Dad, Who Married Into Two Families, Doesn’t Want His Daughter

1

After my husband took on the responsibility of two households, he gave me love and gave money to my widowed sister-in-law.

He wrote me 30 love letters each month but gave all his allowances and food - meat, eggs, and milk - to his sister-in-law.

To prevent our nephew from feeling fatherless, he also forbade our daughter from calling him dad in public places.

It wasn't until our daughter's seventh birthday that he took away her beloved dumplings and removed the wooden bed he had once made for her.

Yet, unusually, our daughter didn't cry.

She simply told me calmly, "Mom, I was wrong. Dad really doesn't love me, we can leave now!"

1

This year marks the eighth year of my marriage with Xu Jin.

It's also the seventh year he's been stationed with his sister-in-law.

Now, Xu Jin has finally exhausted the last bit of love I had for him.

Our daughter looked at me with teary eyes and quietly asked, Mom, are we really leaving Dad?

She gazed at me, her eyes full of reluctance.

"But today, he let me secretly call him Dad, does that mean he's starting to like me?"

I was taken aback, a needle-like piercing pain spread through my heart.

Since Xu Jin's elder brother passed away seven years ago, under the guise of caretaking, Xu Jin took on two households.

He moved his sister-in-law's family to live with the army, leaving Anan and me in our rural mud-brick house.

Moreover, just because he didn't want his nephew to think he was fatherless, he also forbade our daughter from calling him dad in public.

When our daughter was five, Xu Jin drove Anan and their nephew into town.

On the road, when our daughter accidentally called "Dad," he put her down and made her walk back home by herself.

Over twenty miles of mountain road, who knows how many times our daughter fell, how many times she cried.

By the time she got home, her feet were blistered.

Since then, our daughter never called him Dad in public again.

I wiped the tears from my face, suppressing the heartache, and told her, Dad wants to protect those he loves, but the ones he loves aren't us, so we shouldn't cling to him.

Our daughter shook her head vehemently, bringing out a doll Xu Jin gave her three years ago.

"Dad loves me, this is a gift from him! He even said he would celebrate my birthday tomorrow!"

Her expression was so eager, eager to prove she is a child Dad likes.

Looking at the doll that is somewhat worn but washed immaculately clean.

My heart felt like it was soaked in a bitter tonic, unbearably uncomfortable.

I didn't know what kind of answer to give our daughter's hopes.

Anan hugged me tightly, holding back tears, and begged me.

"Mom, can you give Dad three more chances? If he still doesn't change, Anan will leave with you."

I sighed, my heart finally softened.

Xu Jin, for Anan, I'll give you three more chances.

If after these three, you still cannot learn to be a dad.

Then we shall never see each other again.

2

2

The next day, to celebrate my daughter's birthday, I got up early and specially borrowed a small bag of white flour from the neighbor's mother, and exchanged half a year's worth of meat coupons for two taels of pork.

A month ago, my daughter told me her birthday wish was to eat pork dumplings again.

Because it has been almost a year since she last ate her favorite pork dumplings.

While I was kneading the dough, my daughter stood beside me, swallowing her saliva, her adorable eyes full of anticipation for the delicious food.

I raised my hand and gently scratched her cute nose, affectionately calling her a little glutton.

She covered her face and laughed, then cautiously asked.

"Will Dad come back to celebrate my birthday?"

My heart trembled, afraid to make promises lightly.

I could only distract myself with the sound of chopping meat.

My daughter didn't ask again, sensibly squatting by the stove to help me light the fire.

When the fragrant dumplings were put in the pot, the neighboring mother came over to call me, saying that the production team was distributing tickets, urging me to go quickly to collect them.

Seeing that the dumplings would take some time to cook, I took off my apron and hurried towards the production team, Anan following along.

But when we hurried back home, we were shocked to find that the dumplings in the pot had vanished into thin air.

The empty pot had only steaming water left inside.

Seeing the long-awaited dumplings gone, my daughter pouted her lips and started crying in grievance.

"Mom, there's a thief, who stole our dumplings."

No, the person who stole the dumplings isn't a thief, but he is more hateful than a thief!

Suppressing the fury inside my chest, I held my daughter's hand and headed to my sister-in-law's house.

Sure enough, through the window, I could see Xu Jin and my sister-in-law's family sitting around the bed, joyfully eating the steaming dumplings.

Seeing this scene, I trembled with anger!

Although I was used to Xu Jin's coldness, and would no longer foolishly wait for a prodigal son to turn back.

But I couldn't tolerate him taking the only thing my daughter yearned for and giving it to another woman!

Does he not know, today is my daughter's birthday!

I instinctively wanted to rush in!

But a small hand reached out behind me, firmly grabbing the hem of my clothes.

I turned around to see Anan, her face covered with tears, biting her lip and shaking her head at me.

"Mom, I don't want to eat dumplings anymore, let's go home."

My daughter hung her head and spoke in a low voice.

I clenched my fist, feeling as if a huge stone was pressed on my chest.

The pain almost made me unable to breathe.

But for my daughter's sake, I ultimately gave up the idea of rushing in.

When we got home, my daughter remained silent, but the disobedient tears had already dripped into the now cold dumpling soup.

With the bowl in her hands, my daughter swallowed the endless grievance and soup together.

I turned away, secretly wiping tears where my daughter couldn't see.

Xu Jin, you only have two chances left.

3

3

At night, my daughter tossed and turned, unable to sleep, hesitating for a long time before asking me.

Is it because I didn't behave well that Daddy doesn't love me?

I hugged her tightly, softly telling her that Anan is the best child in the world.

"But why doesn't Daddy remember my birthday?"

My heart ached, yet I didn't know how to explain to her.

But just then, Xu Jin miraculously appeared at the door with a gift.

My daughter wiped her eyes, looking at him incredulously. Once she was sure it wasn't an illusion, she immediately jumped off the bed.

"Daddy... did you come to celebrate my birthday?"

"Happy Birthday, Anan."

After speaking, Xu Jin wore a gentle smile on his face and handed the gift to my daughter.

My daughter was so happy she cried tears of joy, eagerly opening it.

Inside the box was a brand new doll, which Anan held dearly in her arms.

Completely forgetting about the dumplings in the afternoon.

Xu Jin even unusually held our daughter on his lap, playing with her.

They looked just like a harmonious father-daughter pair.

I looked at him with a complicated expression, maybe I shouldn't think the worst of him, he still had love for our daughter.

But then, Xu Jin's next words immediately extinguished this thought of mine.

Xu Jin touched Anan's face and slowly began to speak.

"Anan, how about giving the little wooden bed to Sister Yaoyao in exchange for the doll?"

Hearing his words, my daughter's smile gradually faded away.

She lowered her head to look at the doll in her hands, the initial joy gone.

I looked at him in disbelief.

Could it be that in his heart, he had already forgotten the significance of this bed to our daughter?

When our daughter was three, she was diagnosed with a skeletal problem in the hospital.

The doctor said that before she turned an adult, she could only sleep on a wooden bed.

To ensure our daughter's healthy growth, Xu Jin risked being snowed in on the mountain, cutting trees and making this wooden bed by hand.

Yet now, he was personally taking away the love that belonged solely to our daughter.

Perhaps, in his heart, he had long forgotten his love for Anan...

Xu Jin explained that the nephew and niece of his sister-in-law have grown up and need a new bed.

"Anan likes Mom, right? Without the wooden bed, you can sleep with Mom from now on."

My daughter's eyes reddened, struggling to hold back tears.

She looked at the bed and then at Xu Jin, ultimately taking a step back.

"I'm willing to give the bed to Sister Yaoyao."

When she said this, it seemed she used all her strength.

"There you go, that's my good child."

After petting our daughter's head, Xu Jin started dismantling the wooden bed.

When he completely took the wooden bed apart, my daughter's tears, which she could no longer control, fell uncontrollably.

Through her cold little hands, I seemed to feel her warm heart slowly turning cold.

As Xu Jin was about to leave with the wooden bed, my daughter suddenly shouted.

"Daddy, can you come to the parent-teacher meeting with me tomorrow?"

Xu Jin paused in his steps, not minding our daughter calling him Daddy.

Instead, he gently responded "Okay."