人本自然
七彩神仙魚
～～主題餐廳～～
I had visited this restaurant before, but this time, it was just Jean, my wife, and Xiuqing, my second sister, accompanying me. Over lunch, Xiuqing and I reminisced about the "hard old days" of our youth.
Years after we had both left our hometown and started families in different places, our parents grew too old to continue farming. Eventually, they passed away—one in 2015 and the other in 2020. To be honest, we’ve missed them deeply ever since.
It’s been nearly half a century since we moved out of Guoxing, our hometown. Yet, Xiuqing and I still have plenty to share. Growing up in the same family meant experiencing many of the same challenges and joys. Today, as we sat down for lunch at Humanity and Nature (人本自然), we found ourselves chatting easily and freely, exchanging childhood memories and stories from our school days.
One memory, in particular, stood out. Xiuqing reminded me of something special I had almost forgotten. She recounted how I had urged her to continue her studies at Guoxing Junior High (國姓國中).
Back then, our family’s financial circumstances made it difficult for our parents to support all their children through school. In those days, we had Junior High (初中/國中) and Senior High (高中), usually set up in different places, but equivalent to Grades 7–12 in today’s education system.
I told Xiuqing how much I had appreciated my teacher, Mr. Jianghe Hong (洪江河老師), who also taught her music at Changliu Elementary (長流國小). One afternoon, Mr. Hong walked up the mountain to our house to persuade our parents to let me attend junior high.
"If he hadn’t spoken to Papa that day," I said, "I might have stayed home, working in the rice paddies or on the mountainside after finishing elementary school."
"Brother, do you remember how determined you were for me to study at Guoxing Junior High?" Xiuqing began her story.
It was the start of the second semester of Grade 7. The school allowed three days for registration: the first day for Grade 7, the second for Grade 8, and the third for Grade 9. Papa didn’t have enough money for Xiuqing to register on the first day. By the time he managed to borrow the necessary amount, it was already the next morning, meant for Grade 8 students. Feeling sorry for the family’s financial struggles, Xiuqing decided not to return to school.
She recounted how I had tried my best to persuade her to register that morning. When a bus finally arrived—buses were rare in such a remote village—she hesitated to get on. I urged her to board with me. She did, but moments later, she jumped off, leaving me to ride alone. That morning, I went to Guoxing Junior High (my alma mater!) and completed her registration on her behalf.
Being four years older than Xiuqing, I was home at the time on winter break from Chiayi Teachers Junior College (嘉義師專). Studying there, much like training at a military academy, came with full government support: tuition, food, clothing, textbooks, and accommodations were all covered. I’ve always been grateful to the Lord for this precious opportunity. My father had only allowed me to take the entrance exam for CTJC because it was a government-funded school. If I hadn’t passed, I would have stayed home to work as a farmer—or more precisely, a peasant.
As for Xiuqing, after graduating from Guoxing Junior High, she began working at an industrial company, following in the footsteps of our first sister. In fact, all my brothers and sisters left Guoxing to work and earn money soon after finishing school. Some even attended night school while working during the day. Back then, finding good job opportunities in Guoxing was extremely difficult.
Now, time has flown by. I am seventy years old, and Jean and Xiuqing are both in their sixties. We have always had so many stories to share, which is why we enjoyed chatting so much over lunch at Humanity and Nature (人本自然).
Jean, having heard some of our stories before, could relate to our struggles, as she too came from a family of modest means. Over time, the three of us have come to understand one another deeply. This bond has made us some of the closest family members among our extended relatives. (End of Story)
= = =
相關文章 (See also)：
1) Just a Note! (2021)
2) Don't Kiss Me So Hard! (2013)
3) First Part of My Family Tale (2001)
4) A Sequel to "The Last Piece of Land" (2023)
5) (中譯版) 人本自然～Chatting during Lunch! (2024)
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