Did the third place winner regret it today?

Chapter 21

Mrs. Shen nodded with a smile: "Thank you for your good words."
Yin Shi glanced at Madam Shen and said, "I think Auntie looks tired?"
Mrs. Shen took the ladder and went down the slope: "Yes, I am really tired after talking for a long time."
The Third Madam laughed and said, "Look at us, your sisters-in-law. We forgot that you were tired from traveling by boat and talked to you for such a long time."

The eldest lady was very angry, but she was the eldest daughter-in-law in charge of the household affairs, and she was not a pushover. She stood up and said angrily, "It's all your fault. You keep talking about your younger sister. You are her biological sister-in-law."
The third lady: "..."
Yin Shi turned his face away.
You can't laugh when your stepmother gets humiliated!

The younger generations withdrew first, and Madam Shen was escorted to her courtyard by the First and Third Madams.
Yunniang and other older girls watched them go from the roadside, and asked enviously, "When we get married, will our families leave us a yard?"
Of course Wan Niang didn't know either.
All the younger sisters looked at the eldest sister Yin Shi. Yin Shi said, "Look at your sisters' yards and see what they are doing now."

Everyone was disappointed.
Many of the courtyards of the married sisters were redistributed. When an aunt married someone else, her old courtyard would naturally be distributed to the younger nephews and nieces of the next generation.
Some were even given to the concubines of the elders.

Only when a woman like Mrs. Shen married into a wealthy family, which brought honor to her parents’ family and brought real benefits, would her parents’ family keep the courtyard they had before. She was treated very well.
Everyone sighed: "Fourth Aunt is so lucky."
Some people also sighed: "Third Aunt is so pitiful."
Someone retorted: "Wouldn't it be more pitiful if the eldest aunt died early after giving birth?"
Some even said: "Aren't those aunts who died before they grew up the most pitiful?"

They started chattering again, but the atmosphere was completely different from before. After arguing for a few sentences, they just felt that this topic was really boring.
There was no need for Yin Shi to persuade them, they were discouraged on their own.
“Who knows what we will be like in the future.”

Girls in this era are so pitiful. Their marriage, future and even health are not under their control. Yin Shi increasingly feels that she was right to postpone marriage and childbirth.
Their eldest aunt died in childbirth at the age of sixteen.

But when Yin Shi looked at the deflated and panicked little girls, he felt a surge of love.
She rubbed the top of the head of the one who spoke last: "Don't talk nonsense, you must be fine, in the future, your husband will make a lot of money, become a high official, live a long life, and become an old lord."
At this age, they are worried, and at that moment, they were comforted by the big sister's smile. All the melancholy and panic disappeared, and smiles appeared on the girls' faces again.

Yin Shi said to Yunniang and Wanniang, "The Cao family and the Qiao family are both families of equal status to ours. You have all seen the men at least once, and you all know what they look like. When you get married, you will have servants to run the household, and your family will give you enough dowry. When the time comes, you will have money in your hands. If your husband treats you well, you should manage the household well. If your husband treats you badly, you should keep your dowry, eat and drink well, concentrate on teaching your children, and enjoy the blessings of your children in the future. Don't mistreat yourself."

Wan Niang stuttered, "Will you, will you treat us badly?"
"Stupid." Yin Shi smiled and patted her forehead, "I meant if."
Everyone laughed.
"Sister." Yunniang held Yin Shi's sleeve and said gently, "You will be fine too."

Everyone knows that Sister Shi Niang's marriage has been delayed because it is difficult for her to find a partner as she is getting older. She has gone from being the one who chooses someone to being chosen, or even being picky.
When the elders occasionally have conflicts, the mothers will use the matter of Sister Shi Niang to bully the third aunt/aunt, making the third aunt/aunt so angry that she rolls her eyes.
But the relationship between the younger generation is still pretty good. Everyone likes this elder sister and hopes that she will be fine too.

Yin Shi smiled slightly: "Of course."
"Marrying different people requires different ways of living."
“How you live and how you live is up to you.”

The first and third wives escorted Madam Shen to her boudoir before she got married. While the ladies were meeting in the hall, the servants had already brought Madam Shen's gift boxes.
Mrs. Shen's maid is busy.

It has been nine years since Mrs. Shen last came back here.
The yard was cleaned tidy, but the crabapple tree in the yard was much thicker than the last time I came back, and it showed the traces of time.
Madam Shen stroked the trunk of the crabapple tree and sighed softly, "So many years have passed in the blink of an eye."

Turning around, he saw a few bamboos in the corner of the yard and laughed: "Are these bamboos newly planted?"
When I came back nine years ago, the bamboos were tall and thick, but now they are just a few thin poles.
"Yes." The third lady explained, "It suddenly bloomed last year. Then it was moved away and replanted."

The eldest lady stepped in between the two of them and said with a smile, "Sister, take a look, is there anything else that you don't like?"
Madam Shen said angrily, "How could it be that you sisters-in-law have taken so much trouble to do this? Everything is in place, and you know that you sisters-in-law love me."
Her two sisters-in-law were very pleased and took her to the main room.

The main room was already in good shape. It was different from when the third wife came to see it in the morning. When the women of a wealthy family went out, they would bring everything from toilet bowls to hand warmers.
Now the room was full of Madam Shen's own things. The three women gave instructions to the busy maids in the room. When they saw that the room was almost packed, the eldest lady was about to tell Madam Shen to have a good rest and they would leave first. At this time, one of her servants came to find her hurriedly and reported: "Young Master Biao had someone move the boxes to the guest room in the outer courtyard."

The first and third wives were both surprised: "What's going on?"
The mountain house in the back garden is an extremely quiet and elegant residence, which was personally selected by Old Master Yin for the third place winner to live in.
The old woman said, "My cousin said that he is from a different family, so how can he live with the sisters in the back garden? He is afraid that it will affect the reputation of the girls."

The Third Madam said angrily, "What do you mean this child has a different surname? We are one family, so why are we talking about two different things? In Grandpa's eyes, he is closer to me than that dear grandson."
These words were quite harsh to the lady's ears.
Because the eldest grandson of the Yin family's eldest branch is her own son, how could it be pleasing to the ear.

The eldest lady said, "Jiyun is really thoughtful. We just think of ourselves as a family, and we always think that Jiyun is young and we always treat him as a child. But Jiyun is already an official, and he is on an equal footing with the county magistrate."
Madam Shen's expression remained unchanged, and she followed the words of the first lady and said, "That's right. I always thought he was still a child, but in the blink of an eye, he has grown up so much. He knows how to care for his sisters, and he deserves to be called a brother. Just obey him."

The eldest lady asked the maid, "Does the old master know?"
The old woman said, "I don't know. I came here from the mountain house."
"Who's accompanying Jiyun?"
"I heard that the eldest master, Master Sheng, the third master, and Master Cheng are all watching in the guest house."

Hearing that the first and third masters Yin had brought their eldest sons to help settle Shen Ti, the first and third wives were relieved.
Mrs. Shen scolded, "Why are you still bothering his eldest and third uncles?"
The two of them hurriedly said, "He is a distinguished guest, it is only natural, it is only natural."

The first and third wives were very welcoming and after settling Mrs. Shen down, they said goodbye and left.
The smile on Mrs. Shen's face disappeared after the two sisters-in-law left, and she called someone over: "Go, call that unfilial son to me!"
After she washed and changed into her casual clothes, the maid outside reported and lifted the bamboo curtain.
Shen Ti lowered her head slightly and walked in, holding up her clothes.

"Mother, you've been tired from the boat trip today, and you've also had to meet your relatives, so you're very sad. You'd better rest early." The young scholar put down his clothes, "If there's anything, let's talk about it tomorrow."
Standing there, calm and composed, as if nothing had happened.
Mrs. Shen took a deep breath in anger.
With a wave of his hand, the maids in the room filed out one after another, leaving only the mother and son in the back room.

Madam Shen scolded, "What are you doing again?"
Shen Ti was very dissatisfied with the term "acting like a demon": "Since the boat docked at Huaixi, I have done nothing rude, so how could my mother call me 'acting like a demon'?"
Madam Shen said, "You know it well in your heart. Qingwei Mountain House is the best courtyard in the family. It was used by your grandfather in the summer. Your uncles can't live there. Your grandfather gave it to you to use. What are you doing? You are so ungrateful and betraying your grandfather's kindness."

Shen Ti said sternly, "How dare I disappoint my elders? I have asked my uncle to discuss this matter with my grandfather on my behalf. The mountain house is of course good, but it is next to my sisters, so we will inevitably run into each other from time to time. I am not afraid, but I am afraid that it will affect the reputation of my sisters..."
"Bah!" Madam Shen interrupted him, "Stop talking so high-soundingly. Do you think I'm a fool? A gentleman keeps his promise. Shen Jiyun, you want to break it!"

The young man raised his eyelids and said, "I never agreed to it, so how can I say I broke my promise?"
"It's just my parents' wishful thinking, forcing it on me."
"I said I could choose not to get married. But my father and mother seemed to be deaf and refused to listen."
"If I continue to argue, it would be unfilial, so I can only endure it and not argue."

Although Mingming was stubborn when he was young, he could still listen to reason. But now he has grown up, and his knowledge is so rich that even the emperor praises him. It is really difficult for Madam Shen to change his mind about something he has decided.
Mrs. Shen closed her eyes, raised her head and stroked her chest.
Shen Ti was not vague either. When Madam Shen made this gesture, he lifted his skirt and knelt straight down. His knees and calves collided with the blue brick floor with a dull sound.

Mrs. Shen was so frightened that she opened her eyes. She felt distressed when she saw it and slammed the table: "You are going to piss me off to death!"
Shen Ti lowered her eyebrows and said something rebellious in a respectful manner: "My son would not dare to do that. If mother thinks that her son is unfilial, it doesn't matter whether it is true or not, just follow the family rules."
There is no doubt that he is not brave enough. Mrs. Shen thinks he is very brave.

"Forget it, I won't play tricks with you." This son was too stubborn, so Mrs. Shen had to give up crying, making a fuss, and threatening to commit suicide, and used courtesy to pressure him, "But Shen Ti, you are studying the books of saints, you must know that marriage is decided by parents and matchmakers. Don't say that you are just a Jinshi, even if you become a university scholar in the future, you want to marry a wife, it is still decided by parents and matchmakers, you can't escape."

"Feng Luoyi can't be your legal wife. Neither the family nor the country will tolerate her!"
"Your father and I can't let you not marry."
"You understand it all in your heart, don't you? If you didn't understand it all, how could I force you to come to Huaixi?"
"You actually know very well that this is the only way to have the best of both worlds."
"——I fulfilled the filial piety and etiquette, and saved her."

(End of this chapter)