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

Yanqing quietly straightened her wrinkled clothes and disheveled hair, and upon hearing this, quickly said, "I'm not aggrieved! This place is much better than sleeping in the open. I have a roof over my head and solid ground beneath my feet. I feel at ease following my master!"

Yu Wanran observed his expression and, seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, smiled slightly.

"Where did Yanbai go? Call him back. You two should eat your baby food properly."

Yan Qing glanced at the table.

"Master, we have already eaten. Madam gave us a full bowl of chicken soup and meat."

Yu Wanran smiled and tapped the table with her finger: "Come on, eat! I know how much you two eat. Things will get better as they get better."

Yanqing rubbed his hands together sheepishly.

“Then I’ll go and call Brother Yanbai back! He went to chop firewood in the nearby mountains because he said the family is short of firewood.”

Yu Wanran nodded and reminded him, "There's food in the kitchen. Help yourself if you need more."

After saying that, he went back to eat.

At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), Zhu Xiaozhen and her daughter returned, carrying a piece of cured meat they had exchanged in the village, and began preparing dinner.

Yu Wanran hugged the shy Xiao Xiang affectionately for a while before sitting down to help her sister-in-law tend the fire.

Zhu Xiaozhen washed the cured meat, put it in a pot with water to boil, dried her hands, went inside and took out four hundred taels of silver notes. She nervously presented them to Yu Wanran: "Third Sister, this money… your eldest brother said to ask you to keep it safe?"

Yu Wanran understood and took the silver note, keeping it in her pocket.

"Sister-in-law, when you have time, learn to read and write with your younger brother and understand simple account books. In the future, when I go on a business trip, I will give you this four hundred taels of silver as your investment and you will receive dividends."

Zhu Xiaozhen felt relieved, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Third sister, your eldest brother said that doing business is extremely risky. If we are going to lose money, we should just accept it. You shouldn't secretly subsidize us anymore."

They are quite content with their current life, something they never dared to dream of before!

Seeing Yu Wanran agree with a smile, she picked up the spatula and continued working by the stove with peace of mind.

Now that her family is well-off and can afford it, Zhu Xiaozhen boils a whole piece of cured pork until cooked, slices it thinly, and stir-fries it with cabbage. She also adds two long radishes, chopped into chunks, to the water used to boil the pork.

Add salt and a little chopped green onion to the pan after cooking, and you have a side dish with some oil and water.

Yan Qing and Yan Bai resolutely refused to sit at the host's table, and instead divided the food into two portions beforehand, which Yu Xiaoxiang took to the warehouse.

The two sisters-in-law set up the table, and Yu Man and his wife, along with the two brothers Yu Wenbin, returned one after another, carrying hoes and book baskets.

Everyone washed their hands and sat down to eat. Midway through the meal, Yu Wanran remembered something and asked Yu Man curiously, "Dad, didn't you say that Uncle's family was going to take Aunt to the city to see a doctor about her leg? What happened?"

Yu Man paused, her hand still holding the food she was picking up, and sighed, "The doctor said there's no cure, he can only prescribe some medicine to relieve her pain. Your aunt... I'm afraid this is how she'll spend the rest of her life!"

Although everyone believed it was a case of wickedness getting its just desserts, no one dared to say it aloud. At the same time, they felt that Xiao Yao was even more terrifying.

Fortunately, they will soon be able to leave this place filled with bad memories.

After dinner, the family packed their things for the three of them who were about to leave. Yu Wanran received investment money secretly delivered by Ji Chunhua and Yu Wenrong.

Ji Chunhua gave 1,000 taels, and Yu Wenrong gave 400 taels.

Yu Man also had three hundred taels of silver notes in his pocket.

When it comes to buying a house or land for the family, we certainly can't let our daughter pay for it all by herself.

Yu Wanran recalled the conditions of various towns in her previous life and discussed with her father the possibility of first visiting the areas of Hezhou and Changzhou. The closer to the capital, the more prosperous the area, and they probably didn't have enough financial resources to acquire enough land.

Therefore, Yu Man prefers to move to a small town.

Living in the county town and owning land in the countryside, one can manage both farming and running a shop. Expenses are low, and there's no powerful or influential background to rely on; a comfortable life with modest means is perfectly acceptable.

Yu Wanran agreed with her father's view.

At this stage, with limited financial resources, living in a small county town is the safest option. As long as it keeps one away from the influence of the Duke's mansion, that's fine.

Early the next morning, the Yu family father and daughter set off with Yanbai. Before hiring a carriage in Tongcheng, Yu Wanran specially bought some gifts to visit Wu Jian.

Wu Jian was very enthusiastic. When they talked about their plans to move, he strongly recommended Huangshan, where he currently lived, and introduced several towns he knew that were known for their clean and efficient administration.

With Wu Jian, a local strongman, in Huangshan, the Yu family father and daughter were naturally interested in Huangshan and agreed to go and see it first.

Wu Jian wrote a letter of introduction to the registrar of Huangshan. He also offered to help them with the relocation procedures at the government office once they had chosen a place to live.

It's true that having connections in high places makes things much easier; the burden on the Yu family has been lightened considerably. Now they only need to consider which town is the most livable.

We boarded a horse-drawn carriage bound for Huangshan, traveling light and simply, and arrived in Huangshan County a few days later.

The last trip was too rushed, and there wasn't a chance to properly explore this county town. After dismissing the driver and leaving Yanbai at the inn to watch the luggage, the father and daughter enthusiastically strolled around the streets.

Although it's called a county town, it's actually the second largest town in Hezhou after the main city. Including several surrounding villages, it has a population of 150,000, more than three times the size of Tongcheng.

Huangshan County is located northeast of the river, where the river flows swiftly, circling half of the county seat before joining the main river.

This river nourishes more than a dozen towns along its banks. The county town's docks are bustling with activity, merchant ships coming and going, laden with mountain goods destined for all corners of the land. This has given rise to a prosperous county town rich in resources and thriving in commerce.

If this were the fiefdom of a Duke's mansion, the imperial court would likely use this as grounds for fabricated charges to strip the Duke's mansion of its fiefdom and reclaim the land.

After strolling through several streets, the two were quite satisfied with the environment. The locals seemed much wealthier than those in Tongcheng, which, after all, was located near the border and was considered a harsh and cold place.

Further examination of prices revealed that they were slightly higher than in Tongcheng. Living in the countryside would be considerably cheaper, within Yu Man's acceptable range.

Finally, I went to the dental clinic to learn about the real estate situation from the dentist.

Farmland typically costs between three and twenty taels; a courtyard house within the city costs roughly between twenty and two hundred taels. If you have connections, you can get a discount.

The father and daughter understood.

The next day, without stopping, they rushed to other towns to investigate. After traveling for more than a month and trying every possible way to find out the market, they finally decided to move to Huangshan County.

Wu Jian is a seasoned veteran; the fact that he settled his family here shows his keen eye for opportunity.

Weary from their journey, the father and daughter immediately headed to the real estate agency. This time, they were serious about buying a house and land.

The old broker who greeted them had sharp eyes and a kind smile. He didn't treat the father and daughter differently because of their simple attire. Instead, he personally served them tea and water and explained his resources to them in as much detail as possible.

He achieved his current status as a top-tier dental professional not because he was overly ambitious or eager for quick success, but because he was not like those other young dental professionals who were too eager for quick results.

Yu Wanran's imposing presence made him realize that the woman before him was no ordinary person.

“If you want a comfortable home and have several dozen acres of fertile land in the countryside, I would recommend that you consider a manor.”

The old broker took out a thick ledger, turned to a page, and eagerly introduced it to the two men.

“There is a family selling their manor here in Mingshui Village.”