Three Women in the Cage

Since the wedding date was set, Zhang Erfa has come to see Yang Yu significantly more often.

He often came to help, sometimes going up the mountain to chop wood, or fetching water, and even going with his eldest brother Yang Yi to herd cattle. As time went by, his eldest brother Yang Yi's impression of Zhang Erfa became better and better.

Every time Zhang Er came, he would bring some candies for his younger sister Yang Su, so his younger sister Yang Su liked this big brother Zhang more and more.

However, the only one in the family who was lukewarm towards Zhang Erfa was Yang Ming. In his heart, he always looked down on Zhang Erfa, always thinking he was just a good-looking guy. But because his sister Yang Yu liked Zhang Erfa, Yang Ming couldn't express his opinion. Perhaps because of his education, Yang Ming's perspective on people and things was sharper than others.

Six months later, the wedding day arrived. The scene was filled with the clamor of gongs and drums, and the atmosphere was extremely lively. Yang Yu, with her face in rosy makeup, dressed in red, and her head covered with a veil, slowly boarded the bridal carriage, supported by her tearful father and mother.

The eldest brother, Yang Yi, stood quietly at the back of the convoy, his expression filled with melancholy and reluctance. He stared at his sister silently, with a thousand words in his heart that he wanted to express, but he couldn't muster the courage to step forward and say goodbye.

He was afraid he would burst into tears. Although he didn't talk much with his sister, he knew how much she had contributed to the family. He hoped she would find a good home, but the thought of being separated from her from now on, unable to protect her, made his heart ache.

Yang Ming stood at the front of the motorcade, hesitant to speak, looking somewhat bewildered. He wanted to say something to Yang Yu, but he didn't know where to begin. Yang Ming's feelings for her were very special, as deep and warm as a mother's. Perhaps it was this deep affection that made him unable to suppress his reluctance to leave, and tears flowed uncontrollably.

Yang Su had been loved since childhood, with a cheerful and lively personality and was good at expressing her emotions. At this moment, she had already burst into tears and held Yang Yu's hand tightly, refusing to let go.

Yang Yu contemplated the moment of reluctance, but when it finally happened, she felt the intensity of the pain, even considering not getting married at all. She was apprehensive about her future, yet still clinging to her loved ones and feeling a sense of reluctance to leave. But reality left her no time for reflection; parting was inevitable. With reluctance, Yang Yu followed the group and gradually disappeared from her loved ones' sight. This time, she would have to bear all the hardships alone, her family no longer offering her protection. She didn't know whether the path ahead would be a home or a prison.

An hour later, the wedding procession arrived at Zhang Erfa's village. Gongs and drums blared, and firecrackers exploded at the village entrance. Amidst calls, Yang Yu, supported by Zhang Erfa, slowly emerged from the carriage. They knelt before the crowd, their greetings watched, and then, surrounded by the neighbors and their blessings, they were escorted to the bridal chamber.

Yang Yu sat quietly in her simple bridal chamber, listening to the unfamiliar sounds outside and taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. This would be where she would spend the next half of her life, and an indescribable feeling welled up in her heart. But the thought that the person she loved was here brought her some comfort.

The atmosphere outside was extremely lively, with people laughing and talking happily, while Yang Yu sat quietly in the bridal chamber, waiting for the groom to arrive. Time passed by, night gradually fell, the guests gradually dispersed, and the courtyard returned to tranquility.

Finally, late at night, the door of the bridal chamber opened gently, and Zhang Erfa walked into the room excitedly, a little drunk.

As the lights in the house went out, the curtains slowly fell, the night became quiet, and everything seemed to have settled.

Ever since Yang Yu got married, Yang Su had been responsible for all the household chores. However, having been pampered and spoiled, she'd never had to do much, so she always struggled. She'd either cook half-cooked meals or chop vegetables into clumps. She'd also burn the firewood in a mess, leaving her face stained. Every time she waited for her father, mother, and eldest brother to come home for dinner, she'd be in tears. No one had the heart to blame her, so her mother became the head chef, with Yang Su helping out. All the outside work fell entirely to her father and eldest brother, Yang Yi.

After Yang Yu got married, she found out how poor Zhang Erfa's family was. Zhang Erfa was the second child in the family. Because the eldest child died young, he was actually the eldest brother. There were five brothers under him, and they all lived under the same roof.

There were three rooms in the house: one for Zhang's parents, one for their wedding, and one for the five younger brothers to share temporarily. Each room had only a simple bed and a table.

It couldn't be simpler: a kitchen with three pots, simple cupboards, a few chickens and ducks in the yard, and two pigs in the pigsty. Looking at her bare-walled home and the crowded crowd, Yang Yu began to feel lost for the first time. She wondered if she had made the wrong choice, and the future was filled with fear.

But life did not wait for her confusion. Zhang's mother woke Yang Yu up early in the morning and told her about the household affairs and what she needed to do every day. Then she called her five younger brothers to greet her. The implication was that she had to take more responsibility for the family in the future. As the second sister-in-law in the family, she was equivalent to the eldest sister-in-law.

After a few more conversations with Yang Yu, Yang Yu finally understood that Zhang Erfa was anxious to get married because he wanted someone to share the burden of the household and take care of his brothers. It was also because he had heard about Yang Yu's ability that he made a special trip to Yang's father for a drink, which led to the subsequent marriage.

She just wanted to know why Yang Erfa was no longer enthusiastic, no longer gentle to her, and his tone was not kind. He would occasionally give her orders and often gave her inexplicable looks. Faced with an unfamiliar environment and strangers, she had no time to digest it. Even the only person she was familiar with became indifferent. She had no time to explore it and could only bear it silently.

Originally he didn't understand why, but now he seems to understand. It turns out that he had a purpose from the beginning. It turns out that he didn't like her from the beginning, it was all a pretense, but he was really moved.

Now that they were married and everything was settled, he didn't want to pretend anymore, as if he was sure that she couldn't afford to lose face. In that era, marriage was for life, and once you were married, you could never go back. There was an old saying that "a daughter who is married off is like water poured out".

I couldn't go back to my parents' home, so I had to stay here because divorce wasn't a concept back then. There was no such thing as divorce, only marriage. That's why some people later said that marriage is a grave.

She gambled her whole life for a momentary impulse and a hot thought. She regretted it but ultimately could not escape from the marriage and was trapped in the cage of marriage for the rest of her life.