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

"That boy from the Tao family was the only son in the family. His father had studied for two years and knew a few words. He worked for a wealthy family in the city. Later, his father passed away, leaving behind dozens of acres of fertile land. The Tao family, mother and son, lived off the rent."

Matchmaker Wang launched into a long, rambling monologue.

However, upon closer inspection of her expression, her eyes flickered slightly, clearly indicating that she was holding back: "Old Yu's family, don't underestimate those orphans and widows. The Tao family can afford to hire workers!"

"If your daughter marries into that family, she'll never have to worry about food or clothing. The family will have a stable income, and she won't need to work in the fields; she can simply stay home and take care of her mother-in-law and husband!"

She deliberately lowered her voice and leaned close to Ji Chunhua mysteriously, as if she were having a heart-to-heart talk.

"Tao Shun is the only son in the Tao family. After Old Madam Tao passes away, won't all the family's assets belong to the young couple? Old Yu's family, this is a marriage that's hard to find even with a lantern!"

Yu Wenrong glanced at her third sister beside her with concern.

He heard his third sister's fists clench so tightly that her bones cracked. If the matchmaker continued, would his third sister suddenly explode, beat her up, and throw her out the door?

The others naturally saw Yu Wanran's dark face as well.

Yu Man kept giving his wife meaningful glances. Ji Chunhua suppressed her excitement and said to Matchmaker Wang, "Matchmaker Wang, this matter... let us consider it."

She needed to find out if the other family was as the matchmaker had described. The fact that the other family had an only son deeply moved her.

Old Yu has several siblings and many sisters-in-law. She married into the family early and suffered enough from the constant gossip and complaints. To make matters worse, her mother-in-law was biased, and the second wife did the most work and suffered the most.

The newly returned daughter is quite proud. Her in-laws are simple and honest, which is perfect. However, seeing Yu Wanran's ashen face, she clearly disapproves of the marriage. Well, a scholar and wealthy man have come to propose marriage; let's reconsider.

Ji Chunhua completely misunderstood and changed the subject to Matchmaker Wang: "My fourth son is fifteen years old. If there are any suitable girls, please keep an eye out for him, Matchmaker Wang."

As he spoke, he told Yu Man to go inside and get ten coins, which he then gave to the other party.

Matchmaker Wang was surprised by the Yu family's generosity; even before the marriage was arranged, they offered an advance of ten coins. She happily accepted it and put it in her sleeve pocket.

"No problem. I'll definitely keep an eye on your two kids and help you find something that suits your tastes."

Anyway, someone paid her a lot of money to arrange a marriage for Yu Wanran as soon as possible. It had to be a peasant, and the worse the marriage, the better.

Matchmaker Wang glanced at Yu Wanran subtly, her pity instantly replaced by ruthlessness. Poor girl, who told you to get in the way of this important person?

She could only try her best to avoid having a bad conscience.

However, the cheerful matchmaker Wang and the mastermind behind her seemed to have forgotten something important: what would happen if Yu Wanran insisted on not getting married?

It is said that marriages are arranged by matchmakers and parents.

But Yu Wanran was not the ordinary woman they envisioned. Yu Man and his wife weren't the domineering, heartless parents who disregarded their children's wishes. Right now, they were even willing to listen to their daughter!

As soon as Matchmaker Wang left, Yu Wanran spoke to her family with a stern face.

"Father, Mother, you don't need to worry about my marriage. I'll pay the annual poll tax myself!"

How could she let someone else control her fate over a few hundred coins! If pushed to the limit, she might end up like in her past life, leaving her hometown and severing ties with her family. She truly didn't want to go that far!

"You silly child! I'm doing this for your own good..."

Receiving countless disapproving glances from her husband, Ji Chunhua sighed unhappily.

"Your mother won't just marry you off to anyone; it has to be your own choice. You're getting older every day; you don't know how those country folk talk; their gossip can ruin your reputation!"

"What reputation do I have now? A reputation for counterfeit goods that have usurped my place?"

Yu Wanran countered with a question.

Seeing the family fall silent, she turned and went back into the house. Looking at the bare walls, she felt a wave of sadness wash over her.

The pain of two lifetimes has not truly passed. Because she still doesn't understand what she did wrong.

The sixteen years of wealth and privilege that Xiao Yao enjoyed were not of her own choosing. It seems she was born with an original sin.

But the next moment, she had to pull herself together, pretend nothing had happened, and try her best to get her family through the crisis.

Yu Xiaoxiang, carrying the worries of her entire family, was pushed through the door, wanting to see what Yu Wanran was doing. She saw her third aunt packing her luggage, and panicked, running over to grab her third aunt's clothes.

Third Aunt, where are you going?

Yu Wanran turned around and tapped her niece's upturned nose.

"My third aunt is going to Beijing on business the day after tomorrow and will bring you back some beautiful clothes!"

Of the family, she adored the little one the most. From now on, as she traveled far and wide, she would naturally collect the best gifts to give to this child.

Yu Xiaoxiang's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again. She hugged her third aunt's leg tightly and pressed her little face against her aunt's body.

There was something she was too embarrassed to say: she didn't want any new clothes, she just wanted her third aunt to stay.

Yu Wenrong overheard this and chuckled as she slipped inside: "Third Sister, don't forget to bring me some good food too!"

He didn't care much about clothes. When he was working in the fields, even the best clothes were no longer suitable, so he was only obsessed with food.

Yu Wanran rolled her eyes at him.

I can't forget you!

Seeing her younger brother's bright smile, her mood suddenly improved. No matter what, fate could be changed in this lifetime.

Hearing the laughter and chatter coming from inside the house, Yu Man and his wife breathed a sigh of relief.

"You should be less likely to make decisions on your own in the future, and ask your daughter's opinion more often!"

Yu Man carefully patted the mud off his new cotton shoes, took out five small strings of copper coins and a contract with his fingerprint on it from his pocket, and handed them to Ji Chunhua.

Ji Chunhua felt aggrieved.

Their family isn't tolerant enough of their daughter? What kind of parents are they, always having to watch their daughter's face! But looking at the money in her hand, she quickly became distracted.

"Didn't I give you three taels of silver this morning? How come you only have so little left? How many acres of land did you buy?"

We agreed to buy an acre of wasteland to use as a homestead. How much silver would the wasteland cost?

Ji Chunhua nearly flew into a rage.

Her husband is honest; could he have been scammed again? She figured the remaining money would be more than enough to buy materials and hire workers to build a new house. But no matter how much she gave him, her foolish husband simply spent it all.

“The village head said it would cost five hundred coins per mu of wasteland. I’ve been thinking about what my daughter said, and we should plant red grass in the future. We can’t waste our good land.”

Yu Man scratched his head.

"It's just grass anyway. How precious can it be if it grows wild? We can just sow the seeds on the barren slopes. In the future, even if we don't plant red grass, we can plant fruit trees or bamboo, and we'll still get a harvest."

The key point is that the land was cheap. With money in hand, he bought five acres of wasteland in one go.

He managed to get five hundred coins back, but the village head was afraid he would regret it and cause trouble, so he earnestly persuaded him to buy only that much.

Ji Chunhua, unfamiliar with land matters, was furious at her husband's extravagant spending. With only two and a half able-bodied men in the family, how could they possibly manage the more than ten mu of land in the spring?

Adding to the five acres of wasteland that need to be reclaimed, is the head of the household trying to work himself and his family to death? Doesn't he have any foresight at all...?