Grandfather's Tea

My grandfather was a lucky man, as his step mother, our Great Grandmother, lived to an old ripe age. He was a very filial son and set a very good example to all of us grand kids. In fact she passed away only 10 years ahead of him.

I was very touched whenever I visited Sg. Merah and stayed for a few days, Great Grandmother would bring me to her room, which smelled so fragrant. She scented her room with nice talcum powder and fresh bai yu lan and jasmine. She would make me a cup of Horlicks using the hot water from her flask. It was like a shared secret which I really liked. She was not a woman of many words. I loved her gentle touch on my tiny hands. Then she would tell me not to jump around too much because Grandfather did not like noise. And of course we were all living in wooden houses with wooden floors and wooden stair cases. So as a child, I had to be reminded at all times not to be heavy footed. She was very fond of my mother, who she missed a lot and would never say that she would love to stay with us in the Sibu town house.

Grandfather was not heavy footed, even though he was a very big man. And when writing this, I also remember that my father was also not a heavy footed man. Do all Foochow men walk lightly?

At about three my great grandmother would enjoy a bath, and that was the time that I liked when visiting Sg. Merah. My grandfather had designed a huge water tank (zinc) in the bathroom and the midday sun would heat up the water for my great grandmother's after bath. The tank caught rain water for washing and bathing before government treated water arrived.

 Grandfather would come back from his workshop,a little sweaty. He would sit by the kitchen door to enjoy the little breeze that came up the hill while Great Grandma would fan herself.

My grandfather's tea pot was a little like this.

Grandfather like his thin jasmine tea. The fragrance of the jasmine tea would fill the room. It must have been like a kind of family ritual for my grandfather and great grandmother to drink tea together every day like that without fail.

My grandfather was a man of habit. If he had some business in Sibu town, he would be home for lunch. If he wanted to see a movie, it would have to be a morning show. But he was not really a movie fan. He wanted to tinker around more the house or garden until tea time after a nap.

Thin jasmine tea is favoured by most frugal Foochows.

So this tea time was really special for him. Great Grandmother would have a few words with Grandfather. She was a very soft spoken woman and no one had actually heard her raise her voice!! As she was very well brought up in a scholarly family in China, my great grandfather was very happy to take her as a bride. He made the choice to remarry only after he made some money in Sibu, many many years after my first great grandmother passed away at an early age. May be it was for that reason my grandfather was grateful to have a step mother.

Drinking jasmine tea has many health benefits.