Lin Family Banquet - Tan-Zih Uncle's Home

4-8-15

      It is 56^o outside with a real feel of 46^o; too cool to have coffee on the patio. A tropical storm passed south of Taiwan and only brought rain to Southern Taiwan. The north is instituting rationing of water. The drought continues. Our rain barrel is empty

   On Sunday, Leona and I went to Tan-Tzu where there was a Lin family banquet. I met Leona’s uncle (father’s eldest brother) and his married children. There were two round tables in our private room with about twenty people and another table in another room with ten more relatives who came down from Taipei. They sat separately because they had to discuss serious business; one of the grand children was refusing to put his chop to a land sale near the Tse-Chi hospital. They need his signature. As a female, a married one, Leona is not entitled to any of the land or its value. Her father would benefit and pass the value to his son, Shih-Dong, and then his eldest son, Yun-Shen. Luckily, Leona has me and doesn’t need the tiny portion of land though it would be lucrative as the governments wants to extend the highway north there and the land sits right in its place

      After the banquet, we drove in Shih-Dong’s new Volvo 4x4 up the winding road out of Tan-Tzu, over the Han River, and turned left into the undeveloped flatland between it and the eastern mountains. It is land owned by Taiwan Sugar Corp. and Leona’s uncle still lives there with his wife and pays a minuscule rent for a classic but modified Taiwan mud-brick home. When they pass on, the land will be developed. The house is surrounded by passion fruit, lychee, logons, bananas, scented flowers, and other flora. It was the first time Leona had caught up with these family members since she left for college in Taipei in 1988 even though we have been living back in Taiwan for two and a half years. I spent most of the time there talking with Leona’s cousin, Eddie, who understands English, is married and works in Taipei. He now knows my life story concerning my interest in things Chinese and how I met and married his cousin. The info will filter through the grapevine and Leona’s fate is no longer a mystery to them.

      Twice during the banquet day Leona and I were assumed to be the owners of the Volvo 4x4. Inquirers were surprised that our transportation was a scooter and bicycle.