Although it took 35 years to honor his promise, Wu Chun-tien (吳春田), warden of Sinjhuang Village (新庄) in Changhua County’s Pitou Township (埤頭), was finally able to return a family heirloom — a gold ring — to Hsieh Teng-chia (謝燈佳), a fellow Changhua resident who served with him in the military in Nangan (南竿) on Matsu in 1978.
Wu first met Hsieh when both were serving their mandatory service on Matsu, and because both came from the same county, Wu, who was senior to Hsieh in age, went out of his way to ensure Hsieh’s life in the army was comfortable.
Hsieh said that when he began his service in 1978, his mother gave him the ring and told him repeatedly to keep it safe, but added that if he got into trouble, he could pawn the ring for cash.
“I was worried that my superiors would use the ring as a reason to make trouble,” Hsieh said, adding that he had asked Wu to keep it safe for him.
Afraid of losing the ring entrusted to him, Wu wore it on his finger, but found when he was about to finish his service in 1979 that he was unable to remove the ring.
Seeing no alternative, Wu suggested paying a jewelry shop to cut the ring off and then recast it, to which Hsieh agreed.
However, by the time Wu had the ring removed, he found that Hsieh had been reassigned back to Taiwan proper, and when he visited Taipei in the hopes of returning the ring to Hsieh, he found that Hsieh had been reassigned to yet another camp, leaving Wu with no clue as to how to return the ring, knowing only that Hsieh lived somewhere in Changhua City.
Unable to locate him, Wu said he resigned to keep the ring in a safe place and resume his life, but he never gave up his search for Hsieh in the ensuing three-and-a-half decades.
After becoming the head of Sinjhuang Village and being responsible for informing village residents of funerals and marriages, Wu became increasingly aware of the passage of time, as well as the ring left in his care.
“How many three decades does one have?” Wu said, adding that each passing year only made him more determined to return the ring to Hsieh.
When Wu became acquainted with Changhua City Mayor Chiu Chien-fu (丘建福), he mentioned the incident in passing.
In October last year, Wu asked Chiu if the Pitou Township Household Registration Office could offer any help in tracing Hsieh.
To his surprise and joy, the office found Hsieh after a 30-minute search, although Hsieh initially suspected the call was a scam.
After contacting Hsieh through his relatives to ensure him that it was not, Wu and Hsieh finally met up recently in Yuanlin Township (員林).
Now a father and owner of a food stall at the Yuanlin Township night market, Hsieh, 54, said he was overjoyed to have the ring back in his possession.
“I knew that Wu had the ring, but I didn’t know how to get in touch with him,” Hsieh said, adding that Wu was a true friend who honored his promises.
Wu, 56, said he was glad to have finally returned the ring.
“It’s one thing off my mind, and you have to return what isn’t yours,” he said.
When Pitou Township Mayor Wu Chin-tan (吳錦潭) heard the story, he said the most important thing about social interaction was trust, adding that it was truly heart-warming to hear of Wu Chun-tien honoring his promise even after 35 years.
Additional reporting by Tang Shih-ming, Yen Hung-chun and Wu Wei-kung
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