by 蔡芳玲
Shizhu Lee was born in 1930. He graduated from Jiucheng Elementary School at the age of 13. Since his family was poor and had to support the family, he started working as a janitor at Jiucheng Elementary School after graduating from elementary school. He worked for a year and was serious and upright, he also could speak Japanese fluently, and was deeply taken care by Principal Totsuka Kei-ten. When the principal retired and was transferred to China Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Lee was transferred there.
After Japan's defeat, Principal Totsuka wanted to support Mr. Lee’s tuition to study in Japan. But as the eldest son, he had to give up.
Later, Mr. Lee went to work in a factory. Suddenly, the factory caught fire, Mr. Lee forced to catch the milkfish naval port near the shipyard and harvested longans, and gradually switched to sell dry rice noodles. Starting from four kilograms a day to four hundred kilograms.
At the age of 23, he married Wang-Wang Lee by the matchmaker. At that time, he even temporarily borrowed the groom's hat and suit from his aunt. In order to maintain the family income after marriage, Mr. Lee was responsible for selling rice noodles on a bicycle while Mrs. Lee was responsible for children's education, tailoring and tenant farming affairs, buying and selling land, and slowly established the foundation for the construction industry.
When Mr. Lee was 29 years old, his father passed away. The owner of the house was unwilling to rent out the Lee’s family lobby and turn it into a mourning hall.
Xiang Lee, who owned the other half of the land, generously lent it without saying a word. Mr. Lee and his wife were grateful in their hearts and fulfilled his last wish to build Sianfong Temple for Xiang Lee who was reincarnated as the Earth God under the instruction of the Heavenly God of Xuan Tian.
During the war that year, Mr. Lee lost contact with the ten principals of Totsuka Kei. A kind-hearted postman sent a letter that simply wrote " Buhou Distrct, Kaohsiung" a letter with an unknown address was sent to Mr. Lee, who was already 35 years old and starting a family. In the letter what the principal said : "Please dig up a handful of dirt from Zuoying Old City Elementary School - to express my deepest gratitude to Taiwan. "Appreciation and Gratitude" was sent to Japan for a short of time via air mail. At the same time, he bought wine and the mullet roe that the principal missed as souvenirs. He flew to Japan to start a journey of gratitude. When Principal Totsuka passed away, Mr. Lee took a flight again to visit the principal and sent his last respect to him at the graveyard.
(Shizhu Lee 1930-2018)
