An hour later, Shen Lang and Wang Yuyan brought the dishes to the table.
Braised rabbit heads, steamed perch, roasted pigeon, sweet and sour pork ribs, pickled fish, and pea tofu soup.
Shen Lang and Wang Yuyan had been busy in the kitchen for an hour, finally presenting five dishes and one soup.
Once the food was on the table, Song Qingyi eagerly tried every dish with her chopsticks.
The more she tried, the more Song Qingyi was astonished: "Shen Lang, Yuyan, did you two make this?"
"Mom, I didn't make it. At most, I just helped out. All the dishes were made by Shen Lang."
Wang Yuyan said with a gentle and reserved smile, "Mom, do you like the taste of the dishes?"
"The quality of a five-star hotel chef, no, even better than them."
Song Qingyi exclaimed in praise.
"Shen Lang, I only knew your medical skills and martial arts were peerless, but I didn't expect your culinary skills to be so good. It seems I haven't fully understood you, Mom."
Looking at the abilities her son displayed, Song Qingyi was both surprised and delighted.
"Mom, it's nothing, really, haha."
Shen Lang laughed, "The reason I cook is that my master is too lazy to ever do it, and my junior brother's cooking is simply terrible, unbearable.
"I can treat others poorly, but I never want to mistreat myself, especially my stomach, so I have to cook for myself.
"Mom, since it's alright, please eat more."
Shen Lang smiled and used serving chopsticks to pick a rib and place it into Song Qingyi's bowl.
Shen Lang recalled that the last time he visited Song Family Manor, Song Qingyi had also taken care of him in a similar way.
"Good son, thank you."
Song Qingyi said, looking at her son, and then picked up the rib Shen Lang had given her and gently placed it in her mouth.
Her son cooking and her son personally serving her, this gave Song Qingyi the happiness she desired, the happiness she had always dreamed of.
"Mom, please try this one too."
Seeing this, Wang Yuyan picked up a fish head and placed it in front of Song Qingyi, saying gently.
"Thank you, Yuyan, thank you."
Looking at her daughter-in-law, Song Qingyi became more and more satisfied.
Beautiful, gentle, and sensible – these were Song Qingyi's criteria for a daughter-in-law, and Wang Yuyan met all three. This made her like Wang Yuyan more and more.
As for the matter of Ye Shishi, Song Qingyi didn't find it difficult to make a decision.
She had already decided that she would find an opportunity to meet her good friend Chu Yingqiu and have a good talk about it.
If Ye Shishi could accept Wang Yuyan's existence, that would be for the best. If she minded, then Song Qingyi would have no choice but to annul the engagement.
"Mom, this is what I should do."
Facing her mother-in-law's praise, Wang Yuyan's face became even more gentle.
The meal was very warm. In Song Qingyi, both Wang Yuyan and Shen Lang felt motherly love, and their hearts were filled with indescribable warmth.
As for Song Qingyi, with her daughter-in-law and son sitting opposite her, the family was harmonious. What could be more blissful than this?
After the meal, Song Qingyi and Wang Yunchuan chatted in the living room, while Shen Lang and Wang Yuyan went to clean up the kitchen.
After finishing, Shen Lang planned to take Song Qingyi back to Song Family Manor first, then drive back to pick up Wang Yuyan to return to the villa.
Wang Yuyan agreed to Shen Lang's suggestion without hesitation.
Although Wang Yuyan was young, she understood one crucial principle: she could compete with all the other women around Shen Lang, but she absolutely could not compete with Shen Lang's mother.
Whether Song Qingyi was Shen Lang's godmother or biological mother, Wang Yuyan could not offend her.
Because she knew that Shen Lang, like herself, had a profound lack of maternal love, and he cherished his mother deeply. If she were to argue with him on this matter, it would only annoy him and drive them further apart.
"Yuyan, your mother-in-law is not simple. I felt so much pressure talking to her."
After Shen Lang and Song Qingyi left, Wang Yunchuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Although the former Madam Shen had been reclusive for nearly twenty years, her aura was still something that I, the head of a small family, could not withstand. If she hadn't left soon, I would have collapsed."
Although Song Qingyi was dignified and gentle, her innate aura was enough to make anyone feel a terrifying pressure. Wang Yunchuan, when talking to Song Qingyi, was almost constantly in a state of high tension.
After all, he was a seventy-year-old man. It was fine for a short while, but for a prolonged period, he found it too unbearable.
Speaking of this, Wang Yunchuan looked curiously at the box Song Qingyi had given Wang Yuyan and smiled, "Yuyan, aren't you going to open it and see what your mother-in-law gave you?"
Hearing this, Wang Yuyan paused, then picked up the box on the table.
In fact, Wang Yuyan was also very curious about what her mother-in-law had given her. But while Song Qingyi was present, Wang Yuyan didn't want to be impolite, so she suppressed her curiosity.
Now that Song Qingyi had left, Wang Yuyan could no longer suppress her inner curiosity and slowly opened the box.
Wang Yuyan thought the box must contain some rare treasures, but when she opened it, she discovered it contained a swallow, a swallow carved from jade.
"Grandpa, what does this mean?"
Looking at the lifelike carved swallow in the box, Wang Yuyan had to marvel at the exquisite craftsmanship, but she was puzzled as to why Song Qingyi would give her a swallow.
"Yuyan, this is not just any swallow, it is the 'Tang Qian Yan' (Swallow in the Hall)."
Wang Yunchuan looked at the swallow in the box with a shocked expression and said, "The swallows in the halls of the Wang and Xie families in ancient times flew into the homes of ordinary people. The origin of this swallow is much older than you can imagine, and its value is beyond your wildest dreams."
"Grandpa, please tell me more."
Hearing Wang Yunchuan's words, Wang Yuyan's curiosity was piqued, and she asked.
"Swallows were the ancestors of the Qin people during the Warring States period. Therefore, in Qin, the swallow was a totem of the state, and the families of princes, marquises, generals, and ministers all had swallow ornaments.
"Legend has it that after Qin Shi Huang obtained the Heshibi, he used most of the material to make the Imperial Seal, and the remaining material was used to carve the swallow you hold. Its name is 'Tang Qian Yan,' and it was Qin Shi Huang's beloved treasure.
"Legend has it that Song Qingyi's ancestor was from the Ying clan of the Qin state. Later, they changed their surname and name to escape disaster, but this 'Tang Qian Yan' was passed down from generation to generation, reaching Song Qingyi. It seems she is extremely satisfied with you as her daughter-in-law to give you this family heirloom."
Hearing her grandfather's words, Wang Yuyan was stunned for a long time and her mind went blank, not out of fear, but out of joy.