"Buying" Peanuts...

When my grandmother passed away, I was devastated.  She was a great lady who went through a lot - from her luxurious life in Southern China to her marriage with my grandfather and moving to "nanyang" (southern sea) - first Singapore and finally landing in Sibu.

Although my grandfather was relatively well-off, it was a far cry from her days in China.  Her father was a rice merchant and at any time she wanted something, all she needed to do was to scoop a tin of rice and barter it with the storekeepers.  She used to tell me that she could buy a whole bunch of longans and laichees with just a small tin of rice.  She was the only child and was much loved by her parents.

She brought me and my siblings up during our childhood.  My parents were away most of the times and she took care of us lovingly.  She was a wise lady and knew much of traditional remedies. 

I was only 19 years old when she passed away.  She had a stroke and was in a coma for about a week before she left us.

As the granddaughters (my sister and cousins) were still young, we were not involved in the "buying" of peanuts.  "Buying" peanuts is a term to denote the request of the pall-bearers.  Surprising thing is that only the daughters were involved in this process.  My aunties were the ones who "negotiated" with the head pall-bearer. I don't quite remember how much my aunties paid but it was a substantial amount. 

I haven't heard nor read about this"buying" of peanuts elsewhere.  Maybe it's a Foochow tradition and other clans do not practice this.  I think it's a dying tradition as well and I do not think a lot of Foochows practice this any longer.  Maybe the younger generation don't even know about it.