Three Women in the Cage

Ever since Zhang Sanmao took Liu Chunxiang to rob a bird's nest last time, Liu Chunxiang had become quite interested and would come to see Yang Yu every now and then. In fact, Yang Yu knew that she was not really looking for her but Zhang Sanmao. And every time, whenever Liu Chunxiang arrived, Zhang Sanmao would always find his way back, no matter where he was.

That day, Liu Chunxiang came to see Yang Yu as usual. Before he even entered the room, he started calling out, "Sister Yu'er, look what goodies I brought you!" Then Yang Yu saw a few lemon-flavored heart-shaped candies in Liu Chunxiang's hand. This was Yang Yu's favorite flavor, and she could only enjoy a few of them during the New Year and other festivals.

"Here, I brought this especially for you. I secretly took it from home, hehe," Liu Chunxiang said with some pride. After giving two to Yang Yu, Liu Chunxiang put the rest into his pocket and said, "Leave a few for Brother Sanmao." After saying this, he felt a little embarrassed.

Yang Yu peeled one and put it in her mouth, then glanced at Liu Chunxiang and couldn't help asking, "You...are you really in love with Zhang Sanmao?" Yang Yu always felt that Zhang Sanmao was just a smooth talker and looked down on him from the bottom of her heart. Liu Chunxiang was still young, only turning sixteen this year, and his mind was simple, so she didn't want her to be fooled.

"What are you talking about, Sister Yu'er, I came to see you. I asked him to take me out to play because you are his second sister-in-law." Liu Chunxiang denied it a little bit guiltily. She actually liked him a little, otherwise she would not come to see Yang Yu so often with excuses.

She wanted to follow him to the fields to catch loaches, climb trees to dig out bird nests, pick wild fruits in the mountains, and listen to his funny jokes every time. As long as she was with him, no matter what she did, she would be happy. However, she would not say it out loud because she was afraid that Yang Yu would be unhappy and that her parents would take her back if they knew. She could only wait like this for now.

Seeing her guilty look, Yang Yu decided to give her a shot of prevention, "Chun Xiang, for the sake of our sisterhood, I am sincerely advising you, you must not follow Zhang Sanmao, he is not reliable. And you have also seen my situation, my family is penniless and I have so many brothers, I will have a hard life. I don't want you to be like me, regretting it too late after marrying here. Don't come here in the future. Besides, your parents will not let you marry here. You are still young, and he is not a good match for you."

Listening to Yang Yu's advice, Liu Chunxiang felt a little unhappy. She hadn't thought that far yet, and she didn't agree with what Yang Yu said about her brother Sanmao. The most important thing was that she was very happy playing with him now, and she didn't want to lose this happiness for the time being. But she didn't want Yang Yu to know her inner thoughts.

She could only perfunctorily say, "I know, Sister Yu'er, don't worry, I won't be like you." In her heart, Liu Chunxiang actually looked down on Yang Yu. In her mind, she could marry well, with a husband who loved her and her parents-in-law who loved her. She would never be like Yang Yu, who was not loved by her husband and her parents-in-law. But that did not prevent her from interacting with Yang Yu.

Just as they were talking, Zhang's mother came in. When she saw Liu Chunxiang, she walked over with a smile on her face, took Liu Chunxiang's hand and said, "Chunxiang is here. Oh, I was just thinking about you. You must come to visit your sister Yu'er often in the future. She is also looking forward to you coming often. Oh, by the way, you are here today, I will take out the bacon I have collected and make you a delicious meal at noon. This is really a good thing."

Yang Yu, upon hearing this, realized that bacon, a delicacy not available even during festivals, was being offered by Zhang's mother now. It seemed she was determined to coax Liu Chunxiang into marrying her. She had been married for so long, and she had never heard of the hidden bacon. She felt a pang of discontent, and even more so, that this family lacked refinement, and that she was no better than a daughter-in-law who hadn't even begun to make a living. She resolved not to let Liu Chunxiang be fooled by their hypocritical facade and to prevent her from marrying into such a family.

But Liu Chunxiang had a better and better impression of Zhang's mother. He thought that this seemed different from what Sister Yu'er said, and gradually a gap developed between him and Yang Yuxin.

After a while, Zhang Sanmao, having indeed smelled the scent, rushed back. As soon as he entered the house, he cheerfully called out to Liu Chunxiang, "Chunxiang, look at the loaches I caught for you." Zhang Sanmao was carrying a bucket filled with several loaches as thick as thumbs. Liu Chunxiang, upon hearing the news, ran over and, looking at the large loaches in the bucket, couldn't help but praise him, "Brother Sanmao, did you catch them? You're really good," his lips curled up. "Of course I guessed you were coming, so I caught some just for you. We're having spicy loaches today," he said, handing the bucket to Zhang's mother.

Mother Zhang also laughed and said, "Chunxiang, you are in for a treat today." Then she threw the bucket to Yang Yu and said, "Yuer, please help clean up the loaches in the ditch. I will boil some water. Today we will have a treat with Chunxiang." She couldn't hide her laughter as she said this.

Yang Yu wanted to take Liu Chunxiang to the ditch with her so that Zhang Sanmao could not get in touch with him. Before she could say anything, Zhang's mother interrupted her and said, "Sanmao, take Chunxiang out for a walk. I'll call you when the meal is ready."

Yang Yu looked at Liu Chunxiang and asked her to choose. Chunxiang glanced at Yang Yu, lowered her head and said, "Sister Yuer, can I go out for a walk with Brother Sanmao?" Zhang's mother looked at Yang Yu with an ignorant look, and Zhang Sanmao glared at her with a warning look. Seeing their faces, Yang Yu turned around and walked out with the bucket.

Zhang's mother said cheerfully, "Ignore her. She doesn't act like a sister-in-law at all. Our Chunxiang is still the best. Good boy, follow Brother Sanmao." So Liu Chunxiang pretended to be reserved and followed Zhang Sanmao out.

It was finally time for lunch again. The family gathered around the dining table. There was a lot of food on the table today, especially the spicy loach and garlic bacon, which are dishes that we may not be able to eat during the Chinese New Year.

The brothers-in-law sitting around had already smelled the fragrance and were drooling, but the protagonist today was Liu Chunxiang. She was supported by Zhang's mother and Zhang Sanmao to sit at the dining table, and Yang Yu was once again sent by Zhang's mother to add more rice and water. Just as she was about to sit at the table, she was ordered to get a cup and add water.

They were eating and laughing around the table, but the good sister who was nominally looking for her had already forgotten her. Her husband had also forgotten her. She felt like she was back to being bullied by her family before. She wanted to fight back, but in the end she endured it.

Finally, when Yang Yu finished his work and sat down to eat, he found that the two plates of food were empty. Only a few plates with a few pieces of vegetables and a mess of rice residue were left.

The others disappeared without a trace once again. Yes, she said that this family would not be quiet for long. They would reveal their true colors and force her to compromise and accept her fate. She just didn't know if the new daughter-in-law would be the next one to marry in.