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

Ji Chunhua nodded in agreement; she actually thought the same thing.

Although I haven't forgotten the first one, it's clear that the second one is superior. And so filial and capable—will the Duke's mansion regret this later?

Even if I regret it, I won't return it to them!

"Yes... our Ranran is suitable to be paired with a scholar or a wealthy man. We'll find someone for her slowly once things have calmed down."

Yu Wanran, who was holding a bowl of medicine outside the door, overheard this and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

What I fear most is that my own parents are eager to get rid of this hot potato and marry me off, at which point I have no choice but to throw a tantrum and make a scene. The family relationship I wanted to maintain ends up feeling like the estrangement from my past life.

Having lived two lives, she was extremely resistant to the idea of ​​marrying, having children, and living the life of a normal woman. With her experience as a merchant in her previous life, plus the fact that her legs hadn't been crippled in this life, she was confident that she could carve out an even wider world for herself.

Why find a husband's family to tie you down? Once you've repaid the debts to your family, the sky's the limit and the sea is the place to leap!

"Third sister, are you bringing medicine to Mother?"

Yu Wenrong's crisp voice came from behind him. Having accepted this new third sister, he called her "third sister" with particular enthusiasm, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Yu Wanran hummed in agreement and handed the medicine bowl to him.

"Little brother, take the medicine to Mother. I haven't slept all night and I'm so sleepy, I'm going to get some sleep first."

"Okay, Third Sister, you go to sleep. I'll take care of things here!"

Yu Wenrong quickly offered, and thoughtfully reminded, "There's a clean quilt in the closet; you can take it out and sleep on it first."

Since Third Sister has left the Duke's Mansion, she will definitely not be able to use the things that Third Sister used before.

Yu Wanran nodded and entered the small cubicle. Lowering the rolled-up curtain, the space, roughly ten feet square, was Xiao Yao's private space where she had lived for sixteen years.

A small wooden bed, about a foot wide and six feet long, with a dusty wooden box in the corner serving as a bedside table or wardrobe. A broken comb lay on top of it.

Yu Wanran could understand why Xiao Yao harbored such hostility towards her.

Anyone who leaves such a place and enters the magnificent Duke's mansion will resent that someone has taken over their life and is enjoying the wealth that should have been theirs.

No matter how innocent she may be, she undeniably benefited from these benefits for sixteen years.

Therefore, even though she and the Yu family suffered a terrible fate in her previous life, in this life, as long as Xiao Yao and the Duke's Mansion don't go too far, she should keep her grudges hidden deep inside for now.

The most urgent task is to help the Yu family get back on their feet; they're on the verge of starvation!

Yu Wanran rolled up the tattered quilt on the bed and put it on the cabinet, intending to wash it after she woke up. She then took out a clean, patched quilt, wrapped it around herself, and went to sleep.

The small, airtight space had the advantage of being relatively warm as it lacked windows. Yu Wanran slept soundly until late afternoon, only waking up when she heard chattering in the courtyard outside.

Judging from the voices, it was mainly the Yu family father and son speaking. The other woman's voice, like a spider's web in the wind, was timid and trembling, occasionally surfacing in a sliver.

Yu Wanran immediately got up, folded the quilt, tidied her hair and clothes, and stepped out.

Sure enough, standing outside was her sister-in-law, Zhu Xiaozhen.

She was short and thin, with dark skin and no light in her eyes. Although she was only in her early twenties, her face was full of sorrow, making her look like a hardworking woman in her thirties or forties.

He carried a small burlap sack in his left hand and a handful of dandelions in his right. On his back was a large basket containing his daughter, Yu Xiaoxiang.

Mingming is five years old, but looks like a three-year-old. He's squatting in the basket, curled up into a tiny ball. He's covered with dry straw, dozing with his eyes half-closed, and has his fingers in his mouth.

Yu Wanran's heart clenched, and she quickly walked over to greet him.

"Sister-in-law! You're back?"

Zhu Xiaozhen, interrupted from her conversation with Yu Wenbin, turned around and stared blankly at her. Her two cloudy eyes were filled with wariness and nervousness at the sight of a stranger.

"She's the third sister!"

Yu Wenbin quickly explained, "It's the real Third Sister! She's been in the Duke's mansion for sixteen years and just returned last night..."

Yu Wanran smiled at Zhu Xiaozhen, trying to project goodwill. Zhu Xiaozhen's tense shoulders relaxed, and she gave her an embarrassed smile in return, calling softly, "Third Sister..."

No further words.

She only answers questions from her in-laws and her own husband, let alone strangers.

Yu Wenbin was a little nervous, fearing that Yu Wanran would mind: "Third sister, your sister-in-law is timid and doesn't talk much?"

Yu Wanran smiled, reached into the basket and picked up Yu Xiaoxiang, who was rubbing her eyes sleepily. She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the snot from the little girl's cold face.

"Sister-in-law, you've been carrying the baby all this way, it must have been so tiring. Please put your things down and sit down to rest!"

She noticed that Yu Xiaoxiang, like her mother, was tense and stiff in her arms. She smiled and handed the child to Yu Wenbin, who was standing next to her.

Yu Wenbin took it blankly and casually put it on the ground.

He had no habit of holding his daughter. He never expected that his third sister, from the Duke's mansion, wouldn't look down on this little yellow-haired girl and would even wipe her nose?

The couple exchanged a glance. Zhu Xiaozhen's attitude towards Yu Wanran became much more relaxed and friendly.

"Third sister, please sit down first. I'll go into the kitchen to put things away."

They left the basket in the yard and took the small burlap sack and dandelion greens into the kitchen. They also brought their daughter into the house; after walking all day on the mountain path, both mother and daughter needed to wash their hands and faces properly.

Yu Wenbin said to Yu Wanran with a simple and honest expression, "Third sister, find a stool to sit on. I'll go fetch a few buckets of water from the stream."

After the family divided the property, the water tank in the main house became unusable. Fortunately, they also got a broken water tank, which could be used temporarily after washing and cleaning, but it had to be refilled with water.

Yu Wenbin noticed that his newly returned third sister was particularly fond of cleanliness, rinsing her hands twice before washing them. He needed to fetch more water so his wife could thoroughly clean the place where Xiao Yao had lived before.

Yu Wanran couldn't sit still.

Yu Man and Yu Wenrong were nowhere to be found; they were probably out working in the fields. After looking around, she saw Ji Chunhua asleep and not needing anything, so she went into the kitchen to prepare dinner with Zhu Xiaozhen.

Zhu Xiaozhen had just finished getting herself and her daughter ready. They tied on aprons; she was in charge of cleaning the makeshift stove, while Yu Xiaoxiang squatted in the corner, preparing the vegetables. Her little hands were so nimble; she'd been helping her mother for quite some time now.

When Yu Wanran entered, both mother and daughter looked up, their expressions somewhat uneasy.

Zhu Xiaozhen, holding a rag, asked cautiously, "Third...Third Sister, are you hungry? Let me make you a sweet potato."

As she spoke, she quickly took two small sweet potatoes from a basket and prepared to wash them.

Poor families eat two meals a day, and there's no lunch. Zhu Xiaozhen guessed that her sister-in-law was used to a life of luxury and couldn't bear this hardship, so she thought of getting her something to eat first.

Yu Wanran was indeed hungry; she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. She even carried Ji Chunhua all the way back, her stomach practically touching her back from hunger. She didn't stop them, just smiled sweetly.

"Thank you, sister-in-law!"

Zhu Xiaozhen's face flushed red. She lowered her head and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "No...no need to be so polite."

Quickly scoop water to wash the sweet potatoes, put them in a pot with water, and heat them over a fire.