My mother-in-law gave me a tonic to drink, saying that if I drank it, I would give birth to a boy, but I secretly poured it out so my mother-in-law and husband could drink. A few days later, tragedy strikes.
My name is Ha, I’m 27 years old, and I’ve been married for almost two years. My husband is Tuan, 30 years old, working as an electrical technician, gentle but obedient to his mother. My wife’s house is outside of Hanoi, and my mother-in-law – Ms. Hong, 56 years old – is famous among them because his mouth always mentions that “there must be a real grandson”.
I got pregnant once but had an early miscarriage. Since then, Ms. Zhang has become increasingly depressed. At every meal, he looked at me as if he was weighing every piece I ate. Startled, I coughed slightly, she sighed:
“So skinny, how can you give birth to a boy!”
One rainy afternoon, he called me downstairs to the kitchen. On the table was a pot of herbs with a strong smell, thin smoke swirling like a mist. Mrs. Hong said firmly:
“This tonic I asked an acquaintance in the other village. You drink it to ensure a healthy pregnancy, and it can easily give birth to a man.”
I hesitated:
“Mom, I’m afraid different meds aren’t suitable…”
He groaned, his chopsticks pounded on the table and “clicked” a sound:
“If it doesn’t fit, you’ll have to drink. This house is just not worth the money!”
Tuan sat down next to me, didn’t speak for me, just said:
“I’m drinking this to make my mom happy… It’s just a tonic.”
I looked at the dark brown bowl of medicine, bitter to the point of dizziness. After two days of drinking, I started feeling dizzy, dizzy, hot head, and restless sleep at night. I said to Master, and he just rubbed his shoulder:
“I guess my body isn’t used to it.”
But on Tuesday night, I heard Mrs. Hong whispering to her neighbor in the yard: “This medicine should be taken in the right dose…
The more you get in, the more “strong” you become. A woman who wants to give birth to a son must know the way.”
I was stunned. It was cold in his heart. I don’t know what that drug actually is, nor do I believe in the “getting it to give birth to a boy” story. But I do know one thing for sure: he’s forcing me to drink something I don’t know the source of.
That night, I opened the lid of the medicine pot, and the pungent smell went straight to my nose. Suddenly, I thought: If the medicine is really good, why would I take it on my own?
And a brave, reckless thought flared up like wildfire.
The next morning, I still picked up the bowl of medicine and bowed my head obediently “yes.” When I got back to the kitchen, my hands were shaking… I secretly poured my medicine into Tuan’s thermos, and the rest… I even poured my mother-in-law’s glass of water, and said softly:
“I think you should also have a little drink to be healthy, I woke up early and was worried about you.”
Mrs. Hong smiled in satisfaction. Toni didn’t doubt it either.
I just wasn’t expecting it… That was the day things started to change.
For the first two days, I was almost relieved. I didn’t have to take the unpleasant-smelling pill, and she breathed a full sigh of relief. But the feeling of peace is short-lived.
On the third day since I changed “drinker”, Tuan started to have a weird expression.
He came home from work earlier than usual. His face was flushed, and he was sweating profusely even though it wasn’t hot. When I asked, he replied through the speaker:
“I’m a little tired.”
That night, while eating, he suddenly put down his chopsticks and hugged his stomach:
“Why is it naturally so hot for you…”
On the other hand, my mother-in-law looked at him like he was a … strange child. He talked more, laughed more, walked faster, and even started “doing chores” as if to prove his health. But something happened that made me cold: he got angry for no reason .
Just because I forgot the tablecloth, she shouted:
“I don’t know how to clean the towel, what kind of mother will I be tomorrow!”
Tuan frowned when he heard this, whispering:
“Mom said there were too many…”
I was surprised. Until now, Toni had rarely reacted. I looked at her, noticed that her eyes were dark, and there was something urgent about her body.
That night, Tuan was constantly tossing and turning, breathing heavily, and sometimes even getting up to drink water. I was lying on my back, my heart pounding. I was starting to get scared… Not scared of being discovered, but scared that the other medicine was really problematic.
The next morning, my mother-in-law called me into the kitchen again. She looked at me, and her voice commanded,
“I’ll drink another bowl today, drink it hard.”
I pretended to nod. But I was determined: I had to know what the medicine was .
When he reached the dressing room, I secretly opened the paper bag containing the medicine ladder. Here, all the roots and bark were dry, some things like seeds, mixed colors. I was not familiar with herbal medicine, but one thing surprised me: a small package wrapped tightly, written with a ballpoint pen on the outside: “Energy Booster – 2 packs / time”.
My hands are shaking. What is “Empowerment”? What tonic is divided into such packages?
I remembered what he said to his neighbors: “The more you enter, the stronger”.
I understood why I was dizzy and lightheaded. And why Tuan had become hot and restless these days, as if something had triggered it.
That night, Tuan suddenly took a break from work. He sat in the living room, looked at his cellphone, and sighed. I asked,
“What’s wrong with you?”
Tuan said quietly, his voice uncomfortable as if he was being held back by someone:
“I don’t understand… People are constantly anxious. It’s hard to concentrate. Besides…”
He hesitated, and then continued, blushing:
“It’s… Uncomfortable in the body, kind of… physiological.”
I stiffened my throat.
I don’t want to go into details, but as it is, I know that the medicine is not just a tonic .
That dinner was the first time I saw my husband’s house “broken”.
My mother-in-law had eaten half a bowl of rice when she suddenly hugged her chest, breathed heavily, and turned pale. She put down the bowl and hit the “pillar”:
“Mom’s heart… Why is my heart beating so fast?”
Tuan was picking up the meat when he also stood up, his face red:
“I’m dizzy…”
I was standing in the middle of the kitchen. A few seconds later, Tuan looked straight at me, his voice unusually harsh:
“That medicine… Who is taking it?”
I sighed,
“I… I’m drinking this.”
But at that moment, Mrs. Hong turned around, her eyes widened, and said a sentence that sent chills down my spine:
“What are you drinking? I’m the one drinking! I’ve been drinking for you for days to help you get tired!”
I was stunned.
Anna looked at her mother, then at me. The air in the kitchen was thick.
I knew… The truth was about to unfold.
And I didn’t expect Tuan to be the one in front of me .
That night, my house was in chaos like a bee breaking a hive. Tuan took his mother to the room to lie down, measured her blood pressure with an old machine left by his father. Ms. Hong’s blood pressure rose, and her pulse was fast. She sighed and swore:
“You’ve lost hope… “Okay, I’ll just drink, okay
Tuan turned around, his voice cold:
“Mom, make this clear. What medicine are you taking?”
Mrs. Hong shrugged:
“Tonic. “Medicine for your daughter-in-law to give birth to a son!”
Tuan slammed his hand on the table:
“What’s the tonic that you’re about to lose consciousness, you’ve been crazy these days too?”
I stood at the kitchen door, my hands cold. I knew I couldn’t hide it anymore. I said to myself, my eyes shining,
“I… I don’t dare to drink anymore. I’m afraid. I… have secretly changed.”
Toni looked at me. In her eyes, there was no longer the familiar gentleness, but a sense of disappointment and confusion:
“Who did you trade it to?”
I ignored him directly, and my voice was hoarse:
“Because… You and my mother.”
The air was quiet. I could clearly hear the ticking of the clock like a hammer hitting my head.
Tuan was silent for a few seconds, then he went straight to the kitchen, opened the cabinet to find the medicine bag. I ran towards him, my heart seemed to fall to my feet. He opened the paper bag and took out the medicine ladder. His hand stopped on the small package I saw.
He took it and read the words:
“’Energy booster – 2 packs / time’… What is this?”
I paused,
“I don’t know.”
Mrs. Hong came down from the room, her legs still shaking, but her voice was still harsh:
“Give it to me! What do you know how to ask!”
Toni didn’t give it to her. She looked at her mother, her eyes red:
“Where did you get this?”
Mrs. Hong was silent. After a while, she said as if throwing stones:
“Mrs. Matchmaker introduced me. They say that if you want to ‘beat up men’, you have to drink this kind of thing. They have a nephew!”
Tuan laughed, but it was a bitter smile:
“Do you believe in those things so much that you force your wife to take strange medicine?”
Mrs. Hong grabbed his neck:
“If there is no child, who will take over this family? Do you want your relatives to notice me?”
I shouted:
“I don’t want to argue with you. But I’m scared… I’m really scared. I’m still young, I want to have children, but not this way…”
Toni looked at me and suddenly calmed down. She sighed, as if she had suddenly woken up from her anxiety:
“I’m going to the hospital tomorrow. All three.”
Mrs. Hong shouted:
“What are you doing in the hospital? It’s embarrassing!”
Ai-Ai said,
“If you want to die at home, just stay. I won’t let you drink like this again.”
The next morning, Anna took us to the hospital. The doctor carefully asked about the medicine she was taking. When he heard the description of “herbal medicine with energy packs”, the doctor frowned and asked to bring a sample of the medicine for analysis.
The result shocked my whole family: in the “energy boost” package, there were stimulating ingredients, of unknown origin, which could cause arrhythmias, hypertension, body heat, endocrine effects , long-term use and the risk of complications.
Mrs. Hong knelt on her chair, her face white. For the first time I saw that she was no longer fierce, just worried.
Toni didn’t say anything. She went out into the hallway to call someone. After a moment, she turned around, looked at her mother, and said softly:
“Mom, don’t talk about boys and girls. My children, my husband, my husband’s health … I am responsible for myself.”
Mrs. Bong touched her lips. Her eyes were red, but she still tried to keep her face:
“I… I just want to be good.”
I looked at him, not as angry as before. But I also can’t forget the days when I was forced to take medication, which was considered a “birth machine”.
When I got home that night, Tuan cooked a pot of white porridge and brought it to me with his own hands. He said quietly:
“I’m sorry. I left you alone.”
I looked up and saw that he was tired too.
“You’re wrong too… because I did it in secret.”
Toni shook her head:
“I did it because I wasn’t protected.”
In the following days, Tuan took the initiative to talk to his mother directly. He also told me: If she continues to pressure me, we will separate.
Mrs. Hong finally fell silent. Not because she understood everything, but because she was afraid of the consequences.
And I… After that time, I understood one thing clearly: a child, whether male or female, is not a reason for a person to control their life .
