meaning of passage

More surrounding information is needed.

Is this a passage from a book? What is the story?

It is a narrative, written in the first person.

What is it that you don't understand, in particular?

Hi Sullyfish

This is all I've got. I would like you to put it in simpler English so that I will have a clever picture what the passage is about.

Many thanks.

This seems to be a translation of "Just to know I'm still alive", a piece by Ngo Khac Tai, translated from Vietnamese by Manh Chuong, and appearing on this website:

http://www.nhandan.com.vn/english/culture/050108/sstory_j.htm

The setting is a Vietnamese funeral ceremony. The speaker is somebody called Mr Ha. He has been telling a story to the narrator, in which he recounts how his family and marital problems led to him to twice attempt suicide. The second time, when he swallowed pesticide, his wife and children rushed him to hospital and as a result, his life was saved. He thought they did this out of love for him, but he overheard them discussing where he might have hidden his will, and realised that they had saved him out of greed.

The extracted paragraph:

His relatives had saved him for money, not love. He had "died" (metaphorically, not really) twice, but his spirit had remained alive. He heard his wife wondering where his will was, and realised that he had good reasons to carry on living, and this was the reason he had come to the funeral ceremony, to bid farewell to the dead person, and to remind himself that he was still alive.

If you read the whole piece to which I linked above, much will become clear, I hope.

Thanks, Contrex.

Nothing can defeat you. Whatever I ask which poses problems to others is finally solved by you. You're very knowledgeable. You know which website to look for to solve the 'mystery'.

I really admire you for your ability to delve into any problem.

All the best.

Contrex - have you ever considered travelling to the far east? :wink:

What? like strasbourg

Or Pa-Pa-Palavas perhaps? (On connaît la chanson, Francis?)(Aussi un bon film style Dennis Potter)(OCLC, non LTDBV que j'aime aussi) That is east of me! (Nice place, few British tourists, nice hotels, pleasant beaches)

Alors je déconne...

Yoong Liat, thank you for your very kind words, which made me very happy, but which I fear I do not deserve, I merely know how to Google.

Hi Contrex

You deserve every word that I said.

I'm very grateful to you.

Regards.

Good job, Contrex!!

Thank you, Sullyfish!