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

"I am no longer your master, there is no need for such a grand gesture!"

Yu Wanran supported Yanqing's arm, hoping to convey the force to them to accept reality.

"Are you... Yanbai, Xiaoyun, and the others alright?"

Yanqing nodded slightly when she saw Yanbai's eager eyes: "Yanbai and I are fine, we're currently with the young master. Xiaoyun and the others went to the laundry room on their own initiative."

Yu Wanran let out a long sigh.

She was reborn, and it seemed that the fates of those around her were also affected and changed. Xiao Yun and the others were smart, so they volunteered to go to the most remote part of the Duke's mansion. Although it would be hard, at least they could save their lives.

Fortunately, she pulled back from the brink in this life and did not completely anger the Duke and his wife or those around her, thus having a good ending.

She couldn't help but urge Yanqing: "You should follow the young master closely and serve him; that will lead to a brighter future."

Yanqing nodded, but her eyes revealed an undisguised sadness. Her former mistress was thin and haggard. She wore a coarse linen dress that even the lowest-ranking maid in the Duke's mansion disdained to wear.

The contrast between his former high spirits and his current dejected state pierced his heart.

But he was just a servant whose indenture was still in the hands of the Duke, and he couldn't do anything for his former master.

Even this errand-running job was obtained by trying to negotiate with the other party after hearing the news.

Seeing the Yu family members emerge from their low thatched houses upon hearing the commotion, he didn't want to chat much. Instead, he took out a carved pear wood box and presented it to Yu Wanran with both hands.

"Miss, this is a New Year's gift from the Duchess. She said she specially chose it for you."

"Mother……"

Yu Wanran was deeply moved and subconsciously uttered those two words. The next moment, she tightly closed her mouth, her fingers lightly tracing the surface of the box, a bitter smile appearing on her face.

In her previous life, she used every means at her disposal to push the Duke and Duchess further and further away, turning sixteen years of kinship into complete enmity. In this life, however, she did nothing but want to escape far away, and the Duchess gave her a glimmer of hope.

Could it be that, just as Ji Chunhua still remembers Xiao Yao, the Duchess still holds a place for her in her heart?

Of course, she wouldn't be so naive as to throw herself into a flame like she did in her previous life.

After accepting the gift box, Yu Wanran smiled slightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She spoke softly to Yanqing.

"Please convey my gratitude to the Duchess. I am grateful for the reward. I am unfortunate and have little chance to fulfill my filial duties to her in the future. I hope she will take good care of herself."

She paused slightly, tears welling in her eyes, trying hard to suppress them: "May the Duke and Duchess have everything go smoothly. For the rest of my life, I will pray for them day and night."

After saying that, he turned and went back into the house, taking the bewildered Yu Man, Yu Cuicui, and Zhu Xiaozhen, mother and daughter, inside as well.

Yanqing watched her slender figure disappear into the distance, the reluctance in his eyes finally spreading across his entire face. After a moment's hesitation, he sighed softly, mounted his horse, and rode away.

Yu Wanran hid behind the door, and only after he left did she quietly let out a long sigh.

Forgive her for her little scheme.

Having lived through two lifetimes, she naturally had little affection left for the Duchess. However, Xiao Yao was extremely arrogant, and fearing even more extreme retaliation from the other party, she had no choice but to maintain the Duchess's remaining affection for her.

Yanqing wasn't as quick-witted as Yanbai; she was too honest and didn't know how to speak properly. So, she could only let him see her first, to touch him, before her clumsy tongue could utter words that moved him.

Turning around, seeing four pairs of amazed eyes, Ji Chunhua also came out of the inner room, leaning on her cane. She smiled, placed the gift box on the table, and opened it in front of everyone.

Inside the box lay a layer of dark brocade, upon which rested a gold filigree and gem-encrusted butterfly hairpin. The butterfly on the hairpin was poised for flight, its wings adorned with tiny gemstones that shone like stars in the night sky.

The people around couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. It was so beautiful! They had never seen such magnificent and exquisite jewelry before.

Yu Man and Ji Chunhua had mixed feelings.

So, what kind of life did our daughter live before? It was like night and day. The Yu family couldn't even provide her with two meals a day or a new piece of fine clothing!

Yu Wanran recognized the butterfly hairpin; she had ordered it from a jewelry store six months ago. The Duchess had specially summoned her to the front hall so that she and her younger half-sister could choose the design together.

Back then, the Duchess would have given her everything good. But now... she doesn't even deserve to wear this kind of jewelry.

Close the wooden box lid.

Like the brocade Xiao Yao had given her, she had to treasure this piece of jewelry. She could neither wear it nor dare to sell it.

There were voices outside again, and Yu Wenbin pulled Zhou Can back. If they hadn't seen a horse galloping in and out of the village, Zhou Can, worried about his wife and children, and worried about his family, wouldn't have been able to pull his big, simple-minded brother-in-law away!

Zhou Can was stubborn. His wife wouldn't let him go back to his mother-in-law's house, fearing his bad luck would offend his family, so he obediently waited at the village entrance. Anyway, his wife had promised him he wouldn't stay overnight, just have a meal and leave.

Yu Wenbin had been doing farm work for many years and was considered quite strong. But what kind of work did his second brother-in-law do? Despite his large size and the fact that Yu Wenbin, who was slender and ate well, couldn't lift him.

The two ran home breathlessly and found that everyone in the family was fine except for Yu Wenrong and Zhou Haoyang. There were no signs of disturbance in the house, so they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Cuicui, where's Yangyang?"

Ignoring his parents-in-law in front of him, Zhou Can hurriedly asked his wife. Nothing else mattered; his wife and son were the most important.

Because of the business the Zhou family was in, it was very difficult to find a wife with children. Therefore, once they did have one, they cherished her dearly.

To be fair, Yu Cuicui has a very good eye for things.

Yu Cuicui walked up to the man with a smile and nudged his arm: "Yangyang's third aunt gave him a slingshot, and his uncle took him to play with it. Husband, why don't you go and wish your parents a Happy New Year?"

Receiving a signal from his wife, Zhou Can turned around sheepishly and bowed deeply to Yu Shu and Ji Chunhua. At the same time, Yu Wenbin also put down the large sack he had been carrying earlier.

"Father, Mother, this is a New Year's gift from my second sister and her husband's family."

Yu Wanran couldn't help but chuckle.

Her older brother is a fool. He said he was going to pick up his second sister's husband, but he ended up carrying a huge sack of dung to this day.

She didn't have any particular impression of Zhou Can.

However, in her previous life, she had such a big fight with Yu Cuicui, and even pushed Xiao Haoyang. The burly man, his eyes red with anger, couldn't even land his clenched fist on her.

A man who doesn't hit women is clearly a good man.

Ji Chunhua clearly disliked her second son-in-law. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she excused herself, saying she wasn't feeling well, and beckoned Yu Wanran to help her into the house. She was afraid that the noble air of this daughter returning from the Duke's mansion would be tainted by the second cobbler's bad luck.

Yu Wanran didn't think that much about it.

Yu Cuicui seemed to argue with her mother after only a few words, so she had to spend more time with her. However, Ji Chunhua, holding her hand, asked her a question that left her speechless.

"Ranran, do you still want to go back to the Duke's Mansion?"