Three Women in the Cage

The newlyweds were immersed in sweetness. Zhang Sanmao no longer went to work on time as before, and Liu Chunxiang didn't have the awareness of getting up early to do housework as a new bride. They always dawdled until almost noon before slowly getting out of bed.

Zhang's mother was afraid that Liu Chunxiang's grandson would be hungry, so she cooked a bowl of fragrant egg custard every day and brought it to Liu Chunxiang. Only after she saw Liu Chunxiang drink the egg custard with her own eyes did she feel at ease to let them stay in bed.

One reason was that they already favored Zhang Sanmao, the other was that they thought the third daughter-in-law would definitely give the Zhang family a big, fat grandson, and the third was that they had just gotten married and should have been pampered. However, they forgot that Yang Yu had just married and was assigned all the housework the day after she got married. She helped out even when she was pregnant, and she didn't get a single day of sleep in. Even after she gave birth, she didn't get a single day of proper care, let alone any pampering.

It was simply that Zhang Erfa was not liked by his parents, and they even disliked him a little. His second daughter-in-law was stubborn and hard to please. In addition, the first grandson they thought they would have was not born, and they gave birth to an annoying granddaughter, which made them even less happy. However, Zhang Sanmao had been partial to him since he was a child, and he could make the parents happy with his words. He was able to easily seduce a wife and even gave them a grandson. The more they saw him, the happier they were. They loved him and loved everything about him.

Early in the morning, Zhang's mother warned Yang Yu, "Yu'er, now you have your third daughter-in-law at home to help you, so I will go to work. It's the busy farming season outside, and your third daughter-in-law is pregnant. As her sister-in-law, you have to be more responsible. Let her sleep a little longer, then get up and help. Let her do some simple things, and don't tire out my eldest grandson."

Yang Yu thought that after marrying a new wife, he could find some common ground, share some of the housework, and have someone to talk to at home. What's more, that person was his former best friend. But now he found that nothing seemed to have changed to make him feel better. Instead, he had to cook for one more person.

But who made me a sister-in-law? Who made my husband disliked by my parents-in-law? Who made me not give birth to a grandson? So I should give more and complain less. Whatever I do is what I should do. I cannot complain, otherwise I will be immature, otherwise I will be beaten.

"I know, Mom. They just got married not long ago, so they should be more affectionate. Chunxiang and I are from the same hometown and she is also my best friend. Besides, she is pregnant again, so how can I not take better care of her? Don't worry, I am your sister-in-law after all, and I know what to do. Just follow Dad and them without worry," Yang Yu said lightly.

When Zhang's mother heard Yang Yu say this, she felt relieved and went out to work.

Looking at Huanhuan playing in the mud on the kitchen floor, Yang Yu took a look and started to get busy.

When Yang Yu had cooked the rice and was about to start cooking, Liu Chunxiang and Zhang Sanmao came into the kitchen with sleepy eyes.

"Sister Yu'er, is the meal ready? Is there anything to eat? I'm starving and want to eat something to fill my stomach." Liu Chunxiang walked over naturally, smelling the fragrance of rice on the stove and the prepared vegetables.

"Didn't mom bring you egg custard this morning? Why are you hungry again? Why don't you wait a while? I haven't cooked yet. Mom and the others will be back soon. Let's eat together later." Yang Yu thought, didn't we eat this morning? It's time for dinner soon. Let's wait a while and eat together.

"Isn't your rice ready? There's also rice soup. Mix it with the rice and eat some first. What's wrong? My wife is pregnant now," Zhang Sanmao said disapprovingly.

Yang Yu didn't like Zhang Sanmao very much in the first place, and after what happened before, he even hit her, so she liked him even less. Thinking that they should keep their distance, she tried to avoid talking to him. Now, not only did he give her a cold shoulder, but he also spoke so harshly. A feeling of resentment arose in her heart, and when she was about to explode, Liu Chunxiang spoke first.

"Oh, please be polite. It's hard for my sister-in-law to cook for the whole family with the children. I'm not very hungry. My sister-in-law said that dinner will be served soon. Let's wait for mom and the others to come back and eat together." After saying this, he was afraid that they would target him again, so he pulled Zhang Sanmao back to the bedroom.

Soon, she heard the sound of laughter coming from inside. For a moment, Yang Yu felt envious and even jealous. They were both daughters-in-law, but they were treated very differently. One was protected and loved by her husband, while the other was just a decoration. One was indulged and cared for by her parents-in-law, while the other was just made to work hard and despised. They always asked her to be generous and sensible, just because she was the sister-in-law and should take care of the older and the younger ones. She remembered that at her parents' home, no matter how much she gave or how she took care of her younger siblings, her parents always ignored her. But this was also the first time for her to be a child, a wife, a daughter-in-law, and even a mother. She was also a person who needed care. She wanted to be loved, cared for, and protected. She suddenly hated why she had to be the eldest sister and sister-in-law.

Suddenly, Huanhuan's cry brought Yang Yu back to his senses. He walked over and saw the mud in Huanhuan's mouth. She must be hungry. Yang Yu didn't care about anything else. He scooped a bowl of rice and rice soup, put it on a small stool, and beckoned Huanhuan to sit over and eat. Huanhuan walked over with a chuckle, sat down, and opened her mouth wide. Yang Yu smiled and scooped a spoonful to feed her. After a few mouthfuls, he let her eat by herself while he went to work. Seeing Huanhuan's well-behaved appearance, Yang Yu felt a little relieved. Fortunately, the child was not very noisy.

At some point, Liu Chunxiang and Zhang Sanmao appeared in the kitchen again. Looking at the bowl in front of Huanhuan, and the rice that had not been eaten up, Zhang Sanmao couldn't help but said, "Second sister-in-law, what do you mean? My wife just said that we should find something to eat first. You said we should wait for mom and the others to come back and eat together. Now, why are you giving it to her again?" Zhang Sanmao pointed at Huanhuan on the ground and questioned Yang Yu.

"Why are you arguing with a child? I just made her some rice," Yang Yu said speechlessly.

"My wife is pregnant with our eldest grandson, but you gave birth to a child. What's more, it's a child that I despise. If you starve my wife's belly and give birth to a grandson, I will not punish you, but you will see how my parents will punish you," Zhang Sanmao said viciously.

"What's wrong with me giving birth to a daughter? It bothers you. You can definitely give birth to a son. Just give birth to him and we'll talk about it later," Yang Yu said angrily.

"Okay, Brother Sanmao, sister-in-law, stop arguing. Our parents will be back soon. Let's help with the housework quickly," Liu Chunxiang said anxiously.

Although she was dissatisfied with Yang Yu's behavior, she couldn't bring herself to break up with her former relationship, so she acted as a peacemaker. The relationship between Yang Yu and Zhang Sanmao had already become strained due to the previous fights and angry glares. Liu Chunxiang didn't want the relationship to become awkward anymore, as they lived under the same roof, so she didn't follow Zhang Sanmao's lead in confronting Yang Yu. However, the gap between them grew wider and wider.

Zhang Sanmao stopped talking after hearing what Liu Chunxiang said. Yang Yu also shut up. Zhang Sanmao left the kitchen and went to the yard. Liu Chunxiang stayed in the kitchen to help. She said she was helping, but in fact she did nothing. She just watched from the side, as if she didn't know where to start. Yang Yu didn't bother to pay attention to her pretense.