Did the third place winner regret it today?

Chapter 16

Although the marriage was arranged by my mother, it was actually my father who made the final decision. The next day, the chief monk sent someone to invite Master Yin San to the mountain.
Master Yin San was quite uneasy.
Yin Shi was escorted here by Madam Sun, who was the most capable mother around the Third Madam. She could make decisions on behalf of the Third Madam in almost any matter. The chief monk actually invited him here. Was it really serious?

Donglin Temple was very popular, and even many wealthy families from outside Huaixi came to burn incense and make wishes. Although the Yin family was wealthy, in the eyes of the great monk of Donglin Temple, they were just a wealthy family*. The third master Yin was quite anxious in front of the abbot: "Master, how is my daughter?"
It's a daughter's matter, so just call her mother, why call her relative?

The head monk twirled his Buddhist beads and slowly raised his eyes: "This matter is not your daughter's, it's her biological mother's."
Master Yin San was so frightened that he said hurriedly, "This, this... We performed a ritual for her back then, and the coffin was not too thin. My family is not that kind of stingy."

"Amitabha..." the abbot said, "You need to ask yourself what she is obsessed with."
When will the monk tell you clearly? It is always confusing and vague, so figure it out on your own.
Master Yin San was guided to start recalling——
It seems like there was such a thing, and it seems like there was another thing... When I recall it like this, I actually remember a lot of things. I didn't care about them at the time, but now when I think about them, I feel like I have resentment for them.
If a person has something to hide in his heart, the more he thinks about it, the more he will think about it.

Master Yin San felt guilty. He glanced at the chief seat, but did not dare to ask what incident had become Yan Yi Niang's obsession. He just said calmly, "The past cannot be retrieved. How can we resolve the current situation? Master, please give me some advice."
The chief monk said, "I have calculated that it will take three years. Wait for her to let go and her soul to return to its resting place."
Master Yin San asked anxiously, "Why is it taking so long? Can't Master get rid of her now?"

The chief glanced at him.
Master Yin San coughed and said, "My family is worried, so I hope..."
"She is not an evil spirit, she just can't let go of her own flesh and blood. Her obsession has become part of your daughter's karma. If you forcibly destroy it, it will affect your daughter's fate."
Master Yin San was dumbfounded: "What should we do then?"

The abbot twisted his Buddhist beads for a while, struggling for a moment, but finally helped Yin Shi to fulfill his wish.
"Give them three years. Do not let your daughter leave home during these three years. Let her practice at home and let her biological mother see that she is treated well by her relatives and has parents to rely on."
"After three years, the obsession will disappear and the calamity will be resolved."
"Amitabha, this child is destined to have this hardship. Once it's over, everything will be fine."

When the Third Master returned to the Yin Mansion and relayed the words of the head monk, the Third Lady was also dumbfounded.
"Ah? What do you mean by never leaving home? What does it mean to never leave home?"
Master Yin San drank half a bowl of tea to moisten his throat, and then continued, "I also asked the monk. I said that Si Niang had just been engaged and was scheduled to get married next year. How can she not leave the family?"
"In the end, the master said, then don't marry. If she goes to someone else's house, Yan... that person will think she has lost her parents, and she might become an evil spirit. Not only will it affect Si Niang's fate, but Aunt Yan will take root in our house and can't leave. If she turns into an evil spirit, she will cause trouble."
"The master's idea is to let her chant sutras at home for the next three years. Then she can get married after three years."

The Third Lady said, "But how old will she be in three years?"
Speaking of this, Master Yin San also had a sad face: "What can we do? This is what the head monk said!"
If Ma the witch from Temple Back Street said this, Master Yin San and his wife would have to suspect that Ma the witch was trying to cheat money by making a fuss. But this was said by the chief monk of Donglin Temple, a highly respected monk.
Not to mention that he was Yin Shi's nominal master. A woman's marriage was a lifelong matter, and a delay of three years could ruin a good marriage for the rest of her life. No matter what, a master would never betray his disciple like this.

The third wife thought for a moment and said, "Otherwise, we can ask Ma Shenpo from Miaohou Street..."
Master Yin San said unhappily, "If Ma Shenpo can do it, why doesn't Master do it? Do you understand what karma is?"
"Amitabha." The third wife put her hands together and said, "Of course I understand. I recite the sutra all the time. No one in the family is more sincere than me."

The Third Master said, "Go talk to the Liu family and tell them that we want to keep Si Niang for three years and ask them if it's okay."
"What if it's not possible?"
"If it doesn't work, forget it. Just quit."

Yin Shi's marriage proposal was finally called off.
The Liu family's sons were all close in age, and if the second son's marriage was delayed, it would affect the third son's marriage, which the Liu family was not happy about. Fortunately, the two families only inserted the hairpins, and they had not even had time to exchange the engagement cards. They returned the hairpins and compensated some gifts. The third wife apologized and spoke softly, and the matter was forgotten.
Since the engagement letter has not been exchanged yet, it cannot be considered as a cancellation of the engagement, but it can be considered a failed match.

When Yin Shi came back from the mountain, her engagement had been settled.
Second and Third Niang came to see her and expressed their pity for her: "What a good marriage, why did it end? What happened?"
Yin Shi wiped her tears and said, "How should I know? Go ask your father and mother."

After sending his sisters away, Yin Shi settled down in his own small courtyard to "recuperate".
The third lady had something to hide and didn't want to see her often, and even skipped her morning and evening visits.
But when Yin Shi's marriage fell through, there were still some complaints in the family. The old lady even called the third wife over to scold her.

The Third Lady did not dare to say that it was Aunt Yan who was haunting her, so she could only say, "Fourth Lady is not in good health. The monk from Donglin Temple did a divination and said that she has a bad fate and needs to wait three years before getting married. Otherwise, it will bring trouble to our family and others. We are not afraid of that when we are young, but we are afraid of bringing trouble to you, old lady."

The old lady was only slightly more superstitious than the middle-aged woman, and the older she got the more superstitious she became. After hearing what was said, she hurriedly asked in detail how it was interfering with the law and how to break it.
The third wife made up a story: "Just tell her not to leave her home, and to copy scriptures every day, and live in peace for three years."
He also said that he loved the child so much that he even exempted her from visiting him every morning and evening.
When the old lady heard this, she thought to herself, "You avoided this troublesome child, but let him come here to bother me, right?" She put her hand down and said, "In that case, I don't need to come here. Let her recite the sutras well and don't go out for no reason." Yin Shi didn't need to go to class because she was old. Now she lives her life in her own small courtyard. She copies scriptures, plants flowers, makes silk, makes incense, makes powder, etc. She has lived here for several years and has learned many new skills.
With enough food and clothing, no bullying or injustice, this life is peaceful and beautiful.

This year, Erniang got married. The next year, Sanniang also got married. Cousins ​​of similar age also got married one after another, and those who were still at home were a few years younger than her.
Because she had heard some gossip about misfortune and harming others, Wu Niang was also forbidden by her aunt to come and play with Yin Shi. Yin Shi had almost no social life and stayed quietly in his own courtyard.

It was not until the spring of the third year that the Yin Mansion suddenly became lively - good news came that Yin's grandson Shen Ti, who had passed the imperial examination at the age of eleven and ranked first, and had won the first place in the imperial examination last year, was admitted to the imperial examination and ranked third in the first class of the high school entrance examination!
Yin Shi even counted on his fingers: the first place winner, the second place winner, and the third place winner.
Wow, Tanhualang!

That was good, after all, they were relatives. Yin Shi was happy for the polite and mature little boy. But it had nothing to do with her. She continued to tidy up her garden. There were many branches that needed to be pruned in the spring. After they were pruned, they would be beautiful buds in a few days.
This quiet life of a stay-at-home girl will end after this year. She is seventeen this year and will be eighteen next year. Psychologically, she can accept getting married and having children. Physiologically, her body has fully developed, and the probability of death during childbirth is greatly reduced.

The Third Master and the Third Lady of Yin could not possibly let her stay at home forever. The marriage proposal this year and the marriage next year just fulfilled the "three years" rule.
This is a life that cannot be changed, and Yin Shi can now accept it calmly.

But her marriage was the concern of the Third Master and the Third Lady Yin, and now what Yin Shi has to worry about is Yunjuan's marriage.
Maids were not as valuable as young ladies, so in order to use them for a few more years, it was usually more cost-effective to let them marry two years later. Yun Juan was the same age as Yin Shi, and this year was the right age for them to get married.
Before, Qingyan flew away on her own, and later Qiaoque's parents also had jobs and their own paths, so Yin Shi didn't have to worry about them. But now it's Yunjuan, who was bought from outside and has no parents. She has no paths at all.

Yin Shi bought a box of four-color snacks, two rulers, and a pair of shrimp-whisker silver bracelets with the money, and personally went to Sun Mama's house. Sun Mama was the third wife's confidant, and the marriages of the maids in the third room had to go through her.

Mother Sun didn't expect that the fourth girl, who usually looked dull and honest and didn't know how to please her stepmother, would become smart at this time.
The more gifts you give, the less you hate. This was a life-long event for Yunjuan, but it was just a daily job for Madam Sun. Yunjuan's job was arranged in a few days - she was paired with a young servant at the door. The doormen were good for welcoming and seeing off guests, and there were many rewards, so it was considered a lucrative job. Although his father was not a manager, he was an old coachman, and was used by the second master of the Yin family.

Yunjuan has no parents, and the only reason she could marry such a pretty good young man was because her master, the Fourth Miss, was willing to spend money and beg for help.
Even Madam Sun said to the Third Madam: "I am not greedy for the Fourth Miss's things. I have seen and used all kinds of good things with Madam, so I am not that greedy. I just think that the Fourth Miss cares for the servants, just like Madam did in the past."
Mother Sun was a maidservant brought by the Third Madam as a dowry, and her marriage was also carefully selected by the Third Madam. Now she lives a decent life, the kind that slaves envy.

The third wife was very pleased: "After all, I raised this child. Even though he is a bit stupid, he should learn something from me."
Mother Sun: "That's right. The fourth girl is already seventeen this year, and you still have to take care of her marriage."
The Third Lady also knew that Yin Shi had to arrange a marriage for her this year at her age, so that she could get married when the three-year period was over next year and her fate was determined. Because the Fifth Lady would also be coming of age next year, she would also have to arrange a marriage. If the elder sister could not get married, it would affect the younger sister.
By then, the one who will be blamed will be her, the stepmother.

"Let's not worry about this for now." The Third Lady said, because she had more important things to do. "Is my sister's yard tidy? You should keep a close eye on it and don't let the people down there be lazy. If they neglect my sister, they will suffer the consequences."
Mother Sun patted her chest and promised: "I'll be watching."

Yin family's grandson Shen Ti was ranked third in the imperial examination, and the Yin family was proud of him.
But no one expected that someone from the Shen family suddenly came with a letter, saying that Mrs. Shen was going to return to her parents' home with her son, who had just won the third place in the imperial examination.
This is so sudden.
Normally, after high school, one would go back to hometown to worship ancestors. But the Shen family was from the capital, so they worshipped ancestors directly after high school. But this time, her return home was too sudden. Most of the time, they would exchange letters several months or even a year in advance, and make arrangements early. This time, the messenger took a speedboat and arrived ten days earlier than Mrs. Shen, catching the Yin family off guard.

But no matter what, the grandson of the third place winner is coming to the Yin family, which will bring honor to the Yin family. The third wife is busy making preparations to welcome this nephew of the third place winner.
Everyone in the house was filled with joy, looking forward to the visit of the third place winner.

(End of this chapter)