Three Women in the Cage

That day, before dawn, Zhang's mother had already gotten up and started busy. She carefully arranged all the household affairs and explained them in detail to her new daughter-in-law Yang Yu.

She told Yang Yu the key details, such as where the rice was stored and the exact location of the vegetable garden. Then, along with Zhang's father, she led the other brothers out to work. This action clearly signaled the fact that from now on, Yang Yu would be responsible for all household affairs.

Faced with the situation, Yang Yu felt somewhat bewildered. Although she understood her responsibilities as the family's sister-in-law, the pressure on a newlywed, unfamiliar with the family, was considerable. Entering the kitchen, she looked at the unfamiliar stove and pots and pans, and for a moment, she was unsure how to begin.

She took a moment to calm herself down, then walked to the cupboard, opened the door, and took out some rice. She put the rice in a large basin and rinsed it repeatedly with clean water until the water became clear.

Then, she poured the washed rice into the pot, added the right amount of water, and finally covered the pot gently. After doing all this, she turned and walked out of the kitchen and went outside to prepare a fire to cook.

She first brought some firewood into the stove, lit a match, and carefully ignited the wood. As the fire gradually grew stronger, she adjusted the heat to ensure that the flame burned evenly and the rice would be cooked.

When the fire was burning brightly, Yang Yu stood up and walked towards the fields outside the yard. There were all kinds of fresh vegetables growing there, which was their small vegetable garden. She walked into the vegetable garden carefully, picked out some fresh vegetables, cut them with scissors, and put them into a small basket.

After leaving the vegetable patch, Yang Yu walked to the small ditch outside the yard. This ditch was a convenient place for the villagers to wash vegetables and clothes. At that moment, many neighbors had already gathered by the ditch, busy washing their vegetables.

When they saw Yang Yu coming over with a basin of vegetables, they all greeted her enthusiastically, "Second sister-in-law, come and wash the vegetables too!" Because Yang Yu married the second brother, the neighbors were used to calling her second sister-in-law. Yang Yu had just arrived in such an unfamiliar environment and really wanted to talk to someone, so when someone greeted her first, she seemed very happy and came over and replied, "Yes, you guys come and wash the vegetables too."

In fact, the neighbors were more interested in gossiping about a strange daughter-in-law marrying in. So they started asking Yang Yu where she was from and how she knew Zhang Erfa. Some even complained, "They have so many brothers and their family is poor. If she marries in, she will be like the eldest sister-in-law. She will have a hard time in the future. You are still capable, second sister-in-law, but we can't."

Yang Yu is also a quick-witted person, saying whatever is on her mind. Now, when she hears others' comments echoing her, she keeps saying, "It was only after I got married that I realized that I didn't understand her in depth before, and I kind of regret it." Just like that, they started complaining. In fact, others are just laughing at you. Who is really happy or sad for you?

After washing the vegetables, Yang Yu stood up, said goodbye and left. After she left, the neighbors started complaining again. In a village like that, people gossip about other people and anyone could be the target of complaints.

As soon as he walked to the door, the aroma of rice hit him. It seemed that the rice was ready. Yang Yu turned off the fire and set up another pot. After the fire was lit, he quickly cut the vegetables, heated the oil and put the dishes into the pot. Soon, several dishes were out of the pot.

The chickens and ducks in the yard were calling out, so Yang Yu went to find some food and spread it out, calling them to come and eat. After feeding the chickens and ducks, Yang Yu cut some grass for the pigs in the yard, put it in a separate pot used for pig feed, and started a fire to cook. By the time he had fed the pigs in the pigsty, it was already noon. Yang Yu covered the cooked food with a lid and waited for them to return from work.

Finally, when they were feeling a little hungry, Zhang's parents returned with their brothers. Zhang Erfa, the second oldest, always carried the heaviest tools and walked in front. Zhang Laosan looked most like his father and was sweet-spoken, which pleased Zhang's parents. They let the second oldest take on more of the heavy work.

As the other brothers were still young, it was only natural that, except for Zhang Erfa, they would just sit around in the back and watch. Yang Yu looked at her husband working tirelessly while the other brothers laughed and joked in the background. She wanted to say something, but held it back.

At this moment, Zhang's parents looked at their honest and simple second son and said, "Second son, quickly ask your wife to help clean up the tools and bring out the food so that your brothers can eat quickly. They are all exhausted.

"Also, have you fed the pigs at your wife's house?" Hearing this, Zhang Erfa, who was a bit of a mama's boy, turned around and ordered Yang Yu as a matter of course: "Hurry up, help me put these things into the storage room, and then serve the food so that everyone can have a good meal. Mom is asking if you have fed the pigs at home."

Zhang Erfa believed that as the second oldest brother in the family, now married and with a family, he should shoulder the responsibilities of the family and do his best to take care of his parents and younger brothers. However, he did not realize that although his heart was big, his ability was limited.

In the past, he only needed to follow his parents' arrangements because he had their silent support. But now that he is married, he has placed all his hopes on his wife, hoping that she can take on the burden of the family instead of him.

Yang Yu looked at the brothers sitting around the dining table, waiting to be fed. He raised his eyes and gave Zhang Erfa a complicated look. He said nothing more. He silently picked up the work tools that had been thrown on the ground, sorted them out, and took them into the storage room.

Then he walked into the kitchen and brought the prepared food to the table. No one helped him the whole time, not even Zhang Erfa came forward to help, and Zhang's father and mother didn't say anything either.

It seemed as if they all thought this was normal. During this time, they kept ordering Yang Yu to add more rice and pour water. When Yang Yu finished and sat down to eat, she found that the dishes were empty. There was only a mess on the table waiting for her to clean up, and the others, including her husband, had disappeared without a trace.

Until the end of dinner, Yang Yu was just a tool for work. No one asked her how she felt or cared about her. They just kept urging her and ordering her around: "Hurry up!" "Bring this over!" "Give me another bowl of rice!"

She wanted to find someone to talk to, but she found that there was no one she could talk to. Even her husband, the person who should be closest to her, seemed unable to let her talk. He only said that he was ignorant.