My grandparents

My maternal grandpa died from a stroke at age of 38, leaving a wife and four young daughters behind. Grandma was 32 and would have to raise her daughters of 11, 9, 6 and 2 years old all by herself. If it hadn't been because the Communist Party took over the power the next year, grandma would have been able to raise her family on her very large residency and with an adequate supply of money inherited from my grandpa. Houses were taken away, only one two-story wooden house stayed. Bank accounts were sealed, and then confiscated. Grandma was forced to work outside her house for the first time in her life. Unable to make enough money for five people, she had to decide to enroll my mom, her oldest daughter, into a teacher-training school in the suburb of Sizhou city because it was free of all expenses for its students. There mom went alone, at the vulnerable age of 12, on a boat propelling her away from my grandma and her younger sisters, from the once-comfortable nestle and sheltered life, leading her into an unknown, dangerous world. After three years study, at age of 15, mom became a young elementary school teacher in another suburban area of her home city till she married my dad and moved to Beijing.