Who do you think the girl is referring to when she addresses "uncles, young and old"? keep in mind that the chinese family structure is much more broad when compared to the sometimes smaller, isolated family structure in the united states. also, what role can we assume these men played in her life?

The girl likely refers to the brothers of her parents, as well as close friends of the family. The role of these men is likely to support the girl and help her if necessary.

Chinese families are often very extensive families. This means in one family there are multiple members from different generations and some of them are not even blood-related.

In this context, the term uncle can be used for two different types of members:

Moreover, uncles usually act as a support for younger kids; based on this, we can infer the men are a support for the girl.

Note: This question is incomplete because the text it refers to is not given; due to this, I answered it based on general knowledge.

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