There is a new Chinese film, The Dumpling Queen that talks about a single mother of two little daughters, who rose from humble beginnings as a street dumpling seller after being abandoned by her husband and ultimately became a business mogul in Hong Kong. This film is based on the true story of Zang Jianhe, the founder of the renowned food brand "Wanchai Ferry" that specialises in dumplings.
Some people may admire and zero in on her metamorphosis because of her perseverance, but what I appreciate more is her hardship as a single mother as well as a breadwinner. The sacrifices, which she had made to make ends meet before she reached the turning point, have resonated powerfully with me, because my mother is a single mother too.
My father passed away when I was three and my younger brother was two. At that disastrous moment, she had a baby boy... She had been a full-time housewife when my father was alive. After his passing, my mother had to assume the responsibility as a breadwinner because she had five mouths to feed in the family, including her aged in-laws.
Like Zang Jianhe, my mother lacked formal educational qualifications because she dropped out of school after Form 3. She was fortunate enough to be offered a job by her elder brother, but the pay was not enough as she had so many expenses to cover, such as utilities, water bills, food and educational fees for her three children. Despite lacking her formal educational qualification, she understood the importance of education to enable her children to get away from the hardship. She was willing to spend money to send her children to attend private tuitions for academic excellence. To achieve that, she helped her friend at a wet market to sell vegetables in the mornings for extra income. Her friend was generous and would give her some free vegetables to take home so she could save up some money.
She had grown up in a moderately wealthy family. In spite of her hardship, she scarcely sought help from the maternal family. She chose to bite the bullet and learn to be thrifty. She seldom bought new clothes for her. She only bought the needs, not the wants.
When I was in the fourth form, we moved to another town within the same district. The job that her elder brother had offered seemed to be on the brink of dismissal and once again, she was fortunate to get an opportunity to cooperate with a relative on running a snack wholesale shop from scratch. Running a new start-up was never easy. There was at least half a year when the sales revenue was unstable and low, so hiring a helper was a luxurious thought. Hence, I had to help out.
I remember there was once when I was helping out in the shop as a cashier with my mother. A few police officers came to our shop. Apparently, someone had reported to the police that we were selling firecrackers, so they wanted to search the shop for them. After they had searched the shop high and low, they failed to locate the firecrackers. What they found were only boxes of "pop pop", a kind of legal firecrackers for children. However, the police insisted to bring either one of us to the police station to assist with the investigation. Initially, they wanted to bring me away, but my mother instinctively and strongly opposed, claiming that I was only a student so having a record in the police station would ruin my future. She voluntarily offered to go to the police station with them. Before she boarded the police car, she had been handcuffed, at which she was resistant initially but eventually succumbed. I was then left alone and helpless in the shop...
Fortunately, thanks to the help from a few relatives, my mother was released at night on the same day.
When I watched a scene in the movie, as a result of running her dumpling stall in the street illegally, Zang Jianhe was detained in the police station together with her little daughters. She felt guilty to have put them in the awful turmoil, so she apologetically begged the police officer to release them because she was at fault, not the innocent children. This scene has specifically moved me and reminded me of that day's incident. As long as children's welfare is concerned, a mother will selflessly protect them, just like a hen protecting her chicks from a famished eagle.
In 2022, I wrote an article, "Their Unsung Heroine" and had it published in Heart & Soul, paying my tribute to her in conjunction with Mother's Day. This year, the film has inspired me to write a letter of appreciation to her again. She is not only a mother but also assuming the responsibility as a father. Her three children will not be who they are today without her selfless sacrifices over the past thirty years.
Today is Father's Day. I am writing this letter to a person, whose identity may not literally fit her for this celebration, but technically, who does deserve it—Happy Father's Day, mum!
Vincent Teh
15-June-2025
