The Unwanted Son
The villagers all said this was bad luck and urged me to visit the temple to pray early.
I heard nothing; my heart was filled entirely with hope for the child.
At last, on a night torn by thunder and rain, I gave all I had—nearly half my life—to bring a boy into this world.
Weak and lying in bed, I tried to glimpse my child's face, but my mother-in-law's sharp curses pierced the silence.
"You jinx! What you've given birth to isn't a child at all—it's clearly a devil child!"
I was stunned, unable to respond, when my father-in-law added, "Look at the weather when the child was born—storms and thunder—there's no good omen in that!"
I struggled to defend myself, but my husband, Victor, frowned silently, standing aside with eyes full of disdain.
I held my child tightly, my heart aching with both hurt and anger.
This is my child, the one I risked my life for—how could he be called a Devil Child?
But what happened next left me shaken and confused.
The first time he cried, the light bulb in the house suddenly burst, shards scattering across the floor.
My mother-in-law screamed in terror, pointing at my child and shouting, "See! I told you he's a devil child! Every time he cries, something bad happens!"
I held my child tightly, afraid to let him cry again.
But he was still so young—there was no way he could stop crying and fussing all the time.
Before long, the child grew hungry again and began crying.
This time, a pot in the kitchen suddenly fell to the floor, shattering into pieces.
Father-in-law stomped his foot in anger: "Life has become unbearable! If we keep this devil child, our family is bound to be destroyed sooner or later!"
I gazed at the child in my arms, wailing for food, feeling as if my heart was being sliced by a blade.
He was so young, understood nothing at all—how could he have become the family's harbinger of misfortune?
Eventually, the child began to smile occasionally.
I thought the child's smile was a sign of hope, but I never imagined that even worse misfortune was yet to come.
The child smiled for the first time, and suddenly several chickens in the yard died.
Mother-in-law sat crying loudly in the yard, "My chickens! This devil child's smile kills things. Our family is doomed!"
I couldn't hold back any longer. Holding my child, I started arguing with my mother-in-law, "Mom! The child is still young, these things are just coincidences! You can't say that about him!"
"Coincidence? One time is coincidence, but two or three times—is that still coincidence?" Mother-in-law glared at me, her eyes full of hatred.
"I think you're just blinded by this devil child!"
Victor finally spoke. He looked at me and said, "Lorelei, how about... we send the child away?"
I couldn't believe my ears. I looked up at Victor and said, "What did you say? This is your child! How can you say that?"
"But he's just a harbinger of misfortune!" Victor's voice rose a few tones.
"Look at our family lately—either a light bulb bursts or a pot breaks, the chicken died too. At this rate, who knows what worse might happen!"
"I won't send him away!" I hugged the child even tighter. "He is my life. No one will take him from me!"
"You are simply unreasonable!" Father-in-law fumed, blowing on his beard and glaring.
"This family isn't yours alone. We can't let the whole family suffer because of you!"
"Either send the child away, or you leave with him!" Mother-in-law said viciously.
I looked at the familiar yet strange faces of my family and felt a chilling emptiness in my heart.
To them, there was only disaster and trouble—they couldn't see how utterly innocent this child was.
Biting my lip, I said each word with fierce resolve: "I'm not leaving, and neither is the child. If anyone dares to harm him, I'll fight them to the death!"
That night, I held my child in my arms and stayed in the room all night.
The child slept soundly, his little face flushed and so adorable.
I gently stroked his cheek and silently vowed in my heart that no matter what hardships we faced, I would protect him and never let him suffer even the slightest harm.
The rain outside kept falling, as if mourning for this child born to endure suffering.
I knew the days ahead would be far from easy.
My family would surely keep pressuring me to give the child away.
But I am already prepared; no matter what tactics they use, I will never compromise.
Because I am a mother, protecting my child is a responsibility I cannot abandon.
Day by day, my relationship with my family has become more and more strained.
They hardly speak to me and refuse to come near the child, as if he carries a plague.
Every day, I care for the child alone—feeding him, changing his diapers, soothing him to sleep.
Though it's exhausting, just seeing my child's smiling face makes it all worthwhile.
One time, the child woke up bursting with energy, so I started playing with him.
I shook the rattle drum in front of his eyes, humming a lullaby.
He laughed out loud, waving his little arms and legs non-stop.
Watching him so happy, I couldn't help but smile myself.
But just then, Mother-in-law pushed the door open and came in.
Seeing the child laughing, her face instantly went pale.
"You still dare to make him laugh? Are you trying to destroy our entire family?" Mother-in-law stormed over, snatched the rattle drum from my hand, and threw it to the floor.
Her sudden action startled me, and I quickly pulled the child close to protect him.
"Mom, what's wrong with the child smiling? Does he have no right to smile?" I couldn't help but speak up.
"Smile? Nothing good ever happens when he smiles!" Mother-in-law pointed at me, her voice full of anger. "Just wait and see, something bad is bound to happen again!"
I thought mother-in-law was just overreacting and didn't take her words to heart.
But unexpectedly, something really did happen that very afternoon.
Father-in-law and mother-in-law said they were going to town to buy supplies, and not long after they left, someone called back to say something had happened to them.
A sudden pang gripped my heart, and I hurriedly asked Victor to go and check.
When Victor returned, his face was very grim.
He said that as father-in-law and mother-in-law were passing a building, a flowerpot suddenly fell from above and struck mother-in-law's arm, injuring her.
They rushed mother-in-law to the hospital, but on the way, they were hit by an electric bike that ran a red light.
Although the injuries weren't too severe, she still needed to be hospitalized for a few days of observation.
Hearing this news, I felt a deep unease in my heart.
Could it really be, just as mother-in-law said, that every time the child smiles, something bad happens?
But I refuse to believe it; this has to be nothing more than a coincidence.
Yet, the string of misfortunes was far from over.
On the way back from the hospital, Victor passed through a narrow alley when suddenly a dog lunged out and bit him.
Victor hurried to the hospital to get the rabies vaccine, and when he returned, his arm was still wrapped in bandages.
The house immediately descended into chaos.
With mother-in-law and father-in-law hospitalized and Victor bitten by a dog again, only the child and I were left at home.
They blamed all of this on the child.
Victor lay on the sofa, watching me and the child, his eyes filled with resentment.
"It's all because of you! All because of this devil child!" Victor's voice was hoarse and trembling with tears.
"Why does our family have to be so unlucky to have to deal with both of you!"
I looked at Victor's injured arm, then at the child sleeping in my arms, my heart heavy with conflicting emotions.
I knew that no matter what I said now, they simply wouldn't believe me.
They had already condemned the child as a harbinger of misfortune, certain that he had brought upon them all their misfortunes.
But I can't give up; I have to protect my child.
I took a deep breath and said to Victor, "It was just an accident; it has nothing to do with the child. You rest well for now. I'll handle things with your parents."
"You're still protecting him!" Victor suddenly sat up sharply, pointing at the child.
"I'm telling you, this child can't stay any longer! Once Mom and Dad are discharged, we'll send him away!"
"I don't agree!" I said firmly. "Unless I'm dead, no one is taking this child away!"
Victor looked at me, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger.
He snorted coldly, said nothing more, then turned his back on me.
The room was silent, broken only by the child's steady breathing.
I held the child, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
I couldn't understand why my child had to endure such cruelty.
He had only just been born and hadn't even had a chance to see the world before being branded a "Devil Child."
I knew the days ahead would be even tougher.
My family would surely escalate their pressure on me.
But I will not give in; for my child, I am willing to sacrifice everything.
After Mother-in-law and Father-in-law were discharged from the hospital, the atmosphere at home became even more suffocating.
As soon as they got home, they called me into the living room.
Mother-in-law sat on the sofa, her arm still wrapped in bandages, her face dark and grim.
Father-in-law sat beside her, smoking continuously, his brows tightly furrowed.
Victor stood by their side, head lowered, silent.
"Lorelei, we need to clear this up today." Mother-in-law spoke first, her tone icy: "This devil child can no longer stay in this house. He must be sent away!"
"I won't give him away!" I said without hesitation. "He is my child, and I will never send him away."
"Do you really think that just because you say you won't give him away, you won't?" The father-in-law dropped the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped on it forcefully.
"This family has been thrown into chaos because of him. If we keep him, we're all ruined!"
"Dad, Mom, the child is really not a devil child." I tried to reason with them.
"Those things that happened before were all just coincidences. You can't reject a child's existence because of them."
"Coincidence? Once or twice might be coincidence, but so many times—can it really still be coincidence?" My mother-in-law stood up excitedly, pointing at me.
"My arm was injured by a falling flowerpot, your father and I were hit by an electric bike, Victor was bitten by a dog—are all these really just coincidences?"
"It's all because of this devil child! He's the one who brought misfortune to our family!"
"No matter what you say, I will never send the child away." I clenched my fists tightly, my determination unshaken.
Victor finally lifted his head and looked at me. "Lorelei, I know you can't bear to part with the child," he said.
"But just look at the state our family is in now. If this keeps up, it really won't work."
"What if we send the child to a remote place, where someone else can care for him? Then, once things improve, we can bring him back."
"No!" I said firmly. "I can't let the child out of my sight. Who knows what others might do to him?"
"So, what do you want to do?" Victor's tone grew impatient. "Do you really want our family to stay like this forever?"
"I..." I was momentarily at a loss for words.
I knew my family was right; indeed, many misfortunes had recently plagued our home.
But I simply cannot send the child away.
At that moment, Victor suddenly stepped forward, took my hand, and his voice softened.
"Lorelei, I'm sorry." Victor's eyes seemed to brim with tears. "It was my fault before—I shouldn't have been so harsh with you and the child."
"I know how hard you've worked caring for the child, and that you can't bear to be separated from him."
I was stunned; I hadn't expected Victor to apologize so suddenly.
I looked at him with suspicion, unsure of what he was really up to.
"The truth is, I've come to really like this child too." Victor continued, "After all, he is my own son."
"It's just that too many things have happened before, and I was confused for a moment, which made me say I wanted to send him away. Please don't be angry, okay?"
I felt a flicker of doubt stir in my heart.
If only Victor could understand me, if only he could stand with me to protect the child—how wonderful that would be.
"So, what do you plan to do now?" I asked cautiously.
"I think we can't keep opposing my parents like this anymore," Victor said. "They are worried about the family's situation, too," he added.
"Here's what we can do: let's ease the tension for now, and after some time, gently communicate with them, so they can come to accept the child."
I nodded, feeling that what Victor said made sense.
"Alright." I said, "I'll follow your advice."
A smile spread across Victor's face as he gently patted my shoulder. "That's more like it."
"By the way, I was bitten by a dog earlier, and today I need to get my second rabies vaccine shot. Could you come with me?"
I looked down at the child in my arms, hesitating. "But what about the child? If I leave, who will take care of him?"
"Let Mom watch him for a while." Victor said.
"Mom may have her worries about the child, but she is still the child's grandmother. She wouldn't do anything to harm him. We'll be back soon."
I thought it over and felt that Victor's words made sense.
Besides, I also wanted to take this chance to have a good talk with Victor and help him understand me better.
"Alright." I agreed with Victor.
I carried the child over to my mother-in-law and said somewhat embarrassed:
"Mom, I'm going with Victor to get the vaccine. Could you please help take care of the child for us? We'll be back soon."
The mother-in-law glanced at the child, then at Victor, and reluctantly said, "Alright, you all hurry back."
I handed the child over to my mother-in-law, gave a few more reminders, and then followed Victor out the door.
On the way, I kept telling Victor that he should communicate more with his parents from now on and help them slowly come to accept the child.
Victor nodded in agreement as he drove.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Victor's sudden change in attitude today stirred a quiet unease in me.
Yet I couldn't pinpoint exactly what felt wrong, so I had to comfort myself, telling myself I was just overthinking it.
The car swiftly approached the hospital.
Victor stopped the car and said to me, "Lorelei, wait here for a moment. I'll get a number and be back soon."
I nodded. "Okay, hurry."
After Victor got out, he walked straight into the hospital.
I sat in the car, waiting for a long time, but still didn't see Victor come out.
Unease grew heavier in my heart.
I took out my cell phone and called Victor, but no one answered.
I got out and walked into the hospital, searching everywhere for him.
But no matter where I looked, I couldn't find him.
Just then, I heard whispers nearby.
"A man just now, it seemed, came for the rabies vaccine, but he didn't take a number and walked away right away."
"Yeah, I also saw him leave with a woman who looked like his family."
My heart sank, a dreadful feeling rising inside me.
Victor wasn't here for the vaccine at all—he was lying to me!
He distracted me, but what exactly was he planning?
I didn't dare think any further and hurried straight home.
I was worried about my child, afraid the family might harm him.
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