23. The first employee
As Lina spoke, memories of the last two years flooded back to her, and tears began to flow uncontrollably.
Jason Liu felt helpless as he watched her cry.
"My sister made me smear dirt on my face and wear ragged clothes to protect me. She said that if a girl like me attracts the wrong kind of people, no one will be able to protect us. So, please don't turn me away! I just want to be by your side. Woohoo…"
Lina covered her face with her hands, her tears streaming down her cheeks.
Seeing this high school girl in such distress made Jason Liu's heart ache.
In the few days spent in the winter market town, Jason had learned that what Lina said was sadly true.
The world they lived in was brutal, especially for women.
With Lina's striking beauty and no one to protect her, she was vulnerable. If someone set their sights on her, she could end up in a horrific situation, perhaps even sold into a life of misery.
Watching her cry and thinking about her potential fate, Jason scratched his head and finally found a solution. "Alright, alright, Lina, I promise you can come with me."
Lina lifted her tear-streaked face, her eyes wide. "Really?"
"Yes, but instead of being a maid, I'll hire you as an employee in my store. You can help me sell goods!" Jason explained.
Although she wouldn't be a maid, Lina felt a surge of happiness at the thought of being close to Lord Jason.
Wiping her tears, Jason began explaining the terms of employment. "If you help me with my work, I'll take care of your meals every day, and you'll earn 10 silver deer a month. What do you think?"
After speaking, he felt a bit embarrassed, thinking he sounded like a ruthless capitalist. Ten silver deer was only about 1,000 yuan in modern currency—a very low wage.
"Ah, 10 silver deer?!" Lina exclaimed, her mouth agape in surprise, her beautiful brown eyes widening. "That's too much!"
Jason had expected her to think it was too little, so he was taken aback. "Too much?" he asked, unsure of what to make of her reaction since he didn't know much about wages in Westeros.
Lina nodded enthusiastically. "It's a lot! I worked in the kitchen at Winterfell and only earned 3 silver deer a month. That was considered very generous from Lady Stark!"
Three silver deer?
Jason calculated in his mind. That was around 10 bronze stars a day, or the equivalent of 5 pounds of wheat.
Hmm… It seemed that Lady Catelyn Stark paid less than he thought.
While Jason secretly complained about Lady Stark's low wages, he didn't fully understand the economic situation in Westeros.
With such a low level of productivity in the region, there simply weren't enough jobs, leading to lower labor costs.
Even though the kitchen helper made 3 silver deer a month, it wasn't that low in the North.
Ignoring Lina's initial hesitation, Jason officially hired his first employee in Westeros at a salary of 10 silver deer a month.
Thrilled with her new job, the 16-year-old girl wiped her tears away and immediately got to work tidying up Jason Liu's room.
Jason was equally pleased that he could help this girl avoid a tragic future.
To celebrate hiring his first employee, Jason went upstairs and dug out some modern food that had been tossed in a corner—bread, instant noodles, and ham.
Lina stared at the white bread Jason brought out, her eyes wide in wonder. This was the first time she had seen bread so fluffy and soft.
She had never seen instant noodles or ham before.
When she learned that Lord Jason wanted to share a meal with her, she quickly shook her head and said, "No, sir! This food is too precious for someone like me. You should eat it yourself. I'll go back and have dinner with my sister, Martha."
"Oh, I almost forgot! Your sister Martha and that little boy didn't eat today, right?" Jason slapped his forehead, remembering. He ran back upstairs, grabbed two buckets of instant noodles, and called for Lina. "Let's go! I'm inviting you and your sister's family to dinner tonight!"
Jason closed the door behind him and walked next door with Lina.
"But—" Lina was touched but also anxious.
"This is a boss's order, so you can't refuse!" Jason said firmly, and the girl felt she had no choice but to accept.
When they arrived, Martha was surprised to see Jason and her sister together. She quickly put down her sleeping son and approached with a shy expression. "Sir, I hope Lina isn't bothering you. If she is, just tell her what to do."
"Martha, I've hired Lina as an employee in my store. She will help me sell the goods " Jason explained, placing the items he carried on the only table in the room with a smile.
"—Ah? An employee? Selling goods?" Martha was shocked; this was completely unexpected.
Lina excitedly told her sister about the 10 silver deer salary Jason had promised her.
"10 silver deer?!" Martha's face changed in disbelief. "No, no, my lord! You've already saved my daughter, Lillian. How can we accept that much money? Let Lena stay with you and help. Just take care of her food; we don't need any wages!"
"You don't have to worry, Martha. This is what I agreed on with Lina," Jason reassured her, noticing her unease. "And honestly, 10 silver deer a month doesn't mean much to me. Compared to what I used to earn back home, it's a very small amount."
"That's it!" To prevent her from refusing again, Jason added, "If you don't agree, I'll have to find someone else."
Martha finally relented, no longer rejecting the offer.
"Haha, to celebrate my first employee in Westeros, I'll treat you all to food from my homeland tonight!" Jason eagerly began tearing open the packaging of the instant noodles, instructing Lina to boil water.
Even though she didn't know how to boil water, Lina went to the kitchen and followed his instructions.
Martha covered her children with blankets and joined her sister in the kitchen, whispering to her, wondering why she was hired as an employee instead of being a maid.
The two sisters exchanged secrets while preparing the water.
Meanwhile, Jason opened four buckets of instant noodles and added two ham sausages to each one.
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