Hardships of War

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During World War II, when the Japanese invaded China, many young men were forced into the Chinese army to help defend against the Japanese forces. My great-grandfather on my mother’s side was one such man. This left Great-grandmother widowed and burdened by her father-in-law and son she needed to care for. The next few decades would be tough but my ancestors overcame this hardship and moved on. At that time, Great-grandmother and her husband lived and worked together in the rural area of the Zhangzhou province. She had been pregnant with Grandfather when Great-grandfather was drafted into the army by some recruiting officers. There was no warning. In the middle of the day, when she was busy making lunch for him, the officers had marched straight up to their farm and dragged him away. Without her husband, my great-grandmother was left to support herself, the child she was carrying, and her father-in-law, who was too old to work. Every morning she would wake up early before the sun rose to make traditional Chinese desserts and sell them during the day, only coming back after the sun h...

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