She lives with her son in a five-generation household not far from Caijia Village. She's only got one tooth left, but her gums are still in fine shape. She often goes off with her son and daughter-in-law to Caijia Village to buy a meal, and she's able to get on the bus by herself and go shopping in downtown Danshui. And most important of all, she's a mean card player. Family members joke that "she can figure up what everybody owes faster than the kids can."

On a typical morning, by 5:20 a.m., with the sun not yet peeking over the eastern horizon, Granny will have already finished her morning toiletries, eaten her breakfast, and gotten herself to the bus stop, where she awaits the bus that will take her into town and a fun day of collecting free samples from local stores.

Granny Lu-Guo Jian loves to play cards, and is good player at all the games most commonly played in Taiwan. Her grandkids chuckle that "she figures up everyone's winnings and losses even faster than the young folks can."

Granny's big "secret"

With a full head of silvery hair and a slightly hunchbacked frame, Granny walks with quite a brisk gait after nearly a century on this earth, and her mind is still as sharp as a tack. Thanks to the complex "appointment calendar" that resides in her memory, she knows each day where they'll be giving away free health food samples at special sales promotions in Danshui. She hits them all, and comes away with free samples for her trouble.

Granny lives together with Lu Xinzheng, her fourth son, who comments on the free samples with a chuckle: "That's her number-one passion in life!" He then opens the door to the pantry and shows the huge collection of booty that his mother has brought home-miniature bottles of soy sauce, dishwashing liquid, noodles, soap, and dishwashing pads, just for starters!

"Don't be fooled by her age. She's fit as a fiddle! Some days she gets off to three or four different sales promotions. Today she brought us back a package of facemasks and a catty of rice noodles. We all laugh that the shopkeepers dread the sight of her."

Though hard of hearing, Granny correctly guesses that her son is poking fun at her to the reporter, and protests: "Cut it out, I haven't been going around to so many places lately!"

Stay happy, live long

Granny has lived in Zhongshan Borough all her life. In her younger years she planted rice, raised vegetables, and picked tea. Indeed, there aren't many types of farming she hasn't engaged in over the years. A mother of 10, her husband passed away 30 years ago, but the resilient and cheery Granny, surrounded by her faithful children and grandchildren, has continued to live out her golden years in good spirits each day.

Plainspoken old folks are often actually quite cute in much the same way little children are. The single-toothed Granny greeted this reporter, for example, with a great big smile. She was dressed for the occasion in the same lotus-flower cheongsam that she had worn in July to receive a commendation from county magistrate Chou Hsi-wei, and went out of her way to give a demonstration of her wicked card playing skill.

She plays cards every day with her daughters-in-law and grandchildren, and is super fast in playing her cards and counting up how much everyone owes. Once again, her son Lu Xinzheng can't resist the temptation of a little humor at the expense of his mother: "But she's like a kid. She pouts when she loses money, and sometimes refuses to pay up!"

The devoted mother-and-son duo was almost torn asunder not so long ago when Lu retired from his job as a letter carrier at the age of 66 and soon thereafter was diagnosed with liver cancer. Fortunately, however, Lu's second son donated part of his liver and saved his father's life.

Lu recalls with emotion: "Mother came to see me several times while I was at Veterans General Hospital in Taipei. She was tough, and never shed a single tear, but I knew she was very worried."

His concern for Granny and the support of his children gave Lu the strength he needed to overcome the cancer and resume his happy life of trading barbs with his mother.

Granny's children and grandchildren will tell you that the secret of her longevity is quite simple-stay active, and stay happy.

Everyone in the family agrees on one very important point: "Having the old folks at home is to have a treasure, and she is our most important treasure of all!"