It was January, and two months had passed since Lim Yang bought his wife, Tan Zi Xin, and his daughter, Lim Kai Yin, to a small hut in the Bukit Timah area for their safety. The family's house had been destroyed in a bombing raid. By late January, the hut was no longer out of harm's way. Japanese troops surprised and overwhelmed the Allies on February 8, turning Bukit Timah hill into a killing field.
On Chinese New Year Eve, Zi Xin and Kai Yin tried to block out the distant sound of gunfire as they sat down to their dinner of sweet potato and tapioca. Then, there was a knock at the door. Lim Yang hesitated for a few minutes before opening the door. When Lim Yang opened the door, three men were standing outside, one of them were seriously injured. The family knew they were British soldiers.
Kai Yin was very frightened. Lim Yang then motioned the soldiers into the hut. Lim Yang asked Kai Yin to get three more potatoes from the backyard.
A short time later, two more tired soldiers came to the hut. Kai Yin was paralyzed with fear. She stared in disbelief.
"Konnichiwa" Lim Yang greeted the Japanese soldiers. Lim Yang invited them in for dinner and he informed them that he had other guests but they might not consider as friends.
It was very tense at first. Two of the Japanese sat opposite the three British soldiers looking at one another. After a while of staring one another, one of the Japanese soldiers stood up. As that Japanese soldiers stood up, the British soldiers and the family were looking at him and thinking what the Japanese soldiers going to do. The Japanese soldiers went forward to the injured British soldiers, took his leg up and examined the bullet. He removed the bullet from the injured British soldiers and bandaged to prevent infection.
The family were very touched when they saw what had happened. The family with the British soldiers and Japanese soldiers sat down and ate their dinner without any worry. After their dinner, the soldiers fell asleep. The next morning, they greeted one another and everyone helped make a stretcher for the injured British soldiers. Zi Xin returned them their weapons.
"Be very careful!" the family warned sternly before wishing them sincerely, "We hope someday all of you'll return to your home safely. May Buddha bless and watch over you."
The soldiers shook hands and marched off in opposite directions. The family saw the true friendship of a different country and they would always remember that particular day.
