李黃嬋英
父母親在南越做了三十多年的布匹生意，由擺地攤起家到有自己的小店鋪門面。他們新婚之時住在小巷子裡的簡陋小木屋，節儉累積才買房搬出住在菜市街上，他們養育了六個孩子。1975年南北越統一之後，孩子們漸漸長大，於是父母花錢賠償，將兩戶長年租客送走，又將破舊房屋鋪磚稍微翻新後，以為終於可以安居樂業了，萬萬想不到徬徨不安的日子卻臨近在眼前。
推動新幣
政府以漸進式的經濟手段收緊控制，明搶暗鬥壓迫各階層富豪，後至中產階級商家也不例外。很快在兩年後，全國執行錢幣更換，此舉對於商家富豪有極度的殺傷力。政府不需動用一槍一彈就能將富豪世家一搶而空。幸好許多富商收藏黃金珠寶和美金，因為當時商人都認爲銀行是不可靠的。政府規定每500元舊幣兌換一元新越幣，並且規定每個家庭只能兌換200元新越幣，相當於100,000舊幣，剩餘的可以儲存在政府「虛名」銀行𥚃，其實全是虛無數字而已，人們更可能被標籤上罪名。
廢紙廢鐵
政府推動的「新經濟」政策危害到全國人民，導致許多富豪及經商的華人急速要逃離越南求生。因家財萬貫又會被標上罪名，故此衆多富商家只有在暗地裡，忍氣吞聲地燒舊幣，因為所有錢幣在一刹間成為毫無價值的廢紙，也寧可溶化硬幣當廢鐵，富豪跳樓自殺事件比比皆是。如此心狠手辣的經濟政策將人民擁有的財物一掃而空。
財物兩空
我父母親的三十多年的儲蓄也難逃這一劫。他們日夜惶恐著，不知清算何時會臨到我們家，因我們住的街道左右滿是大小商店。父親一聽到貨車停泊的聲音，心裡的壓迫感與恐懼會令他渾身發抖，甚至在夜間也無法入眠。眼見左鄰右舍的商店一家家在一夜之間銷聲匿跡，第二天店空無人，只見門前被貼上黃色的打叉大封條嚴禁出入。不能想像父母親是怎樣度過這段壓迫的日子的。
果然不出所料，有一天，收到當局政府通知書，要封鎖舖面生意，同時又派了一位便衣監察員來我們家，從早上7時到晚上6時，每日無間斷，約三周時間監視我們的一舉一動和出入。我至今還記得那位約近四十歲的女監察員的樣貌。當時我們三兄弟妹仍在上學，每天背的書包必須讓女檢員檢查過才得出門。她說話態度斯文有禮，但不知道她心裡想的是什麼。有一天我們房樓上的平台上，發現原有兩個較大的盆栽，泥土被挖鬆了瀉出，並有敲裂的碎片，我們猜想她曾試著挖掘，看看內𥚃有否藏著珠寶之類的東西。還好，父母親並沒有在盆栽裡埋藏任何珠寶飾物。孩子們還年幼又不懂得分擔父母親的憂心。但感謝上帝恩典庇佑，體恤人的軟弱和苦楚，父母親在精神上並沒有被擊倒而崩潰。後來我們家有幸認識這位創造主。在當年動盪不安，政府各方面施壓限制下，多間南越華人基督教會卻是興旺，因為人心空虛。聖經上有句這樣金言說：「鼎為煉銀，爐為煉金；惟有耶和華熬煉人心。」（箴言17:3）。上帝看祂所創造的人為寶貴。又說：「人算甚麼，祢竟顧念他？世人算甚麼，祢竟眷顧他？」（詩篇8:4）。願你早日認識這位無微不至看顧人的創造主。
作者：李黃嬋英師母出身越南堤岸。少年信主後，移居北歐瑞典，修社工。婚後與夫婿移居美國。
李黃嬋英。〈【小趣奇遇】壓迫商家（一）〉《真理報》(美東版) (2023年10月)。
https://nystm.org/nytm1023-08/
【小趣奇遇】壓迫商家驅逐去新經濟區
當我們一家被迫拋屋棄貨被驅逐到龍安省（Long An）的一個小鎮墟（Thu Thua）之後；我們的戶口被取消，孩子同時也被取消在城市內上學的資格。四哥與我、弟妹都要輟學。
[Storm Buster] Storm Surge
![[Storm Buster] Storm Surge](https://eresource.ifstms.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Hurricane_Kate_2003-_Good_pic-860x500.webp "[Storm Buster] Storm Surge")
Storm surge causes inundation of large swaths of coastal land. Eleven years ago, storm surge from Hurricane Sandy havocked large damages in New York (NY) and New Jersey (NJ). Today, some of those destructions are still noticeable and remain unrepaired.
[Interesting Adventures] The New Economic Development District Policy in Vietnam
The Vietnamese government had planned well ahead and prepared many makeshift-hut developments such as the one we were sent among all the villages and provinces.
[Interesting Adventures] Suppressing the Merchants (Part II)
![[Interesting Adventures] Suppressing the Merchants (Part II)](https://eresource.ifstms.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/oppressed-Merchants-2-web-edited-800x500.jpg "[Interesting Adventures] Suppressing the Merchants (Part II)")
Upon the confiscation of our family-cloth-business, there was an undercover policewoman stationed at our home for three weeks every day from 7:00 am till 6:00 pm. Our every move was scrutinized⋯⋯
[Storm Buster] Autumn Foliage Forecast
![[Storm Buster] Autumn Foliage Forecast](https://eresource.ifstms.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screen-Shot-2023-10-30-at-11.05.07-PM.jpg "[Storm Buster] Autumn Foliage Forecast")
Autumn is pleasant. It has many public holidays for the most populous countries in the northern hemisphere. In the U.S. we have Labor Day, Columbus Day and the Veterans Day. In China there are Mid-Autumn Festival and Double-Yang Festival.
[Storm Buster Series] Preempt Wildfires
![[Storm Buster Series] Preempt Wildfires](https://eresource.ifstms.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nytm2310p-72.jpg "[Storm Buster Series] Preempt Wildfires")
We were all stunned by the apocalyptic scenes of devastation and destitution caused by wildfires in Maui, HI. The utter sense of desolation and desperation was overwhelmingly sad. It destroyed the idyllic Island of Maui. Many people are still in denial and disbelief when they look at the news reports.
[Interesting Adventures] The Oppressed Merchants (1)
![[Interesting Adventures] The Oppressed Merchants (1)](https://eresource.ifstms.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nytm2310p-71-700x500.jpg "[Interesting Adventures] The Oppressed Merchants (1)")
Mom and dad ran a textile and cloth business for thirty years. Their humble street hawker beginning was never remote. Only through thrift living and hard work did mom and dad gradually expand their business and eventually proudly owned a retail shop in the middle of the vegetable markets.
【小趣奇遇】民族之間文化的差異
我父母親年輕未婚時來自潮州；但我們六個兄弟姊妹都是出生於越南。全家一直住在華人聚居最多的「堤岸」。華人都是做大小生意為生的。連本地越南人都學會說粵語，特別需要在生意上能用粵語溝通，他們也讓自己孩子去華文學校讀書。
Heatwaves
Heatwaves in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere captured the public’s attention. The inadequacy of the central air conditioning units in many of the northern cities testifies to the unexpected increase in air temperature across Northern Europe, Asia and America.
Cultural Divide
Born in Vietnam, my siblings of six including myself, lived in a Chinese town called “Cholon”. Cantonese was the business dialect that even the native Vietnamese learned to speak. Many of the Vietnamese natives sent their children to Chinese schools.
【小趣奇遇】教學混亂與民間迷信
在1975年南越政變後，我和二哥（榮光）和弟弟（榮南）就讀的「同心」中小學，从私立成了公立學校，取消了學校制服。由於不夠老師，加上政府監控學校制度，又撤銷所有華語課堂，規定只准許學習當地越南文。
The Unfathomable Deep Space and Seas
Man is an adventurous creature. In the pre-pandemic year of 2019 the US travel and tourism industry generated 1.9 trillion dollars in economic output. That was a startling 9% of the nation’s corresponding GDP of 21.38 trillion dollars in 2019.
Chaotic schools and rampant superstitions
When the communists took over Vietnam in 1975, my second eldest brother (David), I and my younger brother (Kevin) were studying in the “Same Heart” middle-and-elementary school in Cholon, Vietnam. Originally a private school, it was changed to a public school under the communist government.
Calmness after the War (Part II)
My parents ran a textile and clothes retail shop from our home. Under the new communist government after the Vietnamese civil war, every home was eager to sew the new national flag. Therefore, all of a sudden our home business was thriving beyond our wildest imaginations.
【小趣奇遇】戰亂後的平息（下集）
父母親是做買賣布料的家庭式生意。內戰後的新興政府，規定家家戶戶都要買布料縫裁新國旗。突然間，店舖的生意好到忙不過來。我的大哥（雁榮）想幫父親的輕型電單車加油，去了附近一公哩以外的油站加油。
Pollen Allergy Becoming a Mainstay
Pollen allergy is more commonly known as hay fever. Medically speaking, it is called seasonal allergic rhinitis —- a provocation of the immune system to overreact to pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds. Hay fever occurs mainly in the spring and fall when pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds are in the air.
Calmness after the War (Part I)
In the May issue we mentioned the civil war between North and South Vietnam. It finally ended on the so-called “Liberation Date” on April 30, 1975. The North united the country into a communist country.
滕張佳音博士
國宣創辦人
▪︎美國芝加哥三一福音神學院文學碩士(宣教)及教牧學博士(宣教學)
▪︎前建道神學院跨越文化研究部副教授
▪︎牧職神學院榮譽創院院長
▪︎國際短宣使團創辦人
![[Interesting Adventures] The Oppressed Merchants (1)](https://eresource.ifstms.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/nytm2310p-71-580x420.jpg "[Interesting Adventures] The Oppressed Merchants (1)")
