EIGHTEEN years ago, a heavily pregnant woman was determined to give away the child she was expecting.



She was poor. And she didn't want a daughter anyway.

Her kind neighbour offered to bring up the child.

Yesterday, the once-unwanted girl made her foster family proud when she called home with her A-level results.

The National Junior College student scored As for German, maths and physics, and a B for economics.

She also scored a B4 for the General Paper and merit for the physics S-paper.

The Wongs are the only family Tan Li Juan, 18, has ever known.

Madam Wong Soo Lin, 68, and her husband took Li Juan in soon after she was born in October 1988.

Li Juan stayed with the couple and their two daughters in their three-room flat in Ang Mo Kio.

The elderly woman told The New Paper: 'Her mother said she didn't have money and wanted to sell her.

'But I couldn't bear for her to do that. I told her not to worry, we will take care of Li Juan.'

SURROGATE MOTHER

After their younger daughter got married in 1990, she took over as Li Juan's surrogate mother.

Madam Marie Wong, 37, and her husband, Mr Peter Lim, 44, a quality assurance technician, have given her a comfortable life.

The couple also have three boys aged nine, seven and three.

Said Madam Marie Wong: 'We love her so much. I treated her like my little sister. When she started talking, I told her to call me 'Mummy' and she has called me that ever since.

'Sometimes, my husband and I even treat her better than our own children.'

After her biological parents divorced three years ago, Li Juan lost contact with her father, a general worker. Her mother, a production worker, calls once in a while to check on her.

Few people know about Li Juan's past. 'It's too tiring to tell people,' she said.

'When I was younger, I used to wonder why my parents gave birth to me if they didn't want me. But it doesn't bother me anymore.'

Madam Wong said there were people who said her family was silly to take Li Juan in. But it didn't matter to them.

When Li Juan returned to their five-room Sembawang flat with her result slip yesterday, Madam Wong burst into tears.

'It's very good. It's very good. I can't even get these results myself,' said the sales administrator.

But Li Juan said she was let down by her GP result.

Madam Wong said it was easy to bring Li Juan up because she is obedient and independent.

The former River Valley High student had also scored well for her O-level examination bagging 8 A1s, an A2 and a B4.

As they didn't make it to university themselves, Madam Wong and her husband are excited that their dream to see her go to university has almost come true.

Li Juan has applied for a Public Service Commission scholarship and hopes to study German or economics in a university overseas.

'I can't bear to let her go, but I will support her because that's what she really wants,' said Madam Wong.

But first, they will celebrate this weekend by treating her to her favourite food - sushi.

'I'm very grateful to them. I can't wait to finish studying so I can support them,' said Li Juan of her foster family.