CHAPTER 61

Original: 2008-09-05

Rewritten: 2026-05-12

Before Lun was even two years old, we moved to Vancouver. Every autumn and winter, chilblains would appear on his cheeks. As he grew older, his face became itchy and cracked throughout all four seasons, causing him great discomfort.

On September 11, 1988, our family of three arrived in Vancouver. Lun was not yet two years old. From then on, he switched to local whole milk and quickly became chubbier, with puffed-up cheeks and a build resembling an overweight wrestler.

At the same time, every autumn and winter, chilblains would appear on his cheeks — two pink patches decorating the dumpling-like fullness on either side of his face. From a distance, he looked adorable. But up close, the skin was cracked, and it was obvious he was actually very uncomfortable.

As he got older, the pink patches would appear whenever the seasons changed. I no longer dared to say for certain that they were chilblains. Since the symptoms emerged with climate changes, perhaps it was simply skin sensitivity.

To relieve the itchiness, Lun would splash water onto his cheeks. Because he spent long hours beside the kitchen sink playing with water, within less than a day, plain water would wash away all the natural oils on his face, causing the skin to crack further.

When he was not playing with water, he would pull out his sleeves to rub his face for relief. The friction extended to the area around his lips, turning the skin there red and dry. Only when the weather stabilized would the itching finally subside.

The giant guard dogs of ancient Rome, the mastiffs, had broad faces even larger than those of boxer dogs, with black fur around their mouths. When Lun’s dry skin darkened before peeling off, we joked that he looked like a black-mouthed dog. After the peeling, new skin would grow underneath — extremely tender — as if he automatically shed his skin four times a year.

To ease his discomfort, we tried applying various brands of moisturizers, cold cream, Vaseline, and vitamin E liquid in advance, but none worked particularly well. Later, we discovered that the Jasmine Cream from Hong Kong’s “Two Girls” brand was the most effective. After applying it for several days, the sores on his face would disappear. From then on, we asked relatives and friends to bring it over from Hong Kong.

Unfortunately, good things do not last forever. The cream was eventually discontinued. Our remaining stock became treasured items, and we hardly dared to waste a single drop. After using up the last of it, we had no choice but to return to Vaseline. Thankfully, Lun’s condition gradually improved, and after moving into the group home, his physical constitution continued to grow stronger.

The manager at the group home noticed that he sneezed frequently and arranged an appointment with an allergy specialist. Surprisingly, Lun behaved very well while the doctor used needles to introduce different substances beneath the skin on his back to observe the reactions. It turned out he was especially allergic to grass. Since there is abundant vegetation locally, it was no wonder he often appeared tired during spring and autumn.

Materials, foods, weather, sounds, light, flowers, plants, trees, animals — all can become sources of allergies. These sensitivities affected his growth and daily life, and over the years, Lun suffered quite a lot. Nowadays, he is less picky with food, and his allergies have also eased.

Later, I learned that people with autism often react strongly to external stimuli and are more prone to allergies. An Australian university student with high-functioning autism mentioned in her autobiography that after growing up, she actively improved her diet and maintained healthier eating habits consistently. After some time, she found life much more comfortable and manageable.