Three Women in the Cage

After Yang Yu finished breakfast, she walked into the bedroom and saw Zhang Erfa who had fallen asleep again. A feeling of powerlessness came over her. She endured it and said, "Erfa, get up. Breakfast is ready. Go and turn the soil early after eating. It will be hot when the sun comes out later. It's better to cool down early."

Zhang Erfa said with some disgust, "Oh, I get it. You keep urging me all day long. It's so annoying." After that, he reluctantly got dressed.

Arriving at the kitchen, Zhang Erfa dawdled for a long time. Yang Yu couldn't stand it anymore, so she stuffed the hoe into his hands and pushed him out. "Hurry up and get out. If you don't leave now, others will be back from work. Remember to finish plowing the rest of the ground for me."

After sending Zhang Erfa away, Yang Yu felt happy thinking that he was finally allowed to go out to work. His future life would gradually get better. He couldn't help feeling happy, so he hummed a tune and started to busy himself with housework.

When Yang Yu was busy, Huanhuan played by herself. She was really sensible and didn't make any noise. Yang Yu patted her head with relief and said, "Hanhuan, when your little brother is born, let him play with you, okay?"

When Huanhuan heard someone was playing with her, she happily called out, "Brother, brother," and laughed heartily. Yang Yu rubbed her belly and laughed along, too. She also hoped to have a son this time. Although she also preferred daughters, she just couldn't accept it. Her in-laws and husband despised her for not having a grandson, so she wanted a son to prove she could, to prove her child was loved and valued, rather than just trying to save face. Perhaps that's just how people are. Even if they find the worldly view distasteful, they ultimately submit to it, draw closer to it, and become part of it. This conviction, passed down from ancient times to the present, is ingrained in people.

A short while later, Yang Yu had just finished cleaning up the house and before she had time to make lunch, she heard a noise outside. Yang Yu walked to the door and looked up to see Zhang Erfa walking into the yard carrying a hoe. Yang Yu thought she had missed the lunch break today and wondered if she was too slow. She looked at the sun and it didn't seem like noon, so she ran to the inner room to check the clock on the wall. It was half past ten, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, she felt something was wrong and turned to look at Zhang Erfa, who was resting on a long wooden bench. "Why are you back so soon today? It's not even noon yet. Could it be that the fields have been plowed already?"

Yang Yu thought excitedly that Zhang Erfa was very efficient and had finished everything ahead of time. She had estimated that it would take at least the afternoon to finish. Thinking of this, her attitude towards Zhang Erfa softened a little.

She brought him a bowl of water and said, "Come on, drink some water. You must be tired. Take a rest. I'll make lunch right away." After saying that, Yang Yu happily went to the kitchen.

Zhang Erfa looked at Yang Yu and talked without paying any attention to her. He glanced at Huanhuan who was looking at him eagerly beside him and frowned. He couldn't say that he liked this daughter. It might be because of the influence of her parents, or because her hope of having a son was dashed, or because she only loved herself selfishly. He couldn't tell the specific reason, but in short, he had no feelings for her.

"Go play by yourself. I don't have time to hold you right now," he said, patting Huanhuan's head before walking out again. He sat on a long wooden bench outside the yard, staring blankly into the distance. Neighbors passing by the gate would often jokingly ask, "Brother Erfa, are you thinking about life again? Or are you happy?" They had heard about Yang Yu's complaints about Zhang Erfa, and after living in the same village for so long, they knew him well. Adding to Yang Yu's complaints, they scoffed at him and looked down on him.

Zhang Erfa, who was listening to them, was not angry. He smiled foolishly at them. It was unclear whether he understood the jokes or was pretending not to understand. In short, it was his unshakable habit. He would sit outside and daydream for a while, and then go to Zhang's mother's place.

Today was no different. After daydreaming and joking with others, he went back to Zhang's mother's house, just like the old days when he greeted his parents every day. And every time he came back from Zhang's mother's house, his face was always gloomy. Apparently, he was either complained about or criticized by Zhang's mother. Perhaps he was used to his parents' constant indifference towards him. He didn't resist or talk back at the occasional accusations and scolding, but accepted it completely. He only vented his dissatisfaction after returning home.

Seeing Zhang Erfa coming back, Yang Yu approached him and asked tentatively, "Where have you been to your mother again? You've finished tilling the land. Why don't you ask your mother to give you some money to buy vegetable seeds first? You can buy other things later. Start planting the vegetable seeds first."

Zhang Erfa had been neglected somewhere and was in a bad mood. He had been suppressing his anger and didn't dare to vent. When he saw Yang Yu mentioning money again, he was filled with rage and was worried that he couldn't find a way out.

"You talk about money all day long. Do you care about money? Besides, mom has already said that we have no money. We have spent it all. There is no money left," Zhang Erfa yelled angrily.

"I'm just discussing something with you. Why are you yelling at me? Besides, after plowing the land, how can I plant the vegetables without seeds? I won't argue with you. Let's eat first. I'll go find her to borrow some seeds later. That's all right, right?"

Zhang Erfa snorted in annoyance and buried his head in his food. Yang Yu held Huanhuan in his arms, eating a few bites himself and feeding her a few more.

After lunch, Yang Yu wanted to see what vegetables were being planted around the vegetable patch, so he carried Huanhuan out the door. Zhang Erfa, still sitting outside in a daze as usual, saw Yang Yu leave and scoffed inwardly, "Why have you been meddling in other people's affairs all day and not paying any attention to them?"

When Yang Yu arrived at the vegetable plot, she saw the soil, which had been so haphazardly tilled, less than halfway, and she was furious. She wondered why he had to go back so soon. It turned out he hadn't finished it ahead of schedule, but had just tinkered with it, as if to get the job done. Sure enough, she shouldn't have held out hope for him. Once again, Yang Yu felt a wave of powerlessness towards this man. She held Huanhuan, rubbed her belly, and looked up at the sky. She would rather have never married, even if it meant being an old maid her whole life.

"Second sister-in-law, Erfa just finished plowing the fields in the morning, and you came to plow them again in the afternoon. You two should work separately," a neighbor joked.

"Brother Erfa works fast. When he came, we hadn't finished yet, and when he left, we hadn't finished yet. Oh, Brother Erfa is really capable," another neighbor also said.

Facing their jokes, Yang Yu said indifferently, "Yes, he is capable. He comes later than anyone else and leaves earlier than anyone else. After he has had a good sleep and eaten his fill, he comes here to tinker around for a while, and then runs away when he sees the sun is about to burn him. How can he not be capable?"

Listening to Yang Yu's complaints, the other neighbors smiled secretly and continued to joke around, adding some spice to the boring farm work.

Yang Yu wasn't afraid of their teasing; he simply followed his inner frustration and ridiculed Zhang Erfa from beginning to end. He felt good about venting his anger, while others laughed at him in their hearts.