“Growing up in our close-knit village, I vividly remember a story the elders often recounted about a family in our midst. They had just welcomed their first child—a daughter. At that time, I was around ten years old, and our community was tightly woven, ensuring that neighboring households were well-informed about the events unfolding around us.
When the time came for the child’s birth, the family sought the help of a midwife. Upon learning that the newborn was a girl, the grandmother expressed frustration, lamenting, “We spent so much money to support you for nine months, and you gave birth to a useless girl.” The father’s demeanor reflected his disappointment, adding to the tension in the household.
Given that most of us were farmers, we were acutely aware of the implications of such a birth in our village. Keeping the girl meant potential fines if they were to have a boy in the future. The mother, sensing her husband’s displeasure and fearing the abandonment of her child, tearfully pleaded for the girl’s acceptance. She emphasized that this child, regardless of gender, was their child from nine months of hardship and sacrifice.
In response, plans were set in motion to gather funds for possible future fines. Despite ongoing criticism from the grandmother directed at both the child and her mother, the father eventually decided to keep the girl. However, the incident left a lingering sense of injustice in our village, as many felt that such policies unfairly marginalized the innocent child based solely on her gender.”
村里的老人说，之前有一家生了第一个孩子，是个女孩。那时候我大概十来岁。我们邻里间挨得很近，有一两家听的的可清楚当时发生的事情。他们请了接生婆来帮忙生孩子。孩子的奶奶听说是女孩，生气地连同孩子的妈妈一起埋怨说，“花了那么多钱供你九个月，结果生了个没用的女孩子。”孩子的爸爸也是一脸难看。村里人大多是务农的，家庭并不富裕。他们知道如果留下这个女孩，以后再生个男孩就要交罚款。孩子的妈妈可能看到丈夫不悦，担心孩子会被遗弃，便哭着求他们留下这个孩子。她说这是她怀孕九个月辛苦生下的孩子，无论是男是女都是她的心头肉。如果以后再有孩子再想办法筹钱交罚金。最后，孩子的父亲还是决定留下了这个女孩，只是孩子和她妈妈经常被她婆婆责骂。大家都认为这个政策对人不公平，因为一个无辜的孩子仅仅因为是女孩就受到除了母亲全家的嫌弃。