Rong Ci had clearly stated in the divorce agreement that she wanted nothing. With no issues regarding property division or custody of Feng Jingxin, she had assumed he would quickly notify her to collect the divorce certificate.
Yet, three months had passed since she left the agreement and returned to the country, and there had been no movement on his end.
Thinking of this, Rong Ci looked up, intending to ask him about it, but a knock sounded at the door. Then, Feng Tingyi's voice came from outside. "Sister-in-law, I heard you were sick. Are you feeling better now?"
Before Rong Ci could speak, Feng Tingshen said, "Come in."
The door had been left ajar since so many people had been in and out. Feng Tingyi walked in and greeted his brother first. "Brother."
"Mm," Tingshen grunted.
Tingyi's gaze landed on Rong Ci. They didn't spend much time together, and Rong Ci could tell he cared but didn't quite know what to say. So, she spoke first. "I'm much better."
Tingyi scratched his head. "Oh, that... that's good."
Rong Ci smiled. "Has it been a long time since you were last here?"
"Yeah... I missed the food here, so I came for a visit. I just got back and heard from Grandma that you had a fever."
Just then, Old Madam Feng came back up. Seeing that Rong Ci's complexion had improved, she felt relieved. "The soup in the kitchen is ready. Elder Zhang said you can have some. Do you want to come down and drink it, or should I have Tingshen bring it up for you?"
Rong Ci hadn't eaten much and still had little appetite. She felt the room was a bit stuffy and didn't want to stay cooped up, so she followed the grandmothers and Tingshen downstairs.
When they got downstairs and didn't see the child, Tingyi asked, "Where's Jingxin?"
"She ate a bit earlier and couldn't finish her soup," Old Madam Feng replied. "We'll have her drink a couple more sips later."
After sitting down, Rong Ci took the soup the butler handed her. She lowered her head, blowing on it gently before taking small sips. Feng Tingshen sat beside her. His phone pinged with a message. As if to prevent her from seeing it, he shifted his body slightly, moving away from her as he began to reply.
Rong Ci watched this and continued drinking her soup in silence. The old lady couldn't stand the sight. "Can't whatever it is wait until after the soup?"
"It'll just be a moment," Tingshen replied.
The bowl of soup was soon empty.
"Want a bit more?" Old Madam Feng asked.
Rong Ci shook her head and stood up. "No, I'm full."
Despite Tingshen's slight turn, as she stood up, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of his screen. He was chatting with Lin Wu on WeChat. It looked like he was teaching her something related to a project. Perhaps sensing she had noticed, Tingshen shifted even further away.
Rong Ci had already retracted her gaze. She went to the living room, sat down, and picked up a nearby newspaper to pass the time. A while later, Feng Tingyi brought over some washed fruit and asked if she wanted any.
Rong Ci looked up. "No, thank you. You have it."
Looking up, she noticed that Tingshen had also come out of the dining room. He was still holding his phone as he walked back upstairs. Rong Ci looked away.
Feng Tingyi sat down beside her and glanced at her a couple of times. Noticing this, Rong Ci asked, "What is it?"
"Well, my brain isn't as sharp as yours or my brother's, and I'm not that great at studying. I have a few physics problems I'm stuck on..."
Rong Ci blinked. Before she could speak, Tingyi added, "I wanted to ask my brother to teach me, but he just said he was busy and told me to ask you."
Rong Ci paused, then silently took his test paper. Tingyi's grades were actually quite good, and his foundation was solid. Rong Ci looked over the two papers and briefly guided his train of thought. He understood almost immediately.
"Sister-in-law, you're amazing! Thanks!" Once he understood, Tingyi didn't care about his image and crouched by the coffee table to start writing.
After finishing the physics problems, he packed up his papers and pen. "Alright! I can finally play on my phone!"
Rong Ci smiled and set down the newspaper. Feeling more energetic, she thought about going upstairs to find a book to pass the time. Tingyi leaned in and whispered, "Sister-in-law, my goddess participated in another car race recently. She was even cooler this time. I have the recording; do you want to see?"
Rong Ci's smile faded slightly. "No thanks. I'm not really interested in racing."
"Really?" Tingyi seemed surprised. He had thought she was interested. "That day, I saw you watching for a long time with binoculars. I thought you liked it too..."
"I just saw a few acquaintances there that day," Rong Ci explained.
"I see..." Seeing she truly wasn't interested, Tingyi stopped trying to convince her. He turned back to his phone to watch Lin Wu's race replay. "My goddess supposedly won't be in the next race. I miss her so much. If she doesn't compete, who knows when I'll see her again? Sigh..."
"I'm going upstairs to get a book," Rong Ci said.
Tingyi, full of energy again, said, "Okay! You might feel better, but you still need plenty of rest, Sister-in-law!"
"I will," she replied and went upstairs.
When she returned to the room, Tingshen wasn't there. She saw the book he had taken sitting on the table. She picked it up and put it back in her bag. Whenever she stayed over here, she would usually bring a book or two. She looked around the room but couldn't find her other book. Thinking it might be in Feng Jingxin's room, she headed over there.
The door was open. Before she even reached the room, she heard Jingxin's voice. "Auntie Wu Wu, I'm so bored. Talk to me a little longer."
Rong Ci stopped in her tracks. A few seconds later, Jingxin's giggling voice rang out again. "I'll go down and drink the soup in a bit. I won't skip it, Auntie Wu Wu, don't worry."
Rong Ci leaned against the wall.
"Okay, goodbye Auntie Wu Wu! Mua~"
After hanging up, Jingxin didn't immediately come out. Rong Ci's throat felt itchy, and she coughed twice before walking in. Only then did Jingxin notice her. The girl had been lying on the bed, happily kicking her feet back and forth. She sat up quickly. "Mom? Why are you out of your room?"
"Just coming to get a book," Rong Ci said tonelessly.
Jingxin came over to grab her hand. "Great-grandmother said the soup is ready. Mom, do you want to go down and drink soup with me?"
Rong Ci pulled her hand away. "I've already had mine. Since you haven't, go down and drink it yourself."
Jingxin had just finished her call with Lin Wu and was in a great mood. She didn't notice anything wrong with Rong Ci. "Okay, I'm going down now then!"
"Mm," Rong Ci replied.
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