Nian was born in 1926.
In 1942, the Japanese invaders were indiscriminately raping young girls. So, at 16, Nian was quickly married off to a man who was much older than her. They adopted a baby boy.
But the husband was a gambler and after losing all he had, he packed Nian and their then 4-year-old adopted son and fled to China. The year was 1947.
However upon arrival, Nian told her husband she had a change of heart. Leaving the adopted son with him, she sailed back to Singapore alone and found a job at a shoe factory.
Her family in Singapore didn’t know about her return until much later.
In 1952, Nian got married a second time. She and her husband adopted three children.
But Nian’s unresolved regret in her heart was over her giving up of her adopted son back in 1947.
However, miraculously, 70 years later, in August 2017, through the efforts of her brothers, a mother-son reunion was arranged in Singapore. There were not many dry eyes on that momentous occasion.
Last month, Nian passed away at age 97.
She was my dad’s second elder sister.