The two female soldiers were sisters; the elder was 17 years old, and the younger was 15. They also had a younger brother who was seven.
Just after the earthquake the year before, a full-scale reconstruction was underway in Xiangyang District. In order to cut down on grain rations, the family originally wanted to sell the two older daughters to the brothel. However, Jiang Pengji was renovating those places at that time, so they were being watched. They had nowhere to sell their daughters even if they wanted to.
Later, they heard that anyone would be compensated with half a tael of silver if they sent their daughters to the female battalion. Hence, they sold all their daughters to the female battalion.
They would be able to receive a tael of silver by sending their daughters to the female battalion. There would also be two less mouths to feed at home.