Cai Wei pointed at the buns on the table, saying, "Eat quickly so you have the energy to practice your techniques. Otherwise, even the most excellent skills will be wasted by your weak body!"
"Yes, Gou Dan’er will listen to his sister!"
Gou Dan’er laughed heartily, then ran over to eat the buns.
Cai Wei pointed at the female beggar, speaking to a clerk in the medical center, "Find a doctor to bandage her. I’ll cover her medical costs!"
Hearing that there was silver to be made, the clerk didn’t care whether the person was a Meng slave or a Great Jin citizen, a good citizen or a beggar. He just went on to arrange it.
A loud sound of swallowing abruptly rang out. The girl who came in with the female beggar, seeing the buns being eaten by Gou Dan’er and his grandfather, was so tempted that she was swallowing her saliva.
The female beggar clenched her fist, pain visible in her eyes. She said to the girl, "Dan Zhu, once your sister has her wound bandaged, we will go out to look for work. When your sister finds work, she can buy you meat buns!"
Dan Zhu bit her lip and lowered her head, murmuring "We are Meng slaves, nobody will hire us. Sister, haven’t you been looking for work for many days already? Who would be willing to hire us?"
The female beggar lowered her head, saddened by her sister’s words. After a moment, she lifted her head with a stern look and said, "Dan Zhu, don’t be sad. Your sister will go out to beg again in a while. Perhaps we’ll encounter someone kind, who will give your sister a few coins, and your sister can buy you buns."
"Sister, you’ve been begging for these past few days and haven’t gotten anything to eat, often getting beaten up too. We might as well go to the suburbs and dig up wild vegetables to eat..." Dan Zhu said, her expression gloomy as she fidgeted with her fingers.
The female beggar fell silent, sitting quietly in her chair, her small eyes appearing to moisten.
"Five hundred copper——"
Cai Wei looked at the sisters, "I’ll give each of you five hundred copper per month. Will you serve as my maids?"
Upon hearing this, the female beggar stood up immediately, asking loudly "Is what you said true, Miss? You can’t deceive us!"
Cai Wei took out a piece of broken silver weighing about two or three taels, placed it on the desk, and said, "Take your sister to have a good meal, then find a place to bathe. After that, buy some clean clothes for each of you. When you’re done, come find me at the ’Ju Fu Men’ Inn."
The female beggar knelt down excitedly, swearing loudly "Dun Zhu and Dan Zhu will definitely serve the Miss well, treating you as if you were our ancestors." Then she fiercely kowtowed to Cai Wei.
Before Cai Wei could finish, Dun Zhu’s head had already heavily knocked onto the floor with a ’bang’, hitting her newly bandaged wound. She cried out in pain, grimacing, causing everyone in the medical center to laugh.
Dun Zhu also laughed ’hehe’, scratching her head awkwardly, got up, and led Dan Zhu out.
"Sister, your new maid seems a bit foolish!" said Gou Dan’er, the mischievous youngster.
Cai Wei tapped his little nose, saying "For a maid, it’s not important whether they’re smart or not. What matters is whether they’re loyal. If one employs a cunning person full of ill intentions, it’s better to hire a loyal fool!"
"Then how does Sister know if she is loyal or wicked?"
"It’s a gut feeling!" said Cai Wei, pointing at her chest.
In truth, Cai Wei had her doubts about the identities of Dun Zhu and Dan Zhu. Although they both looked very ordinary, they had fair and tender skin, their fingers weren’t coarse. They obviously didn’t seem like they came from poor families. But if they weren’t from poor families, why would they beg in the Great Jin, endure beatings, endure hunger? Why would they live such a nomadic life, unwilling to go back to Lingbei?