Did the third place winner regret it today?

Chapter 20

The little scholar has grown up, and I don't know what he looks like. In other words, there are no glasses in this era. If there were glasses, they would definitely be thick lenses with circles all around them.
Yin Shi looked towards the screen at the door with a smile.

A thin shadow was cast on the screen. Although the face could not be seen, he walked slowly, his shoulders and head did not shake. Through the screen, he gave people a sense of gracefulness.

Having seen so many handsome men on TV playing the roles of top scholar, heir of a marquisate, young prince, etc., Yin Shi was not as interested in this new top scholar as the others in the room. She felt that he was just "a nice brother whom I met when I was a child".
But maybe it was because the spring scenery was too beautiful, or maybe she was infected by the emotions of the crowd.
It is also possible that the shadow cast on the screen does give people a good feeling.
In short, although the shadow walked towards him steadily and slowly, Yin Shi somehow felt a sense of anticipation in his heart.

The young man who came out from behind the screen did not disappoint the expectations of this spring day.
Those eyes are so pretty.
Yin Shi saw the boy's eyes at first sight, which were bright and lively. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and she could feel that this was a very proud boy.
He passed the imperial examination at a young age and won the first place in the imperial examination, so he had reason to be proud.
This kind of pride does not hurt others, but rather shines brightly, making people admire: This is how young people should be.

However, this outstanding young man had to suppress his pride when facing a room full of women.
His greetings were very standard, smooth, and meticulous: "Nephew greets all the aunts, I hope you are all well."
The third lady interrupted the first lady and said enthusiastically, "All is well, all is well, get up quickly."

Madam Shen said, "He now has a courtesy name, bestowed by His Majesty, called Jiyun."
The ladies didn't care which two words it was, or what poems or allusions they came from. They all exclaimed "Oh~" and praised: "Good words, good words!"
It is impolite to call someone by his name. If a man has a courtesy name, he should usually be called by that courtesy name.

The first lady quietly rolled her eyes at the third lady without attracting anyone's attention, and then, acting like an aunt, she warmly greeted her nephew, the top scholar in the imperial examination: "Jiyun, please take a seat. Come here, do you recognize everyone? I'll tell you something."

Shen Ti sat down and nodded, saying, "After not seeing each other for many years, my aunts are the same as before, and I still recognize them. But my sisters have changed a lot, and I can hardly recognize them."
The eldest lady pointed out some people to him, and the first one she pointed at was Yin Shi: "This one, the fourth daughter of the third room, called Shi Niang. Ah, you are the same year as her, right? Who of you was born older?"

Shen Ti stood up and saluted with Yin Shi, but her brows were furrowed: "Fourth cousin from the third room?"
Aren't scholars supposed to cultivate their spirit? Only when they can't show their emotions on their faces can they be considered high-class. This cousin is still young after all. Yin Shi smiled and said, "That's right. We met when we were young. At that time, I was in mourning and didn't have time to pay my respects to my aunt. My cousin came to visit me on behalf of my aunt. Do you remember?"

It was a bit nostalgic to talk about it. At that time, she had just come here, and she was very uneasy in the unfamiliar environment, always afraid that people who were familiar with the original owner would find out that she had changed her heart.
Mrs. Shen and elementary school student Shen Ti were the first people who could make her relax and feel kindness.
Yin Shi always remembered the kindness of his aunt and cousin.

A strong memory is a basic requirement for becoming a top student. Tanhualang has only been to his outsider's home twice in his life, so how could he forget.
This cousin lost her mother at a very young age, and her stepmother treated her just averagely, which was very pitiful.
But she is the same age as him, or even a few months older than him. She should be seventeen this year, so why hasn't she married yet?

Although Shen Ti looked young in Yin Shi's eyes, she was no longer a child after all. She would not ask questions in public if she had any doubts in her heart. She just nodded and said, "I remember. How has my sister been these years?"
The young man’s eyes are so pure. He is not being polite. He is really asking: Are you okay?

Yin Shi felt warm in his heart and replied with a smile: "Of course. Although Huaixi can't compare with the capital, it also has abundant production, fertile soil, and simple folk customs. Everything is good at home, and I am fine too."

The girl's smile was genuine, and she answered without any hesitation, which clearly showed that she really wanted to.
Shen Ti received satisfactory feedback from this answer out of pure compassion for this not-so-close relative. He nodded: "That's good."
His gaze turned to the next cousin next to Yin Shi, and the interaction with Yin Shi ended.

Mrs. Shen has been observing.
The look Yin Shi gave Shen Ti was warm and kind, like the look a relative gives to a relative, or a sister gives to a brother, and it was very pure.
It can be seen that she is a simple-minded girl.
She behaved gracefully and generously, not petty, and had a sense of worldly experience. She did not answer all about herself just because the question was about herself. This answer was very appropriate.
Mrs. Shen nodded secretly for who knows how many times.

The eldest lady continued to introduce Shen Ti: "These two are your sisters Yunniang and Wanniang. You met them when you were young, but they were young at that time, so they definitely don't remember them."
Yunniang and Wanniang, aged fifteen and fourteen respectively, are both engaged and are about to get married.
Compared to the liveliness and relaxation when there were only women in the room just now, these two were obviously out of control.
Mrs. Shen noticed that it was Yin Shi who quietly touched Yun Niang's shoes with his foot, and Yun Niang finally responded and saluted: "Hello, cousin."
Wan Niang also hurriedly followed suit and bowed: "Hello, cousin."

The two of them became stiff in their movements, and their words became less generous and timid. Even when Shen Ti returned the greeting and turned to the next cousin, the two of them still had their eyes glued to his face.
Mrs. Shen just smiled slightly and did not blame her nieces.

These two are getting married, and the most important thing at this stage of life is marriage. And this age is when love begins to blossom.
It can be said that at this time, the two words that they think about most in their minds are men and women. Although the marriage has been arranged, they may not have seen their fiancés many times. On weekdays, they rely entirely on imagination and hope that their future husbands will be good-looking.

Her son was even more handsome than his father. He had grown up in the past few years, and several ladies had already fallen in love with him. When the successful candidates were paraded through the streets after the results were announced, countless handkerchiefs, purses, and sachets were thrown at him.
Such a young man suddenly appeared in front of Yunniang and Wanniang, causing them to lose their composure. It really cannot be entirely blamed on them.

The first lady glared at Yunniang, while the fourth lady glared at Wanniang in dismay, because Yunniang was the youngest daughter of the eldest house, and Wanniang was the eldest daughter of the fourth house.
The ladies in the first three rooms were so generous, why did their own room become so low-key? Both ladies were a little embarrassed.
The third lady watched the fun with a smile on her face.

The three cousins ​​behind were all around 14 years old. Although they had not yet been engaged, they were either on the way to finding a partner or were ready to start looking. They were also at the age of awakening and thinking about love, and their performance was not much better than the two older sisters above.
The younger ones didn't have any lustful thoughts, they just thought this cousin was really good looking. But the third place winner from the capital was very meticulous in his etiquette, even though he had a faint smile on his face, but somehow the younger ones felt pressured and became reserved.
Yin Shi was the only one who was in a completely relaxed mood of meeting relatives and watching the fun. Shen Ti came to meet relatives, and after meeting with her sisters, she asked about her grandmother. The eldest lady replied, "Your grandmother has a headache. She can't stand the pain when it comes. She has to go back to rest."
Shen Ti nodded.
His mother, Madam Shen, was born out of wedlock. Madam Shen had already given him a heads-up on the way about this legitimate grandmother. He didn't want to get involved in the situation now, because that was how he and the female relatives behaved anyway - meet, recognize each other, let them take a look at him, and then leave.

Sure enough, after answering a few questions correctly and satisfying the curiosity of his aunts and cousins, the scholar stood up and said goodbye.
Everyone was reluctant to leave. Shen Ti stood up, clasped his hands together, apologized, and left.
Everyone watched him leave.

The room was once again filled with women, but the laughter and joy of the past could no longer be restored. This was because much of the joy was supported by the lively laughter of the young girls.
Now the girls were quiet. The older ones seemed to have just woken up from a dream and suddenly remembered the rules taught by the female teacher.
How could I forget? Why did I act so unruly in front of my aunt?
She is the biological mother of Shen’s cousin.

There were only a few ladies left in the room, praising the nephew of the Shen family. Everyone had a limited level of education, so they just kept repeating the same few words.
The eldest lady asked, "My nephew passed the imperial examination when he was young. Which girl did he betroth to?"
Everyone's ears pricked up.
Madam Shen sighed softly, "She was engaged to the daughter of the doctor of the Ministry of Rites."

The Ministry of Rites and the doctor were all so far away and out of reach for the Yin family in Huaixi.
The girls showed signs of loss.

The ladies heard the voice: "What do you mean?"
What does "originally is" mean?
Madam Shen said, "Her father offended His Majesty and was exiled. Her female family members... well, let's not talk about them."

The ladies looked at each other.
The fourth lady poked the third lady, who pushed her hand away and leaned forward: "So the marriage is over?"
Madam Shen said, "That's right. It's not that we are treacherous, it's really the country's laws."

Yin Shi lowered his eyelashes.
She has lived here for many years and can fully understand the information in this conversation.
Shen Ti and Shen Jiyun's fiancée's family is ruined. Judging from what Mrs. Shen said, the female family members will probably end up like Shi Xiangyun. The so-called national law is that the noble and the humble cannot marry.
No matter what, that girl can no longer be Shen Ti's wife.
Shen Ti was only seventeen years old. How old could a girl be? She was just a middle school student.
It's really pitiful to end up in that situation.

But her sisters were just daughters of country gentry from a small rural area and were so young that they obviously could not understand the level of sharing the same sorrow for thousands of beauties.
Yin Shi clearly saw that the eyes of several sisters lit up.
Yin Shi sighed softly in his heart.

The Third Lady was not afraid of the stage when watching a play. In her family, besides Yin Shi, there was Wu Niang. Wu Niang was standing behind Yin Shi just now. It must be that Yin Shi pinched her. She was not as out of control as her sisters. Moreover, the eldest Yin Shi behaved generously and appropriately. Anyway, it was the other family members who were embarrassed. She just smiled and asked: "What happened later? Who did you get engaged to?"
Mrs. Shen held the handkerchief tightly and said, "I haven't ordered any more yet. I'm still looking."

Now, even the eyes of several ladies lit up, and the fourth lady even looked a little delighted.
Yin Shi shook his head slightly.
The ladies were usually very shrewd people, and it was true that interests could move their hearts. When the fragrant Tanhua Lang was placed before them, they all lost their composure and started to have delusions.

What's worse, several sisters twisted their bodies uncomfortably, including Yunniang and Wanniang, who were engaged.
Yin Shi secretly thought that this was not good.
She doesn't need to worry too much about her elders, but she has been the eldest sister in the Yin family for many years and has some feelings for these younger sisters.

Moreover, she has the soul and mentality of an adult, and is very tolerant of young girls. She does not want to see them go astray at this age because of their wrong ideas.
This time and space is actually okay. She has roughly figured it out over the years. There is no foot binding, and it is not as perverted and harsh as the late Ming and Qing dynasties. But compared to her original time and space, it is still very strict for women. Anyway, things like chastity arches still exist. Reputation is also very important.
Girls from the middle and upper classes basically have no other options except getting married. On the contrary, women from the lower classes have more freedom because they have to work in public to support their families.
But her family is already upper-middle class among the common people.

The eldest sister Yin Shi, who had been quiet all the time, spoke up at this time: "Don't worry, aunt."
She suddenly interrupted and everyone's eyes turned to her.
Yin Shi didn't care. Facing Mrs. Shen's scrutinizing gaze, he said, "Marriage is meant to bring two families together. The girl in front of him didn't have the chance to be married. Although it's pitiful, it's not the Shen family's fault."

"The Shen family has a long tradition of scholarship, with several generations of scholars having passed the imperial examinations. My cousin is even more outstanding, and has become the new top scholar."
"Although I don't have a new engagement yet, there are countless ladies in the capital. I believe that after I return this time, I will be able to find a marriage partner who is well-matched in terms of family background, talent and appearance."

"The elders of both families are officials in the court, and their family backgrounds are similar."
"The girl must be a talented woman who was raised in a family of poetry and etiquette. She can read books that we have never read, write poems that we cannot write, and is proficient in music and painting. In the future, she will play the zither and the harp with her cousin and respect each other like guests."
"Unlike us sisters, who only learn the basics and pretend to be good at it, if you tell others about it, you will be considered blind."

Yin Shi spoke slowly and softly, but his voice was like a basin of cold water, waking up all the restless and imaginative adult and underage women in the hall.
Yes, what a dream, dreaming of becoming the third place winner of the Shen family.
When they woke up, they felt ridiculous themselves. The ladies could only force smiles and the girls hung their heads in disappointment.

Mrs. Shen stared at Yin Shi with bright eyes.
At this moment, her satisfaction with Yin Shi reached its peak.
This time, maybe it will really work.

(End of this chapter)