Chapter 4: The Declining Family

Liang Lin smacked her lips, hesitating for a long time before finally saying, "How about... you let go of me first? I'll push you inside, and then you can grab my hand again."

"Alright..."

Liang Di slowly released her hand, sapphire tears welling up in her eyes as she lowered her head with a pitiful expression.

Huh?

Why does it feel like my conscience has been struck hard?

Liang Lin stared with dead-fish eyes, her mouth forming a square shape.

I clearly haven't done anything wrong, so why do you look like you've suffered some great injustice?!

How to please a noble young lady... 

What does it mean to please a noble young lady? In my previous life – no, before I was reborn I never had to please any girls, let alone noble young ladies. Sure, there were young women who tried to flirt with me, but back then I was completely focused on the battlefield – how could I have paid any attention to those frivolous matters?

Liang Lin sat awkwardly on the soft sofa chair, placing both hands properly on her knees, slowly rubbing her skirt while pursing her lips. She just stared at Liang Di without saying a word.

Liang Di sat at her desk organizing documents related to the Langwendi family's textile business.

She completely ignored Liang Lin's intense gaze.

Hmm...? 

Liang Di's eyes fell upon a densely written paper, feeling that something wasn't quite right.

"Liang Lin, since you've always stayed with the Langwendi family, do you know anything about our clothing stores in Namiwei City?"

Hearing this, Liang Lin was dumbfounded.

When had she ever paid attention to such things? Her mind had been completely occupied with sword practice and military books -how could she have cared about family business matters? Even if she had paid attention, she wouldn't have understood anyway. 

"Ah? Our family runs clothing stores?" 

"....."

Liang Di nodded, thinking to herself: Hmm... it seems this impostor young lady is quite lazy too, probably doesn't care much about the family head position... Well, it's not easy for girls to become family heads anyway. It appears she doesn't pose much threat.

That incident of choking her a few days ago was probably just jealousy over fear of losing family affection.

Liang Di looked up, meeting Liang Lin's burning gaze.

Anyone who truly wanted to inherit the family head position would definitely know that the Langwendi family's wealth primarily comes from business. Showing no concern about this aspect meant having no ambition for the family head position.

Liang Di nodded at Liang Lin with satisfaction.

Liang Lin: Tilted head_confused_dot eyes.jpg

This expression resembling a little fragrant pig from the manor made Liang Di nod with satisfaction again. Not only it wasn't a threat – this one could even be kept as a little pet.

Liang Lin: I really feel like I'm being treated as an idiot. 

Liang Di lowered her head again to review documents. 

You know, women are really strange creatures. Sometimes they're warm, and now suddenly cold. Watching Liang Di flipping through documents without paying her any attention, Liang Lin could only idly fiddle with the long sword at her waist, desperately trying to recall that book she'd read before–How to Please a Noble Young Lady. 

At that moment, Liang Di let out a light cough. 

Oh! 

Was this a signal for her? She must be thirsty. This was her chance to shine. She wanted to be a good older sister, one who cared for her younger sister. 

Liang Lin immediately stood up, her expression serious. "Are you thirsty? I'll go get you some water right now." 

The sudden exclamation startled Liang Di, making her shiver. 

"Huh? Ah... Hmmn...? What?" 

Before she could process it, Liang Lin had already dashed out of the room. 

Wait... what? 

Now it was Liang Di's turn to stare blankly, wide-eyed. 

"Pfftt~ Hahaha~" 

She didn't have time to laugh for long, though, because she had discovered discrepancies in the account books of several shops owned by the Langwendi family in Namiwei City. It wasn't that they were losing too much money or making no profit. It was that they were earning far too much. In fact, the earnings from the clothing shops in this city alone surpassed the combined profits of all the shops in other cities. 

And there were issues with the fabric business as well. The Nolan family had sent a letter expressing their desire to terminate their cooperation with the Langwendi family for this quarter. The reason was unclear, but Liang Di could guess. It was likely related to the Mist family, their long-term competitors. Either the Mist family had snatched the deal, or someone from the Mist family had said something to the head of the Nolan family. 

"Sigh..." 

Liang Di held her head in her hands, feeling a headache coming on. 

There was just too much to handle. Never mind how far Namiwei City was or how many days it would take to get there, she also had to rush to the neighboring city to meet with the head of the Nolan family about the Mist family intercepting their business. 

"Just got back, and there's already so much to deal with. Auston really is a brainless, self- righteous fool," Liang Di muttered under her breath, a look of disgust flashing across her pretty, gentle face. 

It seemed the plan would have to be moved up. 

'Tap.'

A glass of water appeared in front of Liang Di.

"Here's your water, with honey added." 

Liang Lin pushed the glass forward. She was curious about the contents of the papers but was afraid of being too obvious, so she pretended to glance at them casually. She thought she was being subtle, but her acting skills, on par with a three-year-old's, were completely transparent to Liang Di. 

It didn't matter. Even if she looked, she wouldn't understand. Liang Di didn't bother hiding anything and simply took the glass, engaging in idle chatter with Liang Lin. 

"Are you studying at the Imperial Academy?" 

"Hmm... not lately." 

"Why not?" 

"Oh, I beat up the kids from the Pips and Grott families until they cried. Aus– ugh, father told me to reflect on my actions at home." 

Liang Di: "Huh?" 

She looked at Liang Lin up and down, her tone uncertain. "If I remember correctly... the Pips kid is built like an Ox, right? And you.. made him cry?" 

At this, Liang Lin perked up. She slapped her thigh, stood up, flashed her adorable little fangs, and wore a triumphant smile as she began to vividly reenact the scene for Liang Di. 

"Of course! Whosh! I gave him a shoulder throw (raising her hand and leaping dramatically) and slammed the Pips kid to the ground. He was foaming at the mouth and convulsing all over (imitating the Pips kid's convulsions)." 

"Pfft! Hahahahaha!" 

Liang Di's laughter was unexpectedly hearty, quite unlike her demure appearance. It seemed innately contagious-exaggerated, yet not at all unpleasant. Liang Lin was initially at a loss but soon couldn't hold back either, joining in Liang Di's laughter. 

Hmm, this woman looks easy to deal with, so quick to let her guard down a little. 

The two girls laughed, each with their own hidden agendas. 

"How much longer are you grounded?" Liang Di wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes. "I'll be heading to the academy in a few days, probably in the same class as you. It's all arranged by Duke Auston." 

Liang Lin thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm not sure either. Auston–" (hearing the other use his first name, she decided to casually follow suit) "–didn't say. But he mentioned earlier that he's taking me to the palace tomorrow. I suppose he'll talk to you about it soon too." 

To the palace? 

The smile vanished from Liang Di's face.