I asked my dad if I had ever made him cry before because I couldn't remember ever seeing him cry.
"There was once," he said.
He told me that when I was one year old, he put a pen, a piece of paper money and a toy in front of me. He wanted to see which one I would pick. It's a tradition that a lot of Chinese people do when their kids are one year old. According to this tradition, it shows what the kid will value most when he or she grows up. For example, if the kid takes the pen, it means he or she will be an intelligent person in the future. If the kid takes the money, it means he or she will value money more than others and become rich. If the kid takes the toy, it means he or she will like fun things and play a lot.
My father was doing it because he was curious (好奇的). It was interesting for him to see which one I would pick.
He said that I just sat there and stared at the three things. He sat across from me and waited to see the result.
According to him, I moved toward him and he held his breath. Then I pushed everything aside and went right into his arms. Tears (眼泪) came to his eyes. He didn't realize that he was one of the choices.
And that was the first and only time I made him cry.
