Did the third place winner regret it today?

Chapter 29

Young people have tried very hard for true love.
And although he is in love, he is not the kind of person who is brainless and impulsive. He is not the kind of person who would give up his parents and future for love. He is not the kind of person who is mentally ill.
If that were the case, Yin Shi would not have chosen him as his meal ticket. The canteen and the nursing home seek a stable environment, not a time bomb that could explode at any time.

Yin Shi actually felt a little sorry for Shen Ti and the girl surnamed Feng. It wasn't just the lovers who couldn't be together. In fact, in her era, there were also couples who couldn't be together for various reasons, but no one would lose their family and personal freedom.
This is really miserable.

"Tell your son that I said it." Yin Shi slowed down his speech to the child, "A man without integrity cannot stand, and my words count."
"Also... tell him not to go against his parents. It's useless. All his confrontations with his parents will be blamed on others."
"Tell him that he must become an official, a high-ranking official, someone that the emperor values. When he becomes a high-ranking official, even the elders will have to listen to him."

"If you want to protect the people who are important to you, you must first make yourself strong. Otherwise, what's the point of going against your parents here? It will only make others disappointed in you."
"Tell him to stop making a fuss. The more he makes a fuss, the more people will treat him like a child. The more stable he is, the less likely others will make decisions for him."
"If you want to be an adult, learn to compromise first. Those who stick their necks out and talk back to their parents are all children."
"Can you remember what I said?"

Changchuan was chosen as the personal bookboy of the third place winner, so he must have his own strengths. Yin Shi's words were quite long, but the child could repeat them word for word.
"Also..." Yin Shi added, "Remind him of the advice I gave him before and ask him to think about it seriously."
Changchuan also learned this sentence again, without missing a word.
Yin Shi smiled and gave him another handful of candy, and called Kui'er in to give him some money as a reward.
This is Shen Ti's close associate, and they will definitely have to deal with each other often in the future.

Changchuan ran back to Shen Ti with his short legs and repeated Yin Shi's words to Shen Ti.
Shen Ti lowered her eyes after listening, then raised them again.
"She's right..." He laughed at himself, "I actually..."
He was talking to himself, but the voice behind him was too soft for Changchuan to hear clearly what he said. He was not told to leave, so Changchuan did not dare to move.

When his lips stopped moving, Chang Chuan spoke again: "My cousin also asked me to remind you..."
Yin Shi’s last words were also conveyed accurately.
Previous suggestions? What suggestions?
——Let him have a baby first.
Shen Ti snorted: "Ridiculous."

Turning her head, she saw that Changchuan's chest was bulging. Shen Ti was surprised: "What's stuffed in it?"
Chang Chuan happily took it out and showed it to him: "This is the candy my cousin gave me as a reward."
He patted his belt again: "And there's reward money."

Shen Ti was speechless for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What do you think of my cousin?"
Speaking of Changchuan's spirit: "My cousin is very nice. She smiles when she talks and touches my head."
Although Changchuan is smart, he is still a child after all. He will be greedy when he sees candy, and he will naturally show his love when he feels that others are nice to him.
Shen Ti nodded.

A young servant came in and reported: "Madam asked if we have finished cleaning up here. It's time to go and kowtow to the old lady."
Shen Ti stood up.

But the old lady claimed to be ill, and Mrs. Shen and her son were unable to see her in the end. They only kowtowed to her in the yard.
Except for the girls, almost all the Yin family came out to see them off. The county magistrate also came, as did many local gentry. These were not the things that Mrs. Shen had to worry about. Shen Ti had followed her father in dealing with people since she was a child, so he was responsible for dealing with these matters between men outside.

After a lively and bustling crowd, they finally boarded the boat and bid farewell to their loved ones in tears. When the figures on the shore became blurry black dots, Mrs. Shen burst into tears.
Shen Ti could only comfort her mother: "If there is a chance in the future, I will come back to serve you."
It's hard to say what will happen. It's not easy to go back to your parents' home for the second time in this life. Who knows what the future holds? Mrs. Shen couldn't stop crying.
Shen Ti was helpless and said, "Your future wife is also here. You will have a chance to come back in the future."

Mrs. Shen thought so too. Both generations of daughters-in-law were from the Yin family. If they made plans in the future, they would have a chance to come back together.
Then she stopped crying and said, "No matter what, your big event is settled this time, and I have given my answer to your father. Seeing how you two quarreled before, I was really afraid that it would affect your reputation if it got out."

Yin Shi’s words seemed to ring in his ears.
My cousin is a really insightful person. She can see the big picture and is not the kind of person who only focuses on the tip of her shoes.
Living with such a person in the future, and discussing things with each other, he, her, and Feng Luoyi should all be fine.
Shen Ti lowered her head and apologized: "It is my fault that I am unfilial and have made things difficult for my mother."

When Shen Ti returned to her cabin, Madam Shen and her mother beside her said with emotion: "Although he was selected as the third place in the imperial examination, I didn't feel any different from before. But you see, he has grown up so quickly after getting married."
He bowed his head all the same, and before, he bowed his head on his knees, with the expression of "unwilling to accept" written all over his body. But now his attitude is different, and he is really willing to admit his mistakes.
My mother followed up with praise: "That's right, I told you not to worry, buddies will naturally grow up once they get married."
Mrs. Shen leaned back and imagined the future. She couldn't help but smile happily because her daughter-in-law was her own niece.

Yin Shi did not go to see Mrs. Shen and her son off, not even when they went to kowtow to the old lady.
She just stayed in the house obediently.
Having seen so many sisters go through this process, it was finally her turn to stay in the room to "calm down." This was a great excuse, saving her from all unnecessary socializing.

Because after she was engaged by Mrs. Shen, everything around her suddenly changed drastically.
She was invisible before, but now she has suddenly become a noticeable presence. It's okay for the servants to flatter the powerful and bully the weak, but the atmosphere between the sisters suddenly became wrong.

In this matter, Yin Shi felt quite wronged.
Who knew at that time that Mrs. Shen and her son returned to Huaixi to pick a daughter-in-law? Yin Shi, from the perspective of a worldly-wise time traveler, tried to dissuade these young girls who grew up in small places and had never seen the world from going astray.
It's not a bad thing if you can really make it. The worst thing is that you may not be able to make it. After all, this society is harsh on girls. If they take a wrong step, girls will have almost no tolerance for mistakes, which will directly affect the rest of their lives.

So what she said was reasonable, right? Even at that time, the sisters who heard her words felt the same way.
Who would have thought that suddenly, the sister who advised everyone not to have any feelings for her cousin who won the third place in the imperial examination, would suddenly become the future cousin's wife, the wife of the third place in the imperial examination, and the wife of a Hanlin scholar!
Suddenly, the whole thing was out of place! My mother and aunts questioned her in detail and said angrily, "I don't know what tricks he used behind the scenes to get the top spot!"
The elders all said so, so the young girls, who had not yet formed their own outlook on life, naturally listened to them.
The two who were already engaged were fine, but the others who were still seeking marriage couldn't help but feel that an important opportunity in life had been snatched away. A thorn in the heart will only get deeper and deeper, and the more you think about it, the more uncomfortable you will feel.
Of course, it was also because the Third Master and the Third Lady had been being too arrogant these days, causing Yin Shi to harbor hatred.

Among the older sisters, only Yunniang came to see her.
Yin Shi could only say to her: "Who would have thought that my aunt was here to choose a daughter-in-law? The elders didn't know, so how could I know? I was shocked myself."
Yunniang asked, "Don't Third Uncle and Third Aunt know either?"
Yin Shi looked at the beams and sighed, "Don't the two aunts know about this? Take my mother for example, is she someone who can keep secrets?"

Yunniang is the daughter of the eldest wife. The first wife often competes with the third wife. If you think about it carefully, it is true. There is no way the third wife can keep secrets.
In the entire Yin family, only the old man was informed in advance.
It seems that it’s no wonder that Sister Shiniang is so annoying.
Yunniang sighed, "Marriage is not something we can decide. They are thinking the wrong thing."

Yin Shi has been with these sisters for many years and has some feelings for them, but they are not very deep.
She was relieved that Yunniang was the only one who believed in her. No matter what happened to other people, she said, "I have a clear conscience anyway."
Yunniang said, "I'll go talk to them. Alas, they just can't figure it out for the time being, but they will understand it when they figure it out."

Yin Shi originally wanted to say, "There's no need for that, just go with the flow," but on second thought, he felt it was necessary.
The more closed off the place and the more limited the knowledge, the more likely people are to be extreme and stubborn. Especially for young girls who are in adolescence and have never seen many men in their lives, they suddenly meet an elite like Shen Ti, who is the best in appearance and knowledge, and may never meet such a person again in the future. What if a girl falls in love with him at first sight, and has given up because of the big gap, and suddenly this marriage is snatched away by Yin Shi, it is unknown whether she will do something extreme because of her wrong thoughts.

People tend not to feel jealous of those who are much stronger than themselves. For example, Shen Tiruo is engaged to a noble lady from the capital, a lady from a famous family. No matter how much she secretly loves him, at most she will shed a few tears in secret, and after wiping them, she will still smile and bless him.
But I can't order someone who is the same as me or even worse than me, since I can't reach him! That would be crazy.
Being surpassed by "people who are not as good as me" and being surpassed by so far can really drive people crazy.
This is common in human nature and not surprising.

Yin Shi and Shen Ti's marriage was arranged, and it was agreed that they would go there in February of next year. By then, the ice on the river would have melted, and boats would be able to sail there. It would take a month or two to get to the capital, just in time for the wedding in spring.
Yin Shi’s plan to stay at home for three years to “change his fate” can also be fulfilled.

For this reason, when Madam Shen asked when she could get married, the head monk told her solemnly: "You can get married after the first day of the lunar year. It is the same as the mourning period for ordinary people."
Normally, mourning for parents lasts for three years, but in folk practice, it lasts for 25 months. In other words, the first month of the third year counts as "three years".
The monk meant that Yin Shi's "three years" could also be calculated in this way. As long as the first month of the next year was over, the three years would be complete and she could get married.
Get married soon, so that I, your master, can understand the cause and effect and sleep peacefully.

But it’s only May now, and there are still nearly ten months until February next year.
It would be terrible if some girl became radical and used methods described in the book such as drugging, pushing into the pond, and destroying someone's reputation.
Yin Shi didn't want to spend the ten months of waiting to get married in a state of cautious defense.

She turned the word "there's no need" on the tip of her tongue, then swallowed it back and let out a long sigh.
Yunniang really looked sideways and asked, "Sister, why are you sighing?"
Shouldn’t you be happy with such a good marriage?

Yin Shi said worriedly, "Yun Niang, why would someone like Shen Ti come to our house to choose a wife? Don't you find it strange?"
Yunniang paused and said, "It's not because of my aunt..."
Yin Shi interrupted her: "Don't be naive. No matter how good your aunt is, how can she be the master of the Shen family? If you were the parents of a son who won the third place in the imperial examination, would you be willing to let him go to the countryside to marry a wife?"
Yunniang was speechless.

Yin Shi looked at this large family and found that none of the ones she was familiar with had inherited the mindset of Old Master Yin.
But that’s okay, it’s easier to fool people this way.
"You don't know." Yin Shi turned away, half covering his face with his sleeves, "Aunt told me the truth. It turns out that my cousin has another confidante, the one he had engaged before but fell into trouble, and he must take her into his family. In order not to let her suffer any grievances, he thought of marrying her down. In this way, Aunt had the opportunity to choose a daughter-in-law from her mother's family. Otherwise, with the vision of the Shen family, how could they still look down on my family. My father didn't save my uncle's life."

"Why is this happening?" Yunniang was stunned.
Yin Shi put the blame on Shen Ti: "You also saw Shen Jiyun's behavior. Look how cold he was when he looked at us sisters. Was there any joy or expectation in him?"
Yunniang was also a woman waiting to be married, and was very sensitive to such things. She was angry and anxious when she heard this: "This is too much of a bully."
Yin Shi said, "Don't say that. If it gets out, people will laugh at me for marrying such a rich man and yet I am still not satisfied."

This is true. When Shen Ti came and went, it was always a lively scene. The county magistrate personally came to greet and see her off. His wife personally visited Mrs. Shen, and her attitude was very humble.
Yunniang heard some of it, and saw some of it herself. At that time, she could clearly feel the class differences.

"Okay, I won't talk nonsense." Yunniang said.
Yin Shi "instructed" her: "Don't tell anyone else, I only told you."
"Okay, I won't tell anyone else." Yunniang agreed.

When she returned and saw the eldest lady, she knew that she had gone to see Yin Shi, so she naturally asked, "Did Shi Niang say anything? How did she get this marriage?"
She promised “not to tell anyone else”, but this is Yunniang’s biological mother, and a biological mother is not “anyone else”.

(End of this chapter)