Our Heritage (IV)

趁空再來貼故事…

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Our Heritage #4: Grandma had to fight them all to survive

Our first ever self-owned house is located at #8 lane 52 chih-feng street(*1), Taipei. The address is still valid where a four floor apartment is now located. The grandma bought it for about NT$10k, the share she asked for when my uncle' side had the windfall of land sales. But the money was all from your Grandma's earning, not a penny from any one else. We lived there from my grade 3 to the day I earned a place at the university entrance exam. After that, we moved to a new and much better one, #1 lane 41 chih-feng street. The newer address is still there and the building is exactly the same there. All of you were given birth there, except Tom, who had the honor of living in the best house we ever have and bought under Wendy's name with my money and Wendy's money management. After marrying, my younger sister lived on the ground floor of #1 lane 41 and we lived on the second floor. Thus, grandma bought two floors at one time and was considered a very well off business woman by that time.

What about those days before your grandma bought the first house? Where did we live and how did we survive?

I did not have very clear memory of how your Grandma made it. But your Grandma was known to continue to operate the food stall at the circle(*2) during the war. But the life was tough and food shortage rampant. Your Grandma had to source non-rationed food from the country side. She had to buy pigs for pork from I-Lan and rode train to take pigs back to Taipei. But there were cops searching for any person transporting foods for sales, other than the officially rationed ones. How to do it on the public transportation under the police surveillance? Your Grandma had to conceal the pig as baby and shouldered it on the back with the blanket covered. Of course, the pig has a baby cap on the head and compled with mittens and socks. Obeying the rules and starve or breaking the rules and survive. The choice is very obvious.

At the height of American bombing Taipei during the last phase of war, both my sister and I had to join our uncle at the farm, and your Grandma continued to stay in the city. Those were my country side days. Shortage of food did not stop kids from enjoying the country side; we swam in the stream without any teaching and supplemented foods with any things we could find. They are plenty. We ate serpents, frogs, small fishes and shrimps, crickets etc.. But the staple food was always a bucket of red carrots with very little rice in it. For that reason, I was unable to take any food with red carrots for many many years.

After the war, our first rented house was located exactly on the same street where 228 events took place. The cigarette selling ladies are every day lives there. I only remembered people were scared and angry. Very quickly we moved to another living quarter, not far away and very close to where your Grandma was having her food stall business, Youn Lo (ever happy) market. We now rented a place at the back end of a relatives' residence. The relative was from your Grandma's adopted parents' side. The relative was quite well off as a fake doctor (he was only interned as a medicine dispensing boy). The doctor was quite famous and that address still has a clinic operated by his son; this time around a medical school graduate. I can show the place to you next time you are in Taipei. It is right in front of Taipei ChenHwon Temple, where, as kids, seeing people being executed by KMT army in front of the temple was part of kids passing time fun. Eerie? Yah, but we were not aware of it. This is how I see Mainland China executing prisoners in public.

We rented the backend of doctors' residence at the fair market price. I guess at that time every one needs some extra money even if you were a doctor. Most of my pre primary and primary school days were there. I will cover my schooling in another episode.

Every one were doing better and better. Your Grandma's business, doctor's business, and your Grandma's competitors. Your Grandma had to fight her landlord and the competitors.

First, the doctor decided that he would evacuate us without any valid reason. Your Grandma was willing to pay extra rents to stay, but the doctor insisted that we moved. The doctor went to court to evacuate us. Your Grandma appeared at the court to defend herself. She prevailed. And the court ruled that the doctor needed to give your Grandma sufficient time to evacuate. I believed we stayed there for another two or three years.

On the business side, your Grandma was doing a better business than her next door competitors. Eventually, the competitors went to the stall owner (yes, your Grandma rented out the Circle stall and rented another one at Young Lo market) and had the owner agreed not to renew the rental with your Grandma.

Again, your Grandma was taken to court and she fought to win a order to give us sufficient time to relocate.

I did not participate in any of these events because I was too young. But I could hear your Grandma crying at nights after work, saying something like why people were so mean to helpless widows and their children. So much for this episode. I could not continue any more with tears again swelling in my eyes.

See you next time.

(To be continued…)
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註釋：
(*1) chih-feng street：台北市赤峰街，也是老劉出生時住的地方(但非這一個住址，應是文後提到的另一地址)。不過小劉當時年紀小(估計不到三歲)，所以對赤峰街只剩零星的記憶了；
(*2) the circle：台北市那個曾經以地方小吃聚集、聞名的「圓環」。只可惜在前幾年市政府將之改建後，因設計不良使得小吃商家經營越來越形困難，如今已吹熄燈號了；

Our Heritage (III)

舅舅繼續說故事…

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Our Heritage #3: Why we lost contact with my father's side relatives

Your Grandma now sleeps in peace at the cemetery overlooking the ocean(*1). You all have been there. My sister and I put it together. Although we did not discuss it nor openly let others know, this location is going to be the beginning of a new Lins and their progeny, you are all included unless you are having other arrangements.

Does my father have a resting place of his own? Well, as a missing-in-action person, there is no physical remains at all. About the time your Grandma passed away, the bigger kin of Lins decided to put up a group cemetery where all related Lins were put together in a shrine-like cemetery. My father or your Grandpa did have a place of his own there, though not physically. And as the only heir to my father, I am supposed to have a place booked already. We contributed to its buildup as requested, but had no intention to play any role in future. Our worship of ancestor will begin with your Grandma as the first progenitor.

Now what happened? The poor my uncle side's family continued to stay at farms after the war, but after the land reform, they had a windfall of having speculators buying up their farm land at a price they never had seen before. Legally and by traditions, the farming Lins would have to share with Lins now living in Taipei. Your Grandma asked for a small fair share, about NT$10k, enough to buy a small one floor shack in Taipei to live in. Our guess is their share was at least several times of that. They agreed, but never coughed up the money. Over years, it becomes such a bad faith that both sides decided not to talk to each other. But how did they inherit the land without our consent. We later found out: they proclaimed to the court that my father was missing and no heir, that's me, available to take his place. After so many years of proclamation, the court awarded the land right to them. Obviously it was fixed-up.

My uncle side still lives not far away from the farm. Once they even told me that I would have a piece of the house land, now that farmland already sold. But even that piece of house land was ever given to me. Most of them remains undereducated and may be living just like regular workers. In the past, sometimes they will call us to let us know there is going to have a cemetery worship. But they do not invite us any more.

How about the other sisters of my fathers? They are also uneducated and most living in the country sides. One of my aunts is exception. We call her Sugar because her name is Lin Sugar in Chinese. She married a farmer growing vegetables on the other side of Tamsui river across Taipei city. They became quite prosperous because of the land, the location is now one of subways station. Her sons also became vegetable wholesalers and are all doing very well.

That is for my father's side. Will share my mother's side story in the next episode.

(To be continued…)

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註釋：
(*1) 老劉的外婆現安眠於淡水的北海福座，山明水秀，可遠眺淡水海景；

Our Heritage (II)

續貼舅舅的文章…

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This is #2 of what I like to share with you and at times found it uneasy to share.

All of you may wonder why all our relatives come from your Mother side and not my side. Even Wendy(*1) made joke of me that all relatives of my side were maintained by her and I just stood on the sideline. Yes, both me and my only sister, Chu-chiang(*2), are pretty cool toward our relatives. I like to let you know why and how we were brought up to be so. It does not mean we do not enjoy cozy relationships with Wendy's relatives, so is Chu-chiang to her husband's relatives. We enjoy the relationship because we know how difficult to come by.

First on my father's side: My grandparents had two sons and several daughters. As usual daughters were brought up and married as soon as they were fit.

Two sons were supposed to be the heirs to Lin's heritage. Unfortunately, Lins were simply very poor contracted farmers, or the farmers working for the landlords. In fact, my grandpa even did not have a leased land to till; thus he was married into my grandma family because she had a leased land to till. Thus, my grandpa was a hired son-in-law to till the land and to give birth to children. If you ever saw the picture of my grandpa, yes, we had one, the group picture, he was tall, handsome, and could pass for a modern 007.

The land was to small to support two sons. My father was younger and had to move on to find his own life somewhere else. He moved to Taipei across the Tanshui river. Illiterate and poor, he moved around jobs, supplemented his incomes as a typical scoundrel. But he was also smart, verbal, and quick to take his own position at an emerging market. He was also smart to find a hard-working seamstress and beautiful wife, you grandma. Again, like his own father, he agreed to marry into your grandma's family. Thus, my younger sister, had a surname Kuo; the surname was changed back to Lin when KMT arrived and did not respect the local customs

My uncle passed away because of a simple appendix trouble due to the poor medical conditions. My father left us for the WWII as a cook for the Japanese family. Yes, he was a cook because he managed to occupy a food stall at the Circle to sell foods. I said "occupy" because it is a free for all Western story. You simply stake a place and stay there to claim for it. I was four and my sister just one when my father went for war. Thus, I had very little memory of him. All his heroic activities and Uncle's death, I heard it later when I grew up.

Now Lins were left with two widows and children, we have two and they have five. They continued staying at the farm and your grandma eking a life in Taipei. My grandma moved in to take (care) of me and sister; your grandma worked day and night to support us.

From now on, it is a story of continuous bitterness with both Lins' family at the country side, and the Chens' family, your grandma's nature family in Taipei. The stories would teach you only one lesson, there is no one to rely on except yourself when the time is tough; and when the time is good, most people would not share your share with you even if they are your relatives. Your grandma fought them all and was taught the lessons well not to have cozy relationship with them except for courteous reasons. I would share the story in the next episodes. But I hope all of you would like the Tai's family(*3) model, rather than Lins. Although I know when it came to financial deals, even among Tais, they have their share of bitterness. But no hard feeling, they are still a big, boisterous, happy family. See you next time.


(To be continued…)
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註釋：
(*1) Wendy：老劉的舅媽；
(*2) Chu-chiang：again，老劉的胖媽，中文名 初江；
(*3) Tai's family：我舅媽的親戚，戴家；

Our Heritage (I)

好一陣子沒update我的blog了，
最近生活上或工作上，家人的身體微恙和工作上的挫折等種種壓力，
總讓我提不起勁來寫點什麼。

這兩天，舅舅寄來一些他自己寫的一連串關於我外婆的記事，
也片斷描寫了胖媽和他的點滴成長歷程。
雖然不是什麼文學鉅著，但因內容和我有切身的關聯，讀完後的省思及情緒是深刻而複雜的。
一時千頭萬緒，抽不出時間好好整理自己的想法 (容後再補…)，
先借花獻佛，經舅舅同意，將他的文章貼上來。
不是要特別去彰顯什麼，只想或許有些朋友也會和老劉一樣，感受到某種「尋根」的興味。
那個逝去的時代、逝去的精彩人物或殘酷角色，深深地影響著我的母親，
相信也間接造就了今日老劉之所以為老劉。

最近手邊在讀的幾本書，都是所謂的半自傳，
其中一本值得推薦的『天生嫩骨(Tender at the Bone)』裡有一句話：
「人生最重要的莫過於一則好故事。」
我的外婆、爺爺奶奶們那一代，甚或我的父母他們，
動亂的年代、困苦的成長環境，彷彿讓他們總有說不完的精彩故事。
那我們呢？
生長於相對富足的時代，只不過經歷稍微的工作壓力、情感不順遂或大環境不景氣，
有什麼悲觀的權力，我們又有什麼唉聲嘆氣的資格？
數十年後，我是否能了無遺憾自己曾經夠努力去生活，對自己問心無愧，
足夠告訴我的下一代，一則關於我們的「好故事」。

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On Ohbama: our Heritage #1

I(*1) just read the abstracts of Ohbama bio in Chinese. Very impressed just like when Susan(*2) sent us the English one. In addition, I met quite a few Ohbama-father-like students in Hawaii, smart, poor, and yet ambitious. It seems Ohbama's mother is a local mixed Hawaiian herself. Anyway, I can relate to all people and even places named in the book.

I am writing this one to you to let you know it is worthwhile to remember one's heritage. Both my parents are illiterate, so are my father's parents. The only exception, is my mother's nature born father. But your grandma was given away as a baby and raised by a poor illiterate parents again.

I do not know why both my young sister(*3) and myself excelled in school even though no body, was able to teach or even guide us at home. Both of us were raised by my grandma, my father's mother in Taipei, while your grandma had to make the ends meet working full time. Perhaps, just as Ohbama's father said to Ohbama in Hawaii at 10 when they first remeet after their separation at the age of two, it is naturely born, all other Ohbama's half siblings are doing well at school.

Yes, I come from very humble family, but somehow I have the best education that I could have during that time. I can communicate well with all those coming out of the upper society, but at heart I do not share their values at all. To understand it, you can just read the articles written by my young sister; Shirley(*4) has a booklet made of those articles. It is worthwhile to reread them to know your Grandma well.

I may write more in future. But for today, I will end this one by sharing with you what I consider the most tasty food in the world in my life. It was in Honolulu, as the presidents of Taiwanese students association, together with other representatives from other country, we were entertained by the Governor of Hawaii with a formal French dinner. It was my first ever formal Western dinner. Here comes the soup, French Cosomme, the clear beef soup. I dipped my spoon to find out if there is any real food underneath. No, absolute clear soup. Upon tasting it. Oh, what a delicious soup.

It is easy to appreciate a real good French soup. Here is the other most tasty food I ever had in my life. My grandpa, my father's father, lived in the country side and came to visit us once in a while by walking about six hours to reach us in Taipei. He lived to almost 90 without doctor's case and was totally blinded during the last ten years, most probably because of cornea. When my grandpa came, he always gave us a little coin money and some real hard toast ends that we baked to eat as extra foods. It tasted so good that we fought for the crumbles of the toast. However, my grandma always scorned harshly at grandpa every time he came to see us. Eventually, I listened and found out what they were shouting at.

My grandpa was quite old at that time and, as a farmer all his life, he was dirt poor. Where did the little money and toast ends come from? He begged as a beggar all the way while walking to reach us. My grandma was ashamed of his being a beggar. I was three years older than my sister and thus I did not know whether she knew it. But I was so shocked and could not hold back my tears having the delicious baked toast ends. Even now my eyes are swell with tears. I hope you do understand my feeling.

When I came back to Taiwan in 1967 and was hired by the garment maker, Formostar, my interviewer, also a self-made East West Center alumni, I later found out, asked what was my ambition. I told him that I was going to make it one way or another, otherwise, I would leave Taiwan forever. But on one condition, I would never work for KMT controlled government. Why, I was totally pissed off by KMT as a student and as a part-timer worker when at the graduate school of Taiwan university in 1964 and as an army officer in 1963.

So much for today. See you until next time.

(to be continued...)

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註釋：
(*1) 文中的第一人稱，是老劉的舅舅；
(*2) Susan：老劉的大表姐；
(*3) “my young sister”：就是老劉的媽媽，也就是總被我稱作「胖媽」的那一位 :P
(*4) Shirley：老劉的二表姐；

相關小聯結：
* Barack Ohbama的英文自傳 Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance ，台灣博客來也有得買，不必從Amazon飄洋過海寄來~
* 歐巴馬的自傳中文版 ，台灣已出版 『歐巴馬的夢想之路-以父之名』

A Shallow Article

一轉眼，距上次發文已是一個多月。
前兩天，有朋友問我，怎麼這麼懶，是打算放棄這個blog了嗎？
前一陣子工作繁忙固然是個理由，
另一方面其實我斷斷續續在阿寶的流水帳 (+Albums)都會寫寫日記，其頻率比這兒高出許多。
問我為何會在寶寶日記碎碎念，也不多臨幸我這歷史更為悠久的部落格，
實在是因為在那兒寫的東西，名之為寶寶日記，所以可以隨手三兩句話，
寫關於阿寶的吃喝拉撒，抱怨點家庭主婦的茶米油鹽，沒有壓力。
總是覺得那些東西『難登大雅之堂』，
可話說回來，那就是老劉現在的真實生活寫照，
本來就不是什麼風雅之士，而這裡也從來不是什麼『大雅之堂』，
呵。於是，來這篇廢話一篇，做做發新文的樣子。

(所謂話鋒一轉…)
剛剛上洗手間時，碰巧遇上打掃的阿嬸正在掃地。
阿嬸和我抱怨道：「奇怪，今天廁所裡好多亮片…」
我 (做著自己的事，隨口附和)：「亮片？是哦，廁所裡怎麼會有亮片…」
阿嬸於是秀她的畚箕給我看：「妳看，就是這樣的亮片…」
我 (瞄了一眼，繼續附和)：「哦，可能是衣服上的罷…」
阿嬸：「對啊…誰怎麼穿這種衣服…一直掉亮片…」
我 (很盡責地持續搭著話)：「嗯…」
此時，只見阿嬸轉過身去，繼續打掃別處去，
而映入老劉眼簾的，是…
阿嬸上衣背面bling bling的圖案花樣，
那繽紛點綴的亮片，正和畚箕裡躺著的亮片，一模沒有兩樣。
老劉：「……(無言)……」