Three Women in the Cage

Since the last conflict, Zhang's father bought a mud house in the village. The mud house has been closed in the village and no one lives in it. The villagers took into account the special situation of the Zhang family and sold it to Zhang's father at a low price.

The house is made of stones and earth. It is the only adobe house in the whole village. It has three rooms in total. Each room is very large and seems a bit empty. The middle is the main room, and the left and right sides are bedrooms and kitchens respectively. There is a toilet behind the bedroom.

When Yang Yu woke up again, everyone sat together and discussed giving the adobe house to Zhang Erfa and Yang Yu to live in first. Yang Yu then realized that she was pregnant with her second child. She had suspected it before, but she was busy with housework and taking care of the children every day, which left her with no energy or mind to pay attention to her physical condition.

Yang Yu has now given up on escaping from here. She knows that she cannot escape. She is bound by marriage and children, and by the secular world and other people's eyes. Since she cannot escape, she will just stay here. She has a child, so for the sake of the child, she must be strong and hold on. Now she heard that they will be divided into different houses. At least she can stay away from this family, and she doesn't have to serve them or see their false faces. Just thinking about it makes her feel a lot more relaxed.

So when Yang Yu was asked for her opinion, she agreed without hesitation. The two-story brick house that had been under renovation was about to be completed, and Zhang's father said that he would leave it to Zhang Sanmao. This solved the problem of dividing the house for the second and third sons.

The division of houses meant that the land and forests for working outside would also be divided among the families. From then on, they would be separate households and could no longer work together and eat from the same pot as before. If they did not work, they would have no food to eat.

Soon their household registration was transferred out and they lived separately. Zhang's father distributed some pots and pans to them, and bought some simple tables, furniture and beds for them, and simply decorated the adobe house.

When Yang Yu and Huanhuan moved in, they were greeted by a bare kitchen. Two pots were stacked in the back, a water jar next to it, a washbasin next to it, and a stone table in the middle. The remaining two-thirds of the space, stretching to the kitchen door, was completely empty. Then there was the main room in the middle. Near the bedroom, two large boxes were placed to store rice, oil, and rice. These were the only storage areas in the house to prevent rats from stealing them. A few long wooden benches were placed nearby, and nothing else was there. Behind the main room, a hallway connected the kitchen and the bathroom separated from the bedroom. To the left of the main room, the bedroom held a large bed at the back. Next to the bed was a mirrored wardrobe. Near the bedroom door stood three small chests of drawers, on top of which sat an old black-and-white television.

Although the overall feeling is simple and empty, it is indeed a world that truly belongs to him. Yang Yu couldn't contain his excitement and pulled Huanhuan to look around inside.

On that day, Yang Yu couldn't stop being happy while cooking. She hummed a little tune while busying herself. Huanhuan was playing in the mud on the ground. She seemed to be infected by her mother's joy. She raised her head and smiled at her mother, and then smiled foolishly too.

The one who seemed most at a loss was Zhang Erfa. This was the first time he was independent. He had been accustomed to his parents' arrangements for everything, big and small. He only needed to obey their instructions and didn't have to worry about the family's daily necessities. Now he suddenly became the head of the family, but he had lost his backbone, or he was avoiding the responsibilities and obligations of being a good husband and a good father. At first, he would run to his previous home for no reason, and sometimes he would even eat there and come back very late.

Yang Yu didn't want to worry about his anxiety. She was now happy and at ease, taking care of Huanhuan every day while pregnant. And Zhang Erfa, without the supervision of his parents, became slow to go to work every day, as if he had lost his direction and didn't know how to arrange his work outside. He chose to avoid it, sleeping late every day and not going out to work. At first, Yang Yu ignored him and gave him a period of adjustment.

But when Zhang Erfa spent half a month at home doing nothing, waking up very late and not knowing what to do, he would naturally eat, pull up a long wooden stool, and sit outside in the yard, dazed. He ignored Yang Yu, who was several months pregnant, and worked alone in the kitchen. After that, he had to clean the house and wash the dirty clothes. Zhang Erfa pretended not to see anything and remained dazed. He even ignored Huanhuan who came to talk to him. Yang Yu finally couldn't help it and wanted to have a good talk with him. She really didn't want to argue with him.

"You sit at home every day and don't go out to work. What will you eat after the rice distributed by family is eaten up? And you haven't planted the vegetable garden yet. In the second half of the year, mom and others will not let us go to the vegetable garden. You don't know what to do. Ask your mom and others when to plant what crops and just follow them. You sit here in a daze every day. Do you think you will have food to eat if you sit there in a daze? We are independent now. In the future, you have to earn money for food and daily necessities by yourself. Are you still like before, with your parents supporting you and you don't have to worry about anything?" Yang Yu said earnestly. She also took into account his confusion, but after giving him half a month to adapt, he still couldn't adjust. She couldn't wait for him any longer, so she could only warn him.

Zhang Erfa was already irritated, and after Yang Yu pointed it out, he became even more irritated. He listened to her constant nagging and couldn't help but yell, "Don't you want to be independent the most? You're so capable, why don't you just go and plant the crops yourself? Why are you asking me? Just plant them yourself. I don't know how to plant them." With that, he stormed off to his previous home. He preferred to avoid problems, and when he couldn't solve them himself, he didn't want Yang Yu to complain, so he could only vent his incompetence with anger.

Yang Yu was always irritated by his attitude of not solving problems and always avoiding them. His kind words would become distorted by his attitude, and he would curse him fiercely, calling him lazy, good-for-nothing, and incompetent. He would spew out all sorts of words all at once. And every time, Zhang Erfa's words would irritate his pride and helplessness, and he would clench his fists and swing at Yang Yu. Then, as always, he would run to his parents, and every time, he would listen to their and his brothers' instigation. The conflict between the two of them grew deeper and deeper. You couldn't stand me, and I couldn't stand you either. The two hearts grew further and further apart, yet they had to be tied together for life.