Since it was the child’s heartfelt intention, the Grand Princess Consort naturally could not waste it.
She took the chopsticks handed over by the maid and picked up a piece of duck meat, taking a light bite.
Suddenly, her pupils slightly widened.
It wasn’t tough?
One must know that duck meat is different from other meats. If the cooking skills are lacking, duck meat easily becomes tough and chewy.
But the medicinal dish prepared by Wang Yi did not taste tough at all. Instead, it was full of juices.
It didn’t seem like duck meat at all, more like chicken thigh meat.
The fragrance of winter melon also perfectly neutralized the greasiness of the broth.
The Grand Princess Consort ate a piece of duck, then continued eating several pieces of winter melon.
Indeed refreshing, and it even helped with urination.
The Grand Princess Consort was getting older, and it was early summer in the fifth month. She sweated more and drank less water, so her urination had become somewhat—
Sigh, such private matters were difficult for her to speak of.
Yet this girl, Yi’er, was so thoughtful, even preparing this winter melon and barley duck for her.
It satisfied both taste and health needs, while also relieving summer heat and promoting urination.
Good! Such a considerate child!
The Grand Princess Consort ate bite after bite, and before long, she had finished the entire dish.
After the meal, the smile on her face reached her eyes.
The Grand Duke had already finished his portion. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his wife’s expression and knew she was very satisfied with their granddaughter.
Since it was a child who could please her elders, she should be rewarded!
“Yi’er, your medicinal dish is indeed excellent!”
“I am very satisfied. Such good skills must not be wasted!”
The Grand Duke pondered for a moment and said, “I remember I have a shop on East Street that has always been used as a restaurant.”
He turned to his wife and asked, “Madam, why don’t we give this shop to Yi’er?”
The Grand Princess Consort instantly understood her husband’s intention.
Giving the shop to Yi’er was both a reward for her filial piety and a way to provide support for their daughter.
Sigh, the Duke of Wuchang’s household had fallen, and their daughter’s dowry and servants had all been confiscated by the authorities.
Now living in the Duke’s residence, their eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Qian, was steady and considerate, and would not treat them unfairly.
But… their daughter had been raised as a cherished treasure by them.
From childhood, she had enjoyed wealth and luxury, and even after marriage she had never suffered in terms of food or clothing.
How could she bear to live a merely “adequate” life?
She still needed her own assets.
Only then, whether she remarried in the future or continued living in the Duke’s residence, would she not have to depend on others or worry about money.
Before returning to the capital, the elderly couple had already discussed finding a proper way to support their daughter.
However, they could not be too obvious.
After all, she was a married daughter returning home, and excessive favoritism might cause jealousy among other branches of the Duke’s family.
They were not afraid of being called biased—but they were afraid of causing trouble for their daughter.
Just as they were worrying over this, Wang Yi, the clever girl, had already given them a perfect excuse.
A granddaughter’s filial gift—rewarding her with a shop—was perfectly reasonable.
If anyone objected, they should try pleasing the elders themselves!
“What? You can’t? Useless things!”
“Then just envy others’ rewards!”
“East Street shop?”
Wang Yi froze.
Having lived three lifetimes, she was no ignorant young lady who did not understand the value of money.
She knew how difficult life was.
When she strolled through East Street earlier, she had clearly understood the prices in the capital.
Even a modest shop on East Street would cost seven to eight hundred taels of silver.
And this was the Grand Duke of the Nation—one of the most powerful nobles, a man who rebuilt the declining Duke’s household through military achievements.
Everything he owned was of high quality.
Moreover, Wang Yi understood his intention.
Ah… the hearts of parents everywhere are the same.
Her mother Zhao Shi was already in her mid-thirties, an age where, in ancient times, she could even be a grandmother.
Yet her parents still treated her like a child.
Since this was a gift meant as a pretext to support their daughter, it would certainly not be of poor quality.
Wang Yi immediately understood that she had no real right to refuse.
She looked instinctively at Zhao Shi.
Zhao Shi was also stunned, staring at her aging parents.
They were already over sixty, their hair white, faces deeply lined.
At an age when they should be resting, they were still worrying for her.
Tears once again welled up in her eyes.
She felt ashamed, guilty, and full of regret.
She had not yet repaid her parents, yet they were still planning so much for her.
Zhao Shi opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to refuse.
But the Grand Duke interrupted first.
“Yi’er, this is for you! Just accept it!”
“If you feel uneasy, then in the future just make more medicinal dishes for me and your grandmother.”
“Or what? Are you trying to make us, as elders, break our own rules? I, the Grand Duke, reward merit and punish fault—how could I not reward good service?”
He even shot a glare at Zhao Shi, as if warning her not to refuse.
Zhao Shi twitched her lips helplessly.
The Grand Duke was still the same straightforward, fiery old man after all these years.
The Grand Princess Consort also quickly said, “Yi’er, just accept it. As the saying goes, ‘a gift from an elder must not be refused.’”
With both elders speaking, Wang Yi naturally could not refuse any longer.
She bowed and said, “Thank you, Grandfather and Grandmother! I will manage the restaurant well and continue making medicinal dishes for you both.”
“Good! That’s the spirit of my Duke’s household!”
The hall of Songhe Hall was filled with laughter, a warm and harmonious scene.
…
“What? Grandfather gave Wang Qi a shop?”
“Why? She is only an outsider granddaughter. I am the real young lady of the Duke’s household!”