According to my late father, my grandfather had good eyes for buying up land for agricultural purposes,besudes having a good brain for any mechanical devices. He was also a very innovative man with many skills.
One of the farm lands he acquired in the 1920's was a piece of hilly land about an hour by slow boat from the Mee Ann Sawmill at the mouth of the Meradong River. Several relatives had remarked why he wanted to buy such a property, so far from Binatang. However, he went on to buy the land and some more too. He had let some new Foochow settlers cultivate the land with padi, some rubber and lots of vegetables. As landlord, he had a share of their crops. God must have a plan for him because 20 or so years later he was able to protect his family from the onslaught of the Japanese and save his own life by living in the farm.
He appointed his only brother to look after this property in the hills. And sure enough, he was contented that when the Japanese arrived and created havoc, he had a property to shelter him and his family from the Japanese army.
However sadly Uncle Kung Eng passed away in 1944 before the arrival of peaceful days.
He was one of the first Foochow men to plant peanuts in Bintangor in those years . Relatives were happy to see rows and rows of well grown peanuts on the hill sides. Below the hill was grandpa's padi field which provided rice for his own family and many relatives, especially those who have just arrived from China.
Relatives would always remember that he gave 20 acres of land to his 6th daughter as a dowry because she did not have more than 6 years of education, as she was too old to go back to school after the war. Other aunts went for further studies.
At the beginning of the Japanese Occupation, local Chinese headmen were sought by the Japanese soldiers, so my grandfather took his family of young girls and boys to hide out for about 9 months. My own father was in charge of the Hua Hong Ice Mill and had his share of problems with the Japanese.
While living in the temporary attap house in the hill top (my grandfather called his property there by that name), he and his children, for by then our Grandmother Wong had just passed away,they had quiet days, away from the military rule of the Japanese. They grew vegetables and planted peanuts and padi.
According to my late mother,(including family stories shared by all,) grandfather, Kung Ping loved peanuts in all ways of cooking.
He must have fried peanuts with his soft porridge, and a few dots of soy sauce. He loved pork bones soup cooked with peanuts and when he had some guests coming from the more rural areas, he would serve them with fried peanuts and some jasmine tea, his daily necessity.
He loved planting peanuts and the hilly soils of the hill top property were just so good for the crop. The family all helped him plant the crop and extras were sold in Binatang. Probably that piece of hilly land reminded him of Wun Chieh, the hilly home of our great grand father Tiong Kek Jeh.
Wun Chieh, near King Sar, in Minqing, is very hilly. Our ancestral land there has very loose loamy soils and are really good for the growing of peanuts.
Besides the lower swampy areas were all cultivated well by the uncles and some relatives. The tenants also paid in kind to grandpa, so in those Japanese Occupation years, Grandpa was very provident and my aunts and uncles had plenty of rice, peanuts, and vegetables to eat.
Sometimes they would slaughter a chicken or duck for a good meal.
Grandpa was most happy with his peanut farm.
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