CHAPTER 561: CHAPTER 289: A SENSE OF LOSS

Mrs. Zhou was also startled by her, only now regaining her senses. Seeing Jingyi’s resolute expression, she realized that her daughter had made up her mind. If she did not concede, she feared Jingyi might stir up trouble! Since childhood, Jingyi’s stubborn nature could be curtailed momentarily but never for a lifetime!

Mrs. Zhou, thinking it over, felt her heart turn to ash. Her resolve waning, she covered her face to wipe away her tears, saying, "Enough, enough! I, as your mother, have always wanted only what’s best for you! Instead, I pushed you to the brink of death—this was never my intention! Let’s not speak of this matter anymore. After the new year has passed, we will discuss it again. If by then, you still refuse to budge, we will never bring it up again. Please, stop fighting with me! It’s like you’re stabbing me in the heart!"

Jingyi, upon hearing these words, felt her heart break anew and couldn’t help but cry out, "Mother," as she collapsed into her mother’s arms, both of them weeping loudly.

While the Zhou family’s troubles subsided temporarily, in the Shi Mansion, Shi Fengming’s "illness" was recovering day by day as planned. His condition had been stabilized, and after five or six days, he was "barely" able to get out of bed and walk around.

Ever since Jingyi left, he hadn’t drunk the bitter medicine a single time. Xiaocui would bring it like always, but as soon as her back was turned, he would pour it away, unnoticed. Yet every time he did this, he found himself unintentionally thinking of her, remembering how she would stand quietly at the side, urging him to take his medicine with her bright, sparkling eyes.

This woman had become an inescapable nightmare! The thought of her turned his heart to a sour, astringent feeling.

Second Madam Shi, however, was in high spirits and frequently visited him. She could not contain her enthusiasm as she introduced him to eligible daughters of noble families, painting them to be celestial fairies.

Shi Fengming was absent-minded and showed no interest whatsoever. Eventually, he couldn’t restrain himself and said, "Mother, could you give it a rest? You’re hurrying to arrange matches right after my divorce, isn’t this a bit too fast?"

"Too fast? What’s too fast? It’s best to be prepared early rather than to act in a rush later," Second Madam Shi scoffed coldly. "You’re talking about us moving fast, hmph, others are even quicker than we are!"

"What do you mean?" Shi Fengming suddenly had a bad premonition.

"You’ve been confined here, nursing your sickness, naturally oblivious," Second Madam Shi sneered disdainfully. "It’s the Zhou family – I’ve heard they’re busy finding matches for Mrs. Zhou too! Hmph, shameless! Just divorced and already rushing to remarry! But I suppose they have a point, if they don’t hurry now, who would want her after a year or two!"

Shi Fengming was stunned; his heart seemed to stop in that instant. What was his mother saying? Jingyi was about to remarry? To become another man’s bride?

A mix of sourness and annoyance surged within Shi Fengming. He hadn’t even had a moment’s thought of such things, yet she was so eager to marry someone else? He scoffed self-mockingly, recalling that she had once admitted to liking him, the meticulous care she provided when with him, and her sorrowful departure. It all amounted to so little! Perhaps it was a woman’s nature to fall into the arms of another man at the blink of an eye, without exception! Indeed, since they were divorced, why couldn’t she remarry? Why did he feel some annoyance? What was there to be angry about?

"This woman is heartless, no need for you to be upset about it," Second Madam Shi, observing his displeasure, huffed. "They can look, and so can we! Rest assured, I will find someone a thousand, no, ten thousand times better than her for you, and certainly before she remarries! I must win back our pride!"

"Mother, I don’t want to think about this now! Let’s talk about it later. Please don’t bother me with this anymore!" Unbeknownst to him, while he was indifferent to the idea before, not exactly opposed to it, at this moment, he very much disliked hearing about it, not at all!

"That’s fine! Your mother will scrutinize the candidates for you! Don’t worry, Fengming, if you don’t approve, I absolutely won’t force anyone on you!" Second Madam Shi hastened to add.

Fengming, uninterested in further debate, silently consented with a closed mouth.

Second Madam Shi smiled, rising to her feet, "Seeing as your sickness is stabilizing, it’s unseemly for you to stay alone in this remote courtyard. I’ll order servants to tidy up Xiu Garden, getting rid of things that shouldn’t remain. How about moving back in a few days?"

"No need!" Shi Fengming hastily interjected, but noticing his mother’s astonishment, he relaxed and said, "I mean, why go through all that trouble? Aren’t servants maintaining it regularly? I can move back directly. As for the items inside... don’t touch them for now, I’ll handle it myself!"