Chapter 84
“I plan to take a look at the wine shops and teahouses in the city first.
I can’t do anything else, but my culinary skills are alright. Perhaps they’ll be willing to take me in as a helper.
As tiring as the job in those places are, I have nowhere else to go now. No matter how tired I am, I can only grit my teeth and endure it.”
An image involuntarily appeared in Xiao Juan’s mind. In the noisy kitchen, Yu Niaoniao was being ordered around and made to keep working. She was so tired that her back hurt and she could not stand up. However, she could only grit her teeth and swallow all her tears.
He couldn’t think about it. The more he thought about it, the more his heart ached.
Xiao Juan suddenly spoke.
“Wait a moment.”
Yu Niaoniao looked at him aggrievedly. “Do you have any other instructions?”
Xiao Juan said seriously, “It’s true that the Justice Department can’t accept women, but I lack a helper. If you’re willing, you can stay and help.”
Yu Niaoniao was stunned at first, then she nodded quickly.
“I’m willing! Very much!”
Seeing how cheerful she was, he was overjoyed.
Xiao Juan could not help but smile. “What do you want in terms of salary and treatment?”
Yu Niaoniao counted with her little fingers and said seriously.
“I don’t ask for much as long as food and accommodation are covered and I can get my travel expenses reimbursed. I’ll limit my working hours to less than eight hours a day. I’ll take eight days off every month, and I’ll work out the holidays. A monthly salary of no less than ten taels is enough.”
Xiao Juan was silent.
That’s not a lot to ask?
The imperial court had holidays, but they were usually once a month.
At most, he could take three days off every month.
However, because there were too many things to do in the Justice Department, Xiao Juan had never taken a break since he took office.
He’d almost forgotten about having a holiday.
Yu Niaoniao actually asked for eight days off?
She was thinking nonsense.
Xiao Juan said with a wooden face, “Three days of leave every month, a monthly salary of 20 taels, food, accommodation, carriage, and horse fees.”
Yu Niaoniao counted with her fingers again.
Although the holidays had decreased, the salary had doubled. That was acceptable.
So she slapped the table on the spot. “No problem!”
Xiao Juan had retained her, but then he was a little troubled.
He wondered what kind of job he should give her.
If he did not let her do anything, he was afraid that she would think too much.
After some thought, Xiao Juan had an idea.
He had someone bring the books he had just confiscated to Yu Niaoniao and spoke to her.
“Don’t you have a photographic memory? Read all these books. Pick out the ones with anti-poetry hidden inside and make a list for me.”
Yu Niaoniao looked at the small mountain of books in front of her and felt numb.
She really did not expect that Prince Lang would really use her to death when he said he wanted to hire her. He was not polite at all.
If he went to modern society, he would be a capitalist who would not stop until he drained the working people dry.
Poor sweatshop worker Yu Niaoniao had nowhere to complain. She could only silently roll up her sleeves and start working.
She hadn’t been bragging when she said she had a photographic memory.
As long as she glanced at the page, her brain would automatically memorize the entire contents and quickly digest them.
Xiao Juan could not help but ask when he saw her flipping through the book quickly.
“You can remember that?”
Yu Niaoniao replied without looking up, “I can remember most of it.”
Xiao Juan was skeptical.
He picked up a book she had just finished and opened it at random. He read the beginning of two sentences and let her take the next.
Yu Niaoniao barely thought before blurting out an article.
She actually memorized the entire page, word for word.