Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 14 Maid Hiring (This cat will always celebrate Children's Day)
For Li Wei, becoming a special investigation consultant for the police did not bring him any compensation, but it did bring him many hidden benefits.

And this is what Li Wei valued.

Civil servants receive fixed salaries, so why are so many people still willing to do it?

Isn't it all for these hidden benefits?
Take walkie-talkies for example. People in modern society who are used to getting SIM cards probably don't know how difficult it is to install one. It's not something you can just do whenever you want. Even if you're incredibly wealthy, you still have to be subservient to the telecommunications administration bureau, and even then, they might only issue one if they're in a good mood.

In this era, there are no complaints or reports. Even if a rich person comes, a low-level employee of the Communications Administration can jeopardize you for a year!
The answer is always the same: unqualified qualifications, substandard procedures, and improperly filled-out forms!

Don't underestimate the imperial bureaucracy.

Li Wei only got the phone installed by the Communications Authority in such a short time because of the "socialite killer" case and instructions from the city council. Otherwise, following the proper procedures, it could have taken six months to a year.

Because walkie-talkies were difficult to install, simply going out and handing someone a business card, saying, "This is my personal contact number," would instantly make them look at you differently. It was a subtle yet luxurious way of flaunting your power, influence, and connections; even the wealthiest businessmen would feel inferior in your presence. If the other party didn't have a walkie-talkie, they would be embarrassed to even mention sending telegrams or emails.

Incidentally, the Communications Authority doesn't actually have a particularly busy workload, but no qualified civil servant would voluntarily increase their own workload.

As an aside, since it was a business phone, the communication costs were reimbursed by the police station.

In addition to that, another hidden benefit is... guns and ammunition!
Gun control was also strictly enforced in this era. Most people were not allowed to carry guns unless they had a gun license, and they would be detained if caught. So, strictly speaking, Li Wei was also illegally possessing a gun. However, people generally turned a blind eye to such things. Otherwise, on the night he first traveled through time, Li Wei would not have been able to go home and would have spent the night in the police station instead.

But now, with the special advisor's badge issued by the police station, maintaining his gun is no longer a problem, and he can even get bullets directly from the police station by filing a report. Fortunately, Li Wei's revolver uses .455 caliber bullets, which are commonly used by the Imperial military and police and are easy to obtain.

In addition, most departments in the empire are led by the royal family and the government, and Livy, by joining the "system," will gain many benefits as a result.

In this world's empires, capitalists did not gain power due to the Industrial Revolution and the Information Revolution. This is because, in the eyes of the imperial people, only landed nobles were motivated to protect their territories and the nation; capitalists were not trustworthy. These capitalists, if they wanted preferential treatment and power, had only one option: to marry into the nobility, inherit their lands and titles, and only then would they be eligible to enter parliament and offer opinions and suggestions to the nation.

An ordinary businessman? Go stay wherever is good.

Li Wei agreed with this point and thought the empire's idea was not wrong.

Only landowners will wholeheartedly protect their own land and the empire's land. These capitalists, who only care about whoever feeds them and whoever has money, don't care about that.

History has proven that the empire's choice was correct. Instead of eliminating the emerging capitalists outright, it provided them with a path to advancement and firmly tied their interests to those of the nobility, forcing them to serve the empire. Moreover, those capitalists who preemptively married into noble families and inherited their status would even actively help the nobility suppress their former associates to reduce their competition…

This also meant that during the Industrial Revolution, the imperial regime remained relatively stable and did not experience major rebellions.

In contrast, the Franciscan Kingdom, the empire's archenemy, rose to become the continent's leading power during the empire's decline. The Franciscan Kingdom was extremely proud of its aristocratic system. While the empire paid little attention to noble lineage, the Franciscan Kingdom was fiercely protective of it, refusing to allow anyone deemed unworthy or inferior to join its ranks. Consequently, when the Industrial Revolution led to the rise of a new bourgeoisie, the Franciscan Kingdom responded with ruthless exploitation and suppression. Ultimately, this led the emerging bourgeoisie, along with the already exhausted populace, to overthrow the corrupt and decadent dynasty.

The reaction of the imperial nobles to this was... well, very well, I can drink two cups of tea with their heads on my hands.

After all, as nations with a long history of grudges and conflicts, the Empire and the Kingdom of Francis were constantly at odds, each looking down on the other. The reserved silence favored by the Empire's nobility was seen as rigid and inflexible by the Kingdom of Francis. Conversely, the elaborate and ornate clothing and etiquette displayed by the Kingdom of Francis to flaunt its aristocratic power were seen as flashy and pretentious by the Empire's people.

In fact, when the empire underwent reforms and allowed the emerging bourgeoisie to join the ranks of the nobility, the Franciscan Kingdom ridiculed them for defiling their barely noble bloodline, bowing down for money, losing their aristocratic etiquette and refinement, and degenerating into despicable lower classes.

Well, the Empire's response is clear: I'm the one sitting here drinking tea, and you're the one going to the guillotine. Who's right and who's wrong is obvious.

That's all just small talk; let's get back to the main topic.

Unlike the full-time maids in games and anime, maids in this era are highly specialized. Of course, this doesn't mean that the requirements for maids' abilities are very high. On the contrary, because most young women in this era do not have much education, the things they can do are extremely limited.

Anime often features scenes of maids preparing delicious food for their masters, but this scene is extremely rare in this era.

The reason is simple: low-status maids don't eat good food at home, so how could they possibly be good cooks? And no matter how rich the master is, or how much food they buy, it's not for you to practice your cooking.

Similarly, there are specific techniques for maintaining leather shoes by applying oil, and for washing and drying coats to prevent them from deforming or shrinking. It's not as simple as just hitting them with a stick a few times like you would in the countryside.

Therefore, in this era, the profession of maid was highly specialized, with subdivisions such as dishwashing maid, kitchen maid, laundry maid, babysitter maid, distillery maid, household maid, general maid, personal maid, housekeeper, and so on... It was a whole host of professions that could give anyone a headache just looking at them.

Unlike in modern times, where you can hire a maid and leave all the housework to her, in this way...

Levi didn't intend to find someone himself, but instead asked Inspector Lestrade to help him make connections and find a maid who met his criteria. After all, as an inspector, Lestrade had considerable influence and connections. And indeed, after Lestrade's introduction, Levi quickly contacted the headmistress of a maid school and decided to hire a maid.

And today is the day she comes to visit.

Li Wei took out his pocket watch and looked at it.

It's almost time.

Almost at the same time, the elevator bell rang.

"Ding-dong………………!"

Eileen Roberts, carrying a heavy travel bag, watched anxiously as the elevator slowly ascended. She had already heard about her employer from her teacher. He was a young, handsome, and capable man. He was currently working as a detective and a special investigation consultant for the police department, and had even solved the high-profile socialite murder case from a few days ago.

Of course, the teacher also told her that the other party's request was somewhat demanding, but Eileen believed that she should be able to do it.

However... at this moment, as the elevator gradually rose, the feeling of weightlessness made Eileen feel uneasy.

Am I really capable of doing this job well?
What if I get fired?
When we meet in a little while, how should I address him? "Good day, sir?" Should I curtsy?

Just as Eileen was feeling uneasy, the elevator shuddered and then stopped. The elevator doors slowly opened, and Eileen instinctively looked up and gazed ahead.

Then, she instinctively held her breath.

Before Eileen's eyes was a round stained-glass window—the clock face of the tower, though it had long since lost its original function. In the dim sunlight, Eileen could see a large desk in front of the window, and a person sitting behind it, silently staring at her. Because of the backlighting, Eileen couldn't make out the person's features clearly, only a vague shadow.

However, she still cautiously and quickly lowered her head, looking at the floor in front of her. What should I do? How should I begin?
At that moment, Eileen's mind went blank.

Meanwhile, Li Wei was leisurely sitting behind his desk, observing the girl in black with brown hair, delicate features, and glasses. She was very slender, carrying an old travel bag covered in patches, her shoes were falling apart, and her face was pale, suggesting malnutrition… Hmm, it seems her current financial situation isn't very good.

Eileen Roberts. Levi had certainly seen her file. She came from a merchant family; her parents ran a small shop, placing them in the lower-middle class in Chongqing. Eileen had excelled academically during her time at the maid school, and according to the plan, she was expected to graduate smoothly and become a maid to the high-ranking nobles, serving the upper class—a kind of upward social mobility.

Unfortunately, fate intervened. During a trade trip, Eileen's parents were robbed by pirates; the couple were killed, and all their possessions were stolen. To make matters worse, the trade had left them with a large debt. Eileen was forced to drop out of school and sell everything they owned to pay off the debt.

The headmistress was heartbroken by Eileen's talent and couldn't bear to see her fall into such a state of depravity. So when Inspector Levitor Lestrade inquired about her, she introduced Eileen to the headmistress.

After all, not graduating was a stain on Eileen's reputation. And nobles wouldn't want a servant like that. But Levi was clearly a different story…

Of course, this is why the principal introduced her to Li Wei, and Li Wei's choice of Eileen was not just because he felt sorry for her and wanted to do good deeds.

After all, he needed a maid who could handle housework, cook, make tea, and be literate. Simply put, he was basically using the maid as a secretary, which placed high demands on her education level—but there was no other way; if Levi wasn't home and Inspector Lestrade or someone else left a message on the intercom, how would Eileen write it down?
An illiterate person can't do this job.

"You're Eileen Roberts?"

Li Wei put down the documents in his hand, looked at the girl, and asked her a question.

"Yes, sir..."

The latter trembled and hurriedly answered.

Do you know what you're doing?

"yes………"

"You don't have to do much. It's mainly about cleaning the rooms, preparing three meals a day, and writing down the names and requests of anyone who calls... Is that alright?"

"Yes, no problem."

Eileen simply lowered her head, staring at the floor as she answered. She had been taught in school that it was extremely impolite to look directly at someone without their permission. Although this owner looked young, who knew if he might be displeased?

"Are you from Chongqing?"

"Yes."

"I heard you're not doing well right now. Do you have a place to stay?"

"this……………"

Faced with Li Wei's question, Eileen was momentarily at a loss for words. Indeed, just as Li Wei had said, she had sold her parents' shop and home to pay off debts…

"I'm looking for a place to rent around here..."

"No need for that. There's a single room downstairs, you can stay there."

Li Wei was referring to the maintenance room beneath the clock tower. Of course, since the clock tower itself had long since ceased to function, it was just an empty room, but it was still perfectly adequate for living in. After all, it was originally intended for the clock tower's maintenance workers, and it was fully equipped with beds and a bathroom, though it wasn't as comfortable as Li Wei's "penthouse suite."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome. By the way, I only have one request."

"any request?"

"No matter how messy my desk is, don't touch it. I know where everything is. If you move it, I'll lose it."

"Ah... okay, I understand."

"very good."

Li Wei nodded in satisfaction.

"Your salary is £1 per month, with a three-month probation period. If you are satisfied, we will sign a long-term contract."

Li Wei calculated this based on the price of a high-class house maid, since the work of a high-class house maid is similar to that of a secretary, and their annual salary is generally between £12 and £20.

Although most people in this world are paid weekly, Li Wei is used to being paid monthly.

And it's convenient to calculate, isn't it?
"Huh? One pound?"

To be honest, Eileen was quite surprised to hear Levi's generosity. After all, she hadn't even graduated yet, and even with the principal's recommendation, she never imagined she would be able to earn a monthly salary of one pound…

"Yes."

After Li Wei finished speaking, he picked up the documents in his hand again.

"Now you can go tidy up the room. The stairs are on the left; just go down. After you're done, make me a pot of tea, thank you."

Eileen gripped her travel bag tightly, clenching her teeth. She didn't know if her decision was right or wrong, but at least for now, her new life seemed to be getting off to a good start.

"Okay, sir!"

(End of this chapter)