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

Yu Wanran's appearance did not attract much attention.

After all, there were many members of the Yu family, all dressed in mourning clothes with their heads covered, making it impossible to recognize them unless you got close. Yu Wanran spotted Ji Chunhua and, taking advantage of an opening, went over and tugged at her sleeve.

Ji Chunhua turned around and saw her, both surprised and delighted. She quickly led her daughter to a quiet corner: "Ranran, you're back! Where's your father?"

As a disabled woman, with her husband absent, she was forced to shoulder the burden alone, which was truly beyond her capabilities.

“Father stayed in Huangshan County on business and didn’t know that Grandma would have an accident, so he didn’t come back. I’ve already sent Yanqing to inform him.”

Noticing her mother's dark circles, Yu Wanran tried to pull her to a shed to sit down and rest. But Ji Chunhua quickly pulled her hand away.

"Ranran, come inside first, light some incense and burn some paper money for your grandma! There are too many people, and your mother needs to help. If I stay out of the way while your father is away, people will gossip about our second branch of the family."

Yu Wanran frowned slightly as she watched her mother, leaning on a cane, move her disabled body with difficulty, carefully welcoming the next wave of villagers who came to pay their respects.

Left with no other choice, she followed them into the mourning hall. After the previous group of people offered incense, she took three sticks of incense from the wooden table, lit them, and kowtowed to the old man as a tribute.

She kowtowed, and the two people beside her, representing the filial sons and grandsons of the host family, also numbly prostrated themselves on the ground and kowtowed in return.

At first, neither of them noticed anything, but after they finished kowtowing and their eyes met, Yu Wanran was astonished to discover that the two people playing the roles of dutiful son and grandson were actually her sister-in-law and niece!

Zhu Xiaozhen and her daughter kept vigil for an unknown period of time; their faces were deathly pale, and their bodies swayed precariously.

Yu Xiaoxiang leaned against her mother, almost in a semi-conscious state. Her chin, which had finally grown a little chubby, had visibly turned back to its original point, and her little mouth was dry and cracked.

In her haste, Yu Wanran disregarded the fact that this was a mourning hall and rushed forward to pick up her little niece with one hand and help her sister-in-law up with the other.

Zhu Xiaozhen's surprise turned into astonishment.

"Third Sister! You're back? Ah... do we still have to keep vigil?"

Yu Wanran was utterly exasperated, glaring at her angrily: "You have to keep vigil, but you also need to take care of yourself! Look at Xiao Xiang, can she really hold on and keep vigil with you?"

Zhu Xiaozhen could only stand steadily with Yu Wanran's support. Her legs trembled like leaves, and she obediently followed Yu Wanran into the inner room of the main house.

In the eyes of the mother and daughter, Third Sister (Third Aunt) was an even more reliable pillar of support than Ji Chunhua. If Third Sister (Third Aunt) said there was no need to guard them anymore, they would naturally obey.

Liu Yan was sleeping in the inner room, which was filled with a fishy and strong smell of medicine.

Regardless of whose beds were in the empty cubicles, Yu Wanran simply picked a relatively clean bed board, placed Yu Xiaoxiang on it, and pulled the blanket over her.

He told Zhu Xiaozhen to stay by his side while he went outside to find a teapot and water cups, brought them in, and poured water for the mother and daughter.

The mother and daughter were overjoyed, like parched land receiving sweet rain. They grabbed a cup and drank from it in turn.

Once the two had calmed down a bit, Zhu Xiaozhen struggled to go out and keep vigil again. Yu Wanran pressed her down to sit on the edge of the bed, her face cold as she asked, "Why are only the two of you keeping vigil? Where are the eldest son's family members? Has anyone from the third son's family returned?"

Even a fool like Zhu Xiaozhen could tell she was angry. She stammered, "The third branch sent a servant a couple of days ago with two taels of silver as condolences before leaving. The first branch..."

She couldn't hide her envy.

"My eldest cousin's wife is pregnant, and my eldest uncle and cousin said she shouldn't overwork herself. Since the others had to attend to the guests who came to pay their respects, my mother made Xiao Xiang and me kneel in the mourning hall to keep vigil."

Yu Wanran was somewhat speechless.

Is Su Li pregnant?

Could it be that Granny Yu's death was related to her pregnancy? Because there was one less main breadwinner, Granny Yu had to step in and ended up losing her life.

It's impossible to say who's right and who's wrong.

Pregnancy is naturally a top priority for a woman.

The third uncle married into the woman's family, so it seems reasonable that he wouldn't come. But what about the eldest son's two other sons? With the eldest and younger brothers taking turns keeping vigil, it shouldn't have been so hard for Zhu Xiaozhen and her daughter!

Seeing that her sister-in-law's fire had gone out, Zhu Xiaozhen seized the opportunity to explain, "Xiaoxiang and I kept watch during the day, while your eldest brother and younger brother kept watch at night. They're catching up on sleep in the west room now. We're really fine, Third Sister, don't worry!"

Yu Wanran remained noncommittal.

"Sister-in-law, you and Xiao Xiang sleep in this room for a while. I'll keep watch outside!"

She is a child of the Yu family. Although they are not related, she still has an obligation to fulfill her filial duties after her grandmother passed away.

Zhu Xiaozhen wanted to refuse. But seeing her sister-in-law stroking her daughter's head with a worried expression, she felt a surge of warmth in her heart and changed her mind.

"Okay, Third Sister, then I'll take over for you later."

Yu Wanran gestured for her to sleep next to Xiao Xiang. After covering them both with the blankets, she was about to get up when she heard Liu Yan wake up and start cursing loudly on the bed.

"You bunch of jinxes! That's my eldest son and his wife's house. How dare you barge in there? You haven't been able to conceive for years, and you still dare to bring bad luck to my eldest son's wife?"

Zhu Xiaozhen and her daughter trembled and immediately tried to throw off the covers and get up.

Yu Wanran's eyes sharpened, and she said to the mother and daughter, "Lie down!"

He strode out of the cubicle and went to Liu Yan's bedside.

Liu Yan, who had gained weight while in the hospital, was now spewing profuse insults, her fat jiggling as she spoke. Upon seeing Yu Wanran, she continued to hurl vulgarities. Yu Wanran grabbed her head with one hand and slapped her across the face with the other—"Smack!"

He slapped her on the back of the neck, knocking her unconscious.

She tore off a piece of white cloth from the room, vigorously wiped her hands, and returned to the cubicle. She smiled at the mother and daughter who were staring at her with wide eyes.

"It's alright, your aunt has agreed that you can continue sleeping here. Don't worry, I'll go outside to keep vigil."

The mother and daughter listened intently, but apart from the sounds of suona horns and people outside, Liu Yanzhen made no other noise, which meant she had tacitly agreed.

The two were exhausted and, as soon as they relaxed, they fell into a deep sleep before Yu Wanran even stepped out the door.

Yu Wanran closed the door and came out to look around the yard.

Yu Tai led his two sons, walking back and forth between the mourning tents and greeting the villagers. As for Su Li, her hair was neatly combed, her clothes were clean, and she had a smile on her face as she sat in the mourning tent chatting with a group of women.

He even chuckled when he got excited. He held a handful of winter melon seeds in his hand and kept cracking them open with his mouth.

This is turning a funeral into a celebration! Didn't they say that my uncle's family was so happy with their wild vegetable porridge that they couldn't survive?

Yu Wanran glanced at the woman with disgust, then went straight to her eldest cousin, Yu Wencai, to explain that her family had borrowed his room. After all, there was a difference between men and women, and it wouldn't be good for Yu Wencai to suddenly return to his room and witness it.

Yu Wencai nodded understandingly: "Third cousin, please make yourselves at home. It's just that there's a funeral procession later, so you won't be able to rest for long."

He turned and looked around.

Where is my second uncle?

Yu Wanran said, "Grandma left suddenly, and my father didn't know. I've already sent someone to inform him that she's on her way back."

Yu Wencai looked slightly uneasy and replied in a low voice, "We all felt it was sudden..."

Yu Wanran ignored him, walked back to the mourning hall, knelt on the prayer mat, and kept vigil in place of her sister-in-law and niece. When someone offered condolences or incense, she bowed in return.