Three Women in the Cage

When Yang Yu brought Huanhuan back, she saw Zhang Erfa still in a daze. She immediately became furious and roared, "All you do is sit here in a daze and do nothing all day. Are you just going to eat and wait for death? Look at the land you turned over today, it's a mess! Were you always so perfunctory in doing farm work before? Or have you only become so lazy now?" Her voice resounded throughout the yard, full of anger and dissatisfaction.

Yang Yu couldn't figure it out. Zhang Erfa's parents had supervised the farm work before, and although she had never seen them working together, it didn't seem like that at all! So she was a little confused. Was it Zhang Erfa's nature, or had he been suppressed before, and now that there was no one to suppress him, he let himself go?

Before she could think about it, Zhang Erfa was somewhat annoyed that Yang Yu was too noisy and disturbed his meditation, so he shouted angrily: "You crazy woman, you quarrel with me every day. You quarrel with me when I am not working, and you quarrel with me when I am working. How can you live like this? What's wrong with the soil I turned over? How should I turn it over? Do I need you to teach me? Stop asking for trouble!"

Yang Yu watched the man's unreasonable behavior, her disgust growing stronger. She simply couldn't stand his incompetence and weakness. She spitted, "Look at yourself. Besides glaring at me and bullying me at home, what else can you do? Your parents favor the third child, and you don't dare say a word. The third child bullies your wife, and you don't dare to get angry. People outside laugh at you and look down on you, and you don't even have the courage to glare at them. You're a complete coward!"

Yang Yu grew increasingly agitated, her eyes gleaming with anger. She continued, "I could tolerate all that, but what about now? We're living a simple life for the two of us, and you're incapable of housework and can't even take care of the children. I thought you'd at least be able to help out with the farm work, but what happened? You can't even do that! What's the point of having a man like you? Why did you marry and have children? Do you expect us to beg with you?"

Yang Yu's voice was filled with disappointment and anger, and she poured out all the dissatisfaction in her heart. She felt that she was being suffocated by life.

"You're never satisfied with anything I do. So, go do it yourself. Aren't you amazing? I can't live without you at home or outside. So, I'll just leave now," Zhang Erfa said angrily, his voice rising several decibels. He then kicked over the long wooden bench, as if to vent all his frustration. Then, he turned and strode out of the yard, not even looking back, leaving behind only a receding figure.

Yang Yu watched Zhang Erfa depart, tears blurring her eyes, her heart filled with grievance and helplessness. Meanwhile, Huanhuan, witnessing her parents' fierce argument, felt a surge of fear and anxiety. She stood helpless, tears streaming down her face like beads from a broken string. For a child, home should be a warm haven, but now it had become a terrifying battlefield. Unsure how to face it all, she could only cry to express her pain and longing for security.

Looking at the frightened Huanhuan, Yang Yu picked her up, patted her back and comforted her, "Hanhuan, don't be afraid, don't cry, be good."

That evening, Zhang Erfa didn't come back, presumably having gone to his mother's place again. Yang Yu ignored him, as she wouldn't be pleased with him if he came back anyway, so it was better to keep him out of sight and out of mind.

The next morning, Zhang Erfa still hadn't returned. Yang Yu gave up hoping for him, ate breakfast, and then took Huanhuan to the vegetable plot to continue tilling the soil. He worked while Huanhuan played in the mud. When the sun got hot, he took Huanhuan back.

Back home, she made lunch, cleared the dishes, cleaned the house, washed clothes, then made dinner, cleared the dishes, washed Huanhuan in the evening, and put her to bed. The next morning, she went to plow the soil again. Two days passed like this, and the soil was finally plowed. Zhang Erfa hadn't come home in the past few days, and Yang Yu hadn't asked Zhang's mother about it, nor had Zhang's mother and the others come to check on her.

It was not until that evening that Zhang's mother came to visit for the first time since they separated from the family. She was carrying a bag and as she walked to the gate, she shouted, "Hanhuan, grandma is here to see you."

Huanhuan, upon hearing the voice, walked out in confusion. She was a little afraid of this grandma, who always said that she was a useless girl and a liar. Although she didn't understand what she meant, she could feel from her eyes that she disliked her, and even had a hint of disgust, so she didn't get close to her.

Zhang's mother looked at Huanhuan, who was stunned there. She walked over and patted her head in annoyance. "Why are you standing there? You don't even call me grandma. You're just like your father, stupid and unpleasant." Zhang's mother disliked her no matter how she looked at her. As expected, a child born to a son she didn't like couldn't be liked either. As for Zhang Erfa, they just felt that after all, he was their own son, so they couldn't just leave him alone. So when he didn't come back for a few days, they had no choice but to go to Yang Yu's house to persuade him.

At this time, Yang Yu also walked out from the inner room. Before he could speak, Zhang's mother smiled and said, "Yu, come here. These are vegetable seeds. I heard from Erfa that the soil has been turned over and they are ready to plant vegetables. I happen to have some extra here. You can take them and plant them first. If you need anything later, just ask Erfa to get them."

Yang Yu took it and was about to ask about the dowry money, but Zhang's mother was afraid that she would ask, so she hurriedly said, "Yu, you have separated from the family, and Erfa and his brothers still haven't found a house. You, as their brothers and sisters-in-law, should help as much as you can. Your father and I are old and can't stand it anymore. You brothers have to help each other in the future. And Erfa, if you two have anything to discuss, don't argue. If you argue too much, your husband won't come home. Men still need to be coaxed sometimes, and you can't just criticize them blindly," Zhang's mother said meaningfully.

But the more Yang Yu listened, the gloomier her expression became. He even came to lecture her. Not only did he withhold the dowry money, but he didn't care about his son's behavior and didn't teach him a lesson, but he also talked about himself. So he said rudely, "Mom, I also want Erfa and his brother to help each other, but we have separated now. Food and clothing don't cost money. And you see, we don't even have livestock now. If you don't charge money, just give us some vegetable seeds, we can't make a living. Besides, what I want to ask you for is my own dowry money, and it won't affect their brotherly relationship. And, mom, Zhang Erfa is a lazy man who eats and waits for death all day long. He can't be relied on at home or outside. I'm going to give birth soon, and I'll take care of the two children. There's no one to do this. Seeing him sitting there in a daze all day, anyone would scold him."

As Yang Yu became more and more excited as she listened, Zhang's mother didn't want to break up with her, so she hurriedly prepared to leave. "That's right, that's right. If you can do more, you should take on more responsibilities. If you need anything in the future, just come and get it. I'll be leaving first." After saying that, she hurried out without waiting for Yang Yu to answer.

Seeing Zhang's mother deliberately avoiding him, Yang Yu grumbled disdainfully, "This old thing really has bad intentions! She actually wants to use that little seed to teach me a lesson? Humph, wishful thinking!"

Early the next morning, Yang Yu arrived at the vegetable plot, carrying Huanhuan on her back and seeds in hand. She placed Huanhuan on a nearby rock and set to work. She divided the plot into several sections and sowed each seed according to its type. Each seed was carefully buried in the soil and gently patted down. Afterward, Yang Yu fetched a bucket of water from a nearby pond and carefully watered each seed.

Looking at the nearly completed vegetable plot before her, Yang Yu couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. After her hard work, the land was finally in perfect order. Next, she needed to cultivate other plots and plant crops. Thinking of this, Yang Yu was filled with joy and anticipation, and forgot about Zhang Erfa.