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

The next day, the old broker stayed with the father and daughter and went to the city to look at several shops and houses.

Yu Wanran finally chose a shop in the West Market. It had been a general store before, occupying about one-tenth of an acre of land, with the front serving as the shop and the back as living quarters. The price was fifty-six taels.

Another courtyard house is a simple layout. It has three main rooms and two side rooms, three rooms each in the east and west wings, and the same number of rooms in the back building as the main rooms. It is surrounded on all four sides to form a courtyard, which occupies about one-third of the land.

The house was priced at thirty taels of silver. Yu Wanran planned to keep it for herself.

Although her family would certainly reserve a room for her on the estate, she didn't intend to continue living with them. Since she was opening a separate business, it was naturally better to keep things at a distance.

Her lifestyle clashed with her family's. She could accommodate them in the short term, but in the long run, she felt stifled.

Yu Man was sad for a while, but then she came to terms with it. Anyway, they were all in the same place; visiting her daughter was just a matter of taking an oxcart.

Seeing that the old broker was relatively honest, Yu Wanran asked him to recommend several servants who had signed life contracts through the brokerage firm.

They were all thin and dark-skinned, the kind who had nowhere to make a living. Four men and two women, all young adults. When she wasn't around, they could help look after the house and clean it.

People are worthless, ranging from one to five taels of silver. The difficulty lies in raising and training them well.

Yu Man was unwilling to spend money to buy people.

However, such a large estate couldn't be left unattended. Yu Wanran pointed to two male servants to temporarily guard the estate. They would return after the family moved to Huangshan County.

The remaining four people were divided into two groups, one guarding the shop and the other guarding the house.

In the end, the total amount paid to the brokerage firm was 426 taels. As for the house and land deeds, we would have to wait two more days to receive them.

Yu Man insisted on paying for the manor's land himself, and Yu Wanran couldn't argue with him, so her father paid out most of the money.

After leaving the dental clinic, the father and daughter discussed that Yu Man would stay behind to look after the properties while they waited to receive the deeds. Yu Wanran went home to handle the relocation procedures.

Yu Man was just an honest, simple countryman, and he really didn't have the connections or the courage to deal with the government. This matter had to be handled by Yu Wanran.

Yu Wanran left Yan Bai behind to help her father keep order and, incidentally, to train a few newly purchased servants.

Yan Bai seemed a little unhappy. But he didn't say anything, and Yu Wanran pretended not to notice.

Traveling alone, she didn't want to hire a carriage. A few trips back and forth would be enough to buy a good horse. So, before leaving, Yu Wanran followed her heart and went to the horse market.

The complete set of saddle and bridle cost thirty-five taels of silver, equivalent to the price of the house I just bought. But it will make traveling much more convenient in the future.

This horse isn't particularly good, but it's strong and steady, and young and vigorous.

Yu Wanran sped back to Qingping Village. Before even reaching the village entrance, she heard the sound of suona horns, faintly mixed with the sounds of gongs and drums. The sound suddenly became high-pitched and mournful, like the lament of a lone goose, tugging at the heartstrings. Then it became low and sobbing, like a lament.

She paused, wondering if someone in the village had passed away. But to be able to afford a funeral band, the funeral was certainly extravagant.

Ignoring matters that were none of her concern, she went straight home. Occasionally, she would encounter a villager on the road, who, before they could even see her clearly, would turn around and only see a trail of dust kicked up by her horse's hooves.

The few thatched huts were deserted and no one was seen in the yard. Only Yanqing sat on a small stool by the warehouse door, his face blank and bewildered.

Realizing something was wrong, Yu Wanran felt a pang of anxiety and leaped off her horse.

Startled awake by the noise, Yan Qing was overjoyed to see her master return. Gone was her previous dazed state; she jumped up and ran straight to Yu Wanran.

"Master! You're back?"

Yu Wanran led the horse into the courtyard, peeked into the house, and asked Yanqing, who was following closely behind, with a puzzled look.

"Hmm, where did the others go?"

Yan Qing suppressed his joy: "Master, the old lady has passed away. Her body has been kept at home for three days, and we are preparing to bury her today."

Yu Wanran's heart skipped a beat, and she thought to herself, "Oh no!"

How could I not have expected Grandma Yu to pass away so suddenly? Dad is far away in Huangshan County; it will take him at least eight or nine days to get back. If we miss the funeral, I'm afraid Dad will have a lifelong regret, and the other two branches of the family will seize on this, causing countless troubles!

She neither liked nor disliked her grandmother.

My impression of her is that she was a soft-spoken person, lacking her own opinions, and prone to crying. She favored the eldest son's wife, but her eldest daughter-in-law didn't take her seriously, often scolding her and even daring to hit her.

Grandma Yu's life is a microcosm of the suffering of most rural women.

After a moment of silence, Yu Wanran asked in a low voice, "How did he die?"

“During the spring planting season, the eldest son’s family was short-handed, so they had the old lady go to the fields with them. The old lady’s complexion got worse day by day, but no one paid attention to it.”

Yanqing had already found out the secrets unknown to outsiders and was preparing to report back to his master, so he lowered his voice.

"As a result, the old lady collapsed three days ago and has never been able to get up again!"

Yanqing glanced at her master, who remained expressionless.

"My uncle rushed over to report the news, but by the time my wife got the money to call a doctor, it was too late."

Yanqing sighed and continued, "Now, Madam, Fourth Master, Young Mistress and Eldest Miss are all at the First House, helping with the funeral arrangements."

As a bodyguard for the Duke's mansion, Yanqing had seen his share of people and situations. However, he was still speechless at his master's messed-up relatives.

Not long ago, didn't Master Father just give the eldest son's wife twenty taels of silver? Behind Master's wife's back, Master Father has been secretly sending grain every now and then.

Why is the eldest son's family in such dire straits that they have to force an elderly man nearing sixty to work in the fields?

In short, the saying "bad people come from poor and remote places" is really true!

Yu Wanran acted decisively, handing the horse reins to Yanqing. At the same time, she took out ten taels of silver and gave it to Yanqing.

"Yanqing, my father is still in Huangshan County. Go there immediately and tell him to come back as soon as possible!"

As a son, missing the seventh day after death is one thing, but if he doesn't come back for the second or third seven-day mourning period, people will gossip about him behind his back. Her father's personality is such that he's prone to acting stubbornly.

Upon hearing the address, Yanqing packed her simple belongings and set off without saying a word.

Yu Wanran went inside to wash her face, intending to change into some dark-colored old clothes. She went to the main room, only to find a complete set of mourning clothes by her own bedside. Yu Man also had one by her bedside.

It seems that Zhu Xiaozhen was thoughtful and prepared everything in advance for them.

Yu Wanran tidied herself up, put on mourning clothes and a mourning cap, and walked towards the main house. As she got closer, she could hear the mournful music of the suona band deafeningly loud, and the monks chanting sutras, their instruments clanging incessantly.

The old man didn't care when he was alive, but after he passed away, he left behind a bunch of filial sons and grandsons.

Yu Wanran coldly gazed at the old house. Several mourning tents had been erected inside and outside the courtyard. The fence was filled with funeral banners and memorial flags. The main hall was temporarily used as a mourning hall, all white, with the old man's coffin placed in the center.

The villagers who came to offer condolences were only doing so out of politeness. Guided by Yu Tai and his son, or Ji Chunhua, they would simply offer incense, bow three times, give a few coins (at most ten coins) as a gift, and then automatically leave to sit in the mourning tent.

When the time comes for the funeral procession, the family will treat the deceased to a simple meal of tea and rice upon their return.

Those who didn't want a meal or to linger left immediately after offering their condolences. It was spring planting season, and everyone was very busy.