Three Women in the Cage

Good dreams are the hardest to keep.

Blowing across the fairyland.

The same thought comes to my mind.

Gone without a trace, I am used to looking for him.

A red building.

There are words to be prepared,

Light curtain hook.

It is fairy, fantasy and gentle.

Alone and desolate, yet still comforting myself,

Self-control of separation sadness.

Beautiful dreams are the hardest to hold onto. In my dream, I visited the abode of immortals. Even now, recalling it, the dream lingers in my mind. The events of dreams vanish upon awakening, leaving only the empty space to search for them. I've grown accustomed to this. I still remember the corner of the red building that appeared in my dream. In that red building, I whispered softly to that person, lights flickering, curtains lowered. This tender scene felt like a dream, like a fairyland. When I woke, I was alone, lonely and desolate, left to grieve the sadness of parting.

This is her favorite ancient poem. The words in it are very sad, just like herself!

Sometimes she envied these great poets, who could always write down what they felt and thought, and wrote so well and wonderfully!

They seemed to have made friends with these words. When they were happy, they could write them down and share their joy. When they were sad, they could call them out and comfort their sadness.

They seem to have no friends, yet they seem to have friends! They are lonely, yet they seem to have someone always by their side, never leaving them!

But they are so talented that a casual cry or sigh can become a masterpiece that will last forever! Their hearts are an unattainable existence, unreachable and untouchable!

Xinxin could only rely on the words expressed in their hearts, recite them over and over again, and then understand their loneliness, and then integrate it with her own loneliness. It seemed that there was a moment of resonance!

They transcended the barriers of time and had a heart-to-heart conversation! In the book, it was as if I had become their friend, listening to their stories and sympathizing with their joys and sorrows!

It's a wonderful feeling. They are gentle, graceful, talented, and will only teach you wonderful things!

There is no discrimination, no ridicule, no indifference and bullying, only everything beautiful!

Xinxin was immersed in those words for a long time, unable to extricate herself! She read aloud, sometimes happy, sometimes sad!

Finally she was no longer lonely, she had someone to talk to and someone to share with.

Not enough, she took out her little notebook, she wanted to write down her joys, sorrows, anger and happiness like them. So she put down her textbook, lay on the big rock, and wrote down page by page in her little notebook!

Sometimes she laughed happily, sometimes she cried sadly! Soon, the small notebook was filled with several pages! She closed the small notebook with satisfaction, raised her legs and swung freely!

Her mood suddenly improved. She liked the quiet feeling, as if no one was talking, yet it seemed like they had been talking for a long time!

She grinned and smiled slightly!

Finally, the night sky darkened, and Xinxin knew it was time to go home. Mom was still working on the farm, and her sisters were no longer at home to do the housework, so she had to hurry back and cook dinner!

She picked up her textbooks and pens, picked up her long pole, and waved it towards the ducks. The ducks sensed their owner and knew it was time to go home, so they chirped and ran back the way they came!

Xinxin drove them away while muttering, "Go home, go home, follow me home!"

In the afterglow, I saw a small person, holding a textbook in one hand and waving a long pole in the other, driving away a group of chirping ducks!

After returning home and driving the ducks into the fence, Xinxin returned to the house. The room was cold and there was no sign of her mother!

Xinxin looked at the sky outside which was about to darken and thought to herself, "Without my second sister's help, I wonder how late Mom will be before she comes home!"

Usually when I come back, my elder sister has already prepared a table of food. Although the food is not rich at all, there is a warm atmosphere in the house!

When the ducks come back, the eldest sister always comes out to greet them with a smile, and jokingly says, "Oh, our ducklings are back! Come to the kitchen and warm up by the fire!"

Then I helped Xinxin drive the ducks to the fence.

But now, Xinxin can no longer hear her elder sister teasing her. When her elder sister comes back from her work as a child laborer, she will have to go to junior high school. The academic workload in junior high school is even heavier, and her elder sister no longer has the extra time to stay at home and help out!

Since her second sister always had to go out to help her mother, the housework had to fall on Xinxin. She couldn't let her mother come home so late and not have a hot meal!

She wants to help with more housework!

Looking at the cold kitchen, Xinxin could no longer feel a trace of warmth! She wished time would stop and the family could stay together to keep each other warm!

But as time slowly passes, that bit of warmth will become farther and farther away. Everyone is busy with the arrangements of fate, quietly and silently dispersing that bit of warmth!

No matter how hard you try to catch it, you can't catch it at all. You can only watch helplessly as it slips away from your palm and disappears without a trace!

Sighing, Xinxin scooped up some rice, ready to wash and cook. She opened the water jar, only to find it was completely empty, unable to scoop out even a sip of drinkable water.

Not to mention the well water for cooking. Xinxin looked at the night outside which was getting darker and felt conflicted!

Normally, my sisters would go to the next village to fetch water. I have never fetched water by myself, let alone in such weather!

But at this time of day, if I don't go to fetch water and cook, when my mother comes back late at night, won't she be tired and hungry? Then I have to go to the well to fetch water and cook again in the dark! How long will I be hungry?

Thinking of this, Xinxin couldn't bear it anymore, so she mustered up her courage and carried the bucket of water to the well in the next village!

Fortunately, it was not completely dark yet and she could still vaguely see the road. Xinxin relied on that little light and quickly quickened her pace, trying to come back while the sky was still dark enough for her to see the way back clearly!

When walking at the intersection, Xinxin hesitated. One way was the main road to the next village. With the help of the lights from the villagers' houses, she could see the way back and forth clearly, so she wouldn't be scared because the night was too quiet!

Another way is to go along the ridge towards the deserted forest and take the path inside that has been trampled by people. However, this way, it is not only dark but also eerie!

Xinxin is very timid. She is afraid that a female ghost in red clothes will suddenly appear in the dark night, especially the gloomy path, which gives people a damp and cold feeling.

Every time she passed by there with her sister during the day, she felt a little scared. And now it was evening, and she was walking there alone! She seemed even more scared!

But she was also afraid of the road. She was afraid of the looks from those people standing under the eaves! The mockery, laughter, even the insults, or the stones thrown without warning, all frightened her!

She was afraid that the people would loosen their leashes and chase her to bite her, even though she heard the barking of dogs from time to time! Seeing her cowardly and fearful appearance would arouse their cruel nature, causing them to let their dogs chase her, and then, after the dogs caught her, they would come forward and beat and trample on her!