Did the third place winner regret it today?

Chapter 19

Mrs. Shen's sister-in-law, the Third Lady, said, "It's Xiao Si from our family."
Madam Shen was slightly surprised: "Fourth Lady?"
Memories from many years ago came back to her. That was a little concubine's daughter of the same rank as her. Like her, she lost her aunt at a young age.

She clearly remembered that the fourth daughter of her third brother's family was the same age as Shen Ti. How could she still be at home at this age?
Recalling that time, Shen Ti was dissatisfied with her third aunt's smile when she mentioned that her fourth cousin's mother had died, Mrs. Shen couldn't help but look at the third lady.

The Third Lady actually didn't want to introduce Yin Shi to Mrs. Shen. Yin Shi was seventeen years old and still unmarried, and it would be embarrassing to tell others about it, as it would make her, as a stepmother, seem incompetent.
It’s so unfair.
But now is not the time to talk about this. Fortunately, Mrs. Shen was very sensible and did not ask directly. She just said "yes" and tried to deal with it, and quickly changed the subject.

But the old lady said indifferently: "This girl has a bad fate. She needs to enjoy enough blessings from our family before she can get married."
The joyous atmosphere in the hall suddenly paused.

Although the Yin family is now wealthy, when the old man married the old lady, he was just a small businessman who traveled around all day. The old lady was of humble origins, the daughter of a grocery store owner. She was even illiterate.
In her heart, the Third Lady actually looked down on the old lady. She only hated that she was the daughter-in-law and the old lady was the mother-in-law, and there was nothing she could do given her status.

After the old lady's harsh words came out, Yin Shi just lowered her eyes and remained silent - her stepmother was here, it was not her turn to speak.
As expected, the Third Madam must speak—
"Of course our family is blessed, and we have blessed our descendants." She forced a smile and explained to Madam Shen, "Originally, a marriage was arranged for her when she was 15 years old, but she suddenly fell ill. This child was in mourning for her aunt and lived in Donglin Temple. The head monk said that she had a good aptitude for wisdom, so he accepted her as a registered disciple. When she fell ill, her master calculated with his fingers and said that she had a hurdle in her life, and she had to stay at home for another three years to get through it safely."

"This isn't some unofficial Taoist priest or witch trying to extort money from people. This is the chief monk of Donglin Temple. Who of us dares not to believe it? We must do as he says."
"It has been two years now. By next spring and summer, she will have passed this hurdle safely. With the great blessing of the old master and the old lady protecting her, we will definitely find a good marriage for her by then."

Mrs. Shen knew that there must be a lot of nonsense and untrue things in the Third Lady's words, but she couldn't embarrass her sister-in-law in front of the old lady.
Madam Shen covered her mouth and said with a smile: "So that's how it is. He is blessed by the elders in the family. He is a blessed child."
She said again: "Fourth Lady, come here."

Yin Shi stood up and stepped forward, bowing and saying, "Aunt."
When Mrs. Shen saw that Yin Shi was criticized by his grandmother, she showed no emotion on her face. Her brows were calm and there was even a gentle and kind smile on the corners of her mouth.
Memories came to her mind, and she recalled the sporadic praises she had heard from the ladies beside her on the way back from her last visit about how pious and calm this child was during the mourning period.

She nodded secretly in her heart and took off the jade pendant from her waist: "Auntie is protected by your grandfather and grandmother, and has also received a lot of blessings from the elders. You have your grandmother and mother taking good care of you at home, and I can't help you much. This jade pendant was my dowry in the past, and it carries the blessings that I have received from my mother's family. Now I give it to you. You must take good care of yourself and be a blessed person."

Yin Shi took it respectfully, bowed and thanked him with a smile: "My niece was born into a blessed family. With so many relatives loving her, she must be a blessed person like my aunt and mother."
This child did not lose his airs at the critical moment and was able to pick up the conversation. The Third Lady felt much more relieved. She just smiled and looked at Madam Shen and Aunt Yin and her filial nephew, pretending not to see the unhappy expression of the old lady.

The old lady felt it was irritating and wanted to say something, but her mother beside her quietly tugged at her sleeve.
The old man and her had been married for decades, so how could he not understand her? He had warned her long ago that "Fourth Lady can only come back a few times in her lifetime, so don't make her unhappy." She couldn't hold it back just now, and was pulled a few times by the people around her. She woke up, and saw that the situation had been smoothed over by these eye-catching people, so she had to give up in dismay.

Mrs. Shen looked at Yin Shi with a different look.
The Third Lady thought she was still upset about what happened, so she continued to smooth things over, "Our Fourth Lady, I'm not bragging, but she's really a good kid. She behaves like a younger sister and an older sister, and she's never had a quarrel or a quarrel with her sisters, never! She's gentle, steady, and a very kind kid. I'm not bragging, everyone knows this."

Mrs. Shen has always been a guest of honor. Now her son has won the third place in the imperial examination. He is the grandson of the Yin family. Old Master Yin values ​​him very much, and the Yin family values ​​him even more. The old lady can't let go of the knot in her heart, but the ladies of the Yin family also want to have a good relationship with this girl, and they all support her: "Yes, several of my family members like to play with Shen Niang."
"We feel most at ease knowing they are with Shi Niang."
"After getting over this hurdle, I will definitely be a blessed woman."

With everyone's help, the scene became festive and auspicious again.
Everybody was in harmony, except for the old lady who was sitting at the top, enduring the pain of watching Madam Shen in all her splendor, the Third Madam's beaming face, and Yin Shi being gentle and virtuous.
Thinking of her poor Sanniang who was still in her husband's family and had no end in sight, she couldn't help but feel sad. After enduring for a while, she didn't want to see the concubine's daughter Madam Shen being proud anymore, so she just held her forehead and said, "I have a headache, you guys go play, I'll take a rest."

The daughters-in-law all knew what was wrong with the old lady's headache.
The third wife was very supportive: "Mom, go back and have a rest. We are here for you."
The old lady stood up with a sour face, and Mrs. Shen also stood up, respectfully seeing their stepmother off so that no one would find fault with her.
The eldest lady was the eldest daughter-in-law, so she had no choice but to go over and help the old lady: "I'll take care of mom." Although the old lady felt sorry for her widowed third daughter, she knew that the Shen family treated the Yin family differently. Madam Shen was a hot stove, and she couldn't let the third room burn all the responsibilities. She felt sorry for her eldest son and daughter-in-law, so she winked at her eldest daughter-in-law: "I'm fine, just lie down. Your sister rarely comes home, and you, as the eldest sister-in-law, should treat her well."
The eldest lady breathed a sigh of relief and went back happily.

The atmosphere in the hall was even better without the old lady.
The younger generation was young, and although they also yearned for the capital, they had no fear and were close to their aunt. They all scrambled to ask about the capital, like curious little sparrows. Even Yin Shi's two engaged cousins ​​wanted to be reserved at first, but later they couldn't help but join in the chattering.
Mrs. Shen smiled and was very kind to the younger generations of her family. She only glanced at Yin Shi a few more times without making a sound while she picked up the teacup to moisten her throat.

Yin Shi is actually the most conspicuous here.
It was her fault. She didn't want to stand out, so she didn't dress too much. But everyone regarded Madam Shen as a distinguished guest from the capital, and they all wanted to look their best to see her. The thinking of small places is that of course you have to wear new clothes. If you don't have new clothes, even if they are old clothes, you have to wash them and make them straight, but if you have new clothes, you will definitely wear them.
The Yin family is rich, not poor, so of course they have new clothes to wear.
So Yin Shi originally didn't want to stand out, but he ended up standing out instead.

Mrs. Shen knew how to wear new clothes when she was young. Of course, she had lived in the capital for so many years now, and she was more particular about the subtlety of wearing clothes that were neither new nor old.
Looking at them all, the oldest one, Yin Shi, best fits her current vision.

Madam Shen watched quietly, and Yin Shi was just as the Third Madam praised, not fighting or competing, but gentle and quiet.
No matter which sister asked a question, or how naive or ridiculous the question was, she would smile with love in her eyes. Madam Shen could feel that although this niece was young and beautiful, she did not like to compete with her sisters of the same age. Instead, she enjoyed this kind of family happiness like an elder.
Mrs. Shen nodded secretly.

Yin Shi always entertained guests with a smile, laughing when she should laugh and clapping when she should applaud. This family gave her a rich life, and it was her duty to contribute a little to the unity and harmony of this family.

At the same time, she also had a sense of detachment as a spectator.
She likes to observe and speculate. Girls are of course pure and simple, basically they yearn for the capital, admire their cousin, and feel close to their aunt. In comparison, the interactions between the ladies and Mrs. Shen, the sister-in-law, are much more interesting.
There are many very traditional values ​​and etiquette expressed in the words, eyes and body movements of these women.
It was very interesting, and Yin Shi observed it with great interest.

But occasionally, Yin Shi would see Madam Shen cast an ambiguous glance at him, and he always felt that there seemed to be inquiry in that look.
Yin Shi thought to herself that except for the fact that her clothes were not fresh and bright enough, there was nothing wrong with her. Could it be that Mrs. Shen was a snob who liked to be flattered, and was unhappy because her clothes were not new enough?

But Yin Shi quickly overturned this speculation.
Nine years ago, when Madam Shen returned to her parents' home, she was able to arrange for her son to comfort her little niece who had lost her aunt. And Shen Ti's child was so well-educated. Yin Shi didn't believe that such an elder would be a snob.
Maybe he's just like everyone else, curious and worried about the fact that she's still unengaged at such an old age.
Thinking of this, Yin Shi felt relieved. When Madam Shen looked at her again, she smiled at her.

Mrs. Shen's eyes flickered, and she suddenly changed the subject, asking, "What does Shen Niang usually do at home? Is she still in school?"
Yin Shi thought, if he had known he would be called out, he would not have smiled at Mrs. Shen just now.
But since she had been called, she could not hide, so she leaned forward slightly and said, "I have learned everything taught in the school, so I won't go there anymore. I just read some books on my own. I usually copy Buddhist scriptures and offer them to my master. When I have nothing to do, I like to play with flowers and plants. I am almost the same as my sisters."

One of the younger sisters was very lively and rushed to say, "Sister Shi Niang has so many flowers in her yard. She is really good at growing flowers."
The younger sisters beside her also nodded in agreement.
Mrs. Shen nodded and smiled, and stopped asking questions. Instead, she started talking to her little niece who had interrupted her. She was kind and lovely, and the girls were all relaxed.
Yin Shi also spent this time of finding his family in a very relaxed manner.

After a long time of excitement, Yin Shi was a little puzzled as to why the eldest lady hadn't announced the end of the party. Even for her, being a mere spectator in a social setting was a bit tiring. As the protagonist, Madam Shen had to deal with everyone, which must be even more tiring.
The eldest lady is in charge of the household affairs, so it stands to reason that she shouldn't be so bad at arranging things.

Just as I was wondering, a maid came in and announced, "Young Master Cousin is here."
The eyes of several ladies and sisters lit up, and Yin Shi suddenly realized that they were waiting here.
The third wife clapped her hands and said, "How foolish! Why don't you invite the young master in?"

The maidservant felt wronged: "Master, you must report this to me."
Yin Shi turned his head away and held back his laughter.
This cousin is still as mature and cute as he was when he was a child.

(End of this chapter)