Quick Transmigration: Survive to the End

The second young lady suddenly interrupted Shen Ruyin, which made Madam Wang raise her eyebrows slightly, her eyes showing a hint of amusement and disdain.

Seeing Madam Xie's face darken but she hesitated to speak, the eldest daughter calmly said, "Second sister, have you forgotten that Mother has other plans for you and me? If you change your mind now and go to enjoy the scenery, wouldn't you be letting Mother down?"

The second young lady wanted to say more, but was startled by Madam Xie's sharp gaze.

Seeing that she had calmed down, Madam Xie smiled again. "Everyone says that the abbot is very good at physiognomy. With you here, cousin, I have no worries about Ruyin's future. But I'm afraid the two older ones will be difficult to take care of in the future. So I thought I'd ask the abbot to take a look at them so I can have some peace of mind."

Madam Wang understood the situation, but she wouldn't expose her at this moment. "You are truly the kindest and most loving mother."

In just a few words, the two young ladies' itinerary was set. No matter how unwilling the second young lady was, she had no choice but to obediently go along, especially since she might have hoped that the abbot could read her fortune.

However, when the topic of the abbot's face reading came up, Shen Ruyin suddenly connected it with the predictions mentioned in the drama: the eldest daughter has the destiny of a phoenix, and the second daughter will experience ups and downs in middle age but enjoy good fortune in her later years. Could it be that these predictions were obtained in the Sanqing Temple?

The two ladies quickly got up, and Shen Ruyin also saw them off to the door. At that moment, a young man dressed in brocade robes was already standing at the door.

Shen Ruyin stood beside Madam Wang and looked over with some curiosity, only to meet his eyes, which were filled with a gentle smile.

His eyes hold stars! Stars!

Shen Ruyin tilted her head slightly and looked at Madam Wang.

After watching him exchange greetings with Madam Xie, Madam Wang smiled and called him closer. "Jinchen, what did you think of the scenery in the temple just now?"

"The maple leaves are as red as rosy clouds, Mother, would you like to go and admire them?"

"We're on our way to visit the abbot right now. Yin Yin is free, why don't you accompany her for a walk?"

When Madam Wang made the request, Su Jinchen naturally wouldn't refuse.

As the group was leaving, the second young lady noticed that Su Jinchen hadn't given her even a fraction of his attention. Feeling resentful, she dawdled and lagged behind. However, the eldest young lady gave her a "familiar" push, forcing her to leave.

As for Shen Ruyin, who stayed behind, she didn't know how to start the conversation.

Fortunately, Su Jinchen didn't let the awkward atmosphere continue. "I know a wonderful place to enjoy the scenery. Would you like to come with me, Third Sister?"

Shen Ruyin naturally wouldn't refuse, and gradually walked alongside him. As for the maids and servants serving them, they were very perceptive and kept a distance so that the two could have a proper conversation.

“Mother has already told me what my third sister meant,” Su Jinchen said, turning his head to look at Shen Ruyin with a gentle expression.

Shen Ruyin subconsciously looked up.

"Don't worry, Third Sister. Although I am not very capable, I can distinguish right from wrong and know who is an insider and who is an outsider."

"I'll remember that," Shen Ruyin said, fiddling with her handkerchief a little awkwardly, a hint of pink showing on the tips of her ears.

Su Jinchen chuckled and replied with an "okay," then asked, "What books does my sister usually read at home?"

"Most of them are travelogues and cookbooks. What does my third brother usually do at home?"

“I am not good at the Four Books and Five Classics, and I only know the basics. My family does not expect me to pass the imperial examination. I usually read travelogues and visit mountains and rivers everywhere.”

After speaking tentatively, Su Jinchen focused all his attention on Shen Ruyin's face, not wanting to miss a single expression.

Shen Ruyin knew the plot and was aware of his preferences and future prospects, so she naturally didn't have too many expectations like others. Therefore, she was at peace with herself and even had the mind to reply to him.

"That's great! I've read many travelogues, but I rarely have the opportunity to travel far from home myself. In the future, Third Brother, you must take me with you when you go out!"

Hearing her say that, Su Jinchen thought she hadn't understood what he meant, so he bluntly said, "Sister, do you mind that I'm neither good at literature nor martial arts, and that I can't bring honor to my family in the future?"

Upon closer examination, the marriage between the two was essentially an alliance of interests within the household, leaving no room for either party to express their opinions, yet both of them had answers they desired.

If others knew about their problem, they would probably think the two of them were naive.

"Why should I care?" Shen Ruyin asked, somewhat puzzled. "There are so many people in the world, and not everyone has achieved fame and success. Besides, how rare it is to have money and leisure to do what you like and want in this lifetime!"

Seeing that her words came from the heart and did not seem fake, Su Jinchen became even closer to her.

It took Shen Ruyin a while to realize the reason for Su Jinchen's change.

In noble families, status and position are paramount in interpersonal relationships. Aside from the inherent distinction between嫡子 (legitimate son) and 庶子 (illegitimate son), the most direct and significant factor that can bring about a substantial change in a person's life is their official rank.

Su Jinchen is incompetent in both literary and martial arts, which basically eliminates his path to becoming an official. If Shen Ruyin becomes her husband, not only will she never see any improvement in her status, but after the family separates, she will also experience another drop in social standing.

The simplest and most direct example is that the second daughter, after realizing her mistake, directly tried to change the marriage.

Before becoming the young lady of the Shen family, Shen Ruyin lived an ordinary life for twenty years: an ordinary family, ordinary grades, an ordinary school, and an ordinary job. She didn't have much ambition and was therefore easily satisfied.

In her view, even if Su Jinchen were to be separated from the family in the future, he would still have a portion of the family property. No matter how much, it would definitely be enough to maintain their life with servants. As long as she and Su Jinchen didn't have any extravagant hobbies and their income and expenses were balanced each year, they could basically relax and do whatever they wanted.

This is exactly the life I've always dreamed of!

After figuring all this out, Shen Ruyin belatedly realized that she and Su Jinchen might actually be quite compatible.

However, with Su Jinchen's naturally handsome face, even more so than a celebrity, which was exactly what she wanted, she felt that as long as his looks didn't falter and his character didn't collapse, even if there were no feelings between them in the future, she could still treat him as a pleasing vase in her home.

It's just so beautiful!