The character of a woman, setting a good example for her young daughter, from the Newspapers, translated…
The single mother works in beading jewelry, consistently refused the aids and assistance from the outside world, “We need to be able to get on our feet ourselves”, the seven-year-old daughter: this is a world that belonged to mom and I underneath the table.
In the crowded area of the marketplace in Zhongshan Street in Nantou, there was, a small space of no more than nine square meters, held together by wooden boards, plastic tarp, and some steel pieces, it’s the workshop of the woman from China, Chen’s workshop, it’s also the living space for her and her seven year-old daughter too. After she closed her shopfront, this small space beneath the offering tables also became their “bedroom”.
where the woman lived and worked, photo courtesy of the UDN Papers…
The stand in the marketplace with the rain roof, “It’s a shopfront, also a home too”, Chen and her daughter had lived here for two years now, her seven-year-old child opened up her bright eyes wide, “This is a small space just for us, a place where I can get really close to mom as I fall asleep at night”, being very well-taught, she’d not only massaged her mom’s shoulders every day, she’d also do the dishes regularly, as well as the laundry too. The two of them stayed closed to this small living space, insisted on not receiving donations from outside, “We are able-bodied, and so, we must live using our own abilities.”
Chosen the Handiworks, Because She Could Look After Her Daughter at the Same Time
The forty-one year-old Chen married to Taiwan sixteen years ago from Fujian, had two daughters with her ex. Two years ago, they agreed on divorce, she’d gained custody over her younger child.
She said, she’d not worked, and was without the personal connections, but was very capable in beading, from designing, to fixing the jewelries, and she could work and watch over her own daughter too, so she’d decided to make a living off of this skill of hers.
When They Needed to Go to the Restrooms, It’s a Three-Minute Walk to the Nearby Public Restrooms
the photo of the mother and daughter’s “bedroom”, photo courtesy of UDN.com…
In the no more than nine-square meter space, the walls were made of steel rods, and, all of Chen’s handcrafts were hung all over the walls, the table was her workstation, and, there was a small shrine above the workstation. The original offering table had all the materials she’d needed to do her work, and the stacked up cardboard boxes became her daughter’s desk, there was an electric rice cooker in a corner, the water heater, as well as the sink.
This seemingly complete space, there was, NO bedroom, or bathroom, and Chen said, embarrassed, as she’d lifted up the big red table cloth before the offering tables, said, that there was a mattress plac4ed here, it’s our bedroom, and, there is a public restroom in a nearby park, “It’s not far, only a three-minute walk.”
Set Up Shop in Taichung, Made Just One Sale
Another shop owner at the marketplace, “Sister Kuei” said, that as Li-Yu just started setting up her shop, her daughter was only five, and now, she’s entering first grade, and that their current living conditions are not fit for a child to be raised in, but because she didn’t have a stable source of income, she couldn’t make the rents on time; the foreign spouses association in Taiwan had brought the donations, but Chen had turned down their help.
“The principle of life I live by is not relying on anybody”. Other than making handcrafts, Chen also sold vegetables at five in the morning, then, returned to the shop, to make the bean curds, and on the weekends, she’d gone to Y-Zhong Street in Taichung, the Ji-Guan Shopping Space to set up shop. She said, she’d made several trips to Taichung, and only once had she sold anything, she’d not managed to make a single dollar, she’d also had to put up the money for the bus fares, thankfully, her daughter is very understanding, as she’d helped by her side, she’d never complained of being tired at all.
Despite the trials of her life, she still worked hard, refused the donations, because she wanted to make it on her own, and, although she’s having it hard right now, but I know this woman will become successful, and, she has a very well-behaved little girl, who is there, to help soothe her mom.
Life, the Obstacle Course 