[2009.07.06] SEVEN LITTLE FORTUNES 50TH ANNIVERSARY: LAISEE MONEY INCREASED, LION DANCE FOR EXTRA CASH

Although the saying went, "A teacher for a day, a teacher for a lifetime", as Yu Jim Yuen's disciples, a group of Seven Little Fortunes' during childhood always thought about when to be able to take some time off for a break and temporarily leave the school's gates.

According to Yuen Qiu, Seven Little Fortunes at the time were young. Under the strict training, they managed to cultivate self control. Yet children could not avoid wanting to sleep. She says, "Back then we children slept on the floor of the school's living room. In the morning the Master would enter with a cane at 6AM to wake each one of us up. How sleepy do you think we were! Yet every week one day the Master did not have to worry, that day would be Sunday. The Master would say, 'You kids, ordinarily you wouldn't get up even when I beat you. On Sunday before 6AM you all already left.' Of course, who didn't want to return home as soon as possible! Only several juniors who did not have a home to return home would stay in school even during breaks!"

Si Mo's Love, Good Food Awaits

Facing this group of disciples who knew how to adapt in order to sleep in a little later, Master Yu was surprised. Not to mention the disciples knew how to please him, to satisfy his Master mentality and financial needs.

Yuen Biao says, "When we were little we were the happiest during the Lunar New Year, we didn't have to train and got more food. We even got laisee! Although we would get them on one hand and give them back to the Master on the other, not having to train was already the biggest laisee there was. At the time Si Leung would give laisee to us, every time she would say, 'You aren't permitted to give it back to your Master' She would say that, but we still got them here and gave them back over there. Not to mention embezzling it, we didn't even dare to take a cent out."

Yuen Ju adds, "On the Lunar Second we would visit Si Leung's home, we would make us a lot of food. Even after we left the school later, we would meet at Si Leung's on the Lunar Second. I remembered when we were little, during the Lunar New Year the Master would wear a Chinese costume, looking back I still thought he was very cool!"

Lunar First and Second, Good Luck At Work

During the holidays, Seven Little Fortunes never forgot to give a little laisee money to the Master. Actually they had their own ways of making money. No wonder they could make money and spend it. Yuen Biao says, "Back then on the Lunar New Year's eve we had to perform. On the 1st and 2nd we got two days of rest. We would sneak out with school's lion head prop, and at night knocked on doors to perform for laisee. We got 10 cents each. The spare money that we made, the Master of course didn't know about. If he knew would we still be here? Didn't you think we wanted to live through the New Year?" (20)