Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

"Sister-in-law, please sit down and eat, it will get cold soon."

Yu Wanran quickly finished the bowl of thin soup and prepared to take it to the kitchen to wash. Zhu Xiaozhen was so frightened that she stopped her and forcefully snatched the bowl from her hand.

"Third Sister, you sit and rest, I'll take care of the tidying up!"

She didn't even eat her meal. Instead, she carried her bowl to the kitchen, intending to wash it before coming out to eat her own food.

Yu Wanran thought that there were only a few bowls, so she didn't argue with her. She turned around and carried the dirty bedding out of the house, put it in a large wooden basin, and then found a wooden bucket and went to the kitchen to dig out the wood ash container.

In their Qingping Village, not many soapberry trees are planted. Even if wild ones are picked, people have to sell them for money. They won't give them away for free, even if it's just a penny or two.

To save money, many villagers simply use wood ash to wash their clothes.

Wood ash is a material that can be collected in a jar after cooking each day. When needed, grab a handful, add water, stir well, let it soak and settle for a while, and then use the clear liquid on top to wash clothes.

Of course, while this method is economical, it cannot remove long-accumulated oil stains or special pigment stains. However, poor people rarely get oil stains on their bodies; they usually get mud on their hands from working, for which wood ash is sufficient.

Seeing Yu Wanran's actions, Zhu Xiaozhen quickly put down her bowl, water droplets dripping from her hands as she chased after her.

"Third Sister, are you going to do the laundry? Put it down quickly, I'll do it in a bit!"

Yu Wanran was convinced.

"Sister-in-law, go ahead and do your work. It's just washing some clothes! I'm home, not here as a guest."

Zhu Xiaozhen's politeness made her feel rather awkward.

The two brothers next to him, who had finished eating and were clearing away their dishes, slapped their foreheads and finally realized where the problem lay—

Yu Wanran knows so much about her family, even down to the ash jar! It's unbelievable! Could it be...?

Is this the reason for being blood relatives?

Yu Wanran had no idea what the Yu brothers were thinking. She rummaged through the pile of old clothes left by Xiao Yao, but there was nothing she could wear.

Both Ji Chunhua and Zhu Xiaozhen were short and thin. But she, having practiced martial arts for a long time and lived a pampered life, was nearly six feet tall. The only one in the Yu family slightly taller than her was Yu Wenbin.

After searching for a while, she found nothing. Having no other option, Yu Wanran secretly went out to borrow some clothes from Zhu Xiaozhen.

The clothes she was wearing were what she wore when she was kicked out of the Duke's mansion. They were torn to shreds and stained with blood. The inner garment could be washed and made do, but the outer garment was too tattered to be seen in public.

Zhu Xiaozhen immediately understood and felt ashamed that she hadn't noticed this. She quickly put down the empty bowl she had just finished eating and said, "Third Sister, sit down and rest for a while. I'll go find you some suitable clothes."

Yu Wanran couldn't sit still. Seeing Yu Wenbin helping her take off the quilt cover and Yu Wenrong stirring the wood ash water, she washed the bowl, scrubbed the pot that Zhu Xiaozhen hadn't cleaned properly twice, and started a fire to boil water.

Although it will use a lot of firewood, I'm so dirty that I need to take a shower tonight. It's just that long hair is hard to dry, which is a bit of a hassle, but luckily I took a nap during the day.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, she even went inside to help Ji Chunhua relieve herself. Ji Chunhua probably realized her daughter's predicament and patted Yu Wanran's arm.

"Ranran, wait a few days until market day, then have your father take you to the market in Shixi Village. Buy a few extra yards of cloth and have your sister-in-law make you two new outfits."

Her family couldn't afford to provide their daughter with a life of luxury, but she still needed proper clothes. Besides, her daughter was sixteen and had grown into such a beautiful young woman that she needed to be dressed up nicely.

Perhaps by marrying into a good family, we can escape the shadow of the Duke's mansion?

While Yu Wanran was washing the bedding and handkerchiefs, the Yu brothers, hearing that she wanted to take a bath, busied themselves chopping down some old stalks from outside. They then tinkered and built a makeshift cubicle by the kitchen.

There was no roof, and the room was less than one square meter in size, surrounded by dark cloth curtains. It was drafty from all five sides, and could only fit a wooden stool and a wooden bucket for hot water.

There was no other way; the family had just separated, and everything was in a dilapidated state with no time for repairs. Since it wasn't convenient to go next door to borrow a place to wash, Yu Wanran could only reluctantly wash herself standing up.

There weren't many soap pods left in the house, so Yu Wenrong put them all on a wooden stool. He and his elder brother each took turns guarding the courtyard gate and patrolling around the fence, taking precautions against any potential problems.

Zhu Xiaozhen brought over a set of Yu Wenbin's old clothes, and worried that the cuffs and trouser legs were too long, so she temporarily hemmed them with needle and thread.

As for the underwear, it was her own. She made it for the Lunar New Year two years ago, made of coarse cotton, and had never been willing to wear it. After loosening the seams and making some minor alterations, Yu Wanran could barely wear it as a bellyband.

Of course, these would only last for two days; Yu Wanran would still need to buy her own properly fitting clothes the day after tomorrow.

Fearing a cold, Yu Wanran, with Zhu Xiaozhen's full cooperation, first washed her hair, wrapped it in a cloth, and then hurriedly took a quick shower.

Despite the Yu family's various concerns about her not being used to it, Yu Wanran felt that the conditions were much better than in her previous life. Back then, she dragged her crippled leg, had conflicts with the Yu family, and repeatedly struggled on the way to the Duke's mansion, looking utterly miserable.

Even after he started trading and his life improved slightly, it was common for him to go for a month or two without bathing, covered in dust from his travels.

She changed into clean clothes, let down her half-dry hair, and gently combed it with a small wooden comb, feeling incredibly comfortable.

Over there, Zhu Xiaozhen was helping to mend the clothes she had changed out of. Such fine material, it would be such a waste to throw it away!

Yu Wenbin cleaned up the mess, and Yu Wenrong hung the quilt cover that Yu Wanran had washed earlier to dry under the eaves. As for the handkerchiefs, they were covered with the quilt cover to prevent them from being seen and stolen.

As soon as they finished fiddling around, it got dark. Without oil lamps, they groped their way forward by the faint moonlight.

Yu Man finally returned from next door, her expression obscured. But with her head bowed and shoulders slumped, she exuded a heavy aura.

"Father, how is Aunt?"

Yu Wenrong wasn't truly concerned about that wicked woman; if Yu Man could see the slight upturn of his youngest son's lips, she would know.

"Your aunt's arms and legs have all been broken!"

Yu Man sighed, "It's even worse than your mother's. Doctor Luo came to see her and said that even if she recovers, she'll only be able to spend the rest of her life bedridden!"

It's easy to imagine how strong Xiao Yao's desire for revenge was.

Now, the eldest brother's family is shrouded in gloom. Liu Yan, who had finally come to her senses, saw him and began to berate him. The old mother cried, and the two nephews were at a loss.

Helpless, Yu Man sat awkwardly with his older brother Yu Tai for a while, slipped him some money, and then returned home.

Yu Wanran thought to herself: So, the misfortune of losing her leg in her previous life was transferred to Liu Yan?

The second family couldn't sleep peacefully all night, listening to the howling and wailing from next door.

At breakfast, Yu Wenrong asked his sister-in-law to take out a box of the pastries that Xiao Yao had given him. However, he learned that his restless father had taken several boxes of pastries and delivered them all to the neighbors early in the morning.

According to Yu Man, the eldest son's family is in such a sorry state now, they definitely need to be helped in their time of need.

Frustrated, Yu Wenrong didn't know what to say. Had his father already forgotten how eagerly the eldest son's family had distanced themselves from them yesterday?

Glancing into the courtyard, Yu Wanran broke off a tree branch and began practicing her swordplay in the small space. Her movements were as lithe as a swimming dragon and as graceful as a startled swan. She was almost invisible, her figure and the shadow of the branch barely visible.

The family forgot all about their work and stared blankly at her. Yu Wenrong, in particular, had completely forgotten about the unpleasantness of those boxes of pastries. His eyes shone brightly as he looked at Yu Wanran, his face and heart brimming with surging admiration.

His new third sister is absolutely amazing!