak to anyone. He didn’t look, didn’t listen, didn’t speak, pretending to be mute and deaf. All his beliefs were focused on one thing: going to Changning Prefecture to find Jiang Yang.

Author’s Note:

In the next chapter, the silly fish will find Jiang Yang! Thanks to the little angels who cast landmines or watered with nutrient solution during 2022-07-30 23:12:26~2022-08-01 23:38:26~

Thanks to the little angel who watered with nutrient solution: Chuan Chuan Loves Eating Skewers 10 bottles;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!