Speaking of my father, although he hurriedly rushed to the kitchen to boil a pot of hot water, even while boiling the water, he did not forget the instructions given by the Taoist priest that afternoon. Amidst his busyness, he managed to find a bamboo basket and brought it together with the hot water to my mother's room.

Back in those days, there were no electric lights at home like we have now. We just lit two kerosene lamps and placed them by the bedside. Bolts of lightning split the sky above, and the whole room would suddenly be illuminated by a flash of white light, followed by deafening thunderclaps. And it was at that very moment that I was born, wailing...

As soon as Father heard my cries, he immediately ran into the room, snatched me from the midwife's hands, and upon looking, saw that there were dark bluish birthmarks on my wrists and ankles. The birthmarks formed rings, encircling my wrists and ankles. When Father saw these birthmarks, he was dumbfounded. These... these birthmarks looked as if something had once shackled me, reminding him of the man in his dream who wore iron chains and shackles!

A buzzing sound filled Father's mind, and he thought to himself that the Taoist's words had really come true—this son was indeed the man from his dream! Not daring to delay any longer, and with the midwife still wearing a look of astonishment, he hurriedly placed me into the bamboo basket, then picked it up and ran out into the courtyard!

The midwife quickly chased after him, calling out to my Father, "Hey, the child hasn't even been bathed yet! Where are you taking him? Be careful not to let him catch a chill!"

My Father had no time to answer her, afraid that the ghost messengers would come. He rushed to the well in the courtyard in just a few strides, tied the bamboo basket to the water bucket, and lowered it into the well...

Chapter 5: The Taoist's Prophecy

Although there was water in the well, it was four or five meters deep, and I was suspended by a rope about three meters down. Fortunately, it was autumn; if it had been winter, I don't think I could have survived just hanging there.

As for the midwife, when she saw my Father actually put the newborn baby into the well, she thought he was trying to drown the child. Terrified, she screamed and ran over, grabbing Father and shouting, "The child's father, what kind of sin are you committing! This child is your own flesh and blood—how can you just drown him like this?"

At that moment, Father couldn't explain, so he forcibly dragged the midwife back into the house and said, "Mrs. Smith, please don't panic, let me explain. I'm not trying to kill my own child, I'm trying to save him. I didn't put him in the water, just suspended him in midair inside the well. Don't worry, I'll pull him up in a little while. Please go home for now, and I'll thank you properly tomorrow."

But the midwife wouldn't listen to Father. She scolded him, saying this wasn't saving the child at all, but clearly trying to harm him. In such cold weather, if the child stayed there too long, who knew if he would freeze to death.

Unable to explain further, Father could only sigh and say, "Mrs. Smith, to tell you the truth, this child has come to collect a debt, and soon the ghost messengers will come for his life. The fortune-teller said that only by putting the child in the well can we avoid this calamity. Mrs. Smith, we would never harm the child. Please just go home—the child is unlucky!"

When the midwife heard this, her face was full of shock, clearly understanding the reason behind it.

Just as the midwife was about to ask more questions, the whole house suddenly shook, and a loud "bang" came from behind the house, frightening Father and the others out of their wits. The midwife's eyes widened in terror at the sudden noise, and she cried out, "What... what happened?" Then she ran outside...

At that moment, my parents were frozen in fear. Just as Father came to his senses and was about to run out to check, the midwife's voice came from the living room: "Oh no, the wall has collapsed!"

When Father heard this, his heart skipped a beat and he rushed out. The living room was filled with dust, and sure enough, just as the midwife had said, the back wall of the living room had collapsed!

Father was completely stunned. Although it was raining heavily, the house hadn't been exposed to the rain, so how could the wall have collapsed for no reason?

At that moment, Father suddenly remembered what the Taoist had said earlier: after the child is born, you will never have peace again, your family fortune will be lost, and you will have no home to live in. Now, looking at the scene before him, wasn't it just as the Taoist had predicted? The child had only just been born, not even ten minutes ago, and already one side of the house had collapsed. This was truly a disaster!

Just then, my mother called out to Father from inside the room, asking what had happened outside. Father was about to answer when a creaking sound came from above, followed by tiles falling down one after another. Father was startled—without the support of one wall, the living room roof was about to collapse!

"The house is going to collapse, Mrs. Smith, run!" Father shouted, then rushed headlong into the room.

Bursting into the room, Father didn't have time to explain. He picked up my mother and ran outside. It was pouring rain, thunder was rumbling, but there was no time to worry about any of that. If they moved too slowly, they'd be buried inside. So, braving the heavy rain, he carried my mother out into the courtyard. Just as they had barely made it out, another loud crash sounded behind them. Father looked back—the living room had collapsed completely!

When my mother saw her house collapse, she couldn't help but burst into tears...