Bus captain finally gets to celebrate Chinese New Year with family
This Chinese New Year is particularly meaningful for senior bus captain Chen Jia Yong.
For many years, on Chinese New Year's Eve, Mr Chen would videocall his mother in Ipoh, Malaysia, to wish her a Happy Chinese New Year.
He would then send his young daughter a New Year's greeting before going to bed early to prepare for his shift on the new year of the lunar calendar.
This year, however, things are different.
His seven-year-old daughter, Chen Ai Sha, is now attending school in Singapore, so Mr Chen's family of three can finally celebrate Chinese New Year together in Singapore.
They will share a reunion dinner and count down to the new year as a family.
Mr Chen, 36, joined SMRT as a bus captain in 2018 and has since become a Singapore citizen. His wife Xie Li Qin, 35, is a permanent resident and works as a quantity estimator for a construction company in Singapore.
While the couple work in Singapore, their daughter had been living with her grandmother in Ipoh, and they could meet only three or four times a year.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the family couldn't reunite for over two years.
After the borders reopened, Mr Chen had to work during Chinese New Year, so his wife went to Ipoh alone to celebrate with their daughter and extended family.
When Shin Min Daily News interviewed the couple, they exchanged a glance and said: "It feels like this is the first time we are truly celebrating the New Year together as a family."
For this year’s Chinese New Year's Eve, Mr Chen couldn't hide his smile as he said: "I have to work in the morning, but in the evening, we will have a reunion dinner and stay up together. It’s so nice to have the whole family together, and we will make it special."
Ms Xie added that when their daughter was younger, she would ask why her father couldn't spend Chinese New Year with her. But now that she’s older, she understands her father’s sacrifices.
Mr Chen shared that his daughter is closer to her mother due to the time they have spent apart.
However, as he was about to leave after the interview, little Ai Sha shyly stood on a chair, opened her arms to him, and when he lifted her up, she tightly hugged his neck.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now