李黃嬋英
我母親張紅梨，出生於潮洲朝陽縣。我的外曾祖父，早年已遷徙到越南（安南）定居；外祖父（我的外公）是第二代，越南土生土長的中越混血兒，因為外曾祖父娶了當地之純越南女子為妻。 外公幼年，外曾祖父擔心自己兒子遺忘中國文化，故將年輕的兒子遣返唐山，學習詩書、寫字、和中國禮儀文化。多年後，又為兒子在中國娶妻成家立室。外公與外婆在中國生了兩個女兒，我母親是小女兒。不知何故，在我母親出生前，外公就留下妻子和兩個幼小女兒，獨自離開中國回越南。從此外公外婆夫妻分隔千里，多年後才再相聚。
外婆名楊淑竹，產下幼女（我的母親）不久，就將她轉送給別人撫養；也許外婆是家貧孤婦；當時封建思想，重男輕女，可憐的女兒常被遺棄或轉送。外公回越南不久，奉外曾祖父母之命又重組另一個家庭。年紀輕輕的外公；要負起分隔異地之兩頭家的擔子，談何容易。最輕易被疏忽的是在中國之結髮妻子，及兩個小女兒。外婆獨自多年撫養女兒，日子不好受。她就下定決心帶大女兒赴越南尋夫。幾經艱辛，尋覓成功，才得知外公已另有一頭家。
外公名張連詞，日常身穿高貴絲綢長衫，戴的是金製高級眼鏡框。他經營汽油供應，生活富裕，有傭人、有房子、樣樣不缺。只是兩妻共聚一室，多年針鋒相對，所謂：「一山不能藏二虎」不是天倫之樂，而是明爭暗鬥如戰場。有一次在田野間，外公出手重打外婆至重傷，還暈了過去，鄉里鄰居有同理心，看不過眼，出手相救求醫，並斥責外公粗暴行為不當。外婆長年受壓，終於拿起勇氣拖著一女兩兒離開夫家，獨自撫養子女自闖天下。
我的母親天生膚色紅潤胖白，故名為「紅梨」；出生不久，就被送到另一家貧困余氏家庭撫養。過了不久時日，母親的親姊曾責怪余姓養母，為何撫養到妹妹如此瘦骨難看。原來余氏家庭只有兒子沒有女兒，所以欲求領養一女嬰。養母疼愛我的母親視為己出，可是養家祖母不疼愛我的母親，在她記憶中常無原無故被責打挨痛，心中對養祖母恐懼不敢挨近。養哥們與母親的年紀相距十多歲，她在家裏被嫂嫂們當僕婢傭人，又常命令我母親上山丘撿枯枝禾幹草當柴燒，拾乾牛糞當炭燒。養哥們用製蔗糖剩下的糖碎渣粒，作酬勞換取妹妹的勞動力。故此，我母親在少年時就患有嚴重的牙周病。
養母因多年患有婦科血漏重病，恐怕自己存活不久；她又擔心養女在家將會受到更惡劣，被人欺負不公的對待。看顧孤兒寡婦的上帝沒有偏待人。祂向人施恩典慈愛。謀事在人，成事在天。聖經說：「神在祂的聖所作孤兒的父，作寡婦的伸冤者。」（詩篇六十八：5）
我母親在十三、四歲之時，養母因愛護養女就拜託一位鄉親，帶著我的母親去越南尋覓親生母親。從此母女相認團聚一起生活，之後母親漸漸跟外婆學做經商布疋小生意。後來外婆竟成了貨物訂購經紀商人。偉大的外婆，雖然受教育不多，憑她堅忍、毅力和勤奮，自己親手撫養了共六個兒女，其中包括領養的一子一女。
筆者身為外孫女，我一生只見過外公兩次。一次是外婆臥床病危之時（1977年），二舅父去外省請外公來探望外婆，竟被婉拒。同年外婆逝世入棺在舉行殯儀時，外公才來奔喪。其次是在1981年秋季，外公病危在醫院。我陪同母親去探病。當時我感到要為外公之病情禱告，求上帝醫治。經過外公允許，我就跪在床邊為外公禱告，母親為我翻譯，由粵語翻譯為潮語。回家不久聽到：「外公康復已出院」。後來在親戚中傳聞外公的評語：『我還未死，外孫女就在床邊下跪我』。其實我下跪乃是向上帝禱告，並不是下跪外公。我們千萬不要搶奪主的榮耀。近日我從一位表姐口中，得知外公活到近九十歲才離世。難怪聖經說：『人算什麼，祢竟顧念他？世人算什麼，祢竟眷顧他？』。（詩八：4 ）
下期再分解父母親之越南姻緣……
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】母親越洋尋親〉《真理報》(美東版) (2023年2月)。
https://nystm.org/nytm0223-05/
【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)")
