“As they gazed at the moon and the bright stars in the sky, Wang Kuei-sheng said that if he could use his family's gold bars to build a ladder to the heavens he would climb up and pluck the crescent moon to pin in Snow Beauty's hair. Yin Hsueh-yen just smiled, without a word to him, as she extended her dainty orchid-like hand and slowly conveyed the crescent-shape canapés of black caviar into her mouth.” StarsBeautyMoon Book:Taipei People Source: Taipei People
“He turned to Mrs. Liu. "My dear Sister, don't underestimate this little fellow. He might turn out to be a general one day!" "A general?" Mrs. Liu snorted. "In this world you're doing all right if you don't starve. I couldn't care less whether or not he becomes a high-ranking official." "What do you want to be when you grow up boy?" Lai Ming-sheng asked Liu Ying. "Commander in Chief of the Army!" Nose in the air, Liu Ying answered in all seriousness.” Growing UpMilitaryStarving Book:Taipei People Source: Taipei People
“Don't sell these people short," I said to her. "They've all been through a lot. Take Mrs. Chou, for example, the lady who lives in back of you. She's been married four times. Her present husband and the three before him were in the same squadron - they were all good friends to begin with. When one died the next took over, and so on, one by one. Sort of an understanding, you see, so that there would always be someone to take care of her. And Mrs. Hsu across the street from you, her husband used to be her younger brother-in-law. The Hsu brothers were both in the Thirteenth Group. The older brother got killed, and the younger brother took his place. To the children by her first husband he's Uncle, and at the same time he's Papa; for a long time they just didn't know what to call him." "But how can they still talk and laugh like that?" Verdancy looked at me in bewilderment. "My dear girl?" I laughed. "If they don't laugh, what do you expect them to do, cry? If they wanted to cry, they wouldn't have waited till now.” WarFamilyCoping Book:Taipei People Source: Taipei People
“The moon is sinking in the west, the moon is sinking. With all my heart of you I'm thinking - and you not knowing! A tender bush; who cares to tend it? From my fallen leaves the pains of love are growing. . .” LovePoetrySong Book:Taipei People Source: Taipei People
“Verdancy, you mustn't let yourself waste away like this and think you're doing it for Kuo Chen. If Kuo Chen is there and knows about it, he won't be able to rest in peace." Verdancy listened to me; all of a sudden she sat up, shaking she nodded at me and laughed coldly. "What does he know? He fell and his body was dashed to pieces; how can he feel now? So much the better for him: bang and he's no more - I died, too, but I can still feel." As she spoke, her face was distorted, half crying and half laughing, a terrible sight.” DeathRelationshipsLoss Book:Taipei People Source: Taipei People
“As the saying goes, 'People do not stay in favor a thousand days; flowers do not stay in bloom a hundred days.' Nobody can count on being happy and prosperous a whole lifetime.” HappinessProverbImpermenance Book:Taipei People Source: Taipei People
“I put my arm around her shoulders and hugged her. "Verdancy, my dear, Shih-niang's got something to tell you; I hope you'll listen. It's not easy to be the wife of Flying Warrior, you know. Twenty-four long hours a day your heart is trailing up there after him. You can gaze at the sky, and look and look, until your eyes run with blood, but your men up there won't even know. They're just like so many iron birds - one moment they fly to the east, the next moment they fly to the west; you just can't catch them. Since you're married into our Village, Verdancy, please don't mind if I speak frankly to you: you've just got to harden your heart in order to endure the storm and stress that is to come.” MarriageResilienceWarrior Book:Taipei People Source: Taipei People