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

Yu Wanran looked at the dendrobium in her hand, hugged it to her chest, and used her arm to shield it.

Ji Chunhua, her face grim, struggled to her feet with her cane and went outside to greet them. She wanted to see who it was that had come to her door in this freezing weather. The worst part was that the other person hadn't even bothered to greet her before barging into her yard—it was incredibly rude!

The person who came was Su Li.

Now that Liu Yan, the eldest daughter-in-law, is bedridden, and Grandma Yu is no longer able to help, Su Li is the main caregiver for her every need. Unbeknownst to many, Su Li has become the backbone of the eldest daughter-in-law's household.

Not only did Liu Yan no longer dare to mistreat her daughter-in-law as she used to, but Yu Tai and his son would also unconsciously respect Su Li and occasionally listen to her opinions.

As a result, Su Li changed her previously quiet personality and gradually became more assertive and capable.

This time, she was at home when she accidentally saw Yu Man and his son returning. They were carrying three seemingly heavy baskets on their backs, which aroused her suspicion.

It was freezing outside, and the villagers were all huddled inside, warming themselves by the fire. What were the second family doing out there? Had they found something good...?

Thinking about this, Su Li couldn't sit still.

Her family's current miserable state is largely due to the second wife's actions. This year, the third wife, to avoid suspicion and trouble, didn't even send New Year's gifts. Thinking about her current miserable life, Su Li was filled with resentment.

They were living such a miserable life, so why were the neighbors able to bring things back from the mountain? Not even firewood! So, she couldn't hold back any longer and came to find out.

Ji Chunhua blocked the doorway, preventing her from entering the kitchen. She could only awkwardly peer into the kitchen through the half-wall.

"Second Aunt, we're out of rice vinegar. Could you lend me some?"

Ji Chunhua felt very uncomfortable seeing the woman's eyes darting around and staring intently into her house. She blocked the doorway, refusing to let the woman in.

"Eldest daughter-in-law, do you see if there's any rice vinegar left at home? Could you share some with your cousin's wife?"

If she hadn't been in a hurry to get rid of Su Li, she would never have been willing to give such a precious thing as rice vinegar to the second wife.

Zhu Xiaozhen took the bowl from Su Li and went to pour her rice vinegar. Su Li glanced at the people in the kitchen and chuckled.

"Wow, what a big day it is today, the whole family is crammed into the kitchen?"

Yu Wenrong snapped, "Warm yourself by the fire! Didn't you see? You'll freeze to death if you don't warm yourself by the fire in winter!"

Noticing that Su Li's gaze was fixed on the basket covered with a quilt, he moved his body to block her view.

"This quilt is damp too, it needs to be dried."

Not noticing anything amiss, Su Li reluctantly took the little bit of rice vinegar that Zhu Xiaozhen had given her to cover the bottom of the bowl and went home.

Watching her retreating figure, Ji Chunhua, seething with anger, said to Yu Man, "Look at them! They're clearly relatives, but the moment there's the slightest disturbance next door, they come over here with shifty eyes to investigate? And you still consider them human beings!"

Yu Man felt uncomfortable and looked sullen.

"If these dendrobium orchids can really be sold for money, they will belong to Ranran! She risked her life for them..."

Even if they could benefit from it, they wouldn't offer it to outsiders without Yu Wanran's permission. Yu Man was well aware of this.

Yu Wanran's eyebrows and eyes were curved.

What she finds comforting is the Yu family's simple and pure adherence to tradition.

When faced with self-interest, one's eyes are not easily blinded. Only by protecting such loved ones can one feel that life has true support and warmth.

Next, the family carefully processed the Dendrobium officinale. The others were responsible for cleaning the herb little by little with a soft cloth; Yu Man personally took charge, cutting the Dendrobium officinale into evenly sized, thin, oblique slices.

The dendrobium orchids are spread out in a bamboo sieve. After drying one side, they are flipped over and dried on the other side.

Everyone worked tirelessly, without blinking, until late at night, finally finishing processing all the dendrobium. Sixty or seventy catties of fresh medicinal material were reduced to only ten catties after drying.

Ji Chunhua found a few old clothes with soft fabric, wrapped the medicinal herbs tightly, put them in a burlap sack, and finally hid them by her and Yu Man's bedside.

Looking back at the excited faces of his entire family, his expression was extremely serious.

"Alright, everyone go to sleep now. Tomorrow morning, you, the head of the household, take the eldest son, the fourth son, and Ranran to town to sell dendrobium!"

So many people went, firstly to protect the daughter and the potential large sums of money; secondly, what do these peasants know about selling medicinal herbs? They probably have to rely entirely on their sensible and intelligent daughter.

Yu Wenbin nervously swallowed.

"With so many of us going, what should we say if we run into the villagers?"

The New Year isn't over yet!

Yu Man pinched his stubble-covered chin, his eyes revealing a rare shrewdness.

"I originally planned to go to the city to find some odd jobs before spring planting. But this has been brought forward... Eldest brother, fourth brother, if anyone asks you, just say this!"

The Yu brothers nodded vigorously.

That night, Yu Wanran slept soundly and peacefully. Completely unaware that her parents, clutching a burlap sack filled with Dendrobium officinale, hadn't dared close their eyes for half the night.

At the slightest sound, Ji Chunhua would urge Yu Man to get up and go check what was happening.

As dawn broke, the family was in a frenzy. Yu Man, sporting dark circles under her eyes, pried open the cellar lid and took out some refrigerated cabbages. She planned to use them to conceal the medicinal herbs hidden at the bottom of a basket.

The checkpoints at the city entrance require inspections, and villagers are taxed if the goods they bring to sell in the city market exceed a certain weight. So Yu Man carefully kept the weight within that limit, avoiding suspicion while also avoiding paying too much in entrance fees.

No matter how difficult it is, two loads of food are a must. Otherwise, it just looks strange for four people to carry one load of vegetables.

Zhu Xiaozhen cooked a large pot of thick porridge and gave each person a cooked sweet potato as provisions. Only after Yu Man and his group of four left with their baskets did they return to the kitchen to eat the leftover porridge with their mother-in-law and daughter.

They saw Su Li sweeping the yard next door, peeking and whispering in their direction. Ji Chunhua's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

It's true what they say, you become like those you associate with. This Su Li seems listless and unpleasant most of the time, but she's just as annoying as her mother-in-law!

With two loads of vegetables and Yu Wanran accompanying them, Yu Man and his son naturally couldn't walk to Tongcheng. The ten coins per person for the carriage fare were a painful expense for Yu Man.

If they can't sell these Dendrobium officinale, their round-trip fare of eighty coins for the four of them, plus the extra ten coins they received for the two loads of vegetables, will be wasted, and they'll lose a fortune!

This was only because the mule cart drivers were from the same village, and they weren't overcharged. Otherwise, they would have to pay more during holidays.

The mule cart bumped and swayed along the way. Yu Man clutched the basket containing the medicinal herbs tightly to his chest. People could get hurt, but the treasures hidden inside absolutely could not be harmed.

The driver turned around and saw his expression, then flicked his whip with pity.

I thought to myself, the Yu family really has done something terrible. During the Lunar New Year, they're so poor they have to carry two loads of vegetables into town to sell. I wonder if they're losing money hand over fist by the transportation costs, town entrance fees, and market fees?

When I talked to the Yu family father and son and learned that they wanted to go to the city to find work, I suddenly realized that their reasoning made sense.

As for Yu Wanran, the reason goes without saying!

Can't you go back to the Duke's mansion during the New Year to visit your adoptive parents and maybe even freeload? Whether others look down on you or not is one thing, but it's a real loss if you have connections but don't use them.

And so, with the driver's imagination running wild, Yu Man and his party entered the city with great trepidation.