(1980 年代的台灣記憶，Taiwan Memories of 1980s)
《Children's Revolt》
As the days passed by, the children began to realize that their mother was different from others and began to rebel.
The third daughter, Gui'er, was born in 1958. At the age of 9, she was the darling of Ajun, reporting on Ahua's daily activities in secret and often being left at the market. Ming'er, born in 1970, was 7 years old and received the least attention. When Ahua fell ill, it was as if this child didn't exist. As for the two younger daughters, they were taken care of by the eldest. The burden of raising a large group of children fell heavily on Ajun.
Ahua's behavior had escalated to cutting clothes, smashing dishes, and stealing money. The more essential the item for daily life, the more likely it was to be destroyed. The chaos at home was extreme. When one person in a family fell ill, the whole family suffered. When the children's support crumbled, problems arose. Breakfast was prepared by Ajun, but what about lunch and dinner?
Ahua hid the money she pilfered from Ajun in the only remaining wooden chest brought as a dowry. Those two chests contained all of Ahua's possessions. The children observed Ahua's actions and began to mimic her. They searched for small change to buy food and handed over large sums to Ajun. The unspoken secret had become a game among the children.
Every day, Ahua paid attention to her appearance, admiring herself in a small mirror. Despite having to do laundry and cook, she often let the children clamor incessantly, sometimes paying attention and sometimes not.
Ajun's business was decent, buying and selling to make ends meet materially. But the emotional toll was immeasurable. Although Ahua was not from a prestigious family, her fair complexion and delicate features exuded an aura of arrogance and aloofness, making her seem untouchable.
Ajun had tried to show Ahua warmth and affection, hoping to rekindle their past reliance on each other. With one room and two beds, Ajun would seek intimacy at night, often begging for it. Over time, as the attempts became less frequent and his patience wore thin, he began to fear waking the children in the middle of the night and opted to sleep with them instead. This only fueled Ahua's resentment further.
What did Ahua really want deep down? Ajun couldn't fathom it.
They had their fair share of cold wars and hurtful words exchanged. One day, Ahua grabbed a broom and ran to the neighbor's house, assaulting Mrs. Zhang, which led to a visit to the police station. At first, Ajun apologized and then brought Ahua back home to settle the score. It was because Ajun and Mrs. Zhang shared whispers about money that Ahua became jealous. Unable to endure it any longer, Ajun unleashed his pent-up frustration and anger on Ahua. It was the first time he had ever raised a hand against her, and internally, Ajun felt as though he was bleeding. After that incident, Ahua toned down her disruptive behavior.
Speechless, they questioned the heavens. Ahua's changes prompted her maternal family to start pushing back against Ajun's shortcomings. Ahua's mother, illiterate but resilient, managed to hold the family together. Ahua's father's laziness and love for indulgence contributed to their poverty. Ahua's mother sold sugarcane on the roadside in Sanzhong, Taipei, barely making ends meet.
Ahua's youngest brother was a carpenter and managed to accommodate their parents and siblings in a roughly 33-square-meter house. Ahua had three brothers and three sisters, one of whom drowned during a typhoon season. Ahua was the fifth eldest.
《孩子的反擊》
日子一天天過，孩子們也意識出媽媽跟人家不一樣，開始了有反抗。
三女桂兒，民國 57 年 (1968 年) 生。9 歲了，是阿俊的暖心包，會偷偷報備阿花整日行為，也是最常被丟在市場。明兒，民國 59 年 (1970 年) 生，7 歲最沒被照顧到。阿花犯病，這孩子等於無視於存在。至於後二女由大帶小。一大群孩子的教養，已然是阿俊肩擔兩頭重。
阿花行徑已到剪衣、摔碗、偷錢。越是生活需要品，一律搞破壞。雞飛狗跳不誇張。一個家庭，一人犯病，全家苦。孩子的山倒了，也造就問題根源。早餐因為阿俊有準備，中餐，晚餐呢？
阿花從阿俊身上摸來的錢，藏在僅存陪嫁過來木衣箱。那兩衣箱是阿花全部，孩子洞悉阿花的動作，也學起有樣學樣。翻到小錢，買吃填肚。翻到大錢，拿給阿俊。不能說的祕密，在孩子圈中，已經視為遊戲。
阿花每天注意自個容顏，拿個小鏡孤芳自賞。洗衣煮飯，總讓那些小孩催聲連連，有一搭沒一搭。
阿俊生意本來就不錯，買進賣出賺取差價，在物質上應付得過去。就那精神耗損無人能比。阿花雖不是名門閨秀，但長相清秀、皮膚白皙，也散發出高傲冷冽，讓人不可侵犯之遐想。
阿俊也嘗試過給阿花一個溫暖的愛意，看能不能喚起情竇，重回往日相互依賴。一房二通鋪，阿俊夜裡求歡，總是哀求施捨。久而久之，次數少了，耐性沒了。也怕半夜裡吵醒孩子而難堪，索性跟孩子睡。就這樣，阿花更加氣憤。
阿花骨子裡到底要什麼？阿俊真的摸不著。
冷戰、惡言相向，他們夫妻倆也沒少過。阿花有一天拿著掃把，跑到隔壁鄰居，打人家張太太，鬧到警察局去。阿俊先是賠不是，再把阿花帶回家算帳。就因為阿俊跟張太太會錢，竊竊私語，阿花見狀起醋意。阿俊忍無可忍，新仇舊恨一併算，狠打了阿花。這是阿花第一次被動手打，其實阿俊內心在淌血。經過一次被修理，阿花有些收斂，不再鬧別人。
無語問蒼天。阿花的變化，她娘家也開始反擊阿俊的不是。阿花的母親不識字，倒也撐起一個家。因為阿花父親好吃懶做，所以窮是有原因。阿花母親在台北三重老溪街尾路邊小攤賣削甘蔗，生意還可以，勉強餬養一家子。
阿花小弟是木匠，把父、母、哥接去約十坪大房子住。阿花兄弟三人、姊三人共六個，一個在颱風季被水淹死。阿花排行老五。