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

Yu Wanran arrived just before the bus was about to depart, panting heavily.

"How much? For two people..."

The mule cart driver glanced at Yu Wanran, then at the people behind her, his expression slightly strange: "Two people, twenty coins!"

Yu Wanran took out the copper coins Ji Chunhua had given her. Oh no! She only had eighteen coins, two short. What should she do?

"To go or not to go?"

Seeing her dawdling, the mule cart driver grew impatient. It was thirty li back, and traveling at night was quite dangerous.

"I'm short two coins. Sir, could I pay you the rest after I get home?"

Having no other choice, Yu Wanran handed over the money directly.

For her, having endured all kinds of hardship in her previous life, asking for credit was not a difficult topic to discuss.

The mule cart driver hesitated for a moment, then took the money: "Alright, alright, two coins... get on the cart!"

Since there are empty seats anyway, earning an extra eighteen coins and doing a favor is a win-win situation.

Afraid that he would regret it, Yu Wanran quickly helped Ji Chunhua into the car.

"You little rascal, you're quite strong."

He had intended to lend a hand, but ended up not being able to put in much effort. The mule cart driver, standing nearby, couldn't help but offer a word of praise.

The other passengers stared curiously at the half-dead Ji Chunhua. After the mule cart had traveled about two miles, someone from Qingping Village finally recognized Ji Chunhua.

"Hey, isn't that Ji Shi? Yu's wife!"

A yellow-skinned woman with high cheekbones and thin lips screamed, startling the driver so much that he almost drove the mule cart into the ditch. He hurriedly shouted "Whoa!" to the big blue mule, steadyed the cart, and glanced back in his haste.

The woman with yellow skin next to her also realized what was happening.

"Yes, didn't the officials come from the city two days ago and arrest Ji Shi? It caused quite a commotion, and now she's been released?"

The people in the car looked strange.

As if avoiding a plague, everyone crowded inside, avoiding Ji Chunhua, afraid of being tainted by her foul air.

Yu Wanran remained silent, having no interest in explaining the difference between the Duke's guards and the officials. In any case, by tomorrow, or at the latest the day after, the news that the Duke's mansion had recognized the real daughter and driven away the fake one would spread throughout the surrounding villages.

Those thugs, spoiled brats, and even rich heiresses would be eager to come and see her make a fool of herself and have fun. Some would even be so depraved as to use this opportunity to humiliate her.

In her previous life, she was crippled and lost her soul, with little ability to fight back; in this life... she clenched her fists tightly, she was no longer a fish on a chopping board waiting to be slaughtered!

"Young lady, what is your relationship to the Ji family?"

Despite their fear, the other passengers were incredibly curious about Yu Wanran's identity.

Such a beautiful young girl, let alone in the countryside, they would never have the chance to see one in their entire lives.

She looked quite disheveled. Her clothes were torn, and she was covered in blood and mud. No one stopped her as she left the city; were the soldiers guarding the city aware of her?

Yu Wanran didn't answer, her head lowered, a look of disappointment on her face.

These women, their eyes gleaming with excitement and curiosity, had no sympathy for her past; they simply enjoyed inquiring and then spreading rumors.

Being assertive is of no benefit to her now.

Yu Wanran disdained to complain, but she wouldn't be foolish enough to let these women despise her.

She only needs to position herself in a vulnerable position, and the "truth" spread by Xiao Yao and others will naturally have a different version and a different voice that is in her favor.

Sure enough, seeing her frail and sorrowful appearance, the women stopped their aggressive advances. Their whispers also subsided.

When the car arrived at Qingping Village, a woman even reached out to help Ji Chunhua so that Yu Wanran could carry her on her back.

“Young lady, I am Aunt He, a neighbor of the Ji family. You don’t know where she lives, do you? I’ll take you there.”

Yu Wanran, of course, knew where the Yu family lived.

How could she forget her own place?

More than twenty years have passed since my last life, when I left my hometown...

Her gaze was distant and unfocused, fixed on the distance ahead. Dusk was falling; the roadside was uneven, overgrown with waist-high weeds that grew wildly. A cold wind blew, rustling through the weeds.

She responded softly, "Thank you, Aunt He."

On the way, Aunt He was ahead, turning back every now and then, her face full of eagerness to chat. Yu Wanran, on the other hand, was panting heavily, stumbling along, looking exhausted, which made the other woman too embarrassed to say much.

Having finally arrived at her destination, Aunt He had long since lost any interest in gossip. She had come to town to sell vegetables and buy daily necessities on the side; her whole family was waiting for her to come back for dinner, and she didn't have time to waste on outsiders.

He pointed Yu Wanran in the right direction.

“Look over there! Those few thatched huts near the bare hillside are the Yu family’s. Girl, you go ahead, I have to go home now.”

Although they were neighbors, they were actually separated by several fields, so it was impossible for her to bring the person over so late.

Yu Wanran thanked her, carried Ji Chunhua on her back, and continued walking forward with difficulty.

The country roads were particularly muddy and slippery after the rain, and Ji Chunhua's injury couldn't get dirty, lest it worsen. She was exhausted and drenched in sweat, her long hair sticking wetly to her face, which made her very uncomfortable.

I'm glad I practiced martial arts; otherwise, how could I have lasted this long?

Ji Chunhua woke up at some point and gently hooked her arms around Yu Wanran's shoulders, careful not to hurt her. This forced Yu Wanran to exert even more effort to hold onto her mother tightly.

When they finally saw their home in sight, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ranran, this is your first time home, don't be afraid, Mom is here..."

Back home, Ji Chunhua felt more confident.

“Your second uncle’s family lives in the city. There’s your grandma, your eldest uncle’s family, and our family. Everyone else is easy to get along with, but your eldest aunt… she’s a bit of a chatterbox. Just ignore her.”

Yu Wanran was quite surprised.

In her previous life, her legs were broken, and she cowered outside the Duke's mansion like a beggar for two days and one night.

The Yu family went to great lengths to find her, had a doctor bandage her wounds, and buried Ji Chunhua before carrying her back to this small mountain village. At that time, her grandmother and uncle's family were not in the family.

Could it be because she returned too early in this life, before the Yu family had divided their property?

Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and pushed open the fence gate of the Yu family's courtyard. The dilapidated bamboo gate creaked unpleasantly. Immediately, there was movement coming from the several dark thatched huts.

"Who is it?"

With a weak, feeble voice, the white-haired Granny Yu emerged, leaning on her cane. Elderly people need little sleep and are easily awakened by any noise.

"Mother, it's me..."

Ji Chunhua responded with difficulty from Yu Wanran's back.

Hearing the familiar voice, the old woman took two shaky steps forward, using the dim light of the day to see who it was. Startled, she nearly dropped her cane and ran back into the house with lightning speed.

"Eldest son, eldest son's wife, get up quickly! Madam Ji is back..."

Yu Wanran...

Suddenly, she realized that her mother didn't seem to be well-liked by the Yu family. When her mother returned in distress, the old lady's first reaction wasn't joy, but rather to flee back to deliver the bad news.

Are her father, Yu Man, and older brother, Yu Wenbin, not here? Did they already set off for the city and missed each other along the way?