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

Yu Wanran, in the small room next door, was also tossing and turning on the narrow bed.

It was so cold! She wrapped herself in two layers of blankets and a few old clothes, but she still felt the cold wind seeping in through the cracks in the wooden planks, making her curl up in a ball.

If it's just this kind of weather, it's fine. But if it gets colder and there's a heavy snowfall, she might get sick from the cold.

The tattered quilts of poor families were not stuffed with silk floss, not even scraps. They were filled only with reed catkins, willow fluff, and tangled hemp. When the dampness rose at night, the quilts became damp inside, making them heavy and icy.

Otherwise, there would always be poor people who wouldn't survive the winter. Yu Wanran's health was well-maintained in the Duke's mansion, but even she couldn't withstand such a ravages.

She curled herself up in a ball, feeling dejected and inwardly berated herself for being useless. How could she not remember where the Dendrobium officinale grew? That was a treasure!

Without finding it, she would find it difficult to change the Yu family's situation in this lifetime. Money brings power. Power allows one to oppose the Duke's mansion. She cannot place her hopes on Xiao Yao and the Duke's mansion's benevolence.

After tossing and turning for a while, I finally managed to fall asleep, but had a nightmare in the middle of the night. I dreamt that I was dragging my battered body, crawling with difficulty through the icy snow. A winding trail of blood was left behind me, a horrifying sight.

Startled awake, she found it was just getting light outside. She rubbed her face vigorously and quickly got up to wash.

Breakfast was radish porridge as usual, with a few grains of rice clearly visible in the bowl. In the center of the table was a bowl of lightly pickled cabbage stalks, which you could pick and eat as you pleased.

The family members were buried in their bowls, not even bothering to lift their heads. It wasn't until Yu Man spoke that their withered bodies seemed to be infused with vitality, and they finally perked up.

"After dinner, eldest brother, come with me to Shixi Village to buy some New Year's goods!"

Everyone immediately straightened their backs and their eyes shone brightly, including Yu Wanran.

"Dad, what New Year's goods are you planning to buy this year? Can the two of you carry them? Why don't you take me with you?"

The three questions revealed Yu Wenrong's eagerness to get started.

Yu Man shook his head: "Not much stuff, I plan to just get something simple this year."

I brought my eldest son along because the journey is quite long, and it's better to have someone to look after us. With the Lunar New Year approaching, petty criminals and thugs are always on the loose, so it's best to be on guard.

The light in everyone's eyes dimmed. But thinking about the New Year and the possibility of enjoying some meat, the light wasn't completely extinguished.

After dinner, Zhu Xiaozhen helped Yu Xiaoxiang clean up the kitchen. Because of the cold weather and potential dangers, the Yu family listened to Yu Wanran's advice and didn't let the children go out to dig for wild vegetables or cut weeds.

After Yu Man took Yu Wenbin away, Yu Wanran and Yu Wenrong packed their baskets, sickles, and axes, preparing for their routine trip up the mountain to chop firewood. The more firewood they had stocked before the heavy snow blocked the mountain passes, the more confident they would be in surviving the winter.

Yu Wanran was still wearing the old clothes her older brother had given her, and the new clothes Zhu Xiaozhen had made for her, which she hadn't worn and kept at home. She was constantly being torn by thorns and branches while hiking in the mountains; wouldn't wearing new clothes be a waste?

The two of them each carried a roasted sweet potato as provisions, and shivered as they walked towards the back mountain, braving the biting cold wind.

Yu Wenrong practiced horse stance sporadically, only doing it sporadically, and had long since lost interest. With an empty stomach and endless chores, he had neither the energy nor the inclination to practice martial arts.

Yu Wanran did not pressure him.

Life is too hard, let's eat our fill and stay warm first.

Few villagers would insist on climbing the mountain in such cold weather as the two siblings. After walking a long way up the mountainside, they didn't see a soul. Along the way, they found some dry branches, chopped them down with an axe, and threw them into the basket on their backs.

That axe had been used for who knows how many years; the handle had been replaced when it was worn out. It was very dull when chopping wood, and you had to use a lot of strength to chop it.

Before long, the siblings were sweating profusely, and after a few steps, the mountain wind made them feel particularly refreshed. The alternation between hot and cold was especially challenging to their physical fitness.

"Third sister, let's take a rest."

Yu Wenrong suggested, wiping his dirty forehead. He was hungry and wanted to eat the sweet potato right there; a bowl of vegetable soup wouldn't be enough to fill him up.

"You sit down and rest first, I'll look around the neighborhood."

Yu Wanran surveyed her surroundings. She had deliberately chosen a different direction today, hoping to find her way.

How could Yu Wenrong let his third sister go on her own? She used to live the privileged life of a duke's daughter, and her return to the countryside would only last three months at most. If something happened to her while climbing the mountain, he would have nowhere to turn!

He rubbed his aching legs vigorously, sat for a short while, then quickly grabbed his things and followed Yu Wanran.

And so, the siblings walked and stopped, gradually gathering half a basket of firewood, and unexpectedly dug up some kudzu roots.

The kudzu vines growing on the ground were half-dead, but digging them up brought them a huge surprise! The main root was more than two meters long and as thick as an adult's arm, with some edible fibrous roots. They were incredibly lucky.

Unfortunately, they couldn't find any more kudzu roots nearby. Anyway, at least they can improve their meals at home.

Yu Wanran split the kudzu root into several sections, placing them in her and her younger brother's baskets, and then carefully covering them with branches and grass. The baskets suddenly became much heavier, allowing them to descend the mountain sooner.

The two walked very carefully down the mountain. They carried nearly a hundred pounds of firewood and kudzu root; if they lost their grip and it rolled down the mountain, it would be a real problem.

People getting hurt is secondary; they'd be heartbroken if the kudzu roots were damaged! These hundred-plus kilograms of kudzu roots are enough to feed a family of seven for twenty days.

As they approached the foot of the mountain, the siblings, who had barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief, saw a familiar village ahead and heard shouts of people and neighing of horses, mixed with the cheerful laughter of men and women.

what's the situation?

How could such a backward and isolated village suddenly be so lively? The two immediately thought of the Duke's mansion, and their faces turned pale. After more than two months of peace, had Xiao Yao become restless again?

However, they had already descended the mountain and could see several carriages parked at the intersection, placing them within the sight of the other group. Where could they hide? They could only grit their teeth and continue forward, hoping to pass each other by as if they were just passing by.

The siblings were right.

This group was indeed a band of privileged young men from Tongcheng, hunting in the mountains and countryside. Xiao Yao led the way, with Wei Baifeng providing attentive protection. They also brought a large entourage of luggage and servants, making for a grand and imposing procession.

What kind of hunting can one do in winter? It's nothing more than using this as an excuse for leisure. As for whether there are other ulterior motives, only they themselves know.

Seeing two villagers carrying heavy baskets coming down from the mountain, preparing to set up camp and send people into the mountains to hunt wild game, Xiao Yao and Wei Baifeng couldn't help but stare at each other.

They knew Yu Wanran all too well.

Even with her head down and dressed in simple clothes, Yu Wanran's spine remained ramrod straight, seemingly unyielding to any pressure. Coupled with her height, far exceeding that of the average woman, how could the two not recognize her at a glance?

Wei Baifeng looked away, his gaze inscrutable, pretending he hadn't noticed anything.

But Xiao Yao didn't think so. The corners of her lips couldn't help but curl upwards—

Although her parents from the Duke's mansion had hinted more than once not to cause trouble for Yu Wanran, wasn't this counterfeit delivering itself right to her doorstep?

If they met on a narrow road, she would really be letting down the sixteen years of suffering she had endured if she didn't do something!

Although the counterfeit goods look pathetic now and are indeed suffering as she wished, this is only the beginning.

She wanted to watch the other person fall into hell and be trapped in this poor mountain village for the rest of their life before she could finally hold her head high.