Lucky Suisui

On New Year’s Eve, as the Year of the Dragon arrived, my parents abandoned me, six years old, in a pile of firewood amid a raging snowstorm. It was because a fortune-teller had prophesied that my older brother was a blessed child destined for greatness, while a fool like me would drain away his good fortune. A poor family took me in. In just three days, the family suddenly rose in rank and grew rich. My parents came looking for me, saying they would beat to death the disaster who had stolen their family’s good fortune. I only drooled and giggled foolishly.

“You’re bad. You’re going to die.”