Reunion through a broken mirror

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>]

   Reunion through a broken mirrorr

  The year was 1939, the month Febuary and the place was the island of
Hainan, the second biggest island in China. The Japanese Imperial troops
were landing on the west coast of the island.  

  Lim Si Seng, a Hakka, was the son of a wealthy merchant in the city of
Hai Kou. Si Seng just got married to a local Hakka girl named Chin Ah Moi.
The Japanese were entering the city and the new couple were pondering what
would happen to them when the Japanese overran the whole city. They were
so in love that they did not want to be seperated and hoped that nothing
would happen to them. He was restless and was pondering over their
future. Ah Moi was looking at the hand mirror at that time. 

   Suddenly, they heard a loud explosion and in a fright Ah Moi dropped
the mirror and it broke into two pieces on the ground. Looking at the
pieces of the mirror Si Seng got an idea. He picked them up and gave his
wife one piece and he kept the other piece for himself. He told her that
if they ever survive all the perils they would use the two pieces of this
broken mirror to identify themselves as husband the wife.  

   While the Japanese were entering the house from the front door they 
escaped through the back door. There were many people in the streets. 
Some of them were crying and screamming and many of them were rushing 
and running about. Si Seng and Ah Moi were trying to stick together 
but somehow Ah Moi got lost in the crowd.

    Si Seng went about the city searching high and low for his wife for 
several days and it was of no avail. Fearing that the Japanese might
arrest him if they saw him roamed about the city, with a broken heart and
half a piece of the broken mirror Si Seng went to live in a little village 
in the countryside.

   Day and night Si Seng was looking at the broken mirror and longing for
Ah Moi. He was very sad and the villagers told him to remarry, but he did
not agree with them.

   Having lost the war the Japanese surrendered in August 1945. Si Seng
went back to Hai Kou city. He did not give up hope of finding his wife and
he continued searching for her. He went round all over the city asking
the city folks about his wife.

  One day Si Seng met an old lady who knew Ah Moi and told him that a
few years ago the Japanese had captured many young girls and transported
them to the Island of Hong Kong and his wife could be among the captured
girls. Si Seng decided to go to Hong Kong hoping to find his wife there.

  In Hong Kong Si Seng lived in a wooden hut up in the hill. Everyday he
went wandering through the streets of Hong Kong looking for his wife.

   One day, he saw a group of people watching an old man selling a
piece of broken hand mirror in the market. People thought that he was
mad because he was selling it for fifty dollars. He had been selling it
for a long time. Day in day out people saw him calling out,

   " Broken mirror for sale for fifty dollars".

   Curious about the old man, Si Seng went near him and wanted to find out
what kind of mirror he was selling. He was shocked and surprised to find
that the old man was selling the half of a mirror that belonged to his
wife. He told the old man that he wanted to buy the broken mirror. All the
people who were watchimg them burst out laughing, and shouted

   "Come and see. Here is another mad man. He is buying the old 
    man's broken mirror for fifty dollars".       

   Si Seng asked the old man why was he selling half of a mirror for 
such a high price. Si Seng showed the old man his other half of the
mirror. The old man instantly knew that this man was the husband of his
boss. The old man then told Si Seng that a dancer in the hotel paid him to
sell the half of a mirror in the market every day and she also told him
that whoever wanted to buy it must be the husband of her. The old man took
him to the hotel and Si Seng found Ah Moi there among a group of dancers.
 
Husband and wife were reunited happily.  

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan.