Location: Taoyuan, MetroWalk Shopping Mall, Yakiniku Don Shokai
Travel Notes: The saying goes, 'At home, rely on parents; outside, rely on friends.' Last night around 10:50 PM, I was planning to find a Qtime to stay overnight, but after checking several branches, all private rooms were full—no surprise for a Saturday night. I had to call a friend, Matsumura, for help, and he immediately invited me to stay at his place in Ximending. I took the MRT to his home there, where he and his wife, Yiwen, set me up in their guest room and let me freshen up and rest. I chatted with Yiwen, who's still at Kanghe, about the hot topic of algorithmic trading online lately, and reminisced with Matsumura about our shared memories. Fast-forward to this afternoon: Matsumura had to go to his company in Longtan to handle payroll—he mainly works on landscape engineering projects, mostly for government contracts. I rode with him and his wife from Taipei to Longtan, a very suburban area where they even grow some vegetables outside the office. Matsumura mentioned that sometimes he thinks about retiring in the countryside, growing veggies and living a leisurely life—seems like another way to live. Afterward, …
