The seven-year-old girl curled up at the stern of the boat. Although she was sleepy and tired, the inexplicable fear in her heart prevented her from falling asleep even though her eyelids were drooping.

I covered my ears tightly with my hands, but it couldn't stop the noise coming from next door.

The banging against the wall, the man's loud gasps, that kind of laughter. And, her mother's... suppressed sobs.

The girl's name is Li Danniu.

Her mother was called Tan Shuya. Despite her pretty face and nice name, her family fell into poverty. When she was seventeen, her gambling and drinking father pawned her to Li Xiucai to bear a son for the barren Mrs. Li.

In fact, Mrs. Li’s original surname was Li, and Li Xiucai was a son-in-law who came to live with the family and was a scholar who was supported by the Li family to study.

Therefore, even though his wife was infertile, he did not dare to say much.

Mrs. Li saw that she was already in her thirties and still had no signs of pregnancy, so she finally gave up hope and came up with an idea: find a pure girl and send her away after she gave birth to a son.

Don’t even think about your husband taking a concubine.

He acted immediately and after a search, he selected Tan Shuya and pawned her for fifteen taels of silver.

Sure enough, this idea was right. After more than a year of marriage, she gave birth to a big fat boy.

Mrs. Li was happy holding her in her arms, but when she glanced at her husband, she seemed to have some feelings for Tan Shuya.

How could she bear this?

With a flick of his finger, he gave Tan Shuya to Li Yin, an old bachelor in his family who couldn't find a wife.

Tan Shuya didn't dare to say a word of objection, because the mistress said that if she dared to make a scene, she would be thrown into a brothel!

Li Yin, being poor has its own reasons. He is lazy and has a bad temper. He is narrow-minded and conceited. In theory, getting such a beautiful wife without spending a penny should be a blessing from heaven!

But he thought: You give me the ones you don’t want anymore after you use them, you look down on me!

Marrying a woman who has given birth to a child is an act of disrespect to me!

Although he thought so, he didn't refuse. He wasn't completely stupid...

But he would not be good to Tan Shuya, and her nightmare began.

Once she got home, she had to work from morning till night, and was either beaten or scolded, and was not fed enough or clothed warmly. A year later, she became pregnant, but was beaten by Li Yin again and had a miscarriage.

It's a son.

Seeing his son gone like this, Li Yin felt a little regretful, so he treated her better.

Tan Shuya became ill due to her miscarriage and had no money to see a doctor, so it took her four or five years to get pregnant again.

This time, a daughter was born.

Li Yin was furious, thinking that Tan Shuya was going against him! "I beat you, and you got pregnant with a son. Now that I don't beat you, you gave birth to a money-loser?"

Thus, a new round of beating and scolding began.

The little girl had no name. Tan Shuya called her Niu'er, and Li Yin called her a little bastard and a money-loser. People outside called her Li Danu.

So, this is her name.

Before she could walk steadily, Li Daniu would help her mother carry firewood. At the age of three or four, she could wash dishes steadily. She only broke one bowl and never broke it again. Because her father would beat her...

Tan Shuya is actually quite clever and can do a lot of work. If she can get some work done outside, life at home will be better.

But Li Yin refused! He was worried that the "Li Xiucai" would see him and embarrass him.

No one knows why he thinks this way...

It seems that life is getting better.

That day, an old woman wearing silk and flowers came to the village. After looking around, she saw Li Danniu at first sight.

Although she was pale and thin, with a big head on a thin body, her head shape, hair volume, eyebrows, small sloping shoulders, thin arms and legs were different from other silly girls in the village! The woman came over in two steps, took her hand directly, opened her mouth to look at her teeth, "…Tsk tsk, it's quite neat, it's really a good seedling!"

Looking at the hands and feet again... the old woman frowned.

Li Danniu used a knife to chop wood. The knife, which had been passed down for generations in her family, was like a toothless old lady. Without using force, she couldn't chop at all. Therefore, her hands were covered with calluses and her fingers were deformed.

"What kind of family is this? Is Shui Ling'er such a troublemaker?!"

Li Da Nv stared at the old woman blankly. How could she be so pretty? And so fragrant... She stretched out her hand to touch the clothes on her body... It was so soft and smooth, her hand almost got hooked! Sure enough, the old woman knocked her hand away. Tan Shuya was working, and when she heard the noise, she hurried over, pulled Li Da Nv over, glared at the old woman, and pulled her daughter away.

Li Danniu walked and looked back...

Now that the man has caught the eyes of that old woman, how could she give up so easily?

After asking around, she went straight to Li Yin. He offered ten taels of silver to buy Li Danniu! Li Yin was almost shocked. How much? That losing item was worth ten taels of silver? But he was really smart, and he didn't show any expression...

The old woman thought he was unwilling, so she advised: "If the little girl stays in your house any longer, her appearance will be completely ruined. I'm afraid no one will want her even if she is sold to a rich family as a maid. Look at her hands, they are deformed! How did you raise such a good girl?

Black face, yellow hair, and smelly. Giving me ten taels is a huge price. If I hadn’t been so unlucky this time, I wouldn’t have taken it. Even if I wanted it, I’d give me five taels at most!”

As soon as Li Yin saw the woman, he knew what she was doing. He didn't feel offended, but said, "Ten taels? Is there anyone in the surrounding villages who is as pretty as my daughter? I love her like crazy... You want to take her to your place with just this little bit of silver?! What are you thinking?"

When the old woman heard this, she was not convinced and tried to persuade and criticize him at the same time... She was very good at speaking.

But Li Yin was really good at it, and he was not moved. Now that he knew this way, he was not in a hurry. If you can't have your family, there are other families! That money-losing thing... No, no, no, it's not a money-losing thing now! She is only six or seven years old, it's still early! You can always find a good place! Seeing that he really didn't look anxious, the old woman was a little concerned. She had been out for many days, but she didn't get anyone!

So she raised the price, and the two bargained for a long time, and finally settled on thirty taels of silver.

Li Yinzi reached out for the silver, and the old woman said, "How can I carry dozens of taels of silver with me? Aren't you afraid of being robbed?! Either you take the girl with you, or I come to take her away. But we have made a deal and it cannot be changed. Otherwise, don't think I am a vegetarian!"

The old woman frowned and looked very fierce.

Li Yin was a little scared and nodded in agreement. Before leaving, the old woman told him: Wash the girl and don't hurt her in the next two days!

Tan Shuya led Li Da Niu back and warned her, "That woman is not a good person. Next time you see her, hide! If she dares to pull you, bite her!"

How could Li Danniu understand? "Mom, why is the dress she is wearing so shiny? It's so pretty! It's so thin and soft, and it scratched me when I touched it."

"Don't look at it again! That dress is not easy to get! If you look again, I will beat you!"

"Oh." Li Danniu stopped talking. However, she remembered again: the flowers on the grandmother's head looked like real flowers in the fields. She had also put them on her head, but they wilted after a while. Hey, there was a shiny one on the grandmother's head, was it silver?

The two men walked around the grove towards home, talking so much that they didn't notice that behind the tree, there was a boy about ten years old standing.

He was handsome, neatly dressed, and looked like a student. He was staring at Tan Shuya...

After they walked over, the servant behind him said anxiously, "Master, let's go back quickly! If the mistress finds out, I won't be able to survive. Just take a look, okay?"

The boy asked, "Are you sure this is her? Why is she so old? Isn't she much younger than my mother?"

"She has a hard time here! Look at what she's wearing? She's exposed to the wind and sun all day long..."

"That little girl, was she also the one who gave birth to her?"

"Yes, call her Li Danniu! Master, go back quickly! Don't let your wife know..."

This is the past.