Inside the living room, Jiang An gave the order to leave behind a servant and a maid to attend to him.
"Xiaoduo, come, have a taste of my tea. Although it can't compare to yours, it's still my best tea." Jiang An smiled and personally poured tea for Hong Xiaoduo, inviting her to try it.
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo said, "I'm not particular about tea. Even the best tea would be wasted if I drank it like a cow. Mr. Jiang, just brew me some tea with a floral aroma."
"Hey, that's not how it works. Xiaoduo, you're my honored guest. Whether you know tea or not, I'll naturally treat you to the best. Please try this; it has a faint orchid fragrance." Jiang An was even happier to hear that.
I love her personality; she's not hypocritical at all.
Hearing him say that, Hong Xiaoduo picked up the teacup, smelled the aroma, and indeed it carried a faint orchid fragrance. Upon tasting the tea, besides the orchid scent, there was also a hint of sweetness.
Seeing that she liked it, Jiang An didn't have anyone change the tea.
"This candy is delicious. Which shop did you buy it from?" Hong Xiaoduo picked up a piece of candy, took a small bite, and asked.
"This isn't from a shop outside; it was made by my own cook. Her family makes candy. If you like it, Xiaoduo, that's fine; you can take some back with you." Jiang An said this, but in her heart, she was already planning to have someone give her all the candy when she returned home. After all, she had a group of children, and it wouldn't be enough for them.
Also, have the cook make more and send it over.
Jiang An was certain that the young girl in front of him had seen the world and grand occasions; she drank tribute tea, and she wouldn't look down on ordinary things.
If you're going to give her something, it has to be something she likes, not necessarily something expensive.
Hong Xiaoduo didn't stand on ceremony with him. This crispy candy was indeed delicious. In the past two years, she had bought it for the children along the way, but she had never tasted one so fragrant and crispy, and the sweetness was just right.
After finishing a piece of candy, I wiped the crumbs off my hands with a handkerchief and heard a greeting from outside the door.
Looking up, I saw a woman enter with a maid.
"Master." The woman greeted Jiang An as she entered, then looked at Hong Xiaoduo with a smile.
Jiang An introduced Hong Xiaoduo: "This is my concubine, Madam Pang."
Hearing her husband introduce her to a young lady in this way, Madam Pang felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart.
Even though her own status was indeed that of a concubine, the word "concubine" made Pang very uncomfortable in front of such a young girl, especially one who was a stranger in the world.
After entering the room, Pang stared at Hong Xiaoduo, and Hong Xiaoduo was also observing her.
Pang was about the same age as Master Jiang, and he wasn't wrong. Pang's appearance was quite ordinary, even with silk dresses, gold and silver beaded flowers, and thick makeup on her face.
Hong Xiaoduo sensed the probing and wariness in Pang's eyes.
I also noticed a resemblance between Pang's eyebrows and eyes and Jiang Baicheng's, which is quite interesting!
Hong Xiaoduo didn't look down on concubines, but she disliked Pang Shi at first glance. Therefore, after Jiang An introduced her, she didn't even stand up. She just smiled and nodded at Pang Shi as a greeting.
Her behavior made Pang lose face. Although she was a concubine, she was the only mistress of the Jiang family. How dare you, a guest who came here so abruptly, be so disrespectful and rude to me?
Pang looked at her husband with some grievance, thinking to herself, "This is the distinguished guest you personally brought back?"
Looking down on me is also a slap in your face, isn't it?
Jiang An clearly saw Hong Xiaoduo's reaction to Pang Shi, but he wasn't angry at Hong Xiaoduo's rudeness to Pang Shi. He was just puzzled, unsure whether Hong Xiaoduo was inherently averse to being a concubine or if there was some other reason.
"Go to the kitchen and keep an eye on things. Tell them to use fruitwood charcoal for the stew pot." Jiang An sensed something was wrong, so he didn't keep Pang Shi there and sent her away.
Pang really didn't expect that after she had just been wronged, the master not only didn't express his dissatisfaction with the girl, but also sent her away.
However, Madam Pang knew very well what kind of temper her husband had, so she didn't dare to linger there any longer. She responded gently and turned to leave.
No one saw that her palms were sore from clenching her nails so tightly.
This young woman treats me this way; no matter if the master is interested in her or wants her to marry Cheng'er, she will not agree.
Manager Wu, who was waiting outside, didn't hear what was said inside, but seeing Madam Pang come out with a sullen face, he guessed that something must have happened, but he didn't feel comfortable asking.
In the living room, Hong Xiaoduo noticed that Master Jiang was not displeased by her attitude towards Pang Shi, nor did she feel that it was wrong for Master Jiang not to defend Pang Shi.
Hong Xiaoduo analyzed in her heart that Master Jiang probably didn't have a deep affection for Madam Pang. He only gave her this identity because she took good care of his son.
"There aren't many flowers or plants to see in the garden right now, but how about I show you around?" Jiang An said while refilling Hong Xiaoduo's tea.
Hong Xiaoduo's purpose in coming here was not to attend a banquet or visit someone, let alone to stroll through a garden or look at flowers and plants.
She had already met the key figures she was curious about: Steward Wu and Madam Pang.
Her brief contact only deepened her suspicions and curiosity. Now, all she could think about was how to get her hands on Jiang An and his son, as well as Steward Wu and Madam Pang's hair before leaving the Jiang residence.
She didn't plan to tell Jiang An without solid evidence. How could she just come up to him and say that her bastard son might not be her biological son?
It could be the Pang family, or more likely it could be the illegitimate child of the Pang family and that Manager Wu.
Even if Jiang An is very compatible with him, he wouldn't believe such a ridiculous story!
Hong Xiaoduo could have done what she did with Minister Wei by conducting a few experiments to convince him, but this time, she didn't want to do that.
She planned to conduct paternity tests on the four individuals herself first to confirm that Jiang Baicheng was not Jiang An's biological son. Then, without telling Jiang An, she would go to Pang's maternal family home to conduct another paternity test on Pang's son.
She would tell Jiang An after she had sorted out the whole matter.
Even if Jiang An, who has been deceived for many years, is still furious and angry, he will still be fortunate to have his biological son back!
If the child from Pang's maternal family is indeed Jiang An's biological son, even if he is utterly useless, he would still be better than the current Jiang Baicheng.
"Xiao Duo, we'll have a banquet this afternoon. Otherwise, it'll just be the two of us. Would you like to drink?" Jiang An asked, thinking of something.
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo quickly said, "Let's invite your son and Aunt Pang together. It'll be more lively with more people. As for the wine, I can only drink the low-alcohol mead."
She knew that Master Jiang meant this; he sensed her dislike for Madam Pang and wanted to make her feel more comfortable while she ate. But if he did that, how would she have a chance to get a single hair from those people...
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