Chunru couldn't understand what Wang Wen was thinking, so she put the matter out of her mind and went about her work, eating, and sleeping as usual.

This greatly worried Wang Wen. After finishing his business at the yamen that day, he rushed to Zhao's Snack Shop and went directly to Liu Qing to ask him what Miss Chunru meant.

Liu Qing thought for a moment and said,

"Chunru is a little confused about what you see in her. As for other things, I'm not really sure either. Maybe I'll ask her later."

Wang Wen had no choice but to sit in the front hall and drink, while Liu Qing took the opportunity to call Chunru and ask her about the matter.

Chunru thought for a moment,

"Well then, young shopkeeper, I am indeed of marriageable age. Since Wang Wen has taken a liking to me and the master doesn't object, I'd like to give it a try."

Could you please arrange a meeting with Wang Wen for me? I need to ask him a few questions in person.

If he answers well, we'll get married; if he doesn't, then let him find someone else.

That evening, after Zhao's Snack Shop closed for the day, Wang Wen and Chunru met in the front hall.

Chunru generously invited Wang Wen to sit down. "Officer Wang, I want to know what exactly you see in me?"

Wang Wen didn't expect Chunru to be so direct, and thought to himself, "She really is the girl I've set my sights on."

"I can't really explain it, but I always want to see you when I can't see you. As long as I see you, I feel at ease."

I just want to spend my life with you.

After we get married, I will hand over all my savings from these years, and I will also hand over all my monthly allowance to you. Just leave me a little money for a drink.

I'm not a big drinker, but sometimes when my buddies and I get together, we might occasionally go out to a restaurant.

When Chun asked a question, Wang Wen's answer even included considerations of financial control after marriage.

Chunru thought for a moment,

"With your qualifications, finding a girl from a respectable family shouldn't be difficult."

With both a dowry and support from the bride's family, life will likely be even better in the future.

Wang Wen smiled upon hearing Chunru's words.

"Miss Chunru, you may not know this, but I am an orphan and have no brothers or sisters to help me."

Generally speaking, girls from good families wouldn't want to marry someone like me.

Life is hard to live alone; with the protection of a family, things might be smoother.

If someone like me has a son who can't stand up for himself, or can't have a son at all, and has family and relatives, there's a high chance that my family will be wiped out in the future.

Of course, if I'm willing to spend a lot more on the dowry, marrying a girl from a respectable family isn't out of the question. The prerequisite is a high dowry.

Better families might give the girl some betrothal gifts to bring back, while worse families might give her nothing at all, perhaps even a new set of clothes, before sending her off.

We've seen this kind of thing quite often when we're handling cases.

In most families, daughters are considered worthless while sons are considered precious treasures. Even after a daughter gets married, she will often bring things back to her parents' home.

Do you think people can live a good life like that? These are all unknowns.

I consider myself to be of average appearance and lacking in talent, so I can't marry the kind of girl who is devoted to her family.

Therefore, whether or not one marries a woman from a respectable family is not important.

As for why I'm so fond of Chunru, I don't know why, I just want to spend my life with you.

If I have offended Miss Chunru, please forgive me.

But I'm worried that if I don't seize the opportunity soon, and one day you get snatched away by some other rascal, there'll be no use crying to myself."

Chunru continued to ask questions:

“I am a slave. It is only because my master is kind that he allowed me to marry.”

However, I cannot redeem myself within ten years. If I have not served in the master's house for ten years, the redemption fee is 150 taels of silver. If I have served for ten years, the redemption fee is 15 taels of silver.

Another thing is that when getting married, you need to sign a contract with the family.

If any of the master's recipes are leaked, resulting in losses to the master's interests, I will have to compensate him with 1,500 taels of silver.

So, if you marry me, I will still need to work. Can you accept that?

Chunru may seem unreliable all the time, but she is actually quite shrewd.

Although Wang Wen worked in the government office, who says that everyone who works there is a good person?

She was afraid that Wang Wen had ulterior motives in contacting her, so she emphasized these "requirements of the master".

Given these stringent conditions, those with ulterior motives will generally give up if they don't see any advantage.

Of course, there are definitely some who want to exploit loopholes.

For example, after we get married, I take your recipe, then kick you out of the house. As for whether you have to bear huge debts, that's none of my business.

If you encounter something like this, it just means you're stupid.

Wang Wen smiled.

"I also have to work at the yamen during the day, so you'll be bored at home all by yourself."

Isn't it good that the Lord's family can still give you the opportunity to work?

It's profitable and keeps me entertained. It's just that if we have children, it might be tough on you.

At that time, it would definitely be impossible to go back to work.

My savings over the years are enough to redeem you from your servitude. Why don't we use them to redeem you first?

This will also save you the trouble of not being able to take care of both mother and baby if you get pregnant.

Chunru sat across the table, staring blankly at Wang Wen for a while, "Are you sure you've really taken a liking to me?"

Wang Wen nodded.

Chunru rubbed her little face.

"Alright, I'll ask the old lady later. If she agrees, then you can come and propose marriage."

When Huang received Chunru's letter written by Liu Qing, she laughed after reading it.

"This Chunru gave a very detailed report, recounting everything the two of them talked about. She was afraid of being deceived."

It's good that this girl thought of these things; at least it shows she's considerate.

Not long after, Chunru got married from Zhao's Snack Shop, arranged by Liu Qing.

Although it was a maidservant getting married, all the women of the Zhao family came together to see her off.

Regardless of the circumstances, we should still show the respect due to our master-servant relationship.

Huang gave ten taels of silver plus a bolt of fine cotton as dowry.

As for the entire dowry that Wang Wen gave, Chunru naturally took it all back with her.

Originally, Huang was going to give Chunru her indenture, but Chunru firmly disagreed.

"Madam, this is unacceptable."

Chunru had only been at the Zhao family for a short time when she gained the old lady's trust and was taught so much about food and housework.

Chunru was extremely grateful.

But people's hearts are fickle, and Chunru can't guarantee that if she gets enough benefits one day, she won't lose her conscience.

It's better to keep Chunru's indenture with the old lady, so that Chunru can always be reminded of her duty.

And this is also a way to protect Chunru.

It's not that Chunru is being pessimistic.

Chunru was still somewhat self-aware, worried that if she were to meet the wrong person and one day find herself unable to make ends meet, she could turn back to her master's family and find a place to stay.

Besides, even if they get married, Chunru will still have to come back to work, so it doesn't matter whether Chunru is given a contract of indenture or not.

We hope the old lady will grant our request.

What could Huang say? The other party didn't want their freedom, were they going to force it on them?