Our daughter is not only adorable but also an excellent student. She has always been our pride and joy since she was a little girl.
To support her development, we decided to send her abroad for her education. We sold two properties in Wuhan before and after her departure. But now, it has become the decision we regret the most. We share our story in the hope that it will serve as valuable experience for everyone.
Selling Two Houses Worth 6.5 Billion VND to Fund Our Daughter’s Study in the US
My name is Cheng Ping, and I am from Wuhan, Hubei. My husband and I used to work for a fairly large company. During our golden years, our income was quite high, and we managed to purchase two houses in Wuhan—one for our family and the other for our daughter. Together with another house in my husband’s hometown, we owned three properties.
Our daughter has been intelligent since childhood. My husband and I never had to worry about her studies. She always topped her class. We spared no expense to provide her with the best education, hoping she could soar higher and further and fulfill our dreams that we never achieved.
She lived up to our expectations. She was admitted to the First Middle School affiliated with China Normal University and Wuhan University in the college entrance examination.
Our daughter is not one to fight for anything and goes with the flow. My husband and I decided on her university and major, thinking she was too young and inexperienced. We believed that if left to her own devices, she might easily go astray.
When our daughter was in her second year, many of our colleagues sent their children overseas. Regardless of their academic performance, finding employment with a good foreign education would be easier. Thus, after much deliberation, we decided to send our daughter abroad too.
We asked our daughter if she was interested in studying abroad, but she didn’t seem keen. She was indifferent to the idea, perhaps due to her obedient nature since childhood, which led to a lack of personal opinion. Now, I think we were wrong.
We started preparing everything when our daughter was in her third year, and we consulted a professional agency, learning that the cost of studying abroad would be around 1.5 million yuan (nearly 5.5 billion VND).
We decided to sell our two houses for over 1.8 million yuan (6.5 billion VND).
My husband and I lay in bed, feeling a pang of sorrow, but thinking it was for our daughter’s future, we still felt it was worth it!
Daughter Earns 2.6 Billion VND Annually and Settles in the US
Our daughter was accepted into a university in the United States. Our family of three traveled for half a month, visiting Shanghai and Beijing. Knowing we might not see our daughter for the next two years, I felt incredibly sad and often cried alone at night.
I jokingly told my daughter, “After you finish your studies in the US, come back immediately. You are not allowed to stay there; otherwise, I will disown you!”
My daughter laughed and said, “Don’t worry, Mom! I will return to contribute to our homeland.” Seeing her energetic face, I never imagined her words would come true.
While in the US, our daughter maintained weekly video calls with us. We had a fixed schedule for our conversations. At other times, we communicated less due to time zone differences and her busy student life. Our daughter lost some weight upon arrival due to climate and dietary adjustments. Seeing her gaunt face on the video call pained me.
Later, I often sent her care packages with various snacks and treats—all her favorites. I only wished I could let her taste my cooking, which she loved the most.
After six months, our daughter gradually adapted to life there and became familiar with her classmates and teachers.
Our worst fears came true. During a video call, our daughter shared that a white American man was pursuing her. We quickly advised her to reject him, saying, “You will return to China after graduation. There is no future together, so don’t start something.”
Although our daughter agreed, we saw hesitation and confusion in her eyes, which worried us immensely.
Two years later, our daughter graduated and secured employment in the US, earning 100,000 dollars (2.6 billion VND) in her first year.
However, our hopes were dashed as our daughter and her boyfriend remained in a strong relationship. His parents owned three fast-food restaurants in the US, which they frequently visited, strengthening their bond.
They eventually married and settled in the US.
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Loneliness in Old Age and Late Regrets
Time flies, and now we are in our sixties, with silver hair. We still regularly video call our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. While this scenario may seem happy and warm to others, my husband and I feel the sadness of not being able to physically meet and embrace our daughter and granddaughter, only connecting through a phone screen.
Last year, my husband was diagnosed with gastric polyps and had to undergo surgery. I spent many nights caring for him in the hospital. When doctors and nurses asked about our children and why they weren’t taking care of us, I could only bow my head in sadness.
I used to think that selling our houses and sending our daughter abroad was the best decision. However, now I realize it is the choice I regret the most. We sent our daughter away and guided her down this path, and she merely went with the flow.
I envy my friends with large families and grandchildren. I yearn for the innocence of those children, and when I see them, I think of my daughter. But I know that in the future, we will spend less time together and be apart more often.
Someone once told me, “You must learn to calmly face reality.” I didn’t understand this truth then, but now I finally do. We must confront the present situation. Even if life is challenging, we must keep moving forward, one step at a time.
While we are glad to see our daughter living a happy life, if given another chance to start over, we would never send her abroad to study, absolutely not!
Why is it said in folk belief: ‘Don’t love someone who was born in the Year of the Rat, don’t marry someone who was born in the Year of the Tiger, don’t get close to someone who was born in the Year of the Rooster’?
“This is one of the most famous sayings of the ancients, let’s find out why!”
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