After the Tears, She Still Believes the World Is Worth Hoping For
Nine-year-old Cai-Xin is a fourth-grade model student at Malan Elementary School in Taitung. Known for her diligence and kindness, she is affectionately called the "Little Professor" by her teachers and classmates. But more than that, she is a brave young girl who meets life’s challenges with a gentle smile.
Cai-Xin was born with unilateral microtia and has not yet undergone ear reconstruction surgery. In the first semester of fourth grade, a classmate mocked her ear. In that moment, she couldn’t hold back her tears. Her mother’s heart ached for her. During their bedtime conversations, she gently tried to comfort and understand her daughter’s feelings.
But just a few days later, Cai-Xin surprised her mother by saying,“I’ve thought it through. He probably was not trying to hurt me. He just laughs at things easily.”
What touched everyone even more deeply was when Cai-Xin said: “Having microtia is a gift from heaven and from you. I want to keep my look, because this is the real me.” She added, “The way you see yourself is how others will see you too. If I value myself, others will eventually understand me.”
Each bedtime conversation became a seed of trust and love planted by her mother. Over time, those seeds grew into a flower of quiet courage and strength.
Her mother shared: “I’ve loved her since the moment she was still in my womb. I always tell her: no matter if she is tall or short, big or small, dark-skinned or fair, she is my one and only child.”
She hopes to fill Cai-Xin’s heart with rich confidence from a young age—so that when she grows up, she will carry that strength with her to face a world that is not always kind.
Cai-Xin was born with unilateral microtia and has not yet undergone ear reconstruction surgery. In the first semester of fourth grade, a classmate mocked her ear. In that moment, she couldn’t hold back her tears. Her mother’s heart ached for her. During their bedtime conversations, she gently tried to comfort and understand her daughter’s feelings.
But just a few days later, Cai-Xin surprised her mother by saying,“I’ve thought it through. He probably was not trying to hurt me. He just laughs at things easily.”
What touched everyone even more deeply was when Cai-Xin said: “Having microtia is a gift from heaven and from you. I want to keep my look, because this is the real me.” She added, “The way you see yourself is how others will see you too. If I value myself, others will eventually understand me.”
Each bedtime conversation became a seed of trust and love planted by her mother. Over time, those seeds grew into a flower of quiet courage and strength.
Her mother shared: “I’ve loved her since the moment she was still in my womb. I always tell her: no matter if she is tall or short, big or small, dark-skinned or fair, she is my one and only child.”
She hopes to fill Cai-Xin’s heart with rich confidence from a young age—so that when she grows up, she will carry that strength with her to face a world that is not always kind.
