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

On the way, Ji Chunhua said to her family with a dark face, "If your father dares to secretly send money and grain to the eldest son's family again when he comes back this time, I will never forgive him!"

What company did you fund?

I used to think my uncle was honest, but now I see he's cunning and wicked! Without his indulgence, would Su Li, a mere cousin's wife, dare to be so arrogant and jump in front of her elders?

Even if Yu Tai was originally a good person, after being influenced by Liu Yan and Su Li for so long, his mind has turned black!

He's a fool who thinks he's the only one in charge and that the eldest son's family needs his protection.

Clutching her chest, Ji Chunhua felt dizzy and lightheaded, her vision blurring. She could only manage to walk home with the support of her children on either side.

"Mother, please don't be angry."

Yu Wanran roughly guessed what had happened, and helped her mother up, saying, "We have already bought a house in Huangshan County. After Dad comes back to pay respects to Grandma, we will settle there."

By then, the eldest and third wives will truly become insignificant distant relatives. The eldest wife is getting increasingly reckless, hurting her parents' feelings; it's better to distance herself from them later to avoid future trouble!

Upon hearing that the house had been purchased, Ji Chunhua completely forgot about the large house. She and her son and daughter-in-law looked at Yu Wanran with faces full of surprise.

"Have you decided on a location? Have you bought the house? Huangshan County... what do you think of that place?"

Yu Wanran did her best to describe the beautiful scenery of the manor to them, and also mentioned that the twenty acres of land were fertile and the villagers of Mingshui were simple and honest. In short, she filled the family with anticipation and made them feel that it was worth the money.

However, when Ji Chunhua heard that it cost three hundred taels of silver, she was still heartbroken, as it was an astronomical price!

Yu Wenrong cleverly replied, "Mother, our family has spent about fifty taels of silver these past few days helping the eldest son's family with the funeral arrangements for Grandma. Actually, a manor with twenty acres of fertile land for three hundred taels isn't expensive at all!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Chunhua realized that it made sense.

With the eldest son's family around, they wasted one-sixth of their house-buying money—what a loss! If it weren't for the eldest son's family's meanness in forcing the mother-in-law to work in the fields, the old woman might still be alive and well now.

This is impossible to calculate.

Back home, Yu Wanran boiled a large pot of water, took out the snacks she had bought in Huangshan County, and the family ate a simple meal, washed up, and went to bed. Everyone was exhausted and soon fell into a deep sleep.

I woke up a little late the next day, when the sun was high in the sky.

Zhu Xiaozhen quickly started a fire to cook porridge, and with the remaining snacks, everyone had a quick breakfast. The hired suona band and monks were to perform rituals until the seventh day after the death. Although the old man had passed away, the proper rites of remembrance could not be omitted.

After the 100-day mourning period, the Yu family can transition from deep mourning to lighter mourning and return to normal life. For at least a year, they must abstain from weddings, banquets, temples, and entertainment. They must wear simple clothes, eat coarse food, sleep on straw mats, and restrain their words and actions to demonstrate filial piety.

Ji Chunhua held her two children's hands, filled with remorse.

"Ranran, Fourth Brother, your wedding will have to be postponed for another year. We can ask a matchmaker to arrange your marriage next year after the mourning period ends!"

It's good that Yu Wenrong is a boy and still young. But Ranran might really be dragged down by him!

Even if we start looking for a partner next year, we might not find a suitable one. Wouldn't that just delay things year after year? Once a girl is over eighteen, her options become much smaller.

Ji Chunhua sighed, both resenting the eldest son's family for not taking good care of Granny Yu and worrying about her daughter's future. Her daughter was the kind of person with high aspirations, and she feared that her marriage prospects would be even more uncertain.

Yu Wanran and her younger brother Yu Wenrong exchanged a glance, both seeing the smugness in each other's eyes.

Yu Wenrong took Ji Chunhua's hand and said, "Mother, Third Sister led us to become rich and wealthy. We have houses and land. Why are you still worried about our marriage?"

"A year goes by quickly. At least our family won't have to worry about paying taxes and grain taxes anymore. The most important thing is that the whole family can be together peacefully!"

Ji Chunhua thought about it and agreed. She decided to put aside her various worries and wait until they moved to their new home in Huangshan County before making any decisions.

After the seventh day following the death of her father, Yu Wanran did not stay at home. She quickly took the family's household registration documents and went to the Tongcheng government office to complete the relocation procedures.

Wu Jian stepped in and took her directly to the yamen's registrar. Yu Wanran gave the registrar twenty taels of silver and said she would give him another thirty taels after the matter was settled.

The clerk narrowed his long, fox-like eyes, stroked his beard, and a smile was hidden in his eyes.

"Miss Yu, please go home and wait for news. Come back to the yamen in three days, and I will tell you whether this matter can be handled smoothly."

Yu Wanran knew that he wanted to first gauge the reactions of Duke Xiao and Prefect Wei. After all, her previous status had intricate connections with both families. If she rashly let the Yu family go, the registrar worried he would be implicated.

Xiao Wang wouldn't go back on his word in the short term, and Wei Zhi always acted according to the Duke's wishes, so Yu Wanran wasn't afraid that her relocation to Huangshan wouldn't go as planned.

I bought some burlap sacks and ropes for moving at the market, and then rode home in the oxcart driven by my older brother.

The private school where Yu Wenrong worked had given a break for spring plowing. Yu Wanran simply sent her younger brother to say goodbye to the teacher. Her brother could then pursue his studies at another private school in Huangshan County.

Anyway, he needs to learn to read the ledgers and recognize most of the characters before he can drop out of school.

The eldest brother, besides taking care of the two acres of red velvet grass, also had to learn to read from Yu Wenrong whenever he had free time.

Yu Wanran observed coldly, but in fact, the most diligent student in the family was Yu Xiaoxiang. She wasn't as smart as Yu Wenrong, but she was hardworking and very obedient.

Yu Wenrong absorbed everything she learned at the private school without really understanding it, waiting for time to settle and digest it.

Yu Wanran affectionately stroked her little niece's split blonde hair. If this child is properly nurtured, she might become the face of the younger generation of the Yu family.

It seems that her older brother and his wife don't pay much attention to their daughter; she needs to focus on her more.

Three days later, when she returned to Tongcheng, the registrar greeted her with a smile. Taking the household registration book handed over by Yu Wenbin, he crossed out the names of the second branch of the Yu family from the roster filed with the government.

At the same time, a travel permit bearing the official seal was issued.

Only with this document can they prove they are not migrants and can move their entire families to settle in other towns. Of course, settling in Huangshan County also requires going through procedures and paying a considerable fee.

Yu Wanran gave the registrar the remaining thirty taels of silver as a kickback. In addition, for the official procedures, another twenty taels were given.

Holding a thin stack of documents, everyone in the second branch of the Yu family breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was ready; they were just waiting for Yu Man to return so they could pay their respects to Grandma Yu before moving in.

These past two days, Ji Chunhua has been directing her family to tidy up their belongings bit by bit. They had thought the house would be bare, but it turned out there were quite a few odds and ends. They couldn't bear to throw away even a pair of used bamboo chopsticks or tattered scraps of cloth.

I'm afraid even several trucks wouldn't be able to hold them all.

Yu Wanran tried to dissuade them many times to no avail, so she had no choice but to let them pack. She simply packed a few newly made clothes and the jewelry given to her by the Duchess and Yan Cheng'an.

As for silver notes and loose change, they were naturally always carried on one's person.

About ten days after Grandma Yu's burial, Yu Man finally returned by carriage overnight. Yan Qing followed behind the carriage on horseback.

Without having time to talk to his wife and children, Yu Man immediately changed into mourning clothes, tears streaming down his face. He asked his family to bring incense, candles, and paper money and take him to his grandmother's grave to pay his respects.

Yu Wanran told Yanqing to rest and feed the horses. She then had her younger brother inform her uncle that her father had returned. Only then did she pay the hired coachman and pack up the luggage that Yu Man had brought back.

Doing these things inevitably caused delays, making us a little late in setting off. Just as we locked the door and were about to head up the mountain, Yu Wenrong came running back in a cloud of smoke, panting heavily, his face full of panic, shouting as he spoke.

"Third Sister, something terrible has happened! Father and Uncle are fighting!"