Chen Chih-fan, the scientist and well-known essayist, once described how he, as the eldest son in a poor family, used to spend the days before New Year writing and selling spring couplets in the market, so as to help his father pay off debts and buy goodies for his siblings.
旅美科學家、也是散文名家的陳之藩，就曾在一篇文章中追憶幼年因為家庭貧困，身為兄長的他，為了替父親還債和為弟妹張羅過年的吃穿，在過年前幾天去市場擺攤子寫春聯賣，寫得一手好書法的他，因此挨過了好幾個年關。