Love and Obey. Love and obedience go hand in hand and this is part of Christian teaching the Foochows have accepted since their conversion to Christianity in the 1890's in Fujian.
However, the virtue of Obedience is embedded in Confucian teaching and learning.
Mum reared a lot of ducks in Pulau Kerto and Brooke Drive.
And from our daily feeding of the ducks we learn a lot.
Whenever relatives came, she would have a duck for cooking the soup for her SOH MIEN.
But the most interesting part of our small home in those days was the evening time, when she would call out to the ducks, big and small, males and females...she would call, "deee ,deeee ,deeeee," and all the ducks would flock into the cages and have their dinner of sago, rice, and copra...all so organic.
Mum would always say, "See how obedient they are. That's because we show our love to them by feeding them well."
Ducks know who their owners are, and perhaps they do have a good sense of hearing too. They can recognise voices and would not go to other people. They are recognised as birds who have loyalty.
My mother would rear the ducks for many months so that it was easier to clean their feathers. A duck would weigh more than 4 kg by the time they are more than 5 months old. This would be the best time to give them away as gifts to a relative who has a birthday.
Giving gifts of food especially a duck was my mother's special way of showing love and respect to her sisters in law, mother in law, mother and friends.
Later when my mother was more than 80 years old she was reunited with her childhood friend in Kuching (Matang) who reared ducks and gave in return gifts of duck for my mother to eat. They had not seen each other since I was born!!
My mother was most touched by the loving gesture of giving a duck.
Love and Obey. Photo by Sarawakiana.
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