My birthday falls on January 4 in the lunar calendar. In others’ eyes, it brings about double happiness because it coincides with the Chinese New Year holidays. What I experienced on my last birthday, unfortunately, turned out to be double misery.

The day before my birthday, I heard that a lot of relatives would be attending the celebration. It was not a bad idea, for we had not got together for ages, due to Covid. The party would surely strengthen the bond.

My heart, however, missed a beat when I was told that Jack, my four-year-old cousin, would be coming too. A badly-behaved child, he had made tons of trouble at our last get-together. I wished that he would not make it this time. But no one could stop him from coming over. My best bet was that he had changed for the better.

On the day, everything was running pleasantly well, until Jack made his appearance. He was as boisterous as ever. The noise that he was making made my head spin. I tried to take my mind off him by chatting with some other relatives, but my effort was in vain.

All of a sudden, I felt pain in my knees. The next moment heard my aunt rebuking her son. Jack, in order to see what was on my phone, stepped onto my lap, shoes on. Putting away my device, I cursed him under my breath.

At table, Jack behaved as a real brat. He was grabbing food with dirty hands. He was shouting loud, mouth full. He thus made a mess of the room. It drove me nuts. I was wondering what to do next when the alarm on the phone went off. It was time for remote school. I breathed a sigh of relief when I thought something came to my rescue just in time. My birthday banquet not over yet, I was more than ready to go away. Before I excused myself, I asked my sister to bring me a cup of milk tea and some cake when the party was over.

It was four o’clock, and I was a bit peckish while taking online lessons. Luckily my sister came in, with a cup of milk but no cake. Puzzled, I asked my sister where my delicious treat was.

“Jack ruined it!” my sister complained. To save some cake for me, my sister had put it somewhere beyond Jack’s reach, but the unruly child still managed to pull it down to the floor. And my aunt had done nothing about it.

I ended up working on an empty stomach that afternoon.

The apple of my aunt’s eye, Jack has been spoiled by his mother. I keep wondering how Jack will be faring in the world with his mischief. A flower raised in a greenhouse does not stand a slight storm.