Did the third place winner regret it today?

Chapter 18

Shen Ti's recent success in the imperial examination and her move to her maternal family made the Yin family extremely happy.
He was dressed in the robes and cap of a Jinshi, riding a tall and fine horse, and walking down the street wearing a brocade hairpin and flowers, as if he was returning home after passing the imperial examination, which really gave the Yin family enough face.
The old man of the Yin family was overjoyed and felt that this grandson was closer to him than his own biological grandson!

The Magistrate of Huaixi County was right beside him. The old man straightened his back and said in a loud voice, "But Ti'er?"
Shen Ti turned over and stepped forward: "It's my grandson. Why is your grandfather here? I am so embarrassed."
As he spoke, he lifted the hem of his robe and knelt down.

The highlight of Old Master Yin’s life was at this moment.
Even though he was his own grandson, he was the god of literature and art, so he did not dare to be reserved for too long. He was only indifferent for a second before he quickly reached out to help him: "No, get up quickly, get up quickly!"
However, Shen Ti was not frivolous. He kowtowed firmly and performed the full etiquette to his grandfather whom he had not seen for almost ten years. Then he stood up, bowed and clasped his fists: "Eldest uncle, second uncle, third uncle, fourth uncle..." and greeted all the uncles in a circle.

The Huaixi County Magistrate nodded secretly and coughed lightly.
The Yin family, who were so happy that they were silly, reacted and the old man personally introduced Shen Ti: "This is the local county magistrate, Mr. Qian."
Shen Ti bowed slightly to County Magistrate Qian and said, "County Magistrate."
County Magistrate Qian was very polite: "Hanlin."

Shen Ti was the third place winner in the first class. According to the convention of the Great Mu Dynasty, the three people in the first class, No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3, did not need to study as Shujishi and could directly enter the Hanlin Academy after their names were on the list of successful candidates.
Shen Ti now holds the title of Hanlin editor, which is the seventh rank.
The county magistrate was only a seventh-rank official. Moreover, County Magistrate Qian was a middle-aged man in his forties, a juren. Shen Ti and Shen Jiyun were only seventeen years old, first-class jinshi, and started out in the Hanlin Academy, where the world's elite gathered.
How could a Juren raise his head in front of a Jinshi, let alone a Tanhua Lang? Therefore, although County Magistrate Qian was older, he was quite polite to Shen Ti.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Magistrate Qian congratulated Shen Ti on his success in high school. Shen Ti only said "thank you" and was not very modest.
The young man was in high spirits. If his father had not been suppressing him, he would have passed the provincial examination last year. Although he was not arrogant because of his talent, he still had the pride that an elite scholar should have.
But this pride is something that everyone is happy to accept.

Old Master Yin interrupted at the right time: "Talk inside the house."
But County Magistrate Qian was well versed in the ways of the world. He waved his hand and said with a smile, "Today is a happy occasion for the Yin family. Your daughter and grandson have been away for many years, so they must have a lot of homesickness to express. I will not bother you anymore. I will come to visit you another day."
Shen Ti leaned forward and nodded in thanks.

The old man and his sons respectfully sent the county magistrate away, then turned around and held Shen Ti's arm: "My dear grandson, come home quickly. I miss you so much!"
Shen Ti supported her grandfather with her backhand and was about to speak when she heard a woman's voice shouting, "Father."
Everyone turned around and saw that it was Mrs. Shen who got out of the car after seeing County Magistrate Qian leave.

The old man then remembered that in addition to his grandson Jin, he also had a daughter who married far away! He hurriedly called out affectionately, "Fourth Mother, you're back."
It had been almost twenty years, and this was Mrs. Shen's second visit to her parents' home. The word "Fourth Mother" immediately filled her eyes with tears. She lifted her skirt and saluted her old father: "Father..."
The old man held out his hand and said, "Get up quickly, get up quickly, don't be so polite."
The sons of the Yin family also said, "Fourth Lady is back."
"Fourth Lady, get up quickly."
"Don't cry, Si Niang."

Shen Ti walked down the stairs and personally helped her mother up.
He felt helpless - if it were in the capital, the threshold would have been removed, and his mother would have gotten off the carriage to meet everyone only after the carriage entered the mansion. But here, with so many people outside the door watching the excitement, she had already gotten off the carriage.
Once back in Huaixi, my mother actually stopped caring about it.

In fact, he had just seen that in addition to his grandfather, uncle, and cousins, his aunts were also gathered outside the door. This was really rude.
But he had been to Huaixi when he was a child, and he knew that his maternal grandfather's family was from a merchant family, and the rules in the family were quite loose, not a very particular family. His mother told him many years ago that if he held his maternal family to the standards of the poetic and polite families in the capital, it would be too harsh.
Shen Ti thought it made sense and accepted it.

After the father and daughter exchanged greetings, the Third Lady led several sisters-in-law and rushed forward, holding Mrs. Shen's arms on both sides, and welcomed her in lively: "Let's go and pay our respects to mother. Mother will be so happy to see you back."
The third lady even squinted her eyes.
Mrs. Shen was both amused and confused - after so many years, the relationship between her sister-in-law and her stepmother obviously hadn't improved much.
But after this rush, the sad mood faded a lot, and was replaced by the joy of returning home.

The men were in front, and the women were behind, all holding hands and walking into the gate together.
The steward was left outside and brought out two more baskets of copper coins. While singing festive words, he picked up handfuls of copper coins and scattered them outside.
The villagers, neighbors, street vagrants, and beggars all rushed to pick up the coins. The clever one did not try to grab them, but bowed to the manager and said something congratulating. The manager smiled and grabbed a handful and threw it straight at him. The man scooped it up with his clothes, which was no better than trying to grab it from the crowd.
The hustle and bustle in the market is mostly like this.

In a small courtyard deep in the Yin Mansion, sunlight slanted in through the dark tiles on the courtyard wall, dividing the light and darkness.
In the shadows at the corner of the yard, a young girl and a little girl were squatting, talking in clear voices.
"Be gentle, don't damage the roots." Yin Shi hugged his knees and supported his chin, instructing the new girl to transplant a flower with a bud into the soil in the corner of the yard.

After Yunjuan got married, Kui'er was promoted to a senior maid, and the younger maids who did the chores were promoted as well. Then a younger maid was hired to do the chores such as cleaning.
This has to be taught from the beginning.
It doesn’t matter. Spending time with little girls and teaching them things is a peaceful and healing process, and Yin Shi likes it very much.
This kind of life, when she lived in another time and space, was called "my dream retirement life."

The little girl looked up at the wall and said, "Miss, this location is not good. You can only get some sun for a short while every day and then you can't get any sun at all."
"A moment is enough. This flower likes shade and can't be exposed to too much sun." Yin Shi explained, and then reminded, "Remember to water it more. It likes shade and moisture, and can't tolerate drought."
"You know a lot, girl. I understand. Go in and have a rest, girl. I have learned it."

Yin Shi just stood up and clapped his hands, and Kui Er came back hurriedly, holding up her skirt: "Girl!"
Seeing her, Kui Er stamped her feet in anger: "Why are your hands still covered in dirt? Didn't I tell you to change your clothes early?"
She shouted, "Pu'er! Fetch some water for the girl to wash her hands, quickly!"
While pushing Yin Shi to the main room, he said, "Didn't you hear the firecrackers outside? The fourth aunt and the young master of the Shen family have arrived! The fourth aunt has gone to the old lady. In all likelihood, she will call the girls over to meet the fourth aunt. The other girls have already done their makeup, except you!"

Yin Shi was completely pushed around, and she even smiled: "Hey, don't be impatient."
There was really nothing I could do. Although I could teach them many things, I just couldn't teach them to be "Buddhist". Everyone was worried about her.
In fact, she herself was not in a hurry at all. The current situation was the result of her years of planning.

But how could Kui'er know?
Kui Er was getting so anxious that her mouth was covered with bubbles: "If Sister Yun Juan knew about this, she would poke my head and scold me!"
Before Yunjuan got married, she pulled Kui'er's ear, which she had been biting for a long time in the house, and told her again and again: "The girl is not anxious about anything. We must not learn from her. We must think for her and help her do things. We can't let her do everything. If this goes on day by day, she will get older and older. Alas... I am so worried!" Pu'er had already brought water and explained helplessly: "Don't you know our girl? I have urged her several times. She is not anxious at all."
Kui Er: “Alas!”
As the two maids spoke, they helped Yin Shi wash his hands and face.

Yin Shi wiped his face and looked at it: "What are you doing with these?"
Kui Er opened her makeup box and said, "Let's dress up and look pretty for the public."
Everyone loves beauties. These girls are naturally beautiful, and if they dress up well, they will definitely be eye-catching.
The Fourth Aunt is the wife of an official, and her status is not ordinary. If she is willing to help her niece...

"What are you thinking about? Stop it immediately." Yin Shi said unhappily.
The little girl's eyes lit up, and she knew what they were thinking at a glance.
Ordinary people are also prone to this. When they are in trouble, they subconsciously hope that someone can help them.
This mentality is even more serious among maids and slaves. Because their status is indeed low, their lives are often determined by the words of their masters, so this tendency to pin their hopes on "noble people" is even more serious.

Yin Shi calmly opened the lid of the small porcelain box, wiped a finger with it, spread it evenly on the palm of his hand, and applied it on his face: "Just apply some perfumed ointment, it's enough. Don't do anything extra."
Kui Er refused to give up: "Instead of using rouge, at least put on some powder... The other girls all use powder, but you don't."

Yin Shi leaned close to the bronze mirror and looked at her carefully. She was only seventeen, and her face was full of collagen, which was very beautiful.
Girls are born with a love of beauty. When they reach a certain age, they naturally want to use cosmetics. It is normal for little girls to be like this at this time.
Moreover, after the age of twelve, the daily allowances given by the government even include rouge and powder. Because marriages are early in this era, even adults think that girls aged twelve or thirteen should learn to use rouge and powder. This way, when they are older and it is time to discuss marriage, they can practice makeup skills.

But Yin Shi was an adult soul, and she saw in the mirror that the face of a 17-year-old girl was simply flawless. It was totally unnecessary.
"This is my dear aunt. I am going to meet the elders, not to see each other." She said, "Don't forget, my cousin from the Shen family is the same age as me. I am the only one among the sisters who have reached the age of marriage who has not yet arranged a marriage. If I go there in a gorgeous manner with makeup on, what should I do if my aunt misunderstands that I have feelings for my cousin? My cousin from the Shen family is a new top scholar in the imperial examination. In the eyes of many people, he is a perfect match for the princess and a princess. My aunt will definitely be on guard. If I cause my aunt to misunderstand me again, what you want... hehe..."

As expected, Kui'er was frightened.
Kui'er drooped, sighed, put down the rouge, untied Yin Shi's hair, and picked up the comb: "We don't have that kind of intention, we just want Fourth Aunt to look at you more. Oh, forget it, you will sneak behind people again. Don't put on the rouge, I'll comb your hair for you, okay?"
Yin Shi suppressed his laughter and said, "Okay, just a simple comb will do. We are family, so keeping it simple will make us feel closer. If it's too formal, it will seem awkward."

This made sense. Kui'er obeyed and combed Yin Shi's hair into a neat and tidy style.
There was dirt on the hem of Yin Shi's skirt, and it was not polite to meet guests like that, so Kui'er obediently found her a half-new dress to change into.
Although she was obedient, after changing Yin Shi's clothes, she looked up and down and couldn't help pouting. It was obvious that she was not very happy.

Yin Shi pinched her lips: "You can hang the oil bottle now."
Kui Er dodged: "The other girls must be wearing new clothes. Do you want to bet? If I'm wrong, I'll ferment flower fertilizer for you for a month."
"No gambling, it's meaningless." Yin Shi refused directly.

Sure enough, someone from the old lady's house came to inform them, "Girls from each room, please go and meet your parents."
Yin Shi's hands and face were clean, her hair was combed neatly again, she smoothed her skirt and stood up: "I'll go right away."
The girl ran around several courtyards. The fourth girl from the third room was the calmest. She thought to herself: Everyone says that the fourth girl from the third room is a slow person, and it turns out to be true.

Yin Shi took Kui'er to the old lady's place and met her other sisters on the way. Yes, they were all sisters. Yin Shi was already seventeen years old. Those older than her had already married and became mothers. Those who were still in the mansion were younger than her. In addition to her sisters, there were also nieces.
Kui'er seemed to clear her throat and glanced at Yin Shi.
Yin Shi knew what she meant. Just as Kui'er said, her sisters and nieces were all wearing brand new clothes and skirts.

Yin Shi didn't care.
She also had new clothes that she hadn't worn yet. But she was now the oldest and tallest of the sisters, and if she stood there in a new dress, she would steal the limelight from her sisters like a luminous wax.

But because she was the oldest, she couldn't hide behind and had to walk in front. Otherwise, if her younger sisters walked in front, it would seem that they were ignorant and put them in an unfair position.
When they arrived at the old lady's yard, the maid opened the gauze curtain. The younger girls made way for them, and Yin Shi was the first to step in with his head bowed slightly.

"The girls are here."
As the maid's report sounded, the older women in the hall all looked towards the screen.
A slightly taller girl was leading a few shorter girls, their shadows cast on the gauze screen.
Mrs. Shen touched her forehead with a handkerchief and looked at it intently.

The shadow walking in front was slender and tall. After a few steps, it came around and appeared in everyone's sight.
The girl was taller than the girls behind her, and she looked older, with a slender figure. She was wearing a half-new dress, clean, with the right colors and patterns.
It was just that her sisters and nieces were dressed too new and gorgeously, making her clothes look ordinary.

As the girls filed in, they lined up to greet Madam Shen. Madam Shen smiled and supported them: "Stop being so polite, sit down, sit down."
With a smile on his face, he glanced at his nieces and grandnieces, and finally stopped at Yin Shi: "Who is this?"

(End of this chapter)