In the public eye, Zhang Lan has always been known as a decisive and strong woman, and now it seems that Ma Xiaomei’s way of doing things is equally extraordinary. In the second year of her marriage, her life took a new turn. Both partners in her two emotional experiences have considerable family backgrounds. Even when facing Wang Xiaofei’s two existing children, Ma Xiaomei initially showed grace and thoughtfulness, which really surprised and won praise from many people.

在公众视野里，张兰一直以雷厉风行的女强人形象示人，而马筱梅的行事风格同样不简单。她的两段婚姻，另一半都拥有不菲的家底，婚姻步入第二年，生活节奏便有了新的起色。即便面对汪小菲与前妻所生的两个孩子，马筱梅最初表现出的气度与周全，也着实让不少人感到意外和赞赏，大家都以为她能顺利融入这个复杂的家庭，收获安稳幸福。



People thought life would develop in a stable direction, but unexpectedly, the situation has undergone subtle changes recently. On some public issues, Ma Xiaomei seems to have deliberately reduced her connection with Wang Yue’er, and this change in attitude has aroused many outside speculations. At this time, Zhang Lan also publicly talked about the standards for excellent women, with a profound meaning in her words, as if guiding the way family members handle things.

本以为生活能朝着平稳的方向发展，谁料近期局势发生了微妙变化。在一些公共议题上，马筱梅似乎开始刻意减少与王玥儿的关联，这种态度的转变引发了外界诸多猜测。与此同时，张兰公开谈论优秀女性的标准，言语间深意十足，仿佛是在对家族成员的处事态度进行侧面指引，暗合了外界对马筱梅的种种揣测。

Ma Xiaomei’s life has not been peaceful since returning to Beijing, with one storm after another. A few days ago, she could still be seen live-streaming to sell goods. Even when she broke down and cried late at night due to low mood, she still maintained her work frequency. But this high-intensity tense state has its limits. In the past half month, her social dynamics have come to a standstill, making people worry about her current situation.

马筱梅回到北京后的日子并不算太平，风波一波接一波。前些日子，还能看到她坚持在直播间带货，即便情绪低落到深夜痛哭流涕，也依然没有停下工作的脚步。可这种高强度的紧绷状态终究有极限，近半个月来，她的社交动态彻底陷入停滞，没有更新任何内容，其现状也让不少人倍感担忧。



When she returned to Beijing earlier, Ma Xiaomei once expressed her willingness to no longer get involved in topics about the two children. This approach of drawing a clear line is largely because no matter what she does, she seems unable to escape public opinion trials. On Wang Yue’er’s birthday this year, the coldness shown by the Wang family is in sharp contrast to the past, which is sigh-worthy.

当初重返北京时，马筱梅就曾流露出不再介入汪小菲两个孩子相关话题的意愿。她之所以选择划清界限，很大程度上是因为无论自己做什么，似乎都难以逃脱舆论的审判，怎么做都不能让所有人满意。在王玥儿今年的生日当天，汪家上下表现得格外冷清，与往年的热闹形成鲜明对比，这般落差令人唏嘘不已。

In the final analysis, the role of stepmother is really difficult in complex family relationships. Whenever Ma Xiaomei tries to show kindness or share daily bits, she is always labeled as seeking attention. This long-term misunderstanding has made her fall into self-doubt, and even feel that the outside world’s attention to her does not come from herself, but is attached to the aura of her mother-in-law and husband.

说到底，在后妈这个角色在复杂的家庭关系中确实难做。每当马筱梅尝试向两个孩子表达善意，或是分享自己的日常点滴，总会被外界贴上“博取关注”“刻意讨好”的标签。这种长期的误解让她陷入深深的自我怀疑，甚至觉得外界对她的关注，并非源于她自身，而是依附于婆婆张兰和丈夫汪小菲的光环，自己始终活在别人的阴影下。



In fact, it is difficult to clearly separate this mutual achievement in fame. Ma Xiaomei started as a We-media blogger and became known to the public with the help of the brand’s momentum, which is a normal phenomenon in modern commercial logic. Her relationship with her in-laws is more like a combination of advancing and retreating together. It is obviously unfair to simply say who is dependent on whom.

事实上，这种名气上的相互成就，很难拆解得一清二楚。马筱梅从自媒体博主起步，借着麻六记品牌的东风被大众熟知，这在现代商业逻辑中本是常态。她与汪家的关系，更像是一种共同进退的合作关系，彼此成就、互相扶持，单纯说她依附于婆家，或是婆家利用她的热度，显然都有失公允。

Human warmth and coldness are often fully reflected on special occasions. Some time ago, on Zhang Lan’s birthday, her daughter-in-law and grandchildren were in Taipei, leaving the elderly a little lonely. Now, on Wang Yue’er’s birthday, because the children are far across the strait, Ma Xiaomei, who stays in Beijing, naturally cannot take good care of them. This spatial estrangement has become an excuse for the outside world to accuse her of being derelict in her duties.

人情冷暖在特殊节点往往体现得淋漓尽致。前阵子张兰过生日时，马筱梅和孩子们身在台北，老人家身边显得格外落寞。如今到了王玥儿的生日，由于孩子们远在海峡对岸，留在北京的马筱梅自然难以周全照顾。这种无法逾越的空间隔阂，却被外界当成了指责她不尽职、不关心孩子的借口，让她陷入进退两难的境地。

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