Her Growing Up Years (II)

Mum used to remember her early years where she fled her home town with family during the Japanese occupation.

For at least one and a half year, they travelled far into the unknown terrain from unknown war torn sites to deep mountain to avoid the invaders and to stay alive. Food was scarce but more critically, everyone was subjected to apprehension, pain, fear, suffering and hunger.

When mum finally made her way back home, grandpa felt that by marrying mum to dad would be a good move to protect her chastity and life. Little did he realise that the marriage gave mum not only a new family but also a whole new experience of oppressive physical, mental and emotional suffering and pain.

Even after settling and living in Singapore, seemingly, time had not erased the unhappy memories of the Japanese invasion as well as dad and his family. It was evident that the anguish over this lingered in her heart, especially when her old wounds from dad's harsh beatings resurfaced.

But truth be told, despite these bitter experiences, mum's friends and relatives have nothing to say except that she remained a dutiful, strong, self-less and kind daughter-in-law, wife and sister-in-law with ready and regular sharing of money, household items, food, clothes, jewelleries and more. This act was done on top of her duty as a daughter and sister to her own family in China and as mother to us, where time was especially hard after dad's passing.

She had set an exemplary example of returning harsh treatments with kind acts of giving.