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

Yu Wanran took out twenty taels of silver to thank the镖师 (bodyguard/escort), and Wu Jian accepted it without much hesitation. Before leaving, he told her that the镖队 (escort team) would depart the day after tomorrow and come to Qingping Village to meet them.

Yu Wanran nodded. With just one day, the red straw mat shouldn't cause any more problems.

Yu Man asked his daughter anxiously, "Ranran, are we going to hide in the cave again tonight?"

Yu Wanran smiled and said, "Father, you can move back home now. I've taken care of this matter, and there shouldn't be any more trouble in the short term."

If Xiao Yao can still run away from the Duke's mansion and cause trouble, it can only mean that the Duke no longer wants the Duke's mansion to be good.

But that's impossible!

She knew the Duke well; he would do anything to protect the Duke's mansion. This was the main reason she decided to leave Tongcheng and move to another place.

So the Yu family spent another busy day moving the things they had taken to the cave back to the cave.

She ate two meals a day, just a few random things. Before going to bed, Yu Wanran gathered her family together and seriously asked Yu Man a question.

"Dad, how do you plan to help Uncle's family make money by planting red velvet grass?"

Yu Man was stunned.

"Didn't we ask your uncle to set aside a few acres of land to farm, just like our family? That grass is 500 wen a pound. We'll buy it from whatever your uncle farms at that price."

Ji Chunhua's expression immediately turned cold.

My husband is so devoted to the first wife's side!

At 500 cash per catty, how much is planted and how much is harvested? Does this mean Ranran will have to go through the trouble of running errands, transporting the goods all the way to the capital? The travel expenses, escort fees, and risks—all borne by the family?

Grabbing a stool nearby, she imagined hitting the man like she would hit her own son. But in their entire lives, the couple had only argued, never laid a hand on each other, so she swallowed her anger and put the stool down again.

He turned to look at Yu Wanran, wanting to see what his daughter would say.

Rather than resorting to violence, she believed her daughter could persuade the stubborn old man with words.

"Father, it will be next year before you grow the red velvet grass. It's hard to say whether Boss Wei will still be willing to buy it for 500 coins a catty next year."

Yu Wanran calmly addressed the matter at hand. She knew her family's personalities well; if they weren't so kind and honest, how could they have allowed her to cause such chaos and ruin in her previous life?

They are not good at saying no, and they always try their best to be good to their relatives. It is because they have good intentions, not because they deserve to be taken advantage of.

In this life, all she needs to do is protect them.

"Furthermore, the journey to the capital is long, the escort fees are high, and the risks are immense. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts; these things must be discussed beforehand. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, how can our family possibly compensate Uncle's family for their losses?"

Yu Man was stunned. He hadn't thought that much about it before. He only thought about transporting all the red velvet grass he grew to the capital and then dividing the money between the two families.

Ranran's martial arts skills were so high that he had the illusion that no difficulty was insurmountable.

As Ranran said, if something really happens, he's afraid he won't be able to afford to compensate his older brother's family for thousands of kilograms or even more of the red grass.

He clearly meant well by helping his older brother's family get rich, but when things really went wrong, why is he the one who has to bear all the losses?

Can't figure it out.

When reason fails to prevail, one begins to seriously weigh the gains and losses.

"Ranran, what do you think we should do?"

"Father, when the time is right, you can briefly tell Uncle about the merchants in the capital who are buying red grass. Ask him if he would like to grow red grass with our family. If he does, there will be two ways to harvest next year."

Yu Wanran offered a solution.

“One option is that we buy his red grass based on the merchant’s purchase price, minus our costs; the other option is that he pays for his own labor and transportation costs, and risks his own life to deliver the goods to Beijing with us. We split whatever the merchant buys with our own money.”

In short, I can help, but you're responsible for any profits or losses.

"Furthermore, you need to make it clear to your uncle that making this kind of money might only be a matter of one or two years. The year after next, or the year after that, it might not even be able to be sold and will be worthless."

Yu Wanran looked at Yu Man.

"Father, things are valued for their scarcity. You and Uncle, please don't be greedy and use all the land to grow red grass!"

"Also, after the agreement is reached, sign a contract with your uncle! There are three rules: you must not disclose anything. Otherwise, you will bear all the risks and consequences."

"Father understands. Let's talk about it when you return from the capital."

Yu Man nodded cautiously.

He wasn't particularly wise, and he was rather simple-minded. But his greatest strength was that he listened to advice.

With the rear area settled, Yu Wanran felt relieved and then explained her plans.

"Father, Mother, when I return from the capital this time, let's move out of Qingping Village and get away from Tongcheng."

The family looked at each other.

Although she was tempted to leave, she hesitated and couldn't bear to actually go. Yu Man glanced at Ji Chunhua, and Ji Chunhua spoke cautiously, asking the question.

"Ranran, where are you planning to move to?"

To be honest, Tongcheng has relatively low taxes, and the people aren't struggling to survive. What if they encounter even more corrupt officials elsewhere?

Xiao Yao was shouting for battle, and if someone hadn't warned them last night, and Ranran had also invited bodyguards to help, their whole family might have been silently buried in the fire. How could they be sitting at a table talking now?

Yu Wanran hesitated for a moment.

“I’ve heard that Huangshan County in Hezhou is known for its clean and efficient administration, and that Chief Escort Wu’s family lives there. I plan to ask Chief Escort Wu to help me find a place to settle down.”

She understood her family's feelings and smiled as she outlined her future plans.

"At that time, I will separate and operate as a separate business."

“We will buy a shop for you, Mom and Dad, and purchase several acres of fertile land in the countryside, and hire a few tenant farmers. Mom and my sister-in-law will take care of the shop, my younger brother will go to school, and Dad and my eldest brother will be responsible for supervising and managing the tenant farmers to cultivate the land and collect rent.”

"Our family's life will only get better and better!"

The Yu family was deeply captivated by the future Yu Wanran described. For a while, they were lost in wonderful daydreams. Soon after, Yu Wenrong was the first to react, his face turning sour.

"Third sister, why do you always insist on me studying? At my age, do you really expect me to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar?"

Yu Wanran sighed and patted his head.

“I never expected you to make a name for yourself in school! Little brother, if you can read the account books, you won’t have to go to school anymore. What your third sister is counting on is for her future nephew to work hard and bring honor to our family!”

A few words made Yu Wenrong blush, and the whole family laughed heartily. The gloomy atmosphere dissipated considerably.

Ji Chunhua was full of hope.

"Ranran is right! If we stay in Qingping Village, will Lao Si not find a good girl? If we go somewhere else, maybe Lao Si's love star will start to move!"

"mother!"

Yu Wenrong blushed and quickly changed the subject: "By the way, my third sister is going to Beijing to deliver goods the day after tomorrow. Father and eldest brother have already gone, so it should be my turn to go with my third sister this time and broaden my horizons, right?"

The smiles on Yu Man and Yu Wenbin's faces vanished as soon as the topic was brought up.

They were terrified when they went to Beijing last time; their souls were still reeling from the near-death experience. But no matter what, we can't let Ranran take the risk alone!

Yu Man glared at his youngest son.

"What are you going to do? You've paid your tuition, so don't waste it. Go study! The eldest son shouldn't go this time either. Stay home and help loosen the soil on a few acres of land. Spring plowing is coming soon."

Yu Man doesn't plan to sell the land for the time being; he'll keep it to try planting red grass. In case the relocation doesn't go smoothly, Qingping Village will at least have a place to stay.

The problem is that there are few people in the family, and it's a bit difficult to decide who will take care of these few thatched houses.