Only later did I learn that ever since Mom first encountered danmei, she'd developed an attachment she couldn't let go of. She conceived a wish she was determined to fulfill in her lifetime, and used the spirit of the foolish old man who moved mountains to spur herself on. She hoped to have a boy, raise him carefully from childhood, and, if that failed, make him marry early and pin her hopes on a grandson. If she had a girl instead, she'd teach her from childhood about the benefits of marrying and having children young, and urge her to give birth early to a grandson who could carry on the dream.
Don't think for a moment that this was the feudal preference for sons over daughters at work. My dear mother simply wanted to create a classic same-sex couple in real life.
And so I was born, carrying my mother's hopes and dreams...
