The selection process for maids took quite a long time.
When Gu Sangu saw that all of Madam Li's capable assistants had come, she simply let them select a group for her, and then she would choose from them.
The two old women, Big Yellow and Little Green, instructed Old Woman Yellow to call people in in batches, eleven people at a time, according to their age.
The first batch of girls to come in were all between ten and thirteen years old.
Big Yellow and Little Green, very experienced, asked each of them where they came from, whether they had worked in other households, and what kind of work they did.
Not only did they ask questions, but as the maids answered, the two also carefully observed their expressions, clothing, and hands.
The first batch of six stayed behind and stood to one side.
The second to seventh batches consisted of girls aged fourteen to eighteen.
Using the same criteria, after asking all the questions, thirty-nine remained.
Da Huang and Xiao Lü knew that when the Gu family bought maids, they weren't just buying them to serve people; they also needed them to help the girls with their work. So, the conditions for some maids who were already working at home were more lenient, while the conditions for others were more stringent.
The eighth and ninth batches consisted of people aged nineteen to thirty. They were all people who had worked for other people's households and were sold off because they had offended someone or because their master had committed a crime.
Those who had offended someone and were being sold off were rejected by both Da Huang and Xiao Lü. They were directly called over, and those whose owners had committed crimes and were being sold off were questioned in detail.
The matchmaker, Granny Huang, was sweating profusely. She knew from the sight of Madam Li's capable assistant that today's business was doomed. Those two were incredibly perceptive; the few they couldn't get rid of in their brokerage business were still not off the hook here.
Cai Xiaolian could tell from Huang Pozi's expression that Da Huang and Xiao Lü were right; there were indeed many tricks involved in the brokerage business in Fucheng!
The last group consisted of women over thirty.
Dahuang and Xiaolv picked out a person specifically in charge of Gu Sangu's meals. This person used to serve the mistress of the house during her pregnancy, but the house fell into trouble, and her husband and son died because of the incident, leaving her all alone. If Gu Sangu treats this person well, she might be a helpful assistant.
After the people who had made their choices, including Da Huang and Xiao Lü, left, they gave Gu Sangu a reminder.
This Guo family scholar is not old, only in his early twenties. He has a great chance of passing the imperial examination or even advancing further. If Madam Gu cultivates her own people now, it will be helpful in her future relationships with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, as well as in her interactions with the wives of officials.
Gu Sangu was a very easygoing person. After hearing what Da Huang and Xiao Lü said, she quickly thanked them and took out some silver to give to them.
The two refused, saying that these were all matters instructed by Madam Li, and Gu Sangu could only offer this token of gratitude to Madam Li.
She thought she would embroider a piece and give it to Madam Li. She was quite good at embroidery, and there wasn't much fun to be had while she was pregnant anyway.
Of the 110 people, Big Yellow and Little Green picked and chose 60, paid the money, wrote the receipts, and handed the indentures to Cai Xiaolian. Then Granny Huang left with the people who were not chosen.
Gu Sangu selected five women over nineteen years old from these sixty women. She herself was only twenty-four years old and did not want to be surrounded by young girls.
Everything else was left to Cai Xiaolian, and when Cai Xiaolian went to the yamen to renew her indenture, she was also asked to process it, or it could be left to Gu Shouxin and her third uncle to process.
Gu Shouxin and his third uncle were chatting in the next room when they heard no more noise from this side. They then took the indenture and went to the yamen to renew it.
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