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Lin Yuan secretly shot Xia Zheng a triumphant glance and raised an eyebrow with pride, "How’s that, my method isn’t bad, is it!"

Xia Zheng chuckled, indeed it was not bad at all. Lady Liu was solely focused on worrying about their meals, with no mind left to inquire about their activities for the day.

True to form, Lady Liu was efficient and soon had the maids bring in dinner. Looking at the spread on the table, both Xia Zheng and Lin Yuan’s mouths watered.

However, when the family gathered around the table to eat, Lin Yuan keenly noticed that someone seemed to be missing.

"Mother, where is the youngest sister?"

Lin Yuan asked curiously. Usually, whenever it was time to eat, Xiao Linshuang was the first one to run over. Why was she missing today?

Lady Liu scooped up a small bowl of egg custard, blew on it to cool it down with a spoon, and huffed, "Don’t ask me!

Each of you, after growing up and entering the Capital city, do not let me manage your affairs.

This morning, first the eldest was gone, and now even the youngest is missing.

If it wasn’t dark already, would you even bother to come back to this house at all? "

Lin Yuan grimaced, clearly detecting the displeasure in Lady Liu’s tone. She was genuinely upset.

Sitting beside her, Lin Wei nudged her elbow and whispered, "The youngest sister went to learn medical skills again and hasn’t come back the whole day."

So that was it.

Lin Yuan quietly glanced at Lao Fan, who was eating as if nothing mattered, and muttered to herself. This old guy had been quite quiet lately. She wondered what he was thinking, insisting on sending Xiao Linshuang to that Doctor Wang.

"Mother, I didn’t go out to play today. I was busy with important matters," Lin Yuan said.

After grumbling to herself for a while, Lin Yuan decided it would be better to tell Lady Liu about the house and land purchase earlier than planned. Otherwise, there was no way to enjoy this meal.

With her stomach growling with hunger, Lin Yuan had just started speaking when Xiao Linshuang burst in, flustered, interrupting her, "Oh my, I’m starving to death, starving! Let’s eat, eat!"

Pfft.

Someone couldn’t hold it in and suddenly let out a burst of laughter.

Xia Zheng, too, couldn’t hold back and almost sprayed out the soup he had in his mouth.

Lady Liu, who had been keeping a straight face, finally with a slight upturn of her lips, glanced at Lin Yuan and Xiao Linshuang and scolded, "Indeed, the two sisters are both reincarnated from starving ghosts!"

Lin Wei and Xiao He kept their heads down, silent, their shoulders shaking with restrained laughter.

Lady Liu glared at Xiao Linshuang, who had come back dirty again, and felt she was no longer as annoyed as she was the first time she saw her in such a state. Exhausted, she gestured with her hand, shooing her, "Go wash your hands and face and change your clothes. Hurry back to eat."

Xiao Linshuang eyed the food on the table longingly, and pleaded in a small voice, "Can I wash up and change after eating?"

"No!"

The usually taciturn Lao Fan suddenly glared and said, "Absolutely not, just looking at you like this kills my appetite. Go change, now!"

"Hmph!" Xiao Linshuang snorted through her little nose in protest, reluctantly shuffling toward the door.

"Dawdle any more, and I’ll eat everything up!"

A low growl from Lao Fan immediately hastened Xiao Linshuang’s steps and, as she was heading out, she didn’t forget to turn back and glower at him, "Master is the worst, hmph!"

Xiao Linshuang’s antics distracted Lady Liu from inquiring further about Lin Yuan’s important matters. She urged everyone to quickly eat, and bent her head to feed Xiao Yongyan.

Perhaps truly famished, Xiao Linshuang soon ran back, sat down, and started eating ferociously: two meat buns, three crystal shrimp dumplings, a bowl of shredded chicken noodles, and finally, she washed it down with a bowl of soup for good measure.

Feeling full and contented, her belly bulging, she then sat off to the side leisurely resting and wiping her small mouth.

The last to return was the first to finish eating and had eaten the most by far; one could only imagine the frenzy of her eating.

Lady Liu shook her head in resignation and decided to visit the General Mansion to ask Princess Anle about Sister Etiquette the next day.

After everyone finished eating, Lin Yuan recounted the day’s events of buying land and property in the He family village. Of course, she omitted the part about disciplining the Lizheng and making him transport manure; otherwise, the family, having just eaten, would have surely felt nauseated again.

Upon hearing that her daughter had already bought a manor for the Liu family, Lady Liu was short of breath, realizing she had indeed wrongly blamed her daughter today.

But her concern came from a place of love.

Lin Yuan understood Lady Liu’s feelings well and harbored no complaints.

After all, how many daughters would grumble about their own parents?