Chapter 132: Is it delicious?

“Luyan!” Shen Qingyi exclaimed in surprise, then handed him another pair of insoles. “Do you want to put these under those shoes you’re wearing?”

Luyan took the insoles from her hand. “Mm.”

Shen Qingyi stepped back a couple of paces, putting some distance between them. Afraid he might say something else, she quickly added, “I’ll go check on Anan.”

They had been standing too close just moments ago; she had clearly heard his breathing deepen.

Luyan watched her retreating figure with a heavy heart.

He looked down at the insoles in his hand, then glanced at the pair under the bed and the ones on his feet—all bought by her.

Holding the insoles, he walked over to the bed and sat down blankly. After a long moment, he gave a bitter chuckle. Turning around, he saw the Rubik’s cube his son had been playing with on the bed. He reached out and began spinning it rapidly in his hands.

It seemed to be the only way to quiet the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

Only when Anan approached and gasped in surprise did Luyan snap out of it and stop moving his hands.

“Dad, you’re amazing! I’ve tried lining up one color or spacing them out, but getting one entire face done is already the best I can do.” Yet his father had completed all four sides.

Luyan handed the Rubik’s cube to Anan, who took it and looked up, noticing that his father’s face showed no hint of joy or surprise.

Before, whenever he was praised, Luyan would smile faintly.

“Dad, what’s wrong?”

Luyan weakly patted his son’s head and pulled him close, whispering, “Anan, do you want to be with Dad forever?”

Without hesitation, Anan nodded. “Of course. In this world, no one plays with me better than Dad.”

Luyan felt a little comforted. “If Mom has to go do her own thing and separate from Dad, who would you want to stay with?”

Anan blinked and smiled. “You guys have split up before, then gotten back together. I’ll wait with Mom for you.”

Luyan pulled his son into his arms to calm himself before taking the Rubik’s cube from Anan’s hands. “Do you want Dad to teach you how to solve it?”

Anan nodded emphatically. “Yes!”

Unknowingly, a week passed. Feng Erqiu brought over another stack of insoles. Although she doubted Shen Qingyi truly wanted these insoles, she had promised and thus had to deliver.

This time, she came with homemade rice dumplings and herbal tea.

Shen Qingyi took the large bottle of herbal tea from her, poured some into a cup, and took a sip. The taste was so good that she immediately squinted her eyes. “This is really tasty! Where did you find the ingredients?”

“My eldest brother went to all the big markets and Chinese herbal shops to get them. Last time I said you should visit us, Chunni has been waiting for ages, but you never came.”

Shen Qingyi smiled. “I’ll go tomorrow. Did you come here especially? How’s business lately?”

Feng Erqiu grinned. “Good, I’m waiting. Business is quite good, surprisingly. My second brother isn’t great at farm work but is very shrewd in business. In just a few days, he’s made many regular customers. Worried they’d get tired of the same flavors, he had me make several varieties.”

“Originally, we only made dried tofu with preserved vegetables. Now we have meat and mushroom stuffing, spicy and non-spicy—four flavors in total.”

“You should try them and see which you like best. I’ll send you more later.”

Shen Qingyi glanced at the basket on the table. Roughly counting, there were at least ten. “Good, I won’t have anyone deliver dinner tonight. We’ll just eat these dumplings.”

These dumplings were made by grinding rice into fine powder, frying it into rice cakes, and stuffing them with fillings before steaming. The texture was quite delightful.

Looking at Feng Erqiu before her, though it had only been about ten days, she still wore the same short, worn clothes, but her spirit was completely transformed.

“My divorce papers came through. I can go get the certificate now. Just waiting for Liu Yong to find time to sign,” Feng Erqiu said.

“You haven’t seen him at all during this time?”

She shook her head. “But today when I went to the women’s director, Director Liu told me Liu Yong came begging her several times, asking for my current address and saying he wanted the child.”

Shen Qingyi tensed immediately. “Did Director Liu tell you anything else?”

Feng Erqiu shook her head. “She didn’t know. I told Xiao Wu not to tell anyone.”

“That’s good. But signing for a divorce requires both parties. What if he causes trouble when he comes?”

Feng Erqiu had already thought it through. “If he refuses to divorce, he’s obligated to help me pay off debts. I made him pay back everything he owes you, including rent. The contracts and receipts are all here. Medical bills plus rent come to nearly two hundred. Even if I killed him, I wouldn’t take a penny.”

Shen Qingyi sighed deeply.

After chatting, Feng Erqiu reminded Shen Qingyi to bring Anan over to play when she had time.

Shen Qingyi, thinking her manuscript was nearly done, replied, “Okay, I’ll go tomorrow.”

After Feng Erqiu left, Anan just woke up from his afternoon nap. “Mom, I think I heard Aunt Feng’s voice just now.”

“That’s right, she came and brought us some dumplings.”

Anan’s eyes lit up. “Did she say anything about Sister Chunni?”

Shen Qingyi smiled gently. “She did. She invited us to visit them. Mom will take you there tomorrow.”

“Wow, that’s great!” After the excitement, Anan remembered something. “Dad has to work tomorrow. Who will take us?”

“There’s a bus at eight in the morning to town. We’ll get up early, take the bus to town, then transfer to the city,” Xiao Wu had told her.

“Okay!”

That afternoon, when Luyan returned from work, Shen Qingyi heated the dumplings in the kitchen, steaming them over the coal stove. Returning to the room, she told Luyan, “Big Sister Feng came by and brought us some food and herbal tea, so no need to order dinner tonight.”

Luyan nodded. “Good, I’ll go let them know.”

After he informed them, the white, glutinous dumplings were already hot and arranged on the table, with three cups set as well.

Luyan had never seen such food before. After washing his hands in the kitchen, he sat down at the table. Shen Qingyi handed him one.

He took it, bit into it, and immediately frowned, quickly grabbing a cup of herbal tea to gulp down.

Seeing this, Shen Qingyi hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t like the preserved vegetables,” he said. They were dark, hard, and had a bit of spiciness and bitterness.

It was the first time Shen Qingyi had seen Luyan dislike something. She took the dumpling with dried tofu and preserved vegetables from his hand, then offered him the one she had just picked up to eat.

“Try this one and see what filling it has.”

Luyan took the dumpling she handed him, broke it open with his hands, revealing mushroom and meat filling. He bit into it and nodded at Shen Qingyi. “Mmm, delicious!”

Afterward, he saw his wife take a bite from the dumpling he had just eaten, biting cautiously at the spot he had bitten, murmuring softly, “It’s actually quite tasty!”

Luyan was stunned. His wife, usually so particular, was eating from the same piece he had bitten without any hesitation or disgust. In disbelief, he asked, “Is it… really good?”

Shen Qingyi savored it carefully and replied seriously, “Really good. The mix with the outer skin adds flavor and cuts the greasiness. The spiciness is just right.”

Anan blinked his big eyes, looking up at Shen Qingyi eagerly. “Can I try some too?”

Shen Qingyi fed him a bite. After chewing, Anan’s big eyes curved like moons. “Really? Dad, do you want to try again?”

Luyan’s eyes flickered as he asked Shen Qingyi, “Really?”

Seeing his suspicious yet curious expression, so much like Anan’s, Shen Qingyi smiled and reached out. “Why don’t you try another bite?”