1977, Wang Family Village.
“That little bitch—you know what she’s like. An educated female student. Back in the day, her family ate white flour buns every meal, that’s how she got that fair, tender skin. Slim waist, wide hips—most importantly, she can bear children!”
“Lame Wang, don’t you just need a woman to give you kids? That belly of hers—five years ago, she only spent one night consummating her marriage, and the next year she gave birth to a pair of boy-girl twins… With your ability down there, don’t even talk about two—you could manage three!”
“A flat price—nine hundred yuan. She’ll bear you three sons. You won’t find a deal like this even if you search with a lantern!”
Song Yuntang hid behind a battered wooden door. As she listened to the sharp-tongued woman and the lecherous man outside, a cold smile curled on her lips.
The sharp-tongued woman was her aunt, Ding Yuzhen. The lecherous man was the village’s infamous old bachelor, Lame Wang. And the woman they were talking about—sold for nine hundred yuan to bear three sons—was her.
An hour earlier, Song Yuntang had awakened from a piercing pain in her forehead. When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw a strange and shabby room.
It was utterly bare. Aside from the broken bed beneath her, there was nothing. Even the roof was just a thatched covering, with clusters of cobwebs hanging everywhere.
She had been a corporate slave working a “996” schedule, and had fainted from overwork. The good news was that she hadn’t died. The bad news was that she had transmigrated.
The original owner of this body shared her exact name—Song Yuntang.
Ten years ago, the original host’s father had been a weapons research expert who returned from studying in the United States, and her mother had been a chief physician. Both were high-ranking officials in their respective units, earning over two hundred yuan a month. It had been a well-off, prestigious family, and she had grown up as their cherished daughter.
But good times did not last. When the original host was in high school, a turbulent era arrived.
Her parents were to be sent down to Northwest China. Leaving behind their underage daughter in the city was something they could not bear, so they thought of a distant cousin living in the countryside.
After preparing money and making every possible arrangement, they sent her to the countryside, hoping she could avoid disaster and live safely.
Unfortunately, they had misjudged people. Her uncle’s family in the countryside were not kind at all—they were heartless wolves.
From the very first day, her uncle Song Mingde and aunt Ding Yuzhen had set their sights on the wealth she carried with her. Her cousin, seeing her beauty, secretly took liberties with her. Her cousin sister, greedy and shameless, had long coveted her clothes and shoes, claiming them as her own.
Here, the original host received no care from relatives. Instead, she had become a servant in the household. Once a refined young lady, she was forced to do all the washing and cooking.
She was neither well-fed nor warmly clothed, receiving only a single coarse bun each day.
She had thought of resisting, but she had no money, and Ding Yuzhen had said, “Your father, one of the black category, already died in Northwest China. The only reason you’re still alive is because we took pity on you. If you don’t behave, I’ll send you to the Revolutionary Committee tomorrow.”
The original host was timid. She had seen what kind of people were in the Revolutionary Committee. Frightened out of her wits, she dared not utter a word, and could only continue to toil like an ox or horse, enduring a bitter life.
As Song Yuntang absorbed these memories, she cursed inwardly. But what came next was even worse.
Five years ago, a group of people labeled as “black category” had been sent to the village. Among them was a man who stood out—Fu Weicheng.
Before being sent down, Fu Weicheng had been from the capital. His father was a high-ranking military leader, and he himself had been an officer of considerable rank. Because something had happened to his father, he was implicated and sent down as well.
Aside from his background, his appearance was also striking.
Unlike the others, who were either cringing and submissive or gaunt and lifeless, Fu Weicheng had sharp brows, deep-set features, and a tall, upright figure. Even dressed in rough clothing, he exuded a powerful aura. Even the village bullies did not dare provoke him—rumor had it they had been severely beaten by him.
Compared to the rough men in the village, he was like heaven and earth.
Even with his “bad background,” the village chief’s daughter had taken a liking to him.
But Fu Weicheng kept to himself, cold and silent, ignoring everyone.
At the same time, Ding Yuzhen had set her sights on him—not for his looks, but for his money.
There were rumors that when Fu Weicheng had been sent down from the capital, he had brought quite a sum with him—at least several hundred yuan, enough for a rural family to live well for years.
Ding Yuzhen, having already profited from the original host before, firmly believed this.
She devised a scheme. She drugged the original host and sent her to Fu Weicheng’s house. As soon as he returned and entered the room, Ding Yuzhen immediately appeared, loudly claiming to be searching for the girl, while actually bringing people to burst in and witness the disheveled original host entangled with Fu Weicheng.
There was no way to clear their names now.
Ding Yuzhen made a huge scene, spreading the matter throughout the village. She even went to the commune, shouting that Fu Weicheng had ruined the girl’s innocence. If he refused to marry her, she would have the girl drowned in a pig cage—after all, a woman without chastity might as well die.
That would make Fu Weicheng responsible for her death.
If he agreed to marry her, he had to produce three hundred yuan as a bride price.
Three hundred yuan—not a single cent less.
Thus, under the pressure of the original host “threatening with her life” and the villagers’ gossip, Fu Weicheng had no choice but to marry her.
The three hundred yuan ended up in Ding Yuzhen’s hands. Delighted, she threw the original host into Fu Weicheng’s shabby house, and that was that.
For Fu Weicheng, the marriage had been forced upon him.
For the original host, it had been a disaster from the heavens.
Because when Ding Yuzhen had been causing a commotion to force the marriage, the original host had been drugged, dazed, and unconscious—unable even to get up, completely unaware of what was happening.
By the time the effects of the drug wore off and she regained some clarity, she had already become Fu Weicheng’s wife.
Within these memories, Song Yuntang sensed the original host’s feelings toward Fu Weicheng.
First, there was a sense of shared misfortune—they had both been dragged into this village because of their parents.
Second, there was fear.
Fu Weicheng appeared cold and intimidating, his dark eyes heavy and silent. He spoke to no one, only staring with an icy gaze. The original host, being delicate and introverted, had been deeply afraid of him.
At the same time, she held a trace of hope.
After all, life with her uncle’s family had been unbearable. Whether the marriage had been voluntary or not, she had escaped that hell. Perhaps, by following this cold-faced man, her life might improve.
And indeed, after marriage, her life had stabilized as she had hoped.
Though Fu Weicheng was cold and taciturn, he took good care of her. She no longer had to work from dawn till dusk, nor go hungry.
However, her good days lasted only a week.
One week after the wedding, news suddenly arrived from the capital—Fu Weicheng’s father had been rehabilitated and reinstated as a leader in the Beijing Military District. Fu Weicheng himself was also cleared of charges and restored to his post, ordered to report back.
The very next day after the news arrived, Fu Weicheng left for the capital.
From then on, there was no further word from him.
What he left behind for the original host was an empty, broken house—and morning sickness a month later…
She was pregnant.
Pregnant and alone, with nowhere to go, she had no choice but to return to her uncle’s house, living in a drafty cowshed. After carrying the pregnancy for nine months, she gave birth to a pair of boy-girl twins.
Everyone said that Fu Weicheng had risen to great heights in the capital and naturally despised her as a burdensome wife—even abandoning his own children.
The original host and her two children could only live under others’ roofs, working tirelessly, until not long ago, when Ding Yuzhen struck her with a stick. She lost consciousness and died—only then did Song Yuntang take over this body.
Five years ago, Ding Yuzhen had sold the original host’s marriage and extorted three hundred yuan from Fu Weicheng.
Five years later, she planned to sell the original host’s womb again for another nine hundred yuan.
Truly vicious and greedy to the extreme.
Through the crack in the door, Song Yuntang saw Ding Yuzhen taking the nine hundred yuan from Lame Wang.
Greed filled Ding Yuzhen’s face. She spat on her fingers as she counted the money, grinning widely. “Lame Wang, just wait. I’ll go arrange things right now. I’ll make sure she’s soft as noodles—ready for you to knead and shape however you like… Just go in later and enjoy yourself.”
After counting the money, Ding Yuzhen stuffed it into her pocket, swayed her hips, and pushed the door open as she walked in.
At that moment, Song Yuntang held a cold smile on her lips, tightening her grip on the wooden stick in her hand—