Blessed

The values of a traditional Chinese woman’s character, willing to SUCK it up and take everything in stride, even if her life got too hard, and now, everything’s settled, and she’s finally able to, enjoy living for HER self! Translated…

The aromatic scent of cooking came early in the morn from the kitchen, my mother’s bruised hands flipped the pork chop she was frying up and down, she’d placed the cooked rice into the lunch boxes, with three pieces of plums that she’d pickled herself, to help get rid of the gas. No matter that my father got really mean with her, asked her money for his gambling habits, she’d still gotten up early in the morn, to prepare the lunches for four of us, siblings.

the meal, fit for a queen!  That’s what her mother deserves…photo from online…

On a cold winter morn, my mother wasn’t feeling well, she’d wanted my father to help out. But, he’d gotten quite comfortable inside his covers, and tossed out impatiently, “Just give them the money for their school lunch today!” and so, my mother got up, with her body ill, and, fried the string beans with the carrot pieces, then fried the sausages.

Every day around lunch, my classmates would hover around me, the moment I’d opened up my packed lunch, there were the boys who’d tried to drum out the beats of welcome with their chopsticks, but I’d, blocked them from it, nobody DARES touch my lunch, this was my mother’s waking up daily, to make for me!

Many years later, the four of us siblings had started our own careers, and our families too, managed to pay up our father’s debts—after he passed, my mother’s life turned a new leaf, she’d begun, living off better. This year, I took her to Austria, we sat in the one-star Michelin restaurant, my mother tried the delicately made meals, and said plainly, “Can’t believe I’m this blessed!”, I’d held back my tears, smiled toward her.

So, this is one of the valued characters of traditional Chinese women (not so much so for today that’s for sure!!!), that they are willing, to carry everything on themselves, and just provide endlessly for their own husbands and children, without ANY regrets, and this elderly woman finally had the opportunities, to start enjoying her life toward the end after her husband died, and as her children saw how tried she’d been when they were younger, naturally, they’d, treated her with more kindness and respect for it.