Did the third place winner regret it today?

Chapter 48

Shen Ti didn't sleep well that night.
I woke up the next day feeling tired, but even so, my body was still in good shape.
After all, he is young.

Shen Ti was hesitating whether to get up quietly and go to the bathroom, but as soon as she moved, Yin Shi suddenly turned over and seemed to wake up.
Shen Ti didn't dare to move again.
Yin Shi rubbed his eyes, muttered something under his breath, reached out and pulled the thin blanket to his chest. Then he fell down, turned over, and continued to sleep.
Shen Ti: “…”

Shen Ti suddenly figured it out.
Given their current situation, he shouldn't treat her as a woman.
Being a sister, or even a mother. Right? He had a memory of pulling the quilt when he was a child and taking a nap at his mother's place. His mother pulled the quilt for him, fearing that he would catch a cold.
My cousin clearly treated him as a relative, like a younger brother, like a son.

They will have to sleep in the same bed together for the rest of their lives. If they are embarrassed and nervous about such things every day, there will be no end to it.
He had to accept that she only wore a middle-length shirt, and was forced to see her snow-white feet that no other man had ever seen. She also said that she would definitely go topless in the summer. He couldn't escape from seeing and feeling her private parts. So correspondingly, she should also adapt to the fact that his body structure was different from hers.

It would be fine if people could just figure it out.
Once he figured it out, Shen Ti felt relieved.
Then I thought about the person lying next to me. She is not a woman, but a sister, a mother.
Especially when she thought about her previous behavior which was almost "sissy", her physical condition miraculously disappeared.
well.

After sleeping in the same bed together for two nights in a row, it felt much more natural when we woke up today.
The young couple went over together to pay their respects to Mr. and Mrs. Shen.
Madam Shen said, "Take Shi Niang around the house and let her get to know the places."

Shen Ti agreed and left with Yin Shi.
After watching the young couple leave, Madam Shen said to Lord Shen, "Did you see that?"
Lord Shen: "What?"
Madam Shen covered her mouth and laughed: "There's blue under Jiyun's eyes."

Lord Shen wanted to laugh, but felt it was inappropriate, so he coughed and said seriously, "It's a newlywed relationship. It's only natural that the couple should live in harmony."
As parents, if they truly care about their children, they naturally hope that the young couple can live in harmony.
The two men smiled at each other and stood up to entertain their relatives and friends.

Most of the Shen family's relatives came from the old house. Some of them also have houses in the capital, while some do not. They did not leave immediately after the banquet. Since they came, they stayed for a day or two before going back. Yesterday and today, they left one after another.
The Shen couple had to see them off.

Shen Ti took Yin Shi on a formal tour of the house and identified every place.
It was almost time, so he sent Yin Shi back to the yard and said, "I'll go to my father again."
Yin Shi knew that he was going to ask about the silver and raw silk, so he reminded him, "Keep calm."
Shen Ti said: "I understand."

Lord Shen had just returned to the study room after seeing off two groups of relatives and friends when Shen Ti came over: "Father, I want to ask you something."
Lord Shen asked, "What's the matter?"
Shen Ti said, "Father, tell me about the money transactions between our family and the Yin family."

"Huh?" Lord Shen was a little surprised, "Why do you want to ask this?"
Shen Ti: "I heard that my cousin brought 10,000 taels of silver and a large amount of raw silk?"
Lord Shen frowned: "What did she say? How did she say it?"

Shen Ti pondered for a moment, and felt that there was nothing he couldn't say, and he agreed with what she said, so he said: "My cousin thinks that since I have already started a family and a career, I should not be ignorant of these things anymore. It's time for me to learn about them."

That makes sense.
Lord Shen nodded and said, "I originally thought that I would tell you slowly after you have been in the government for a year or two."
Young people have never been in charge of a household, so they don’t know how expensive firewood, rice, oil and salt are, and how much more valuable the ways of the world are. If they immerse themselves in the books of sages, they are prone to think themselves superior. Especially in the Hanlin Academy, it is easier to be aloof and self-admiring.
Some foolish young people even dislike the Ministry of Revenue, thinking that its people are obsessed with money.

Lord Shen was thinking of waiting for another two years, letting Shen Ti explore the officialdom by himself, and then slowly teaching him, so as to prevent the young man from being arrogant and getting disgusted when talking about money.

"Since you asked, I'll tell you."
Lord Shen stood up, opened a cabinet in the study, took out two books, flipped through them, opened them and handed them to Shen Ti.
Shen Ti read the whole thing at a glance.

Only then did he realize that the Yin family had been giving money to the Shen family every year.
Even the trip his mother took him to Huaixi ten years ago was not just a return trip to her parents' home.
He looked up and asked, "What has my family done for the Yin family?"

Thanks to the preparations Yin Shi had prepared for him in advance, he was surprised but calm when he saw these things now.
Lord Shen was very satisfied and told him: "When the Yin family travels abroad, they use our family's business cards. The Yin family's cargo ships and official ships are all based on our family's connections. It is not a difficult task for us, but it saves the Yin family a lot of money and makes things more convenient. Don't worry, your family will not lose out."

He asked Shen Ti to sit down and explained the details to him. There were also several other merchants who had a dependent relationship with the Shen family.
Overall, he was very satisfied with Shen Ti's reaction. He was not the kind of fool who only studied but didn't know the classics and authority.
He had explained the family background to Shen Ti today. Most families would not explain the family background to their sons so early, but Shen Ti was an only child, so it didn't matter.
A father would be happy to see his son mature early.

Shen Ti also behaved very well in front of his father, and Lord Shen even praised him a few words.
He looked calm until he left his father's study.
When they returned to Jingrongyuan, Yin Shi had already gone to the kitchen and the two did not meet.

During lunch, Lord Shen glanced at Yin Shi.
Yin Shi saw it.
If Shen Ti asked Lord Shen about the silver and raw silk, Lord Shen would definitely ask how Shen Ti knew about it. During the two days of the wedding, the bride had to cook and so on, and the groom basically didn't have to do anything. Even the guests were entertained by his parents, so he was just on vacation. Who else could she tell Shen Ti about this?

She told Shen Ti the reason behind this matter, and someone like Lord Shen, who has been an official for a long time, would definitely understand.
No wonder I suddenly looked at her more.
But Yin Shi was not afraid. Unless the father-in-law was very mean and wanted to give his son a concubine or a maid to destroy the relationship between the young couple, the happiness of his daughter-in-law in daily life had nothing to do with the father-in-law.
It all depends on her mother-in-law and husband. These two people are the ones she needs to focus on protecting.

Apart from these meals, the father-in-law will basically have no interaction with his daughter-in-law in the future.
Lord Shen and Madam Shen had overlapping and different tastes. But both Madam Qin and Madam Wang were from Huaixi, and they both favored Yin Shi, and they had known each other for a long time.
Yin Shi arranged the dishes on the table, and not a single one was wrong.

Yin Shi didn't know that Lord Shen looked at her more because he asked Shen Ti after talking to her in the study that morning, "Do you still call your wife cousin?"
Shen Ti said: "We are siblings."
Lord Shen asked, "What did she call you?"
Shen Ti said: "Of course it's my handwriting." Shen Ti didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
But Lord Shen was a man who had been married for decades, and he cursed in his heart, "Silly boy."
But it is difficult to explain the subtle relationship between men and women, whether the east wind prevails over the west wind or the west wind prevails over the east wind. And it involves the privacy of husband and wife, so it is not good for a father-in-law to say anything.
The silly boy was suppressed by his wife from the very beginning, using the term "sister and brother". I don't know when he will come to his senses.

Combined with what Yin Shi told Shen Ti about silver and raw silk, and about the financial transactions between the Yin and Shen families, Lord Shen thought to himself, you wouldn't have guessed this daughter-in-law's sweet and gentle appearance, she actually has a lot of scheming in her mind.
That's why I looked at her more.

Because of the tradition of not talking while eating, Shen Ti didn't talk at the dinner table and others didn't notice anything.
After the meal, we drank tea separately.
Madam Shen said, "The return gifts are all ready. I'll give the gift list to Jiyun later. I'll take it back for you to have a look. Don't worry."
Yin Shi's eyes curved: "I have my aunt, why should I worry."
They both came from the same maternal family. Madam Shen was now the head of the household, so she would never give up on her own maternal family.

When they returned to Jingrongyuan, Shen Ti took out the list of return gifts and gave it to her: "Take a look."
He added: "If you feel there is something wrong, tell me. It's not too late now."

At this time, the maid served tea and left. There were only two of them in the back room, so they didn't have to serve and could relax.
In a relaxed state, Yin Shi sensed it: "Are you unhappy?"
Shen Ti didn't even move her eyelashes and directly denied: "No."

Yin Shi narrowed his eyes and looked at him for a while, then said with certainty: "You are not happy."
Shen Ti finally raised her eyelids.
He also looked at Yin Shi for a while and asked, "How did you figure that out?"

Yin Shi was speechless: "Why bother looking? You are giving off the air of 'I am unhappy'."
Is it really like this?
Shen Ti felt that he needed to reflect on this. This went against his practice of nourishing his qi. A scholar should be able to keep his emotions to himself and not change his expression even if Mount Tai collapses in front of him.

No, wait a minute.
Shen Ti glanced at Yin Shi and reacted.
He relaxed in front of Yin Shi.
He did not relax in the study, in front of his father, or in front of his mother at meals. Then, when he returned to the courtyard and the maids had all left, and he and Yin Shi were alone in the room, he relaxed.
Only then did she realize it.

Is it his fault?
Don't blame me.
You are alone in a room with such a person. She walks around in a singlet, barefoot and not afraid of you seeing her, she sits with legs crossed in front of you, and she covers you with a blanket.
It was hard not to relax like her.

No, actually… as early as last year, in Donglin Temple, when she ruthlessly tore off his hypocritical cloak, he was nothing left in front of her.
There's nothing to be proud of.
In front of her, I inexplicably felt like I had nothing to hide and was just throwing everything away.

"Not unhappy," he said.
To say this is to admit that you are unhappy.
"Oh?" Yin Shi put his elbows on the couch, leaned forward with his chin in his hand, "Tell me about it?"

Those eyes were still bright and staring at him straight, as if they were very interested.
This is not the right posture for discussing serious matters.
It sounded more like those gossipy old women hearing some gossip about family matters.

But... Shen Ti inexplicably had the urge to talk.
I always feel that the person opposite me has a good pair of ears. If you have something to say to her, she will listen carefully.
That way of listening is different from his father's way of listening. Why didn't he want to tell his father? Because he knew that his father would criticize him after hearing it, thinking that he was not mature enough.

Shen Ti is no longer a child. She no longer goes to her father for answers when she has questions.
Ever since he had a huge disagreement with his father on major life events, he was no longer willing to expose his immaturity to his father.

"Is it about the Shen family and the Yin family?" Yin Shi guessed it at once, because Shen Ti only did that one thing in the morning and there would be nothing else.
As expected, Shen Ti admitted, "Yes. But I'm not unhappy. Father told me a lot, and he told me everything he should tell me."
Yin Shi was even more interested. She leaned forward and said, "What did they say? Can you tell me? No one in my family would tell me. I'm actually very curious."

Her passion for knowledge was overwhelming, and Shen Ti could feel that she really wanted to know.
Actually, there is nothing that cannot be said. It’s just that usually the women in the inner house are not very interested in these things, and men will not force themselves to tell them about them.
Since Yin Shi was interested, Shen Ti told her everything that Lord Shen had told him.

Yin Shi listened with great interest.
Although these things may be far away from her and cannot be directly used, they can help her understand this time and space and this society more deeply.
pretty good.

Finally, she said, "Father is right. I told you, businessmen are not stupid. The two families will definitely benefit each other and no one will suffer."
"No." Shen Ti said, "It's not like that."

"It's not just about the Yin and Shen families. What father said, including the merchant ships following the official ships and the landowners registering their properties under the names of officials, is indeed mutually beneficial for both parties, but what about the court?"
Shen Ti said: "Wasn't it the imperial court that suffered the loss of so many taxes that were evaded?"
"But my father said that this is normal. Your Majesty knows it and tolerates it. The ministers in the Council of State also know it and tolerate it."
“This is what makes me uncomfortable.”

Yin Shi was stunned.
It turned out to be the case.
I hadn't seen him for almost a year. When I saw him again, I felt that he had grown taller, more mature, and more stable. I felt that he seemed like a young man.
But it turns out that he is still a teenager.

Yin Shi had seen many young people like this in his previous life. They had just left school and were full of energy but then they hit many walls and were confused.
Yin Shi knew that sooner or later Shen Ti would become like those young people, with his edges smoothed out, his fantasies wiped out, his innocence worn away, and he would eventually become a middle-aged man like Lord Shen, who worked in officialdom and regarded everything as ordinary.

But at this moment, when he is still innocent, simple and sincere, it is indeed the clearest and cutest time in a man's life.
Facing such a young man, Yin Shi's heart softened.

(End of this chapter)