Did the third place winner regret it today?

Chapter 2

According to a letter from his aunt, Madam Shen, the nephew of the Shen family was born at dawn. The servants announced the good news to his grandfather, and old Master Shen looked up and saw the red window paper reflected by the sunset, thinking it was a good omen, so he named the grandson Ti.
Shen Ti.

Mrs. Shen has been married for many years and has only one son, Shen Ti.
Before meeting the real person, the Third Lady speculated that with such an only child, and since Mrs. Shen married into a wealthy family, she must be afraid of dropping him or melting him in her mouth, and she must be treating him like the apple of her eye.
I know people like this in their families, and they are all spoiled beyond belief.

Before coming, she specifically told the children to be tolerant and patient when getting along with their cousin from the Shen family.
Her husband, the father of the children, Master Yin San, was only a concubine's son, and his talent was mediocre. It was because of this sister who married into a wealthy family that the old master valued her more. For Madam Yu San, this sister-in-law and nephew were both honored guests of their third house, so she naturally had to be more tolerant and tolerant.

But at first glance, Shen Ti, the nephew of the Shen family, was so young, but he spoke clearly, acted tactfully, and did not behave in a wrong manner at all. He even compared the three sons of the third room to country boys.
He was not at all the lazy and dissolute young man that the Third Lady had imagined.

The Third Madam was very pleased with the pair of clear eyes, clean temperament, and the calm manner of speaking, and hurriedly explained, "It's just a coincidence. Your fourth sister's aunt just passed away a few days ago. She was frightened and had a fever and was drowsy. The servants came to report today and said that she is much better, but she is in mourning, which is unlucky. Your mother rarely comes back, so don't disturb her."

Madam Shen said, "I remember that the fourth girl and Xi'er are the same age?"
The Third Madam said, "That's right. The fourth girl is a few months older than Xi'er. Not long after the fourth girl was born that year, your good news came from the capital, and the master and we were so happy."
Xiger is Shen Ti’s nickname. He was born in the morning, so his nickname is Xi.
He is the same age as Yin Shi but a few months younger. To put it in a more general way, he can be called a young boy, but to put it in a more specific way, he can be called a boy.
The girls in the Yin family had no order of rank, and each room had its own opinion. Yin Shi was the fourth girl from the third room.

Madam Shen said, "It's pitiful that he lost his mother at such a young age."
The Third Lady was not in a good mood at the moment. Madam Shen sighed a few times, and the Third Lady changed the subject and talked about the old lady: "... since she said she is not feeling well, you don't have to go forward, I'll take care of it. I know you are filial, but you are a guest, it's rare for you to come back, just be yourself."

Because the children were there, it was not easy to say directly, "The old lady will be unhappy to see that you are living such a good life, so don't get close to her. I will block her for you. Be happy when you go back to your parents' home."
Of course, Mrs. Shen knew what was going on and responded with a smile, accepting her sister-in-law's kindness.
The two sisters-in-law had not seen each other for many years, so they had a lot of feelings for each other. The third lady took the lead, and Mrs. Shen called Shen Ti: "You children, go to the side room to play."

Shen Ti replied "yes", bowed to her aunt and apologized, then invited the cousins ​​from the third room: "Come to my place to talk."
This courtyard was Madam Shen's boudoir before she got married. Now, of course, she still lives in the main house, and the side rooms have been cleaned up for her cousin, Young Master Shen Ti, to live in.
But although Shen Ti was young, he did not ignore etiquette by taking advantage of his young age. He only invited his cousins ​​and did not invite his sisters, being very particular about the rules.

Madam Shen said angrily, "Your sisters are not very old, so go with them. You will only see them a few times in your lifetime."
This is indeed the truth. Shen Ti thought it made sense, so she nodded and said, "Sisters, go together and tell me about my mother's hometown."
A group of children, big and small, followed Shen Ti to the side room.

The room became quiet and the two women relaxed.
The Third Madam enviously said, "Look at this child, Xi'er. He is very methodical and has a methodical way of speaking and doing things."
"Don't mention it." Mrs. Shen said, "He looks like an old man at such a young age."

"He has been with his grandfather and father since he was a child. Apart from asking about food and clothing, I don't know anything about him. Although he is my son, he doesn't look like me at all. He looks exactly like the Shen family."
It seems like he's complaining, but in fact he's showing off, there's a gleam in his eyes.

The Third Madam covered her mouth and said, "I heard from your brother that father once told him privately: Your brother-in-law has been a calm and steady person since he was young. The only time he acted like a young man was when he picked your fourth sister."

When Mrs. Shen mentioned this, her face flushed. Although she had been married for many years, her brows looked like those of a young girl.
The Third Lady had been a concubine's daughter-in-law for many years, and she knew at a glance that this look could only be created by the kindness of her mother-in-law and the love of her husband. If there was any slight wear and tear, the relaxation and brightness between her brows would not be preserved.
The third lady was envious and sighed.

The aunt and sister-in-law talked about the situation in both families and talked about their children.
Not everyone is as lucky as Mrs. Shen. The Third Lady is often bullied by her mother-in-law. In fact, she quite wants to say something bad about the old lady behind her back, but Mrs. Shen doesn't seem to be interested in how the old lady suppresses her illegitimate son and his wife and how unhappy she is. So the Third Lady is tactful enough to shut up in time.
He just praised him: "Thanks to you, your brother is now also valued by father, otherwise, my life would be even more difficult."

The sedan chairs were carried by each other, so Mrs. Shen naturally had to be modest: "It was my brother who made great efforts, and my sister-in-law worked hard."
The third wife smiled and said, "It's a pity that I didn't give birth to a daughter, otherwise I would have married you to a daughter."
She had no biological daughter, so this was naturally just a joke. However, despite this, Mrs. Shen still did not respond to the conversation and just smiled.

It was good that she was a concubine's daughter and married into a wealthy family, but that was because her father had saved her father-in-law's life.
Although Master Yin San was her biological brother, he had no favor towards the Shen family and even relied on his sister. His daughter, let alone a concubine's daughter, could not possibly marry Shen Ti, whose grandfather and father were both Jinshi. Madam Shen did not respond, and Madam San knew it clearly.
A few days ago, her silly husband had a dream: "It would be even better if we could get closer to the Shen family."
He even asked her to test her sister's opinion. She said at that time that it was definitely not possible, but men just love to dream.
Okay, Mengmeng is enough. I have to remind him not to really bring it up when I get back. Making people laugh is secondary. I’m more afraid of making this sister angry and then we won’t have any contact in the future.

The two sisters-in-law had not seen each other for many years. After they had chatted for a long time, the third wife got up, asked someone to call the children over, and said goodbye to the third master's children.
Mrs. Shen was also feeling a little tired, so she asked her maid to massage her shoulders.
Shen Ti came over and called "Mother". Mrs. Shen looked up and saw the little boy frowning. She asked hurriedly: "Why do you look unhappy? Did you have a dispute with your brothers at home?"

She had a reason for saying this. Her husband, Shen Bo, was a very stubborn person. If he believed he was right, he would not change even if he got his head broken and bloodied. Shen Ti was exactly like his father, and had been a stubborn person since childhood.

"No, we are visiting someone else's family, how could I be so rude?" Shen Ti was slightly dissatisfied.
"Then what's wrong with you? Why don't you tell mother?" Mrs. Shen scolded him.
"Logically, I shouldn't mention elders." Shen Ti didn't beat around the bush and told his mother directly about his dissatisfaction, "It's just that I saw my aunt talking about the death of my fourth sister's biological mother with a smile. Although my biological mother was a concubine, she was still my biological mother. The little girl was experiencing the tragedy of family relations, but my aunt, as her biological mother, mentioned this matter with a smile..."

Mrs. Shen understood immediately.
Shen Ti started to learn at the age of three, and was taught by her grandfather. The sage's principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness were deeply rooted in her. When the third wife, the legitimate mother, said that the concubine's mother had just died, she smiled. In Shen Ti's mind, I am afraid that this aunt has been labeled as "unkind".
She coughed and covered up for her sister-in-law: "Your aunt was just too happy to see us..."

The young boy glanced over with a reproachful look in his eyes, obviously not buying his mother's explanation. He was just following filial piety and not refutating his mother in front of the maids.
Mrs. Shen had no choice but to sit up, wave away the maid, and said to her son, "Come and sit down, I will explain it to you."

Shen Ti went over and sat on the other side of the couch, facing her mother.
Although he was young, he started studying early and understood things early. Moreover, if there was something he didn't understand and he couldn't get an answer from Mrs. Shen, he would probably go to his father and grandfather for answers after returning to Beijing.
Therefore, Madam Shen did not fool him and told him the reality seriously: "I know that the principles you learned tell you how everyone should be, such as husband and wife should be harmonious, the wife should be generous, and the stepmother should be kind. But that is only theoretical. In the real life, we are all living people with flesh and blood, and everyone has likes and dislikes."

"If the wife does not treat the concubines and illegitimate children harshly, she is already a generous wife and a loving mother. You insist on making her like the woman who competes with her for her husband and the illegitimate child who competes with her son for the family property with her heart and soul as in the books. You must know that it is impossible."

Shen Ti opened his mouth to refute, but Madam Shen was quick to interrupt him: "It's you. Logically speaking, you should be friendly to your brothers and close to your relatives, right? But why don't you treat your third uncle's little Seventeen with kindness? He is also your brother of the same clan, with the same surname and clan, and blood brother. It's just because the child is lazy and rude, and doesn't strive for progress, and you don't like him, so you despise him. You see, Little Seventeen is not a problem for you at all. He doesn't compete with you for the favor of the elders, and he doesn't share the assets your father will leave to you in the future, but you just don't like him, right?"
Shen Ti moved his lips, then found that this matter was irrefutable, and closed them again.

Mrs. Shen struck while the iron was hot and teased, "Why do you think it's so tough to ask others to feel sad from the bottom of their hearts for someone you really hate?"
"This is my first visit to my parents' home since I got married. I haven't seen your aunt for many years, and this is the first time I've seen you. She and I, you and her, are sisters-in-law, aunt and nephew. Do you know how happy your aunt is to see us? Compared to this genuine happiness, the death of an annoying person is nothing? Do you insist that she is sad because a concubine has passed away? Do you think it's justified to say that?"

Madam Shen was serious about the ways of the world and didn't treat him like a child. Shen Ti accepted her lesson and admitted his mistake: "I was too harsh on my aunt."
The young boy raised his head and said, "But that fourth sister is really pitiful. Mother is her aunt, please take care of her."
He was not completely ignorant of the ways of the world. Living in the capital, he had to deal with a lot of social interactions, and a smart kid like him would not be ignorant of them. His maternal family was much lower than his own, so his mother's words carried weight in her family.
If an aunt of some importance shows more concern for the little girl who has lost her mother and parents, others will see it and treat her less badly.

Mrs. Shen touched his head, her eyes gentle: "I know, you don't need to tell me."
Shen Ti felt that she was old enough and wanted to turn her head away from her mother's hand, but she heard Madam Shen sigh: "I am also this age... my aunt is gone."
Shen Ti paused, stopped dodging, and let his mother rub his head.

Mrs. Shen knew that he didn't like it, so she rubbed her hand twice and then took it back: "Now the whole mansion is staring at me, and I haven't even warmed up my cushion yet. It's not good to mobilize a large number of people to care about her, which will push her to the forefront. There are many troubles in the backyard, and I don't want her to attract attention. Give me two days to wait, meet everyone I should meet, visit everyone I should visit, and then go see this poor child."

Shen Ti thought about it and said, "Then don't move, mother. I'm young, so I'll go see Fourth Sister on your behalf."
He looked like a member of the Shen family in every way, but his eyes were as gentle as Madam Shen's: "She lost her mother, but her family decorated the house with lanterns and flowers to welcome her mother to visit. I don't know who would still think of her now. It's really pitiful."
Since my aunt can smile like that, I guess my uncle wouldn't be too sad about losing a concubine.
"I'll go see her on behalf of my mother and let her know that she still has an aunt who loves her."

(End of this chapter)