True TAIWAN Horror story

Back to six months before Grandpa passed away, one day he suddenly seemed full of energy and announced he wanted to go hiking. Albert’s dad thought it was rare for the old man to be in such high spirits, so he found a gentle hiking trail and drove Grandpa there for a walk.

Whether it was a spur-of-the-moment idea or something premeditated, Grandpa seized the opportunity that day when it was just the two of them—father and son. (Grandpa was usually terrified of Albert’s mom, who took meticulous care of him but also kept him firmly under her thumb.) He made a request.

Since Albert’s uncle in New Zealand had gotten a vasectomy after having four kids (Uncle’s a beast!), Grandpa hoped that if Albert’s dad had another child, they could give the youngest to Lord Zhao as an heir of sorts. If they didn’t plan to have more kids (after all, Albert’s mom was already forty…), then he hoped the first child of their eldest grandson (that’s Albert) could be given to Lord Zhao instead.

Anyway, “Lord Zhao said he could wait.”

At the time, Albert hadn’t even started junior high yet. Albert’s dad figured it was a long way off, with plenty of variables still in play. Seeing the old man’s pleading expression softened his heart, so he agreed.

Even if they didn’t want to change the family name to Zhao, they could just use a compound surname like “Chen-Zhao”—what’s wrong with that? When the kid grew up, being called “Uncle Chen-Zhao” would sound pretty refined… (Okay, I made that part up!)

They thought a verbal agreement would be the end of it, but Grandpa was overjoyed. That very night, he lit incense and had Albert’s dad and Albert stand before Lord Zhao’s tablet to report the promise.

The deed was done. Albert’s dad could only console Albert into agreeing. Albert said he burned the incense, bowed, and pretty much forgot about it afterward, not taking it seriously. But for Albert’s mom, it was a big deal… Poor Albert’s dad.

Perhaps thanks to Lord Zhao’s blessings, Albert’s teenage years were like those of a stud bull. Hearing him casually mention a few examples made me want to back all the way out to the alley. Albert isn’t exactly tall—claiming 5′ 7″ shows how down-to-earth he is—but in every other way, he was pretty flawless. With a wealthy family and decent taste, the fact that he didn’t get someone pregnant until college was already a miracle in his family’s eyes.

Before they could even consider other options, the girl’s parents rallied a whole crew to Albert’s house for negotiations. After the talks, they slammed the table, stood up, and congratulated each other on becoming in-laws. And just like that, Albert’s wild youth came to an end.

I asked him, “So, do you love your wife?”

He said, “Back then, not at all. She was just a fling.”

The wedding was lavish. When the groom gave his speech, Albert treated it like a stand-up comedy routine, cracking jokes and making the whole room laugh. Then the bride took the mic and spoke earnestly, going on and on. Albert said he’d never seen a bride talk so much at a wedding. At the time, he just thought, What are you doing? You’re killing the vibe.

But when the bride came out in her second or third wedding dress, and they were heading back to the hall to toast the guests, she followed behind Albert and gently tugged his sleeve. Albert thought she needed something and turned around, but she didn’t say anything—she just wanted to hold onto him. He kept walking, and she kept holding his sleeve.

Albert said that’s when he suddenly realized he loved her so, so much.

We should give Albert’s bride a name now. Let’s call her Alice. Alice was working on her thesis when she got pregnant. She only took a break during their honeymoon, but as soon as they returned, she got right back to work.

But as her belly grew bigger, she started having nightmares.