“Father, Mother, your daughter is unfilial. At your age, you still have to worry and suffer because of me!”
Ever since the Marquis household was seized, and then her children were sentenced to exile, all the shock, fear, worry, and sorrow had been suppressed deep inside Madam Zhao.
Now that she had finally returned home and seen her parents, she could no longer hold it in and completely broke down.
She cried uncontrollably, her voice hoarse, tears and mucus streaming down her face.
The Duchess of the Duke’s household was already red-eyed, and upon hearing her daughter’s grief-stricken cries, she too burst into tears.
“It’s over now! It’s all over!” she said through tears.
“My daughter, my poor daughter!”
“Don’t be afraid! You’re home now. Once you’re home, everything will be fine!”
“Even though your father and I are old, we are still alive. As long as we live one day, we will protect you for one day.”
The Duchess gently stroked her daughter’s back while crying, just as she had done when she was a child—comforting her so she would know she was not alone, that she still had parents who loved and protected her.
“Mother!”
After crying for a long time, Madam Zhao finally regained some clarity.
She suddenly remembered her daughter.
“Si’er girl, come and pay respects to your grandparents!”
At her words, Wang Si immediately stepped forward, knelt, and bowed.
“Your granddaughter greets Grandfather and Grandmother.”
“Good! Good child!”
The Duchess suddenly remembered she still had an external granddaughter.
She wiped her tears and looked at Wang Si with both affection and faint curiosity.
In truth, from the moment Madam Zhao arrived the day before, the Duke’s heir and his wife had already sent letters overnight from the hot spring estate.
The Duke’s heir wrote to the Duke himself.
Madam Zhao’s eldest daughter-in-law, Lady Qian, reported in detail about how the mother and daughter were arranged.
In her letter, she subtly remarked:
“Si’er girl truly lives up to being your Duke’s direct granddaughter—young, yet composed and steady.”
The Duchess immediately understood her daughter-in-law’s meaning: Wang Si was different from Wang Jiao.
Though they were twin sisters, Wang Jiao had been spoiled by the old matriarch of the Marquis household—arrogant, willful, and unwilling to be close to her maternal family.
After the Marquis household fell, the Duke of Wei in the suburbs of the capital immediately learned of the situation.
At that time, he was already considering how to save his daughter.
Allowing Madam Zhao to divorce and take one daughter with her—this was the Duke’s decision.
The Duchess had not objected.
If one granddaughter had to be taken, she silently hoped it would not be Wang Jiao.
She did not play favorites, but some children were simply not easy to raise.
And she was worried—not for herself, but for her daughter and daughter-in-law.
Now that she saw the granddaughter who had been brought back was Wang Si, she finally felt relieved.
And seeing Wang Si in person—well-behaved, quiet, proper in etiquette, with clear and innocent eyes without the slightest trace of scheming or gloom—
The Duchess thought: This child is indeed very good. With her here, my daughter will suffer less.
And what happened next proved that she was not just “good”—she was excellent.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, I’ve made medicinal dishes for you two!”
After finishing her greetings, Wang Si stood up and took a food box from the maid beside her.
At thirteen, still young and tender, even when she showed off a little, it did not feel rude.
Tilting her head slightly, she said proudly with a delicate smile:
“This is something I learned from a retired imperial physician. I personally went to the market to buy the ingredients and herbs, and it took me an hour to cook it!”
“Look, Grandfather, this is your Sangjisheng Forsythia Chicken Feet Soup…”
She carefully lifted a delicate white porcelain lid.
Inside, the soup was clear and fragrant, with herbs and ingredients perfectly blended, without any unpleasant medicinal smell.
The chicken feet were so soft and tender that they almost melted—no chewing needed.
The Duke of Wei was a military man and loved meat.
But due to age and old injuries, doctors had long advised him to eat less meat and salt.
When he heard “medicinal dish,” he had expected something bland and unpleasant.
But instead—it contained chicken feet.
Meat!
Even if it was little, it was still meat!
He sniffed it carefully.
Good heavens—the aroma was actually excellent!
Just smelling it made his appetite surge.
“Grandfather, Sangjisheng nourishes the liver and kidneys, strengthens bones and tendons, dispels wind-dampness, and unblocks the meridians. Long-term consumption will help relieve your old injuries.”
“Oh? Good! Hahaha! Good!”
The Duke laughed heartily.
“Si’er girl, you are young but so thoughtful. I will finish it all!”
He personally took the porcelain bowl, picked up chopsticks, and ate a piece of chicken foot.
The moment he bit down, his eyes lit up.
Soft, tender, fragrant—slightly herbal, but not unpleasant at all.
In fact, it had a unique richness different from ordinary chicken feet.
He swallowed it whole in a few bites, leaving only bones behind.
“Delicious! Si’er girl, your cooking is no less than the chefs at Hui Xian Lou or Pan Lou!”
As a high-ranking noble, he would not dare compare it to imperial cuisine, but this praise alone was already extremely high.
Wang Si smiled shyly.
Then she brought out another porcelain bowl and placed it before the Duchess.
“Grandmother, this is winter melon and barley duck soup for you.”
“It is cooling, helps digestion, and relieves internal heat—perfect for the summer season.”
The Duchess’s maid lifted the bowl for her to see.
The duck was tender but not dry, winter melon soft, with barley and goji berries adding bright color and fragrance—very appetizing.
The Duchess smiled.
She loved duck meat, and only those close to her knew this.
Si’er girl… truly put her heart into this.