Song Yan suddenly thought of the original owner's past. While Song Ma was indeed bullied because of her weak personality, there was another reason that led to the current situation.

When the original owner was very young, her memories were all vague. If Song Ma didn't listen to what Old Madam Song said directly, but tried to explain, Old Madam Song would scold the original owner as a bastard, a mixed child that Song Ma had conceived outside.

This has happened more than once.

If Song's father displeases the old lady, she will scold the original owner in the same way.

…Song's father spent ten yuan without permission, and the old lady cursed the original owner so badly that she almost went crazy. Her words were extremely vile… “You grew up to be like your mother, lying around waiting for men… You’re not even as good as a prostitute… All you know is to drag men to bed…” and there were even more offensive things to say… Song Yan thought he had obtained all of the original owner’s memories, but now, these fragmented pieces of information were surfacing.

The original owner was so young, how could Old Mrs. Song have said such things?

When the original owner was twelve, she actually didn't sleep. The couple didn't know this, and they started chatting about some things.

Song's mother complained to Song's father: "If you hadn't made me pregnant out of wedlock, I wouldn't be in this situation where I feel so ashamed. I can do whatever I want, but why does your mother have the right to scold Xiaoyan like that? Isn't she your daughter...?"

As the original owner grew older, she came to understand the meaning behind those harsh words.

Because of this, Song Ma became more and more afraid of Old Mrs. Song.

Grandma Song said such hurtful things whenever she wanted; how could her daughter stand it? So, Grandma Song kept giving in to keep Grandma Song quiet.

"Mom, was your pregnancy out of wedlock your own choice, or did Dad force you?" Song Yan asked directly, as she subconsciously considered it a big deal.

Song's mother and father were stunned, and their faces instantly turned bright red.

"How dare you speak like that?" Song's father was unusually angry.

Song Ma: "Mom knows she was wrong, and you also think Mom is ashamed, right?"

Song Yan also breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that wasn't the case.

If Song's father forces Song's mother, there's absolutely no need to keep this stepfather.

"Mom, even if you made a mistake back then, you should have paid back for what you've endured over the past ten years. Even if you hadn't married and had me, I wouldn't blame you." In Song Yan's mind, this wasn't a big deal decades later.

"You don't blame me? When you were little, you asked me what a bastard was." Song Ma cried again.

"Whether I'm a child of the Song family or not, the old lady knows very well, right? Why does she keep bringing this up? She doesn't show any mercy in tormenting you all." They're all her own children, this differential treatment is too obvious. Song Yan felt something was strange. The original owner was introverted, which she also found odd, but she hadn't asked.

Mr. Song lowered his head, rubbing his hands. "When I was born, your grandmother suffered a massive hemorrhage and almost died. She thought I was unlucky. So she's always disliked me! When I reached marriageable age, she had someone calculate it, and they said that only if I married a fool could I ward off my bad luck and ensure the safety of the whole family..."

"She really found you an idiot?" Song Yan found it utterly absurd.

"Yes. I absolutely refused! Your mother's family needed money at the time, and I asked around. Your stepmother needed forty yuan, so I borrowed forty yuan from someone..."

Song Ma grew up under her stepmother's care and suffered a lot. She never imagined that her stepmother would sell her for forty yuan.

That old lady is a real jerk!

"Your father insisted on marrying me, but your grandmother absolutely refused. My stepmother even kicked me out of the house, and she spread the word everywhere that everyone she knew was going to marry your father."

Your grandmother absolutely refused to agree to the marriage, and I was homeless. At that time, I didn't have a job, and the factory dormitory wouldn't let me stay..." Perhaps thinking of the difficulties she faced back then, Song Ma cried and couldn't continue.

“We had no other choice, so we had you. Your mother was pregnant, and your grandmother didn’t dare to deny it. Otherwise, I would be committing adultery and would be sentenced to prison. If a criminal comes into the family, the whole family will never be able to hold their heads up high…” Mr. Song’s face was still red.

“Your grandma thought no one could ward off evil spirits if your dad didn’t marry the idiot. She reluctantly agreed to my marriage. Later, when she found out your dad had spent forty yuan, she hated us even more. She would cause trouble for no reason, and her insults became more and more offensive.” Song Ma’s tears fell again. She thought life would be better after leaving, but it turned out to be just as difficult.

Absurd! Utterly absurd!

"There's something else you don't know," Mr. Song said, holding Mrs. Song's hand. "My mother had someone look at Xiaoyan's birth chart, and they said she has a fate as thin as paper, or that she's inherently ungrateful. My mother just thinks there's no point in raising her..."