Contributed by: 邵连珠, 76
Born in Kuala Lumpur, Madam Shao followed her father to Singapore at the tender age of fifteen as an engaged woman. As she reminisced about her childhood, the look of happiness was written all over her face, reliving the memories that are crafted with her hands. This is the story of Shao Lian Zhu, the girl of the 1950s.
In a small house along Balestier road, there once lived a family of 6, the father, a Shanghainese, the mother, a Malaysian, and 4 daughters. Every morning at the strike of dawn, the second daughter would always be seen helping her father out with his humble coffee shop business. This coffee shop was opened to cater to the needs of workers working within the vicinity of the shop. Lights of this coffee shop will always be turned on at 3am daily. Within two hours, the coffee shop would be bustling with workers, rushing to get a cup of coffee to start their day.
After the rush hour was over, this daughter is then seen in assisting her mother and sisters with the laundry service. She was in charged of gathering the dirty laundry from her neighbours, washing it and then returning them in a clean and neatly pressed condition. At the break of dusk, she will then be seen at the coffee shop, closing it for the day.
Everyday, she dreamt of attending school and being educated. Unfortunately for her, she was over the age for admission into the Singapore education system.
She never got the chance of buying new clothes before the New Year. In her family, it was customary that the clothes pass down from children to children. Even though the clothes she wore was passed down to her from her paternal uncle’s children, she never once complained about not wearing brand new clothes but instead, appreciated the fact that she had more clothes to wear for the year ahead. She was not a materialistic girl and had always asked for a simple life.
The coming three years after marriage passed swiftly and Miss Shao was now known as “Mommy” to two children. A mere youth herself, 20 year old Madam Shao was forced to mature rapidly as she was responsible for not only bringing up her two children but also her husband’s five younger siblings while he tended to his family’s furniture shop as the sole breadwinner of the family. Madam Shao’s daily schedule repeated in an unorthodox cycle of cooking to cleaning to looking after her family and her extended family.
Madam Shao’s duties of a mother and daughter-in-law kept her busy most of the time but when she had free time, she found simple pleasures in mini games like badminton with the neighbours or trips to the beach with her children. An incandescent smile was vivid on Madam Shao’s faces as she reminisced the time where she, her neighbours and her children journeyed to the beach for a fun day out. She and her neighbours would prepare a basket of scrumptious food for an afternoon buffet. Her Indian neighbours would cook curry while she prepared bee hoon. Madam Shao and her kids would then ride the family trishaw to the beach- the same trishaw Madam Shao and her husband rode at their wedding. Madam Shao laughs as she recalls building kites for her kids to play with at the beach but as the kites were too big for her kids to control, she ended up flying them. She laughs at the joyful turn of events and tells us that after all she too was still just a kid.
Today, Madam Shao participates in many activities organized by the activity corner in her flat’s void deck. She currently lives independently in a block in Bedok as she does not wish to be a burden to her two working children. Madam Shao enjoys singing and exercising with her friends as well as spending time with her children and grandchildren. Madam Shao had led a fulfilling and meaningful life and will always be a role model for children of the new generation.
Interview done by Amanda Lo Yu Zhen and Ooi Gene Anne from Nanyang Girls' High School on 21 May 2013.
(This memory is collected in collaboration with Nanyang Girls' High School and Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities for the "Hands: Gift of a Generation" campaign.)
