In the early hours of midsummer, just as dawn broke, the fields were already bustling with activity.
Sun Chan bent over in the corn rows, weeding, with bruises on her face and body from her husband's beatings. Her arms were too weak to lift, but her husband would never do these chores. If she didn't hurry, the crops would be ruined.
After working for several hours, she was so exhausted that she saw stars. As she tried to stand, her legs gave way, causing her to collapse onto the ground. The earth was scorching, and the pain made her groan, but she couldn't move at all.
Bitterness welled up in Sun Chan's heart, yet she felt relieved: I might just work myself to death like this...
In a daze, she felt a cold sensation as water was poured over her head, soaking her entirely. In the heat, it made her shiver all over, and then someone pushed her hard, with a familiar voice ringing in her ears.
"All you do is eat and sleep! Abandoned and humiliated, yet you still have the nerve?"
Sun Chan sat up, dazed. Wasn't she dead? How could she still be scolded for not working now that she's in the underworld?
Looking at her adoptive mother, Zhao Xiuxia, who appeared much younger, she was momentarily confused about what was happening.
Her eyes glanced around at the shabby courtyard, the mud walls, and missing glass patched up with plastic bags.
Everything was so familiar. Sun Chan suddenly covered her mouth, terror filling her eyes. She had been reborn twenty years ago, to the day before her engagement!
Zhao Xiuxia was still nagging, but Sun Chan's heart was overwhelmed with excitement, unable to hear anything clearly.
Zhao Xiuxia was her adoptive mother, widowed early on, with only one son and one daughter under her care.
But the son had some mental issues and couldn't speak at four years old; her daughter Sun Lijuan was three years younger, clever and lively, and also quite pretty.
Zhao Xiuxia wasn't adept at farm work, which kept the Sun Family poor, and her son was a fool. Zhao Xiuxia was always worried about her son's marriage. Coincidentally, when the son turned five, someone found a newborn baby girl abandoned near the village well.
Zhao Xiuxia took her in and named her Sun Chan.
From a young age, she was raised as a child bride, with the plan to marry her off to serve the son when grown, but the son died of an illness before turning twelve, ruining her plans.
Over the years, Sun Chan worked at home like a servant, handling farm chores, feeding pigs, washing laundry, and cooking. Zhao Xiuxia and Sun Lijuan constantly mistreated her.
Seeing she was seventeen and attractive, they began plotting to sell her for money. Who knew this stubborn girl would find herself a partner, but luckily it failed, or they wouldn't get any bride price.
Seeing Sun Chan was unresponsive, Zhao Xiuxia jabbed her forehead with her finger, "Just know how to play dead and not work, huh? Am I supposed to handle farm work?"
Sun Chan dodged her hand, indifferent to her words, as heaven had given her a chance to start anew. She would take control of her fate, and she'd rather die than marry Zhou Jinzhu!
"Hurry to the fields to work, or I'll deal with you!"
"When have I ever been lazy? Don't I handle all the chores at home? I only got sick for a few days, and you treat me like this? No matter what, you have to let me recover for your sake so I can marry and earn you money." Sun Chan's tone was mocking, the resentment and helplessness of decades towards her adoptive mother surfacing.
"You wretched girl... But, you're agreeing to the engagement?"
Sun Chan had always opposed this marriage, even falling ill because of it. Zhao Xiuxia worried if she pushed too hard, she'd drive her to death, causing trouble, and losing the bride price would be impossible then.
Without responding, Sun Chan slid her feet into her shoes and walked out.
"Where are you going? To find Ding Hu again?"
"What if I am?"
Initially suppressing her temper, Zhao Xiuxia couldn't hold back upon hearing this, shouting, "That stinking kid's family is dirt poor, with a crazy mother. I've advised you countless times to end it, and you didn't listen. So what now? He turned around and hooked up with Liu Mei, going to Liu Family as a live-in son-in-law. Aren't they humiliating us in the same village?"
Speaking of it, the idea of Ding Hu and Liu Mei being together was suggested by Sun Chan's sister, Sun Lijuan.
She and Zhao Xiuxia both wanted Sun Chan sold for a good price, so how could they let her marry a poor guy? Sun Lijuan encouraged her friend Liu Mei to pursue Ding Hu, and even though Liu Mei wasn't pretty, her family was wealthy, and eventually, they got together.
Returning to life, Sun Chan had no hatred for Sun Lijuan because Ding Hu was a complete scumbag.
Zhao Xiuxia strained her neck, saying, "This time, no matter what you say, I'll have you marry whoever I choose!"
"Is it marrying me or selling me? Sounds nice indeed." Sun Chan replied slowly, "Do you think I don't know? Selling me for a five-hundred-yuan bride price to a drunken old widower, he's a beast. I will never marry him!"
Thinking of that person made Sun Chan's heart clench tightly.
In her past life, Ding Hu greedily pursued wealth and abandoned her. Heartbroken, Sun Chan let Zhao Xiuxia arrange her marriage to Zhou Jinzhu.
She realized too late that Zhou Jinzhu was an abusive scumbag. His former wife hanged herself, unable to bear his beatings. He did nothing but drank gambled and crazily abused his wife.
She endured several miscarriages from beatings, while her family took money from him and constantly urged her not to divorce.
Sun Lijuan used money from the Zhou Family for a small business and married in the city, living happily. But Sun Chan was left unable to bear children and had to adopt a son from Zhou Family relatives.
Liangliang... The thought of that poor child deeply saddened Sun Chan. She hoped after her death the boy would return to his parents, otherwise he would suffer as well.
"You stupid girl, don't hope Ding Hu will help you anymore. Prepare for the engagement tomorrow. I refuse to believe you can defy me!" Zhao Xiuxia adopted a mother's authority, lecturing her.
Sun Chan ignored her, took the washbasin, and squatted in the yard to wash her face.
Her hands returned to their delicate and fair form, with some calluses. When she died, her hands were rough as tree bark, full of cuts, despite being only in her thirties, but looking fifty.
Zhao Xiuxia followed her out, saying, "I've raised you for so many years, you owe me plenty. Anyway, we've already received the Zhou Family's betrothal gifts, so you must marry. Marriage is decided by parents."