Did the third place winner regret it today?

Chapter 9

Mrs. Shen stayed at her parents' home for more than two months and felt quite comfortable.
Because the girl is a distinguished guest when she returns home, even her stepmother can't control her like before. With the pressure from her father and the support from her sister-in-law, she is more relaxed in her parents' home than when she was a girl before.
However, the home visit leave for the newly-appointed Jinshi is limited, and after all, her parents' home is just her parents' home. She is Mrs. Shen now, so she still has to go back to her own home.

She bid farewell to her father, brother and sister-in-law in tears, and boarded the ship back to Beijing with her son Shen Ti.
There was another lady, Madam Zhao, who also came from the capital. She came back to fulfill a vow for her mother-in-law who was in the capital. The two of them had known each other in the capital. Madam Shen came back first, and Madam Zhao knew about it. When Madam Zhao came, she informed her. The two ladies just happened to return to the capital together.

That day, the ship docked somewhere for supplies, and Mrs. Zhao sent someone to ask Mrs. Shen to join the ship.
"Our lady has found a beautiful flower, and we invite you to enjoy it with us."
The most frightening thing about traveling is boredom. Madam Shen gladly accepted the invitation and went to see Madam Zhao on her boat. She patted Madam Zhao's arm and said angrily, "You asked me to come here specially. I thought it was a famous flower with such a grand ceremony. Isn't this a jade curtain? Just this? Where is the flower? Did you ask me to see the bud?"

Mrs. Zhao smiled and said, "You just want to know whether I'm raising him well or not?"
Madam Shen took a closer look. Although it was just a common jade curtain, the stems and leaves were luxuriant and the flower buds were full. She nodded and praised, "It is indeed well cared for. Who did you make this for? Your mother-in-law? You are really thoughtful."
Mrs. Zhao's husband's family's furniture is from Huaixi, and Mrs. Shen's family's furniture is from Huaixi. Because of this connection, Mrs. Shen and Mrs. Zhao often visit each other in the capital and are very familiar with her family's situation.

"It wasn't my fault, it was just a coincidence." Mrs. Zhao said, "My sister-in-law from my mother's family accompanied me to Donglin Temple to stay for a few days. A little girl went up the mountain to mourn. My sister-in-law liked her cuteness and sent some snacks over. The little girl was very polite and gave me this pot of flowers as a return gift."
"I was just thinking about what to bring back to my mother-in-law to ease her homesickness, when suddenly my sister-in-law called me over to appreciate the flowers. I looked and saw a pot of jade curtains. Don't you think this is a coincidence? Before I left Beijing, my mother-in-law was still talking about the jade curtains under her courtyard wall in the past."
"That's just right. I told my sister-in-law about it, and she gave me this pot. Look at the flower buds and the new ones. They should bloom once on the way, and once we get to the capital, they should be able to bloom again."

Mrs. Shen smiled and said, "What kind of luck is this? It's your turn."
Mrs. Zhao suddenly remembered, "Oh, that little girl said her surname is Yin. I wonder if she is from your mother's family, and which branch? The little girl looks delicate and weak, but my sister-in-law said that she can listen to the master's morning lessons every day without being impatient. She looks about seven or eight years old. The kids in my family are like monkeys at this age. If there is anyone who can sit still like this, only your brother Xi can do it."

When Mrs. Shen heard what Mrs. Zhao said, she was about to say "I don't know either", but when the words were on the tip of her tongue, she suddenly remembered that her niece went to Donglin Temple.
She had so many old friends and relatives to meet when she returned to her parents' home. She had nephews and nieces, and even great-nephews and great-grandnieces who all came to stay with her. She almost forgot about this niece whom she had never even seen.
It can't be her, right?
After asking, I found out that he was there to mourn for his biological mother, as expected.
"She's my niece." Mrs. Shen was surprised. "I didn't even get to meet her, but you met her."
Mrs. Zhao sighed: "If I had known that she was your niece, I should have taken more care of her. This child would die after listening to the sutras every day, and never play. My sister-in-law and I have never been able to catch her. What a pity."

Mrs. Shen returned to her boat. Shen Ti was reading. She put down her book and asked, "How are the flowers at Aunt Zhao's place?"
"There are no flowers, only a bunch of buds. She just asked me to come over and chat." Mrs. Shen smiled, "It's just one thing, you can't imagine that we are so destined to meet."
So he told Shen Ti about the brief connection between Mrs. Zhao and Yin Shi.
Shen Ti was also a little surprised, but nodded: "It does sound like my cousin."

Madam Shen laughed and said, "You make it sound like you know Xiao Si very well. You only met her once."
Shen Ti said seriously: "White hair is as fresh as new, love is as good as before."
The little kid was talking to you seriously about how they were always together, which made Mrs. Shen laugh and cry.

Shen Ti continued reading, and her mind couldn't help but think of her fourth cousin from her uncle's side.
Tenderness is something he experienced personally.
Filial piety is something that everyone can see.
Mrs. Zhao described her as calm, polite, elegant and indifferent.

That’s roughly the impression I get.
But none of this matters. Shen Ti and her cousin don’t know when they will see each other again or whether they will have the chance to see each other again in this life.
He sat by the window, turning a page of a book in the pale golden sunlight.
What cousins? They have their own parents. His mind was on the book, and everything else was like floating clouds that drifted out of the window with a breeze.

Time flies, and the New Year is coming soon.
If the steward hadn't come to report every month, the Third Lady would have almost forgotten that there was a concubine's daughter in the mountain.
"What's going on?" The third lady was surprised after hearing the report, "Registered disciple?"

The old woman who had just come down from the mountain after delivering supplies replied, "Yes, the girl told me so herself, and she also took me to see the abbot. The abbot said that our girl has a good aptitude for wisdom, so he accepted her as a nominal disciple and asked me to tell the master and the mistress."
The third lady was skeptical: "Xiao Si?"
The child also grew up in front of her, but she couldn't tell whether he had any intelligence or not.

The old woman received the reward from Yin Shi and praised him: "It is said that our fourth girl worships Buddha every day and copies scriptures every night, which has moved the abbot."
"That's what I was thinking," the Third Lady said, "I never saw her have any wisdom at home, how come she suddenly became wise after going to the temple?"

When the Third Master came back, the Third Lady told him with some envy: "This silly child is so lucky."
What good fortune! The Third Master almost laughed out of anger: "It's just the monks looking for an excuse to get money for incense."
The third lady quickly spat, "Stop talking nonsense. This is disrespectful to the Buddha."
"I'm not disrespecting Buddha. I'm talking about the monks. Buddha is Buddha, and monks are monks."
"Then don't talk nonsense."

The Third Master asked, "Xiao Si is not coming back for the New Year?"
The Third Madam angrily said, "Didn't I tell you last month that I would take her over this month, but she herself said that since she had waited for so long, she might as well wait until the end."

The feelings between people will become distant and thin due to time and space.
It had been ten months since Aunt Yan passed away, and the Third Master had taken in a new young concubine, so the sadness had long passed. Looking at Yin Shi mourning, he was not too moved, but just thought that "the child was not bad".
"Well, let's fulfill her filial piety." The third master said, "It's just a nominal disciple, so what?" Men make a living outside and come into contact with all kinds of people, so they don't trust "people" that much. Although they believe in gods and Buddhas, they still regard monks, nuns and Taoists as human beings.
The women, however, stay at home all day long and meet few people. Many of them have never even touched a book, so they are more easily deceived by these all kinds of people.
The Third Lady said, "Of course we need to prepare some incense, oil, money and silk to send up."

The Third Lady was naturally not so generous for Yin Shi.
"Xiao Si has become a disciple, he is one of us." The Third Lady said, "During the Buddha's birthday, we will definitely be able to reserve a courtyard. If others can't reserve one, but I can, I don't believe that the old lady won't look up to me."

After all, a concubine's wife has a harder life under the care of her stepmother.
The Third Master thought of his sister, Madam Shen, who had confessed to him before she left, "It's not easy for my sister-in-law, you should treat her better." He nodded, "You decide. Add more."
Thinking of Yin Shi again, he said, "Prepare a gift for Xiao Si as well."
The Third Lady: "Don't worry, I'll do the job."

Yin Shi waited eagerly on the mountain, and after a few days, he finally received something from the Yin Mansion. The incense, oil, money and silk were for the temple, but the brand new monk's robes, cassocks, straw sandals and a few rolls of good paper were gifts prepared by Yin Shi for his master.

Yin Shi delivered it to the abbot personally.
Kneeling is something you really get used to after kneeling many times. Yin Shi no longer needs to prepare himself mentally, and kneels down as soon as he sees the abbot: "Master, this is a small gift from your disciple."
I'm deeply into the play.

The abbot accepted it with a smile, told the young monk to take it, and told Yin Shi: "It seems your family treats you well."
He said: "You don't have to worry so much, after all, they are family members."

The matter of registering as a disciple was entirely due to Yin Shi's planning.
When she was chatting with Mother Gao, she learned that the third wife, the old lady and other female relatives were extremely superstitious, so she became interested and targeted the monk who was preaching, and began to behave in various ways.

The monk had seen a lot of worldly calculations. But when adults did many things, he would just slowly open his eyes and take a look. But when a little girl like Yin Shi did it, he felt compassion.
Moreover, Yin Shi studied Buddhism with him under the guise of a child, but in fact he was using the golden finger of an adult, which deceived the monk into thinking that this was a child with wisdom and he felt even more pity for him.
If it is a boy, he may still have to worry about it, because boys will be involved in many interests when they grow up, but it is different for girls.
The daughter's parents want her to get married, and there is no other way for her to go. What excessive demands can she make?

He asked directly: "What do you want?"
Yin Shi didn't expect a monk to be so wise. She didn't dare to beat around the bush in front of such a person, and confessed frankly: "My child has no mother, and I don't know who to rely on in the future."
The great monk said, "I am just a monk, I don't care about worldly affairs."
Yin Shi said: "My stepmother and grandmother both believe in Buddhism, so what the master said is somewhat useful."

The great monk asked, "What can I talk about?"
Yin Shi began to make up a story: "I have a sister who married badly and was miserable."
The monk shook his head: "I can't control who you marry."
Yin Shi raised his head: "Master, of course, can't let me marry whoever I want, but Master can make me not have to marry someone I don't want to marry, right?"

In the past few months, Yin Shi has thought it through and realized that the fate of getting married is probably inevitable in this time and space.
But the fact that Mrs. Shen, who married into a wealthy family, was treated as a VIP in her parents' home really exposed the fact that although the Yin family was rich, their status was not high.
Yin Shi was obviously a beauty, and was born a concubine's daughter. She was very worried that she would be used as a tool by her family to climb up the social ladder when she grew up.

If they were a good match like the third master and his wife, it wouldn't be impossible if they were from similar families, with legitimate wife and illegitimate wife. Or even if they prepared some dowry for her and married her off to a scholar that their family liked, it wouldn't be impossible.
The only thing I'm afraid of is that she will be married to some powerful old man as a second wife.
What I fear most is that she will be offered to someone as a concubine.
In an affluent life, Yin Shi may not fight, but he cannot help but consider a safe retreat.

The little girl's eyes sparkled cunningly.
The monk laughed and said, "Little kid, you have such far-reaching ideas. How old are you?"
"No matter how old you are," Yin Shi said seriously, "after losing your mother, you have to grow up immediately."
"Amitabha, good, good." These words softened the monk's heart, "Then I will accept you as a nominal disciple."

In this way, Yin Shi became the registered disciple of the abbot.
The chief monk reported this to the abbot, who smiled and shook his head: "Little clever ghost."

At this time, hearing what the abbot said, Yin Shi smiled and said, "There are still many years to go. Who knows?"
"If I don't need my master, it's because of Buddha's blessing."
"If I need Master, it's all thanks to Master's blessing."

(End of this chapter)