Author: Chen Qianzi 陳芊孜
Preface
Throughout our life journeys, we experience many different paths and moments. Every day, we face our own lives, yet we rarely sit down with our family to truly talk about each other’s “time tunnels.” Grandpa’s Parkinson’s disease has caused him to forget more and more things, but every time I go home, I can still feel Grandpa’s warm reminders and Grandma’s heartfelt lunchboxes, they are always there. This writing mainly records Grandpa and Grandma’s memories of childhood games, schooling, work, and their life experiences.
Grandma’s Life Story
My grandma was born in Miaoli. As long as I can remember, I have always loved eating the food she cooked. Perhaps because I was never picky about food as a child, what I looked forward to most every day was getting out of school. When I got home, there were always different snacks waiting for me; sweet potato ginger soup, fried rice cakes, mung bean and barley soup. Being able to eat snacks, watch some TV, and then wait until exactly 5:30 p.m. for dinner was an incredibly happy thing.
Q&A: Educational Background
I attended Dahu Elementary School.
Q&A: Work Experience After Elementary School
At fourteen, I went to work as a domestic helper in someone else’s home, earning 200 dollars a month. I had to wake up before dawn to clean and organize the house. The furniture had to be wiped twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. The employer treated me very well.
At sixteen, I went to work as a female factory worker at a textile factory in Xinzhuang (the factory only produced fabric), earning 300 dollars a month.
Q&A: The Process of Starting a Family
At seventeen or eighteen, I returned to Dahu, Miaoli, where I met Grandpa. We dated, got along, and after marriage, we lived in the mountains (Qing’an Village, Tai’an Township).
At twenty-two, I gave birth to my first child (my aunt).
At twenty-four, I gave birth to my second child (my mother).
At twenty-six, I gave birth to my youngest child (my uncle).
Grandpa’s Life Story
My grandpa was born in Miaoli. My memories of him are that whenever he had time, he would drive my younger brother and me around the neighbourhood. We especially loved a road with a big slope, going back and forth five or six times without getting tired. Grandpa was very familiar with all the alleys, no road could stump him. On top of that, he was also very good at speeding on motorcycles.
Q&A: Education and Memorable School Experiences
I studied at Qing’an Elementary School. Each grade had only one class. During recess, we played with toy cars. Cars made from wooden boxes that once held fish. My family ran a grocery store near Qing’an Elementary School. The supply boxes for salted fish and salmon were reused by drawing wheels on them to make pretend cars. One of the cars even had a “license plate number”: 15.7683. The truck also carried bamboo and cedar wood to sell.
There was a mountain-area teacher named Liu Boqing, who was our homeroom teacher. He liked drinking alcohol and later passed away. His wife is still alive. When I graduated from elementary school, my parents attended my graduation ceremony.
Q&A: Memories of Junior and Senior High School
I attended Dahu Agricultural School for both junior and senior high. Junior high was county-run, later provincial, and now national. I won first place in basketball competitions during high school and received medals.
There was only one department in high school, the sericulture department. We raised silkworms, which formed cocoons, and silk could be extracted to make clothes. Silk clothing was expensive, and Dahu was especially famous for its sericulture program.
Q&A: Work After High School Graduation
After graduating, I worked at the Agricultural Improvement Station, raising silkworms. I met Grandma there and got married at twenty.
Q&A: Military Service and Training
I joined the army at twenty-one and served three years in the army. We had to parachute every day, once a day, from military aircraft (119, 130, and C-46 planes). The ropes and jumping postures were different depending on the plane. If you were afraid to jump, the instructor would push you out even more forcefully. Training took place in Longtan, while parachuting was done in Pingtung (Chaozhou and Haifeng). After landing, we had to roll; otherwise, we might get stuck in trees. Some people’s main parachutes failed to open, and they died. The next day, everyone was too scared to jump, but still had to jump once a day. A one-star major general even jumped with us. We also trained in disassembling and reassembling rifles.
Q&A: Rank and Work After Discharge
I was discharged as a sergeant. When I first enlisted, I was a private, then private first class, corporal, sergeant, staff sergeant, and then sergeant major. After discharge, I worked in Gongguan making models, beautiful dolls. I worked there for less than a year.
Q&A: Why I Became a Firefighter
I was working at Xin Meiguang Paint Factory. Grandma would go to Taipei Bridge to buy groceries and cook meals for the paint factory workers. The plastic bags even had paint logos printed on them. After a few months, I worked at Dahu Post Office, but you had to work a year before taking the exam, and I only worked nine months.
I read in the Central Daily News that the fire department was recruiting, so I rode my motorcycle to Taipei to take the exam and passed. I trained in Taipei for eight months. After graduation, I received a salary and was stationed near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall area (which had not yet been built at that time). After training, I was assigned to the special operations unit behind the Executive Yuan on Beiping East Road No.1. There were fire alarms every day. Once the bell rang, we rushed out. I drove the fire truck. Volunteer firefighters were unpaid, but firefighters had to pass exams. Later, I was transferred to Yanping Unit, then finally worked as a security guard and captain at the Taipei Fish Market Company until retirement.
Grandpa’s Little Add-On:
My wedding photos were taken in Dahu. We set up 7–8 banquet tables right in front of the house. (Grandpa is really adorable.)
My Reflections and the Cost I Am Willing to Pay
Whenever I have time, I visit Grandpa and Grandma. During festivals, the whole family gathers together or travels together. Whenever Grandpa sits down, he shares stories with me and my partner about how he came to Taipei alone to look for work. The most impressive part is how proudly he says, again and again, that he rode his motorcycle from Miaoli to Taipei by himself. We feel that Grandpa isn’t just cute; he genuinely wants to talk to us and share his stories so we can know him better.
We treasure every opportunity to spend time with Grandpa and Grandma because they are getting older. In their generation, many stories were never properly told, so it is even more important for us descendants to listen carefully. These stories are precious treasures. Once missed, they are gone forever.
This interview focused mainly on Grandpa because his Parkinson’s disease required us to invest a lot of time. Each question sometimes took three to five minutes, or even longer, before he could respond. I could feel how hard Grandpa tried to share more stories with me. I kept telling him, “Take it slow, no rush.” Gradually, he shared many life experiences, and I truly cherish them.
My grandparents are amazing people. Grandpa can clearly describe almost all of Taipei and Miaoli, what places used to be like and the stories behind them. He even remembers the names of every road. When he was young, he loved speeding on motorcycles. I think my grandpa is really cool. Grandma never repeats her dishes and always makes traditional foods by hand during festivals, mugwort rice cakes, zongzi, tangyuan, kimchi, preserved radish, bamboo shoots, long-life vegetables, and pickled radish seeds, everything made by herself. Every time I go home, the thing I look forward to most is eating until the plates are completely empty. Grandma’s cooking is truly amazing. Through this writing, I have come to deeply understand the importance of accompanying family. While we grow up day by day, Grandpa and Grandma’s bodies are aging rapidly. Spending more time with family is incredibly precious. I believe that in our next life, we will continue our family bond.
前言
在我們的生命歷程會有許多不一樣人生體驗，我們每天都在面對自己的人生，
卻好少與家人坐下來好好聊聊對方的時光隧道。阿公的帕金森症越來越記不
得事情，但我感受到的每次我回家，阿公溫暖叮嚀依然存在，阿婆暖心的便
當永遠都在，這次書寫主要是阿公阿婆回憶小時候的童玩、求學、工作，以
及談到人生經歷。
我的阿婆出生在苗栗，在我有記憶以來，我非常喜歡吃阿婆煮的飯，可能是我從
小甚麼都吃不挑食，每次最期待就是下課，因為回家總是有不同的點心，地瓜薑
湯、炸年糕、綠豆薏仁湯等，能夠先吃點心看個電視，等待五點半準時吃晚餐，
是超級幸福的一件事。
QA：求學經歷
小學就讀大湖國小。
QA：國小畢業後的工作歷程
14 歲時去到別人家裡幫傭，一個月200塊的薪水，在天還沒有亮就必須起床，
整理家中擺設，一天需要擦拭兩次，早上及下午各一次，雇主對我很好。
16 歲去到了新莊織布工廠做女工(工廠只產生布)，一個月有300塊的薪水。
QA：建立家庭的過程
17、18 歲回到苗栗大湖才認識阿公，戀愛、相處、結婚後住在山上(清安村泰安
鄉)。
22 歲生老大(阿姨)、24歲生老二(媽媽)、26歲生最小的(舅舅)。
我的阿公出生在苗栗，對阿公的記憶就是，阿公有空就會開車帶我跟弟弟在家裡
附近繞繞，我們很喜歡一個道路上的大斜坡，可以來來回回5、6次不是問題。
還有阿公對於巷子很熟，每一條路都難不倒，除此之外，阿公還很會飆車。
QA：求學經歷及印象深刻
我讀清安國小，每個年級只有一個班，下課就跟同學玩車子，木箱裝魚的車子，
以前家裡開雜貨店，在清安國小附近，進貨的箱子裡面裝魚，賣鹹魚、鮭魚，箱
子進完貨就來來畫輪子，模仿一台車子15.7683(卡車的車牌)，卡車還會載竹子跟
杉木去賣。
國小有一位山地老師(劉柏青)，他是班導師，喜歡喝酒，後來死掉了，太太還在，
國小畢業爸爸媽媽有來參加畢業典禮。
QA：國中、高中的記憶
初中高中都讀大湖農校，初中是縣立，後來改省立，現在國立，高中打籃球第一
名(學校比賽)，有獎牌。高中只有一個科-蠶商科，養蠶他會結繭，可以抽蠶絲，
蠶絲可以做衣服，蠶絲的衣服不便宜，大湖很有名就是蠶絲科。
QA：高中畢業後做甚麼工作
我畢業以後到產業改良場上班(養蠶)，那時候認識阿婆，20歲就結婚。
QA：當兵都在訓練的項目是甚麼？訓練時會有甚麼狀況
我21歲當兵，當三年陸軍，每天都要跳傘，一天跳一次，坐119、130軍用飛機，
C46 飛機的名字，繩索是前面高後面低；119的繩索從前面到後面是平的，兩個
跳下來的姿勢不一樣，你不敢跳教官越把你推下去，訓練在龍潭，跳傘在屏東潮
州、海豐，跳下來要翻滾，沒有翻滾你會掉在樹上，有人主傘沒有開，跳下來就
死掉，第二天就休息大家不敢跳，一天跳一次，一顆星少將帶著我們跳，還有卡
兵槍要分解再裝上去，短短的。
QA：退伍時時的階位及工作
我退伍是中士，一進去是下兵(只有一個勾)，在來是上兵(有三個勾)，下士、中
士、上士，再來就士官長。退伍去公館做模型，娃娃很漂亮的娃娃，同學在那邊
做，我做沒有一年。
QA：甚麼原因會想去當消防警察
那時候我在新美光油漆廠上班，阿婆去台北橋買菜回來煮飯煮菜(給油漆廠工人
吃)，塑膠袋上面的字是油漆印上去的，做幾個月又到大湖郵局上班，做一年才可
以考試，但我只做9個月。看中央日報，報紙上面有印消防隊員，就騎機車上來
台北考試，就考到了，上來台北訓練8個月，畢業就有薪水，在中正紀念堂那邊
的營區(中正紀念堂後來才蓋)，訓練完就分發到特種部隊，在行政院後面，北平
東路一號，每天都火警，電鈴一響，特種分隊每次有火警就出去，我開消防車，
義警是沒有錢的，消防隊員是考試要進去，後來掉到延平分隊，天水路與延平路，
延平分局旁邊有延平分隊，最後掉去台北魚場公司當駐衛警，當隊長，一直到退
休。
阿公小補充：我婚紗照在大湖照的，辦7.80桌在家門前面(阿公好可愛)
我的收穫及我需付出的代價為何？(心得)
平常有空都會去看看阿公阿婆，有節日全家更是會相聚在一起，或是一起出去
旅遊，每當阿公坐下時都會和我還有我的伴侶分享，以前他上台北求職的故事，
最印象深刻的是，當阿公說到他一個人從苗栗騎機車上來台北，可以很驕傲的說
好多次，讓我們覺得阿公不只可愛，而是阿公想和我們聊聊天，說說他的故事讓
我們知道，我們也把握每次和阿公阿婆相處的機會，因為阿公阿婆年紀也大了，
在那個年代沒能好好說出來的故事，我們後代更是要仔細認真聆聽，那真的會是
很重要很珍藏的寶藏，一旦錯失就再也沒有機會聽見豐富的故事。
這次主要訪談對象會放在阿公身上，因為阿公的帕金森症，讓這次的訪談需要
付出許多時間，一個問題需要等3至5分鐘，甚至更久的時間，阿公才有辦法簡
單的回覆，過程中我感受到阿公很努力想要多分享很多故事給我，但我跟阿公說：
慢慢來，不急。阿公才緩慢地說出許多人生經歷，我很珍惜。
我的阿公阿婆很厲害，阿公基本上大台北地區及苗栗都可以清楚說出，這個地
方以前有甚麼，以及故事，還有阿公都記得每一條路的名字，阿公年輕也會騎摩
托車飆車，我覺得我的阿公很酷！阿婆基本上做菜都不重複，而且過節日都會自
己手做，像是草阿粿、粽子、湯圓、泡菜、大頭菜、竹筍、長年菜、爛卜籽，全
部都自己來，每次回到家最期待的就是吃飯，吃光光的那種，阿婆廚藝很厲害。
透過這次的書寫，我更能體會陪伴家人的重要，我們一天天成長，但阿公阿婆
的身體正在以急速下降的速度老去，多花一些時間陪陪家人，是很珍貴的一件事，
我相信下輩子我們還會繼續家人的緣分。