"Master Tang, that wasn't what I meant." Lin Dongguo shook his head.
"Could it be that you want to sell yourself to the Tang family like us?" Luo Yiwu asked casually from beside him.
"Yes... yes, yes, exactly. I heard that if you're a licentiate, because you hold scholarly rank, you get more silver for selling yourself.
"Besides, I still have my elderly mother at home. My wife died of illness last year, leaving a huge debt.
"There are two children left, a boy and a girl. They're both fifteen or sixteen, old enough to do some work.
"I heard Master Tang can buy whole families," Lin Dongguo said.
"If you're willing to sell yourself to the Tang family, since you're a licentiate, educated and able to keep accounts,
"I can assign you to the accounts office or have you teach at Su Mei Academy.
"You'll get fifty taels for selling yourself, and a monthly allowance of three taels.
"Your mother should be able to do some needlework. Thirty taels for her. Both children are fifteen or sixteen, so they can attend the academy.
"If their martial arts are decent, they can join the Personal Guard Team or the House Guard Team. They can also do other work. Forty taels each for them.
"Everyone gets a monthly allowance. If you agree, we can sign the contract now," Tang Wen said.
"Master, I owe three hundred taels outside. Selling my whole family comes to 160 taels, leaving me 140 short. Could I have an advance and have it deducted from our monthly allowances later?" Lin Dongguo asked.
"You borrowed from a loan shark, didn't you?" Tang Wen asked.
"That's right. His wife was seriously ill last year, and he spent several hundred taels.
"Scholar Lin borrowed the money from Huang Sanlang