What to do if you find out that you are a cannon fodder in a cultivation novel?

I was pondering on those issues when Li Yao announced that dinner was ready 

“Great, let’s eat everyone” I looked at the trio who just put the food on the table but did not sit down. I sighed.

“Are we gonna argue again about not eating together? or are you going to sit down obediently?”

Silence.

“How about this; I do not like this place. It is not my home. So why don’t we all eat together so I can feel better? When we move out and get more servants, we could play the master-servant game and follow etiquette. Agreed?”

After a few heartbeats, grandma Li sighted then sat next to me. Soon after, both Li boys did the same. All of the sudden grandma Li stood up as if she remembered something. “I…I will bring our food then” 

There was not enough food for all of us on the table so it was understandable

“I will help you!” said Li Yao energetically before running in a flash

“Me too” followed Li Bo with a much slower pace than his brother but with the same motivation. I smiled, this life has been brighter since they joined me. 

I kept my smile until they bought their food; three vegetarian dishes and porridge. I looked at my food; two different kinds of meat, two vegetarian dishes and pork soup. One of the meat dishes had spiritual energy but I did not recall buying any as I completely forgot to do so this morning. “Why is your food different from mine?” I bought a lot of meat this morning.

“This is what servants in this type of household usually have,” replied grandma Li. 

I put my hands on my forehead, this was my mistake, I told them nothing of my wealth, rules and expectations. They had been with me for three days already.

“Fine, let’s share the meat dishes,” with the 'do not contradict me' look  “I prefer the porridge, you guys deal with the soup” After a few shuffling on the placement of the dishes, we started eating. None of them dared to reject me when I personally put the meat in their bowls - I gave less of the beast meat to Li Bo because he could not handle too much energy yet - 

During the meal, I shared that I was wealthy enough for my servants to have good and nutritious meals then talked about my food preferences. When we were done, I took out the wage & bonus agreements I wrote earlier. As for the household rules, we could set them later on. Grandma Li had enough experience to make a draft that I could approve. Li Yao poured some jasmine tea for all of us after cleaning out the table. Even with no energy on it, this tea was perfect after the greasy beast meat. 

“It is time to set a few things straight” I remembered the beast meat “But first, where did the beast meat come from?” 

“The beast meat? It was with the food that you put in the kitchen today” answered grandma Li. 

Wait, what? I did not buy it nor did I take it out of my ring. Did someone put it there on purpose? Shi*t I hope it was not poisonous. 

“Is there some of it left?” I asked

“Yes, I will bring it right away!” said Li Yao. Before I even had the time to answer, I had the meat in front of me. 

I took out a testing tool that I knew I had - thanks to my memory of my first life - and checked the meat:

[3rd level of Qi condensation hog’s meat. No poison]

Whoever gave the meat did not plan to hurt me YET. From now on I should use this tool for all my meals. Just in case.

As for the culprit, I was not concerned. Worst case scenario, it was the toxic family’s way to butter me - or my parents - up. NOT GONNA WORK!     

“You can put back the meat in the kitchen. There is no issue with it” I said to Li Yao and, as expected, he was back few heartbeat later

“The food you found on your first day here was not mine, nor that beast meat this is why I suspected foul play. 

From now on, you have to be aware of the food in the kitchen. if there is something extra or missing let me know. We need to know who is playing with us…I can use this tool to analyze it” I warned them. All three had shocked expressions but they still nodded in silence. I took a sip to moisturize my throat. then continued with the main purpose of this meeting

“Let’s talk about my rules and expectations of you as well as your wages. I am sorry it took until now” No one dared to stop me so as to not delay what was to come “First, do you all know how to read, write and do basic calculations? How about cultivation techniques?”

“I learned a bit from my late husband but my writing is not really good as I never had the chance to practice” replied grandma Li “But I know how to count, add and subtract numbers. I did not have the chance to learn cultivation in my young years but I learned some common exercises a decade ago” 

“I did not pass the final exam at my school but I know how to read, write and basic arithmetic” replied Li Yao “I am following the cultivation book I got at Huo's school” 

“I…I don’t know all the characters and cannot write all of them. I know how to count until 100” said Li Bo with a shameful look. he went only a year to school so it was understandable    

“No worries. I plan to let you all practice and learn more. Li Yao can help you both in the areas you are lacking while I will provide the necessary resources. Cultivation part is important for ALL my servants. This is why I am setting up a bonus system for each breakthrough” 

Then I mustered a CEO vibe to say “Any servant not planning to improve will be dismissed” 

“This is the wage agreement I planned earlier. Li Yao, please read it out loud for your family…not TOO loud” 

…

“This is too much” said grandma Li after reading the agreement. She had to re-read it by herself a few times as she was not convinced 

“As I said before, my servant’s cultivation is important for me. You will need those spiritual stones for that. Complaining that it is too much could be taken as unwillingness to improve” I said with an evil smile

“Nope. No complain” said Li Bo this time while holding his grandma’s hand 

“Good. Here is your employment incentive” I said while giving out 10 low spiritual stones to grandma Li, 8 for Li Yao and 4 for Li Bo  

Then I looked at the youngest “If you increase your level, you will get 10 spiritual stones right away and your wage would be every 4 months instead of a year. If your level increased again before the 4 months term, another bonus and the wage cycle would be 2 months and so on”

“For now, Li Yao and Li Bo’s task is to take care of my well being and run some errands. Grandma Li is the cook and housekeeper. In the future, if you go to a sect, I will be happy to sponsor you and hire you back afterward… or ask for a favor if not

…

If you prefer not joining a sect, I promise I will do my best to help you reach your dreams as long as you are loyal are willing to work hard” For that, I did not mind investing long term on them

This time, it was Li Bo who answered first with fire - not literal - in his eyes

“I promise to work hard and be loyal to you!”

“Me too! I will work hard to have the strength to protect everyone!” seconded Li Yao

“Master Bai, I am a bit old but I will cultivate to stay healthy longer and be able to take care of you” grandma Li said with a smile. She would be doing this for her grandsons' sake too.