At a small table to the side, a woman in her thirties or forties sat timidly.
She was a concubine and thus lacked the status to dine at the same table as Old Master Xia and Madam.
Startled by Old Master Xia's question, she stumbled over her words.
"Tingfeng... he..."
Maternal Aunt Wen had married into the Xia Family nearly twenty years ago and had borne Old Master Xia a son and a daughter.
Her elder son, Xia Tingfeng—Old Master Xia's eldest son by a concubine—would turn eighteen after the New Year and was still unmarried. He disliked studying and had a rebellious nature. He often mingled with street ruffians, wielding blades and staffs, much to Old Master Xia's utter disgust.
Her younger daughter by a concubine, named Xia Caiying, would turn nine after the New Year and held no significance within the household.
Considering how the legitimate eldest daughter, Xia Ruqing, had been abused, one could imagine how this younger girl fared.
