Page 277 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 277
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
it was not always convenient to have every afternoon taken up with just one person. On the other
hand it gave me good opportunities for talking to her about the Lord and also she was not exactly a
person I could hurt or offend because her husband’s good will meant a lot to our own welfare and
safety in those troubled times.
One day the General sent over to say he had an English visitor and would Percy go over to be his
interpreter. The visitor turned out to be a young engineer invited to Hanzhong to inspect a new flour
mill and advise about any changes that might be necessary. Percy was there all morning interpreting
and then the General took them all back to lunch. Just at twelve o’clock a soldier suddenly appeared
at our door with Percy’s card and a note in pencil to me. “The General insists that you come to lunch
too. Everybody is waiting, so hurry up!” I had to change in about two minutes, ask Grannie to look
after the children, and hurry in next door to dine in style at the General’s big round table. His wife and
I were the only ladies present and I was thankful not to be the only woman amongst all the men.
I was well aware that a girl in China was taught carefully before marriage on how to be a good wife
and all the ways of making her husband happy. On this occasion I had a practical lesson on how it
actually worked. Mrs. Zhu was a most charming hostess, thoughtful for the needs of all her guests,
but her main interest was to please her husband. She watched his every movement, and hung on his
every word, laughing heartily at every joke. In every way she encouraged him to show himself in the
best possible light. I was absolutely fascinated by the whole performance and apologised to Percy
later (with tongue in cheek) for having been such an utter failure as a wife to him.
INFLATION
Prices kept soaring higher and higher as inflation went up daily, and it was a constant problem how to
make ends meet. In spite of it all we were reminded day after day
that our trust was not in man but in God. I felt it was a false
economy to cut down on food when much of it anyway was not as
nourishing as what we would have eaten at home. Where I could
substitute with cheaper things I did. Soya bean which was plentiful
in South Shaanxi was full of food value and I used it in a variety of
ways. Honey cost only 2/6 per pound where sugar was 8/-, so I
used honey for sweetening. I bought it in bulk - kerosine tins full - in
the winter when it had solidified, because when it was sold in liquid
form, the Chinese put carrots into it. The honey dissolved the
carrots and the bulk was increased though looking at it, one would
not know it was not pure honey. There were many ‘tricks of the
trade’ which I had learned from Miss Parr before I was married, and
I blessed her memory many times as I had to deal with the trades
people who came to my door. With the house constantly full of
people, I bought eggs a hundred at a time. The seller of the eggs
Inflation! During and after the
war inflation was rampant. was not at all surprised when I brought out a pan of water and tested
Here is Percy with his “grocery each egg before I bought. If the egg floated I discarded it, if it sank
money” - over $1million
Chinese dollars! to the bottom I put it aside to buy.
Servants’ wages were difficult for us to manage too, even though by the middle of 1943 I had only a
cook whom we paid in grain rather than in money. I would willingly have done without him too, but
knew that with all the people we had to cater for, I could not do everything myself. It seemed
impossible to manage without help in the kitchen and yet as things got worse, we knew we could not
277
Amy Moore
it was not always convenient to have every afternoon taken up with just one person. On the other
hand it gave me good opportunities for talking to her about the Lord and also she was not exactly a
person I could hurt or offend because her husband’s good will meant a lot to our own welfare and
safety in those troubled times.
One day the General sent over to say he had an English visitor and would Percy go over to be his
interpreter. The visitor turned out to be a young engineer invited to Hanzhong to inspect a new flour
mill and advise about any changes that might be necessary. Percy was there all morning interpreting
and then the General took them all back to lunch. Just at twelve o’clock a soldier suddenly appeared
at our door with Percy’s card and a note in pencil to me. “The General insists that you come to lunch
too. Everybody is waiting, so hurry up!” I had to change in about two minutes, ask Grannie to look
after the children, and hurry in next door to dine in style at the General’s big round table. His wife and
I were the only ladies present and I was thankful not to be the only woman amongst all the men.
I was well aware that a girl in China was taught carefully before marriage on how to be a good wife
and all the ways of making her husband happy. On this occasion I had a practical lesson on how it
actually worked. Mrs. Zhu was a most charming hostess, thoughtful for the needs of all her guests,
but her main interest was to please her husband. She watched his every movement, and hung on his
every word, laughing heartily at every joke. In every way she encouraged him to show himself in the
best possible light. I was absolutely fascinated by the whole performance and apologised to Percy
later (with tongue in cheek) for having been such an utter failure as a wife to him.
INFLATION
Prices kept soaring higher and higher as inflation went up daily, and it was a constant problem how to
make ends meet. In spite of it all we were reminded day after day
that our trust was not in man but in God. I felt it was a false
economy to cut down on food when much of it anyway was not as
nourishing as what we would have eaten at home. Where I could
substitute with cheaper things I did. Soya bean which was plentiful
in South Shaanxi was full of food value and I used it in a variety of
ways. Honey cost only 2/6 per pound where sugar was 8/-, so I
used honey for sweetening. I bought it in bulk - kerosine tins full - in
the winter when it had solidified, because when it was sold in liquid
form, the Chinese put carrots into it. The honey dissolved the
carrots and the bulk was increased though looking at it, one would
not know it was not pure honey. There were many ‘tricks of the
trade’ which I had learned from Miss Parr before I was married, and
I blessed her memory many times as I had to deal with the trades
people who came to my door. With the house constantly full of
people, I bought eggs a hundred at a time. The seller of the eggs
Inflation! During and after the
war inflation was rampant. was not at all surprised when I brought out a pan of water and tested
Here is Percy with his “grocery each egg before I bought. If the egg floated I discarded it, if it sank
money” - over $1million
Chinese dollars! to the bottom I put it aside to buy.
Servants’ wages were difficult for us to manage too, even though by the middle of 1943 I had only a
cook whom we paid in grain rather than in money. I would willingly have done without him too, but
knew that with all the people we had to cater for, I could not do everything myself. It seemed
impossible to manage without help in the kitchen and yet as things got worse, we knew we could not
277
