Was it you — that gentle, warm breeze just now?
It swayed through the golden millet fields,
carrying endless longing.
I row my little boat for days,
sailing endlessly toward the heart of the fields,
where the song of harvest still rises above the waves of millet.

Mama Liao (Liao You Xiulan) once told Liao Xinmei,
“You must keep the black millet seeds well,
so the variety can live on.
Because whenever I see that black millet,
it feels as if I see our grandmother again—the one who raised us.”

My Millet Teacher — Is My Mother

Liao Xinmei humbly shared:
“When it comes to farming knowledge, of course I learn from the best teacher—my mother, Liao You Xiulan.
Since she was young, she learned traditional farming wisdom from our grandmother.
She carries with her a treasure of precious farming knowledge and seed varieties.
So yes, my millet teacher is my mother.
These teachings are our family’s treasure,
and I will pass them down, generation after generation.”

Why Does Sister Xinmei Continue Millet Seed Preservation?

It’s to honor her grandmother,
who raised Mama Liao and six siblings through hard times.
Life back then was tough—
when Xinmei’s mother was only in third grade, she lost her father.
Grandmother single-handedly raised seven children,
often struggling to feed them.
It was thanks to the many crops she planted—various kinds of millet, upland rice, taro, youmang (wild grain), and sweet potatoes—
that the family survived.

That is why Xinmei’s family still keeps those old millet varieties—
as a way of remembering their grandmother’s strength and love.
The millet seeds must never be lost;
they must be cherished and passed on.

Especially the black millet—
a variety that holds deep memory for Mama Liao and her sisters.
It was their grandmother’s millet,
the same aroma that filled the air when she cooked it.
Sticky, fragrant, richer than other kinds.
Mama Liao told Xinmei,
“You must keep the black millet alive.
Because when we see those black grains,
it feels like seeing Grandmother again.”

When they heard that the Tse Xin Foundation wanted to promote the “Millet in Schools” program,
Xinmei felt deeply touched by the foundation’s compassionate name—
and immediately agreed to join.
“To me,” she said, “it’s so meaningful to provide millet grown through friendly, natural farming to our own people and the children.”

If this millet and the farming wisdom behind it are not learned and passed on,
they will drift away with the wind.
That’s why Xinmei quickly agreed to provide millet for the school project—
hoping that through education,
children will understand the importance of millet,
and learn how to grow this gift of traditional knowledge.
If children neither eat nor plant millet,
this precious heritage will fade away.

In the warm afternoon breeze of Taitung,
the golden millet fields sway like waves.
Watching Xinmei and Mama Liao pass on their love and wisdom to the next generation,
one can feel the story of this land continuing—
like that same warm wind,
carrying its gentle warmth to everyone it touches.