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

Yu Wanran bought each person in her family a thick cotton coat, two new sets of cloth clothes, and a pair of cotton shoes.

Although the quality wasn't very good, the cotton-padded coat wasn't lined with tangled hemp, but with second-grade silk floss.

Silk floss!

The Yu father and son carefully touched the soft interior with their rough fingers. Even before wearing it, it felt incredibly warm.

Yu's lips trembled incessantly.

"Ranran, you bought so much..."

Yu Wanran smiled and said, "Dad, didn't you say that I earned this money?"

She has the right to spend what she earns.

"But……"

Yu Man's heart shattered into eight pieces. He had no idea his daughter could squander money like that! A single trip to the market had cost them a fortune they could never have imagined in their entire lives!

After buying these items, Yu Wanran also bought half a bushel of refined rice, half a bushel of flour, and some coarse salt and seasonings. The baskets carried by the father and his two sons were full to the brim.

To avoid attracting attention, Yu Wanran even bought several bunches of cabbage and placed them on the surface of the basket.

Yu Man and his son were filled with regret. If only they hadn't disposed of all the cabbages, they would have kept some! But who knew they'd make so much money, and Ranran would be such a spendthrift!

The total cost was about 8.7 billion cash. If I had saved that, it would have been enough to pay two years' worth of taxes…

On the way back to the village, we were still traveling in a mule cart driven by a familiar face. The old acquaintances spoke without restraint; though the cabbages obscured the new grain and clothes, they couldn't stop the chickens from rooting around in the baskets and crowing loudly.

The driver and fellow villagers all looked at them with a mixture of envy and doubt.

"Old Yu, has your family struck it rich? You bought chickens, and six of them at once?"

If the cabbages you brought weren't sold, how will you have money to buy chickens?

Yu Man's face tightened, filled with embarrassment. Yu Wanran looked at her younger brother, Yu Wenrong, who puffed out his chest and responded according to what his third sister had taught him.

"We ran into the Duchess when we went into town today! The Duchess was very kind to my third sister and even told her to come back to the Duke's mansion to visit more often when she has free time."

Everyone looked at each other in surprise, then turned to the girl sitting beside them.

They then remembered that the Yu family was no longer what it used to be. With someone like Yu Wanran around, who could say it was a curse or a blessing?

Having raised her as their own daughter for sixteen years, even if they were to exchange her for the real one now, there's no guarantee the Duke's mansion wouldn't still have feelings for the fake one. If even the slightest slip of the tongue by a powerful figure could completely turn the Yu family's fortunes around.

Let alone a few chickens, it's only natural that the Yu family will become extremely wealthy and powerful in the future!

Immediately, the villagers' eyes lit up, and they struck up conversations with the Yu family father and son, treating them with even greater respect. The driver secretly rejoiced, thankful he hadn't overcharged the Yu family for the fare in the first place!

Yu Wanran smiled, pursing her lips.

This is exactly the effect she wanted.

The performance she gave at the silver shop was not only an attempt to evoke the Duchess's nostalgia and to strike a blow against the arrogant Xiao Yao, but also to clear obstacles and dispel public suspicion in order for her to lead the Yu family to wealth in the future.

Even better, it would prevent petty people from taking advantage of the situation, since money can be a powerful motivator. If anyone tries to target the Yu family in the future, they'll at least have to consider the weight of the Duke's mansion, won't they?

However, her feelings towards the Duke and Duchess were complex. There was hatred accumulated over twenty years in her previous life, as well as the affection of raising her over sixteen years. Zheng Peipei's attitude today made her feel that she still could not let go of the resentment.

I sighed silently, fixing my gaze on the ever-receding dirt road. Life is full of hardships, like this muddy path. From now on, I'll just have to take it one step at a time.

Upon arriving home, the entire family in the large house next door was alerted. Except for Liu Yan, who lay on the bed like a living dead and couldn't get up, everyone else crowded into the small courtyard of the second house.

"Second Uncle, where did your family get the money to buy chickens?"

Yu Wenshan exclaimed in surprise.

Su Li followed behind the man, her eyes practically piercing the baskets of the Yu family father and son as they carried their loads into the house.

Not wanting to fool his older brother, Yu Man stammered, avoiding Yu Tai's questioning gaze: "It was...it was a few days ago, Ranran went up the mountain and accidentally dug up some herbs, which we sold in town for a few taels of silver..."

There's more I can't say!

He is honest and not stupid.

Yu Tai stretched out his calloused, rough hand, patted his brother on the shoulder, and looked relieved and happy.

"Second brother, your daughter is truly blessed. She brings wealth to you all as soon as she comes home! Buying chickens was the right decision. We can collect a couple of eggs every other day to help your sister-in-law get some nourishment."

He was truly gratified.

After the family division, Liu Yan's domineering behavior became a source of deep resentment for him. He felt he had let down his two younger brothers, especially the second branch of the family, who had suffered greatly as a result.

But his second brother never held a grudge and often sent him gifts, which made him increasingly uneasy. He had planned to send two chickens to his brother's family to make amends, but Liu Yan strongly objected…

Now that my second brother's family finally has their own chickens, this hurdle can finally be overcome.

Nothing else was amiss, so Yu Tai led his family back to the house next door. Su Li followed behind her husband, frequently turning back to look into the second house.

Ji Chunhua, disregarding her dislike for her niece-in-law, quickly signaled to Zhu Xiaozhen to close the fence gate and urged everyone to go inside. As they walked, she subtly expressed her dissatisfaction.

"How much did you sell the medicinal herbs for? How did you manage to buy so much stuff?"

After closing the door, Yu Wenbin and Yu Wenrong began taking things out of the basket. With each item they took, Ji Chunhua's eyes widened and her face paled, her heart aching as she clutched her chest.

Those spendthrift old men!

Selling a few taels of silver and then buying all sorts of random things—how will they manage to live on this? Their daughter and youngest son aren't married yet, and their dowries and betrothal gifts are still pending!

Yu Wanran asked Yu Xiaoxiang to peek through the crack in the door to keep watch, and then pulled her sister-in-law Zhu Xiaozhen to sit down together, preparing to discuss important matters with the whole family.

Zhu Xiaozhen was at a loss.

Why was she involved in this situation? But her third sister-in-law was strong; she pressed down on her shoulder, and she couldn't stand up at all.

Seeing Ji Chunhua's furrowed brows, Yu Wanran smiled gently.

“My sister-in-law is also a member of the Yu family. Strictly speaking, if my daughter gets married, she will be considered an outsider. My sister-in-law should be more involved in the family affairs than I am.”

They exchanged glances. Ji Chunhua remained silent, but her brows slowly relaxed. Yu Man quickly said, "What's the difference between insiders and outsiders? We're all family!"

Zhu Xiaozhen felt a warm glow in her heart and secretly glanced at her third sister-in-law. This feeling of being recognized by her family was something she had never experienced before.

Without further ado, Yu Wanran took out three silver notes and the remaining twenty-odd taels of silver, and placed them on the table.

Looking at the pile of loose silver and copper coins, Ji Chunhua's head was buzzing. Her trembling hands touched the money, counting it over and over, but she couldn't figure it out.

"Boss, how much did you sell the medicinal herbs for?"

Thinking about what those spendthrift men had bought, plus what was left, it must have cost at least twenty or thirty taels of silver. For a moment, she didn't know whether to be happy that the medicinal herbs had sold for so much money, or to feel the pain of the expenses…

Yu Wanran noticed that her mother's gaze never fell on the three silver notes. A question arose in her mind: could it be that her mother had never seen silver notes before?

Yu Man coughed lightly.

In fact, he had never seen a silver note before. If his daughter hadn't known him, he would have insisted that the manager of Ruicaotang exchange it for a silver ingot weighing over twenty catties for him.

He carefully picked up the three silver notes.

"Chunhua, the medicinal herbs Ranran dug up sold for a total of 285 taels and 5 mace! Look, here are the silver notes..."

"How many?"

Ji Chunhua's neck seemed to freeze, and she snapped and turned towards him.