”Don't get suspicious of life because of work, life shouldn't just be work. “

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The boss came to Hualien 26 years ago, and his wife came to Hualien because of the invitation of the boss, and the two of them settled down in Hualien. Mrs. Youfan said: “Originally, I didn't like Hualien because it was so remote. But then I fell in love with this place because it’s totally different from any other city. No city can be so close to the mountains and the sea!”

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Before starting to sell glutinous rice, Mr. Youfan had always been a car salesman. A few years ago, he had a myocardial infarction, and after the operation, he began to think that maybe he should switch to a simple job. Originally, he wanted to sell sausages, thinking that it would be nice to be a wandering sausage man, selling sausages wherever he went on his motorcycle. He said, “On the days when business is good, I could stay in better hotels. And if there is no business, I could stay in a hostel instead, haha!”

The Second Job after Retirement

In the end, the man and his wife chose to sell glutinous rice in the Chongqing market. Because they work in the market every morning at 5 o'clock in the morning and the stall closes at around 11:00 in the morning, they can ride their motorcycle all over the place, and their days are very cozy. “Because I am older now,  I prefer setting up a small stall in the market, so that I’m free to do whatever I want to do. I used to be a car salesman and I really like motorcycles!” Mr. Youfan said.

The country boy decided to go to Taipei alone.

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Four years ago, Mr. Youfan decided to switch to cooking glutinous rice at the traditional market due to a medical surgery. But after having the stall open, it’s been more than one year without a day off. Mrs. Youfan said, “We don't know when the customers will come. I hope to give the customer the best impression, to let them get the food whenever they want.”

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At the beginning the reason for which they chose to have this job was just for having an easy way to work after retirement, and to be able to chill out with their motorcycle after work. However, due to their excellent management attitude, they have quickly become one of the hottest sellers of glutinous rice in Hualien. Not only have they been invited to the market stalls of five-star hotels in Japan several times, they have also accumulated a large number of fans who even order their food from other cities, such as Taipei or Kaohsiung, just so the customers may satisfy their appetites.

Nice People Surround and Help Them all the Time

“We have made a lot of friends in the market. Those friends include vendors and customers. Today's life is simpler than before. It's not complicated at all, it is very pleasant!”

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They said that when working in the market, customers often give them gifts. Like the morning of the interview, a customer from Yilan who just met them came to the stall to give them a bag of “perfume guava”, telling them that this kind of guava is not available anywhere else. There are also often customers who give them baked cakes as gifts. “They think we work very hard. So after chatting for a while and becoming friends, they often give us some treats.” On the day of the interview, Mr. Youfan, who always treats his customers as friends, even helped one of the customers who was lazy to enter into the market to buy pig blood, and to get the things she wanted. It is this kind of loving service that made the glutinous rice stall the most popular stall in the Chongqing market in just four years.

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Even though the stall is deeply loved by consumers, it will not arouse the jealousy of the stall next door. There are even many neighboring stall owners silently supporting them behind their backs. For example, Mrs. Gao, who sells fish diagonally across from Mr. and Mrs. Youfan. Mrs. Youfan said, “Mrs. Gao has been working here for 20 or 30 years, and there are many loyal customers who support and trust her. In order to help us gain popularity, Mrs. Gao always comes to buy meatballs or glutinous rice from us every morning when the market first opens. After bringing the food back to the stall, she always puts the food in front of the fish stall and invites the guests to taste them. If the guests like it, she will invite them to come to the stall to buy it from us. Although she can’t eat glutinous rice, she has supported us in this way for a long time, which is very touching.” Mrs. Youfan said.

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They changed jobs in their middle age. In order to live a happier life, they decided to sell the duck meat glutinous rice. After only four years of hard work, they became one of the first brands of street food in Hualien. However, for the couple, the most important thing is not money, but the joy of life and the love shared with their customers. They choose to let go of high-pressure work, achieve a beautiful balance between income and life, and share an energy full of love and happiness, through food, with people.