Step on the pedals and set off, beginning a new journey

Text/Zhang Shuning

The night before departure was just like the night before every journey, the bed like a chopping block making it impossible to toss and turn into sleep.

Before dawn, fully packed, the moment I closed the front door my heart was a mix of emotions. The road was strangely free of the usual hustle and bustle of traffic, and the air was so quiet it made one uneasy.

At five in the morning, Jasmine and I set off together, to be away from Taipei for a while. If we turned back now, Taipei would still be very close to us.

"Jasmine, everyone is saying the end of the world will come in May, what should we do?" I asked my companion beside me, thinking she would worry just like me. But unexpectedly her eyes sparkled and she said excitedly, "Then isn't that even better, at least we did something meaningful."

Suddenly, a young man fully equipped for cycling caught up with us from behind.

"Is this the sleeping bag you dropped?"

It turned out our Jasmine had dropped something again. This stranger enthusiastically chatted with us, and upon learning we were heading to Sanxing, he offered to take us along a shortcut to Sanxing. Thanks to this friend's help, we finally arrived at Sanxing before dark, and stayed the night at the home of Ayi, who works at the Eden Foundation.

Tomorrow is Grain Rain among the twenty-four solar terms, and the young ears of grain in the paddy fields are striving to grow. And this Taipei city slicker will actually set foot on the fields, on this endless treasure trove that nourishes wisdom.

Good night, Yilan.