Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Qi Cheng finalized the contract with the broker from the agency, agreeing to pick up the woman the following day.

Upon returning home for dinner, Qi Cheng informed his grandmother, "I hired a servant from the public agency."

The old lady paused, then realized the family indeed needed help, especially with their improved finances and the need for childcare. An extra servant seemed reasonable, so she raised no objections.

Though she had no objections, a flicker of concern remained. "Is she reliable?"

Qi Cheng reassured her, "I asked Constable Ji to come along and vet her."

The old lady remembered Constable Ji well—he had the imposing, righteous air of Guan Yu.

"That Constable Ji, with his sharp eye, if he vouches for her, she must be reliable."

"But with an extra person, where will she stay?"

The house had only three rooms. The side room was occupied by Chun Hua and Qiu Hua, which wasn't convenient.

Qi Cheng explained, "I plan to move to a larger house closer to the night market street after Li Niang's first trimester. For now, the children can share a room with you, Grandmother, and the servant can stay in the side room."

Chun Hua and Qiu Hua blinked. Chun Hua asked, "Dad, are we moving to a new house?"

Qi Cheng nodded, smiling, "After we move, you and Qiu Hua can have bigger rooms."

With the family growing, a move was indeed necessary, and their improved financial situation allowed for a larger, more comfortable home.

Lu Yuan remarked, "There's no rush to move; we still have a month."

The old lady added, "But we can't make any renovations to a rented house."

Qi Cheng nodded, "Understood."

After dinner, darkness fell quickly, so they skipped their usual evening stroll. Besides, with a new servant arriving tomorrow, the children's room needed tidying.

Lu Yuan was folding clothes in the room. Qiu Hua played with a cloth tiger and a doll nearby, while Chun Hua sat watching her mother.

Chun Hua stared for a long time. Lu Yuan noticed her unusual quietness and turned to ask, "Chun Hua, what's wrong?"

Chun Hua hesitated before asking, "Mom, are you going to have a little brother or sister?"

Hearing this, Qiu Hua paused her play and looked at her mother's belly.

Lu Yuan knew she couldn't hide it from the children, so despite not yet being three months along, she nodded directly, "Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"

The little girl's eyes reddened as if a thought had struck her. "Then... will you and Dad still treat me and my sister as well as you do now?"

Lu Yuan gently stroked her hair. "Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Qiu Hua looked at her sister, puzzled, and asked in her slightly broken but improving speech, "We are Dad and Mom’s children too. Why would having a little brother or sister mean you won’t treat us well?"

Though her speech wasn't entirely fluent yet, her logic was clear.

Lu Yuan also gently touched Qiu Hua’s cheek and said, "Exactly, you’re both our children. Why would we neglect you because of another child?"

"Perhaps because the little one is still small, can't talk, walk, or feed themselves, we might need to give them a little more attention, but we’ll still love you just the same."

Then, with a warm smile, Lu Yuan added, "If you ever feel jealous because we’re paying more attention, you can tell me. Don’t keep it bottled up inside."

Chun Hua shook her head, "Chun Hua won’t be jealous."

Qiu Hua followed her sister’s lead and shook her head too, "Qiu Hua won’t either. I will take care of little brother or sister."

Chun Hua asked, "Mom, should I help you at the shop?"

Lu Yuan smiled, "No need. After we move to the new house, I’ll hire a female tutor for you and Qiu Hua to teach you."

Chun Hua said, "But isn't Dad teaching us already?"

Lu Yuan shook her head, "The female tutor won’t just teach you characters; she’ll also teach you music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Of course, not every tutor knows all these things. We might even hire two tutors later, depending on what you’re interested in learning."

In this era, schools for girls were rare. With their material living conditions improved, it was important to enrich the children’s minds as well.

With knowledge and self-awareness, they wouldn’t feel inferior because of women’s low status in society.

Nor would they endure mistreatment silently after marriage.

Chun Hua asked, "Mom, will it cost a lot of silver?"

Lu Yuan smiled, "Spending silver on you is worth it."

After packing up, Qi Cheng helped move things to the old lady’s room.

The floorboards in the room had cost money, so they would naturally be taken apart when moving.

Lu Yuan returned to her room, let her hair down, and began combing it. Qi Cheng came in from outside.

He said, "Besides the servant, there’s also a woman who will come to help you every other day."

Lu Yuan looked at him curiously, "What do you mean?"

Qi Cheng explained what had happened that day.

Lu Yuan said, "That works out perfectly. I was already thinking of hiring another person. As for the wages, after we pay the brokerage firm for the first month, we’ll pay the others what they’re owed."

"Those who are diligent and put in effort should be paid accordingly. If they find out others are earning much more while they’re paid less, they might not slack off, but they certainly won’t be as motivated as they would be with better pay."

Qi Cheng said, "You decide matters related to the shop."

Lu Yuan nodded. After combing her hair, she lay on the bed, resting her head on his lap, and told him about the question Chun Hua had asked her earlier.

Qi Cheng said, "Chun Hua may be young, but she’s had to grow up early because of our hardships. She’s been through a lot, so she’s more perceptive and sensitive than other children."

"As you said, whatever the little one gets, she and Qiu Hua should have too."

The next day, Lu Yuan met the two women.

One was called Man Niang, the other Cui Niang.

Lu Yuan gave Man Niang the address and told her to come to Su's Snacks shop at noon the next day, where she would explain the rules in detail.

After that, she let Man Niang go home first and then chatted casually with Cui Niang.

"I heard you have children at home. How many, and how old are they?"

Cui Niang replied honestly, "I have three children. The oldest is seventeen, and the youngest is eight."

Lu Yuan asked in confusion, "But if the child is already that old and can help with household chores, why would she sell herself into servitude?"

Some matters needed to be clarified—what if her husband was a gambler? That would be a situation impossible to escape.

Cui Niang lowered her head, her voice tinged with bitterness. "My eldest son broke his leg, and we spent almost all our savings to treat him. My husband has no steady work and can only rely on a few poor acres of land. After paying the grain tax, we hardly have enough to eat. Even arranging a marriage for our eldest son will be a problem in the future."

"I tried to find work but faced rejection everywhere with no connections. Someone told me the official labor agency could help people find jobs, so I went there."

Though Cui Niang spoke lightly, Lu Yuan had learned from Qi Cheng that, although the law had many provisions protecting slaves, those enslaved were still considered part of the despised class.

Shedding that status was difficult—it wasn’t as simple as leaving the master’s household and regaining freedom. To remove the status, the master had to sign off, and a fee for emancipation had to be paid.

Being of the despised class meant being looked down on and scorned, which was why so many were so desperate to escape it.

Lu Yuan glanced at the woman and said nothing more, only adding, "On ordinary days, you’ll handle household chores and keep an eye on the two children."

"Besides a fixed monthly wage of 350 coins, if you perform well, you’ll receive an additional bonus of 10 to 50 coins based on your work."

"We'll provide your meals and a place to stay. You’ll have two days off each month to go see your family. As for clothing, I’ll give you fabric so you can make your own clothes in your spare time."

Yesterday, Qi Cheng had mentioned that if she sold herself to their household, her food, clothing, lodging, and travel would all be taken care of by them.

At this, Cui Niang was speechless for a moment.

She had landed with a good family!

She quickly lifted her head, immensely grateful, her voice trembling as she said, "Madam, please rest assured, I will work hard and I won't let you down!"

Lu Yuan replied, "Our household doesn’t have many rules. Just do your work well."

When Lu Yuan went to the night market at noon, she also explained the rules carefully to Man Niang.

"There’s a room at the back of the shop where a young girl occasionally stays. I’ll add a small bed there. If you have to work late, you can sleep there. On your days off, you can also stay if you wish."

"However, meals aren’t provided, so I’ll pay you the same as others—20 coins per night. What do you think?"

Man Niang said, "Madam, I’m already very grateful that you’ve given me work. Besides, we originally agreed on 350 coins per month, and now for just fifteen days of work, I’ll get 300 coins. Thank you so much, Madam."

By the end, Man Niang’s eyes were red.

Lu Yuan sighed inwardly.

Perhaps it was because she was pregnant, but she felt particularly sympathetic, and her heart ached listening to this.

"By the way, since you’re working at the stall like everyone else, it wouldn’t be right to give you special treatment. So, I won't be providing the two sets of clothing a year, but if you perform well, there will be additional rewards—enough for you to make your own clothes."

Man Niang quickly waved her hand. "It’s alright, I have enough clothes. It’s just... Madam, may I... may I have an advance on next month’s wages? My family is really struggling to make ends meet."

The first month’s wages went directly to the employment agency, so she wouldn’t receive anything initially.

The proper agencies offered choices: some provided a lump-sum payment for selling oneself, while others allowed the servant to receive monthly wages from the master.

Those in urgent need of money often chose the former.

Lu Yuan, being easygoing, agreed, "Alright, I’ll draw up an agreement in a moment, and you can sign it."

Then she asked, "By the way, have you been to Constable Ji’s house?"

Man Niang replied, "Constable Ji brought me to the door, gave me a key, and told me to let myself in when he wasn’t home."

Lu Yuan smiled and said, "Constable Ji is a good man. You don't need to be so scared of him."

Man Niang nodded and responded, "Constable Ji is indeed a good person."

Yesterday, she had been afraid because he looked big and intimidating, and she was anxious about the days ahead. Unexpectedly, his behavior was much better than some others'.

Not to mention, she had him to thank for this job.