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

At dusk, the crackling sound of firecrackers echoed outside. Yu Tai and his son led in several burly men, including his second sister's husband, Zhou Can.

The funeral is being prepared.

But I didn't see my second sister, Yu Cuicui. I guess she's about to give birth and doesn't want to disturb the baby, so she's staying home to take care of the child.

The group of people were somewhat surprised to see that it was Yu Wanran keeping vigil.

Yu Tai hurriedly asked, "Ranran, where's your father?"

Yu Wanran answered calmly.

“I got back first. My father doesn’t know about my grandmother’s passing yet, so I sent someone to inform him.”

Yu Tai's face darkened, and he couldn't help but complain.

“You were doing just fine in the village, but your father insisted on letting you all cause trouble! Look, your father couldn’t even make it to your grandmother’s funeral!”

Yu Wanran glanced at him, her tone icy.

"Uncle, everything was fine, how could my grandma suddenly be gone? I heard she went to work in the fields with you? She was so old..."

Yu Tai's face suddenly turned a riot of colors. Zhou Can, who was present, quickly interrupted, "Hurry up and prepare for the funeral procession, lest we miss the auspicious time?"

Feeling embarrassed, Yu Tai hurriedly called to everyone to prepare for the funeral procession.

Despite feeling sorry for Zhu Xiaozhen and her daughter who had only slept for a short while, Yu Wanran still had to go into the room to wake them up, and then go to the west room to find her older and younger brothers.

The furniture in the west room was moved out, and the main room was filled with clutter. The two Yu brothers, Wenbin and Wenbin, shivered and slept on a pile of baskets and dirt, hugging each other for warmth.

The dark circles under their eyes were even more pronounced than those of Zhu Xiaozhen.

Yu Wanran was furious that the eldest son's family was being so unreasonable, not even offering her a thin blanket? Was it deliberate neglect or unwillingness?

Gently pat the older and younger brothers awake.

The two opened their eyes and saw her standing in front of them, overjoyed: "Third Sister, when did you get back! Where's Father?"

Yu Wanran gave a brief explanation and urged them to go out and join the funeral procession. The two men, not bothering with small talk, quickly straightened their clothes, brushed off the mud, and stumbled after her into the courtyard.

After the funeral procession assembled, Uncle Yu Tairen knelt slightly before the coffin. He held the earthenware basin with holes in the bottom with both hands and smashed it to the ground, shattering it into several pieces.

Then, accompanied by a wail, the spirit tablet was raised!

Eight strong men, including Zhou Can, carefully lifted Granny Yu's coffin and stepped out of the mourning hall and out of the courtyard, heading towards the pre-selected burial site.

Since Yu Man was not present, Yu Wenbin had to hold up the soul-guiding banner, while the other members of the Yu family, dressed in mourning clothes, followed behind, weeping and supporting the coffin, walking in a grand procession.

Paper money fluttered down, filling the air. The suona band and drums played in unison, adding a somber and melancholic atmosphere to the funeral procession.

Yu Wanran couldn't cry, so she just lowered her head. Zhu Xiaozhen and her daughter also looked numb and walked away silently. Worried that they wouldn't be able to hold on, Yu Wanran supported one of them with each arm.

Behind him, a large group of villagers who had come to watch the commotion were discussing the matter.

The Yu family is really rich now, throwing such a lavish funeral for the old lady. They hired a suona band for seven days alone? That thick coffin must have cost at least ten taels of silver!

Yu Wanran looked at Su Li, who was walking slightly ahead of her.

Her complexion was rosy, and her belly wasn't showing much; it was hard to tell how many months pregnant she was. This pregnant woman, however, had more energy than most people.

Seemingly noticing that Yu Wanran was paying attention to her, Su Li raised the corners of her mouth and gave her a forced smile.

Yu Wanran withdrew her gaze and did not respond. Su Li's gaze towards her involuntarily turned disgusted.

Upon arriving at the cemetery, Zhou Can and his eight coffin bearers, acting as the "Eight Immortals," dug the burial pit. This pit belonged to Grandpa Yu, and it was being reopened to allow the elderly couple to be buried together.

They laid some bamboo at the bottom of the grave, placed the coffin inside alongside the old coffin, and removed the bamboo padding. Yu Tai took the lead, grabbing a handful of soil and throwing it onto the coffin lid.

After placing the old clothes and rice bowl that Grandma Yu used during her lifetime inside, you can cover the grave with soil.

Throughout the process, the rest of the Yu family wore mourning clothes, burned paper money in front of the grave, and wept incessantly.

After sealing the tomb, the funeral procession slowly circled it three times before descending the mountain. As they went down, the children were solemnly instructed never to look back.

When they returned to the main house and saw the mourning hall, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. These past few days had been incredibly exhausting; things wouldn't get any easier after today.

Ji Chunhua, who was unable to climb the mountain due to mobility issues, prepared food and wine with her family. Those who returned washed their hands with the wine. After the farewell ceremony, they filed into the mourning hall and ate the "last meal" with the Yu family.

The eight men who carried the coffin last each received a white packet containing one tael of silver. The suona troupe and the monks received a total of ten taels. However, they were to perform for seven days before they could leave.

During this time, the Yu family treated them to good food and drink, and set up tents for them to rest. The entire house was filled with smoke, and the pungent smell was suffocating.

After the meal, everyone hurriedly cleaned up the table and dishes; it was already completely dark.

Yu Tai found Ji Chunhua and said kindly, "Second sister-in-law, there's really no room for so many people at home. There's no need to keep vigil tonight. Why don't you all go back first and come back tomorrow morning?"

Ji Chunhua, who had long been unable to hold on any longer, was naturally happy to agree and immediately accepted.

Su Li leaned closer and said, "Aunt, we don't have enough rice and flour at home to entertain the guests. Please bring more grain over tomorrow morning."

Upon seeing the person she disliked, Ji Chunhua, exhausted and hungry, suddenly became furious, her face turning as black as the bottom of a pot. Ignoring Yu Tai's presence, she spoke loudly.

"My family paid for my mother-in-law's coffin! My family paid for the funeral arrangements! My family also bought all the food and drinks for everyone these past few days! Several hundred kilograms of grain and dozens of kilograms of meat, don't you all know how much it cost in total?"

She glared at Yu Tai, whose face was grim.

"So, all the money you asked for for a lavish celebration is going to be paid for by my family?"

Su Li rolled her eyes.

"With my second uncle gone, he can't fulfill his responsibilities as a son. Shouldn't he contribute more money if he doesn't do anything? Second aunt, you're really being petty!"

"My family didn't contribute?"

Ji Chunhua grew increasingly furious and wanted to tear her mouth apart.

"The hard work of keeping vigil was all done by my son and daughter-in-law. Didn't you see my granddaughter faint twice? What did your family do?"

She raised her cane and pointed it at Su Li.

"You're chatting and eating sunflower seeds with people, laughing and joking! But your husband and brother-in-law are always following along, unable to keep up?"

Afraid of being poked by her stick, Su Li quickly took two steps back, looking indignant: "I'm pregnant! Second Aunt, you're so heartless. Your own daughter-in-law can't lay eggs, and you expect me to get hurt and miscarry?"

Ji Chunhua was so angry that she was trembling all over.

When Yu Tai saw that the others had heard the noise and gathered around to see what was going on, he glared at his daughter-in-law and said, "Shut up! How can you be so disrespectful, talking to your second aunt like that?"

Turning to Ji Chunhua, he said awkwardly, "Second sister-in-law, the younger generation is ignorant, please don't take it to heart. Our family will cover the food for the guests in the next few days. Why don't you go back and rest?"

Upon hearing the commotion, Yu Wanran and the others approached Ji Chunhua, sensing the tense atmosphere between the three of them, though they were unsure what was going on. Ji Chunhua, unwilling to continue arguing in front of outsiders, swallowed her anger and slammed her cane down hard.

"Let's go home!"