Page 286 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 286
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
the district were envious of Mother’s wonderful cook and we all loved to be invited to a meal at the
Super’s house, specially as most of us were doing our own cooking and everything else at the time.
But alas! One day there was a prolonged Japanese air raid and Cook Wang disappeared and never
came back. We never knew if he had been caught in the raid or just fled to a safer place away from
the city. He was really terrified of the air raids and we were just over the city wall from the airfield and
the American Air Force base, so particularly vulnerable to attack.
Anyway, he disappeared and Yang Wanchuen, knowing Mother was old and unwell and could not
cope alone, offered to do the cooking if she would trust him. He admitted he could never compete
with Cook Wang, but he had learned a lot from him and would like to try. So she let him try and he
did well and served them faithfully and well till they left China. By this time he had married a lovely
little Chinese girl called Enlian and they were living in several rooms behind Mother’s kitchen. When
Yang could not cope with the number of visitors, Enlian came in to help him and we got used to them
quietly working in the kitchen and dining room. Then Percy’s parents went home and we were to
move over into the Super’s house.
One day before that, Yang came over to see me and said he and
Enlian would like to serve us as they had served Percy’s parents. I
said ‘No’ at once and explained that I knew he had done well as their
cook and I would love to employ him but the financial situation for all
‘foreigners’ in China was very difficult and we just could not afford
servants again till the War was over. I told him I knew he had
worked for our parents for very little money because he was grateful
for what Mother had done for him, but he owed me nothing and
deserved a far higher wage than I could afford to pay him. He looked
disappointed and then suggested that Percy and I talk it over and
decide how much we could afford to pay him, and if he and Enlian
and their little Deifu could live on it, they would like to do it. When
the War was over and things became normal again, we could
Yang Dage, Enlian and increase his wage. So we took them on and he was such a blessing
Deifu to me, always cheerful, always helpful like a lovely Christian brother,
and I thanked God for him many times in the days that followed. The
children loved ‘Yang Da Ge’ too and little Deifu
was their constant companion. When Yang and
Enlian were preparing their food, our two always
knew when the rice was being cooked and Enlian
always saved them some ‘Guo ba’ (the browned
rice sticking to the ‘guo’ or ‘wok’) which they
loved.
The Yangs had another little child, a daughter
this time, born I think before our parents left, and
the new baby was a constant source of interest
to our two.
Meanwhile Frank and Dorothy “kept the
home fires burning” and helped to Dorothy was 2½ by this time and a great
entertain the American Airforce men who favourite with some of the GIs. ‘Gillie’, as we
were based in Hanzhong. called him, was a lovely big American boy who
Here Frank, with Dorothy’s help, acts as
interpreter for Captain Moss while visiting loved to come over just to sit her on his knee and
a historical site in Hanzhong. talk to and play with her. She loved him and of
286
Amy Moore
the district were envious of Mother’s wonderful cook and we all loved to be invited to a meal at the
Super’s house, specially as most of us were doing our own cooking and everything else at the time.
But alas! One day there was a prolonged Japanese air raid and Cook Wang disappeared and never
came back. We never knew if he had been caught in the raid or just fled to a safer place away from
the city. He was really terrified of the air raids and we were just over the city wall from the airfield and
the American Air Force base, so particularly vulnerable to attack.
Anyway, he disappeared and Yang Wanchuen, knowing Mother was old and unwell and could not
cope alone, offered to do the cooking if she would trust him. He admitted he could never compete
with Cook Wang, but he had learned a lot from him and would like to try. So she let him try and he
did well and served them faithfully and well till they left China. By this time he had married a lovely
little Chinese girl called Enlian and they were living in several rooms behind Mother’s kitchen. When
Yang could not cope with the number of visitors, Enlian came in to help him and we got used to them
quietly working in the kitchen and dining room. Then Percy’s parents went home and we were to
move over into the Super’s house.
One day before that, Yang came over to see me and said he and
Enlian would like to serve us as they had served Percy’s parents. I
said ‘No’ at once and explained that I knew he had done well as their
cook and I would love to employ him but the financial situation for all
‘foreigners’ in China was very difficult and we just could not afford
servants again till the War was over. I told him I knew he had
worked for our parents for very little money because he was grateful
for what Mother had done for him, but he owed me nothing and
deserved a far higher wage than I could afford to pay him. He looked
disappointed and then suggested that Percy and I talk it over and
decide how much we could afford to pay him, and if he and Enlian
and their little Deifu could live on it, they would like to do it. When
the War was over and things became normal again, we could
Yang Dage, Enlian and increase his wage. So we took them on and he was such a blessing
Deifu to me, always cheerful, always helpful like a lovely Christian brother,
and I thanked God for him many times in the days that followed. The
children loved ‘Yang Da Ge’ too and little Deifu
was their constant companion. When Yang and
Enlian were preparing their food, our two always
knew when the rice was being cooked and Enlian
always saved them some ‘Guo ba’ (the browned
rice sticking to the ‘guo’ or ‘wok’) which they
loved.
The Yangs had another little child, a daughter
this time, born I think before our parents left, and
the new baby was a constant source of interest
to our two.
Meanwhile Frank and Dorothy “kept the
home fires burning” and helped to Dorothy was 2½ by this time and a great
entertain the American Airforce men who favourite with some of the GIs. ‘Gillie’, as we
were based in Hanzhong. called him, was a lovely big American boy who
Here Frank, with Dorothy’s help, acts as
interpreter for Captain Moss while visiting loved to come over just to sit her on his knee and
a historical site in Hanzhong. talk to and play with her. She loved him and of
286
