Lin Xiaoqing never thought that an ordinary field survey would take her from Beijing in 2024 to the Qingshui River in 1920.
When she opened her eyes again, she became Dalian, the daughter of the third son of the Song family in Huoqi Ying. A tragic girl with only one line in historical records: "Thrown into a river at the age of sixteen."
She knew her next fate: being sold by her father to the Zhao family to be the fourth wife. She was desperate and committed suicide by drowning herself in a river. She doesn't want to die. But she soon discovered that living was harder than dying - in this era, a sixteen-year-old banner girl had no money, no freedom, and could not even make the decision about her own body.
The only light was the young man Tong Xiaoliu waiting for her by the river. He was so poor that he couldn't even afford a new gown, but he was willing to protect her with his life.
But Dalian didn't want anyone to save her. She wants to save herself. She understands this era, the rules of every alley in Beijing, and knows which roads are dead ends and which roads are open. She wants to use the brain of a modern person to live like a person a hundred years ago.
The process was very abusive - she was chained, beaten, and treated as a commodity to be married off.
The ending is very heartwarming - if she doesn't accept her fate, fate can't help her.
This is the story of a woman fighting for her own life in troubled times. It is also a story about "I shouldn't live in this era, but I have to live like this".
