Did the third place winner regret it today?

Chapter 24

Although the master and disciple met, the abbot also had to entertain Mrs. Shen first.
A fourth-rank official is not very prominent in the capital, but it is very prominent in the local areas. You should know that in the local areas, the governor of a place is only a fourth-rank official.
The temple arranged two adjacent courtyards for the Yin family. Master Yin San and his wife and Yin Shi lived in one room, while Mrs. Shen and her son lived in a separate room.

After greeting the presiding monks, the chief monk will accompany the reception.
After touring the garden, reciting the sutras, and drinking tea, Mrs. Shen dismissed everyone else and took her confidante mother to talk with the chief monk for a while. After that, the yard was cleaned up and Mrs. Shen returned to rest.
At this time, Shen Ti came over and waved her hand to send the maids away.

Mrs. Shen knew that he had something to say.
Sure enough, Shen Ti said, "It turns out that my mother is attracted to my fourth cousin."
Mrs. Shen came with a specific purpose this time. As a newly-appointed scholar, her family visit leave was limited, so why would she waste time on others? She only asked Yin Shi to come with her to Donglin Temple. Although her third uncle told her that "your fourth sister has connections in the temple, so it's easy to get things done", Shen Ti knew clearly in her heart.
The person my mother had been lingering here for more than half a month and fell in love with turned out to be my fourth cousin Yin Shi from the third room.

Mrs. Shen was very interested: "What do you think of her?"
"What happens to her has nothing to do with me." The young man's eyes were cold, "I said, I won't marry her."
But you may listen to him on other matters, but this matter is the power given to parents by laws and etiquette.
"That's fine." Mrs. Shen's face turned cold. "If you insist on not getting married, I will write a letter back to your father right now."
"By the time we get home, your father will have taken care of everything."

Shen Ti really hated the feeling of things progressing step by step without his control, and he clenched his fists slightly in his sleeves.
Mrs. Shen saw her son's tightly pursed lips and couldn't help but soften her heart. She softened her voice and said, "Dad and Mom didn't mean to embarrass you. I've told you that this is a win-win solution."
"Mother... I have taken a good look at her. She is really a good, honest and steady child. She doesn't fight or compete. You see, mother has been very good to you. I have been very selective and picked a girl with such a good personality for you. If she were someone who is picky, stubborn, jealous and sour, I am afraid that Feng would be skinned alive in just three days."

Mrs. Shen looked at Shen Ti's chest bulging, took a deep breath, and felt a little distressed. But she really couldn't let him do this.
Before she came, her husband had set a bottom line for her: she could do good but not disrupt the family order. Saving Feng was a good deed, but if her son disrupted the family order for Feng, then Feng could no longer stay in the Shen family.
From Mrs. Shen's perspective, if Feng was really dealt with, there would be a rift between father and son, which is something she, as a wife and mother, would never want to see.

Thinking of this, her heart hardened: "This matter is not up to you. Just wait patiently, I will ask the master to make a fortune, and wait and see the result. If there is nothing wrong, I will decide for you."

Although Shen Ti was talented, he was still a teenager after all, and had not yet entered the officialdom to hone his skills, so his Qi cultivation skills were not yet good enough. When he left, the maids could also hear the emotions in his steps.
When people are young, their emotions are stronger.
They will be simpler, more persistent, and much simpler and purer than real adults.

Shen Ti walked out of the yard quickly, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Turning her head, she saw two figures disappearing around the bend in the distance.
Shen Ti stared at him, that figure was clearly...
He walked to the gate of the next courtyard, and the old woman guarding the gate saw him and hurriedly saluted: "Young Master."

Shen Ti asked: "Was it my cousin who just went out?"
The old woman said, "It is the fourth young lady."
"What is she going to do?"
"The fourth girl is the registered disciple of the chief master. She went to see her master. She said that they haven't seen each other for a long time. The master was busy before, so the master and the disciple didn't have a chance to talk. Now that it's still bright, go and pay your respects. Cousin, do you want to come in? I'll go and report."
"no need."

Shen Ti turned around and looked in the direction where Yin Shi disappeared, lowered her eyes slightly to think, then raised them again to have an idea, and went in that direction.
Although his mother repeatedly stressed that it was not up to him, the boy was still a little persistent. He had promised that person that he would protect her, and he couldn't just give up like that.
Of course, we should not disobey our parents, but we should at least try harder to keep our promises.

The head monk was too busy during the day, and it was not until Mrs. Shen was settled that he had some free time and Yin Shi was able to meet with him alone.
Although the Yin family would send gifts for offerings during the four festivals, it had been nearly a year since Yin Shi last met the monk.
"Master looks very well, I am very happy." Yin Shi was very well behaved. "It was difficult for me to see Master in the past, I missed him very much."

The chief monk raised his eyes and glanced at her: "Amitabha——"
The monk was always like this, looking neither salty nor bland, like a hermit. Yin Shi had long been accustomed to it.
She had no idea that the monk's Qi-cultivation skills were a hundred times stronger than Shen Ti's, so she couldn't see the monk's inner happiness at all.

Why was the monk so happy? A long-standing problem in his mind was solved!
Just today, not long ago, the mother of the scholar who came from the capital, the aunt of his apprentice, dismissed everyone else and talked to him alone, actually to ask about Yin Shi's destiny.
At that time, the monk remained calm and repeated what he had said several times before: In short, Yin Shi's fate is that as long as she doesn't get married too early, it won't hurt anyone. She is a pure and innocent little white rabbit, completely harmless. Let her get married when she is eighteen, and she will be healthy and safe. Everyone is happy.

Mrs. Shen immediately revealed a relaxed smile that said "That's great".
The great monk also noticed something was wrong at the time. But the "expert" didn't need to ask proactively, just wait and see. The higher the attitude, the more proactive others would be.
As expected, Madam Shen very respectfully asked the monk to read the fortunes of the new scholar and Yin Shi to see if they could be a good match. The monk was so happy. You know, in the past two years, it has become increasingly difficult for Yin Shi to find a partner. Even the masters have sighed and couldn't sleep, regretting that they were soft-hearted and agreed to the ridiculous request of the little apprentice.
Now, this worry is about to be resolved.

The monk said calmly: "Give me the horoscope of the third place winner."
He knew Yin Shi's horoscope, so he didn't need it. Madam Shen then presented Shen Ti's horoscope and asked earnestly, "Thank you, Master."
The big monk still wanted to maintain his composure and did not give her the result immediately. He just said, "I will tell you tomorrow."
Mrs. Shen went back happily to rest.

At this moment, I saw Yin Shi's face as delicate as a flower in front of me, and then thought about the handsome face of the young man who won the third place in the imperial examination.
The monk has seen the world and has a sharp eye. From today's conversation, it can be seen that both the mother and son of the top scholar have good intentions in their hearts and are kind and peaceful, not mean and malicious.
Could it be that his female disciple was really blessed by the Buddha, and after waiting for two years, she finally got such a good marriage?
The monk was determined to make this marriage happen.
But he talked to Yin Shi for a few words and asked, "Do you know why Madam Shen came?" Yin Shi opened up and chattered, "I don't know, but I guess she came here to make a wish? Auntie married from Huaixi, did she make a wish to give birth to a son who is the top scholar or the third place scholar?"
The big monk realized that she had no idea about the real purpose of Mrs. Shen's visit.

Yin Shi felt relaxed in front of her master who knew her background best. She could finally say many things that she couldn't say at home: "Our cousin who is the top scholar in the imperial examination is so handsome. I am really worried that his sisters will think wrongly. There is no way the Shen family will come to our house to find a daughter-in-law. Fortunately, the elders are sensible and let my cousin live in the outer courtyard, separated from his sisters. The sisters are also very well-behaved and polite. I feel relieved. Alas, why do you think a boy is so good-looking? He just wants to cause trouble, right, Master?"

It was normal for her sisters to have budding feelings for such a young man, in the eyes of the monk. But it was her who was wrong.
Her eyes are so clear.
She was already seventeen, and many of her peers had already had one or two children, or even three. She should have been more envious of young people than her sisters.
But when she mentioned her handsome and outstanding cousin who won the third place in the imperial examination, her eyes were too pure.
That look was just like someone who was just sitting around eating melons and gossiping about relatives. She seemed to firmly believe that this person and this matter had nothing to do with her at all.

The monk decided not to tell her.
He talked to her briefly and tested her on her studies - the title of master and disciple was not given for nothing, and Yin Shi also had to learn Buddhism in a down-to-earth way.
After the examination was over, he sent her away without saying a word.

Just don’t tell her!
This girl is too bold and her ideas are too unpredictable. What if she has some messy ideas again and I miss this marriage?
When she was young, it was okay to give her two or three years. Now that she is older, there is no time to forgive her mistakes.
When a good marriage comes, you must seize it.

The big monk could certainly imagine that there must be something wrong with the Shen family coming to the small place of Huaixi and wanting to choose a wife for the new third place winner from the Yin family.
But the monk didn't care. He had seen too many human affairs and heard too many people's stories. He concluded that Mrs. Shen and her son were not vicious and mean people, so nothing else mattered.
Young people may still be confused about "should I marry the one I love, or the one who loves me", but the elderly will only say: marry the one who can provide you with food and clothing.

Even if they are a loving couple for a while, they will eventually get tired of each other. As long as they have enough food and clothing and a place to live, everything else is just a passing cloud and is not important.
His disciple was a man of wisdom. At such a young age, she could think of the future and dare to prepare and lay the groundwork in advance. He believed that she would be able to surpass her peers and see through the essence of things before such worldly affairs.
Amitabha. Now that I have gotten over this worry, I can sleep peacefully from now on.

"Hey, has my master gained weight again?" Yin Shi asked Kui'er on the way back.
"no……"
"I just think he seems to have gained weight again. Look, he has to tie his robes loosely today."
"Is there?" Kui'er tried to recall. She looked up and saw a person at the end of the corridor. She nudged Yin Shi with her elbow and said, "Look, young lady, isn't that my cousin?"

Yin Shi had turned his head to talk to her, but when he heard her words, he turned back and saw, as expected, a young man as handsome as a pine tree was standing there, with his hands behind his back, gazing at the monks in the distance.
But Yin Shi's first feeling was that the posture looked like he was waiting to stop someone.
Sure enough, when they approached, before they could say hello, Shen Ti turned around and said, "Cousin."
Ah, are we waiting here to stop her?
Yin Shi was surprised: "Why is my cousin here?"
She has no connection with this cousin.

Perhaps because of the matter of marriage between them, Shen Ti subconsciously looked at her face.
Judging people by their appearance is human nature.
From the common people to the emperor, everyone looks at the face first. There is no ugly person around the emperor, unless he is very talented.

He had some interactions with this cousin when they were young, and he still remembered that she was as beautiful as jade and snow, gentle and polite when she was little.
Looking at her now, she is still as white as jade and snow, still gentle and polite.
When getting on the car today, he extended his hand first, so she retracted her hand. She was not like some women who would take this opportunity to deliberately create a visual and psychological connection with him "on the left and on the right".
But in the end they all grew up and blossomed.
Looking closely at this moment, my cousin has grown from a beauty embryo into a beauty.

(End of this chapter)