Chapter 365 Recruitment

In the evening, the family sat around the eight-immortal table, and grandma slowly brought up the matter of hiring someone to do the work.

"I have no objection." Gu Jiayue was the first to put down the tortilla in her hand, with some crumbs still on her fingertips. She looked at her grandparents with sincere eyes, "Grandpa and grandma are old. A few days ago, I saw grandpa bending over to mow the grass, and his lower back couldn't straighten up. There is indeed too much work at home, and we don't have time to help. We can't let them suffer any more."

After hearing this, the others nodded.

The eldest aunt, still chewing some food, replied vaguely, "Jiayue is right. We should ask for help. Don't you agree, my sister-in-law?"

The second aunt lowered her head, not knowing what she was thinking. Her fingertips unconsciously stroked the rim of the bowl and she didn't hear what the eldest aunt said.

Second uncle touched his arm gently, and she raised her head and looked at everyone in confusion.

"Sister-in-law asked if you agree to hire someone to help with the housework."

She finally came to her senses and managed a weak smile. "I have no objection," she said, then lowered her head to continue her thoughts.

Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Uncle Er touched his nose awkwardly. "I guess you've been too tired from work lately. Let's continue our conversation."

After asking around, no one had any objections.

Everyone in the family knows that although the family has been divided, grandparents are still the heads of this big family.

Grandma held the purse strings, and as the head of the family, the grandparents had the final say. The younger generation, after all, were merely listening. Asking them about their income at the dinner table was already a sign of respect.

Besides, if they could really hire someone to do the work, these half-grown children would suffer less fatigue. Who wouldn’t be happy about that?

Seeing no one objected, Grandma continued. "In that case, let's talk about who to hire to help with the work. Should we hire people from the village or from outside? Or even your family? I think they'll have to pay anyway, so why not use the money to earn for our own family?"

Hearing grandma say this, the eyes of the eldest and second aunts lit up. Just as they were about to say something, Gu Yuchuan put down his bowl and chopsticks. "I don't agree."

His fingertips paused on the edge of the coarse porcelain bowl, and his chopsticks rested lightly on the edge of the bowl, making a slight clinking sound. "I'm afraid it would be a bit inconvenient to ask the two aunts' families to come over and help."

He looked at the elders present and said, "There are many relatives at home, including my mother's sisters-in-law and my eldest uncle's cousin. If we really want to invite people, we will end up offending everyone if we invite this and not that. In my opinion, it would be better to just hire a few servants."

The Gu family had indeed become more affluent in the past two years. There was grain stored in the granary, and a few copper coins in the cabinet. But it wasn't necessarily that they were rich.

But even though the Gu family supported the family's maternal and in-laws, life at home was not much better.

After all, the Gu family is not rich enough to spend money casually.

Besides, although I feel sorry for both families, I have to take care of my own family first.

And the bulk of the money is in the hands of my grandparents.

So although my eldest aunt and second aunt were supporting my parents' family, they did not take too much.

It is really difficult to ask anyone to do the work at this time.

Relatives who were originally on equal footing, once they become employer and employee, they see each other every day, and the relationship is bound to become sour.

If the person you invite is dishonest, it would be difficult to get angry since he is a relative, and it would only make things worse.

But buying people is different.

Servants hold their indentures, so obedience is their duty. If they are lazy, they can be sold by merciful masters. If they meet a powerful master, even if he is beaten to death, the only compensation is a few taels of silver.

In this world, human life is as worthless as grass.

Grandma's brows knitted together as she listened, and she tapped her knuckles on the table unconsciously. "If I buy her, I'm afraid the villagers will start gossiping again."

"If we hire a long-term worker, will they stop chewing?" Gu Yuchuan asked back.

How is that possible?

The jealousy in people's hearts is like weeds in the field, and they can't stand others being better than themselves.

If you live better than him, he will find fault with you to feel at ease.

Grandpa twirled his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "Yuchuan is right. Asking relatives to do the work is not good if you are too lax, and too strict if you are too harsh. Hiring someone out will save you the trouble."

Gu Jiayue also nodded. "Second brother is right. Besides, second brother is a scholar now, so it would be proper for him to have a servant with him when he goes out. Grandpa and grandma are old, so they should have someone to help with the farm work. Having obedient servants can really save trouble."

After a few more discussions, everyone agreed to buy the person.

Gu Yuchuan felt a little relieved. "Leave it to me."

In his previous life, when he was the Prime Minister, he had hundreds of servants in his family, if not thousands, so he had plenty of experience and means to select suitable servants.

If we give this task to him, we can not only pick out a few capable people, but also take this opportunity to select some of our own people.

He was just thinking about it when he heard his grandmother say, "Okay, I'll leave this matter to you. I'll give you the money tomorrow."

She still trusts her second grandson.

At this time, the eldest aunt came to grandma's side, leaned towards her, and said with a smile: "Mother, how about buying you a little maid? It will be convenient for serving tea and water."

Grandma's eyes widened, and she tapped her chopsticks on the table. "I'm not too old to walk yet! Are you thinking of finding a maid to serve you?"

My aunt's wife was hit on the spot. Her face turned red and white. She smiled awkwardly and said nothing more.

Just as everyone was about to leave, the second aunt-in-law, who had been silent all this time, suddenly put down her bowl and chopsticks.

The bottom of the bowl hit the table, making a soft clang. "Dad, Mom, I have something to tell you."

Grandma was about to stand up, but when she heard this, she sat back down, holding onto the handle of her chair and asked, "What's the matter?"

"I..." Second Aunt's mother had just started to speak when Second Uncle suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm, his voice lowered to a very low tone: "Cao Mei, let's discuss this matter when we get back!"

"I've made up my mind!" Second Auntie shook his hand off, her fingertips white from the force, and stared intently at Grandpa and Grandma. "Mom and Dad, you know I've been married into the Gu family for so many years, but I haven't been able to bring them a son. As their daughter-in-law, I feel guilty and can't sleep well every night, feeling so sorry for our ancestors."

Grandma looked at her red eyes and sighed in her heart.

She knew the lack of a son was a source of worry for the second son's family, but she never pushed her daughter-in-law. Instead, it was she herself who was always nagging about it. "Children are fate, don't take it too seriously. Aren't you taking the medicine the doctor prescribed? Relax."

These words seemed to pierce the second aunt's last line of defense. She fell to her knees with a plop, her knees thumping against the blue brick floor. Tears fell like beads from a broken string, leaving dark marks on her clothes. "Mom and Dad, I feel so bad! Please let the second son divorce me and marry someone who can give birth to a son!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Grandma slammed the table. "You haven't done anything wrong, how can you just divorce me? We in the Gu family don't have the custom of torturing others!"

Second uncle also became anxious and hurried to help her: "Cao Mei, why are you doing this?"

But the second aunt broke free from him and kowtowed to her grandparents: "Dad and Mom, I know you love me, but I really can't bear it anymore!"

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Sun, the second uncle also knelt down, sighed and said, "Mother, I don't want to see Caomei suffer anymore. Please let us adopt a son."

As soon as these words were spoken, the room suddenly became quiet.

My aunt was stunned for a moment, then quietly tugged at my uncle's sleeve and whispered, "Could she be planning to raise Yuchuan?"