By then three of her children were at college, while the two youngest were in senior and junior high school. Since no-one dared to employ her, Yen could only live by raising chickens, ducks and rabbits and making zongzi (pyramid-shaped dumplings of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) in the old house, to take out and sell.
這時孩子們三個已經進了大學，兩個小的在念高中、國中，沒有人敢雇請的嚴秀峰只能在祖宅中養些雞鴨、兔子及包粽子出售為生。