About Us Wanting to Escape Office Life#
This week has been the busiest week for me since I joined the company. We made a mistake in serving a client, which affected other clients, and as a result, a major client wants to withdraw from us. This kind of event is very difficult for a small company like ours to accept. In order to solve this problem, we have been working tirelessly with the R&D department for a week, but we have not found an ideal solution. This is probably the problem faced by domestic products when going global. In China, there is a limited number of types of customers and patterns. Once we go global, there will be various network facilities, network demands, and security incidents... We need to constantly discover problems, constantly discuss solutions with the R&D team, constantly iterate existing technologies, and constantly improve the quality of our services in order to retain a customer that may seem insignificant but is very important to us.
Every day, I come home exhausted, and sometimes I have to work overtime to write materials for my boss to review. I really want to escape this kind of life, but for the sake of this impulsive idea, I choose to endure the existing pain.
This year, I have talked to my girlfriend many times about going out at least once a week, leaving work behind, and getting away from the trivial troubles of life to experience different things and bring some happiness to our minds. So we started trying everything we could to use our holidays to visit different places, try various different cuisines, learn about past events in different places, and understand the local customs and practices. This way, our week will have anticipation and a sense of fulfillment.
Food#
We were invited by colleagues to "climb the mountain" at Yangtianwo on Saturday. Although it is called a mountain, it is actually a relatively large hill. Influenced by Taoism and Buddhism, it has become a place for nearby residents to exercise and relax.
Our original plan was to leave at 8:30 am on Saturday and take a bus to meet with colleagues at 10:30 am before going together. However, plans changed. As soon as I woke up on Saturday morning, I received an urgent maintenance message. I had to finish my work before I could go out with my girlfriend... By the time I finished my work, it was already 10 o'clock. We took the bus to our destination and agreed with colleagues to have lunch first before climbing the mountain.
Colleagues recommended a restaurant called "Fage Restaurant". The storefront is very small, with less than 10 tables, but at lunchtime, the "foodies" are queuing up at the door without any intention of leaving. While waiting in line, I looked at their menu. It is basically traditional Sichuan cuisine, more homely. Colleagues said this is a popular restaurant that is not expensive and tastes good. Here's a tip to judge the level of a Sichuan cuisine restaurant: order a dish of "twice-cooked pork". If you find that the twice-cooked pork here is not greasy, goes well with rice, and is fragrant, then you can try other dishes in this restaurant.
After an acceptable wait, we finally got a table for three in a corner of the restaurant. Hunger had driven us to salivate continuously, eager to take a bite of the food here.
I recommend trying the cold sliced pork here. The pork is boiled and sliced, and it is mixed with Sichuan's unique oil chili sauce, along with some scallions and peanuts. You can try making the oil chili sauce at home. Heat the oil, add scallions and spices, fry the scallions until golden, and when the oil still contains the fragrance of the spices, pour the hot oil over the chili powder and white sesame seeds, stir continuously, and then let it cool. This oil chili sauce has the spiciness of chili and the fragrance of spices. When preparing the dish, you can add some sugar to enhance the flavor. This way, the dish will not be overwhelmed by the spiciness of the chili oil, but instead, you will taste the sweetness of the sugar followed by the fragrance of the chili oil. It won't feel greasy, but instead, you will have the desire to keep eating.
There is a specialty dish here called "Baihe Tofu Skin". Although it is called tofu skin, it is actually shredded tofu skin cooked with sauces and starch. When you first taste it, it has a strong flavor of Sichuan peppercorn. If you are not tolerant of Sichuan peppercorn, be cautious when eating it. It is a dish that goes well with rice.
The three of us ordered four dishes, which was a bit too much. Overall, we came here for an economical and satisfying meal.
Travel#
After the meal, we embarked on the journey of climbing Yangtianwo.
There were many people climbing the hill, but Yangtianwo is not a real mountain. It is just a relatively large hill... It is a good place for novice hikers to exercise. Along the way, there are many banana trees, and their leaves have turned green. Peach trees and pear trees have also blossomed, brightly colored as if they were fake flowers. The overall difficulty of the climb is not high, and it takes less than an hour to reach the top of the hill. Along the way, there are many resting places, and vendors provide hot tea. Sitting down in nature, enjoying tea, and chatting with friends is also a pleasant choice. Since there were many people climbing, we did not choose to stop here. We took some photos and then went down the hill to another tea house for a short rest.
We took a taxi to the vicinity of Luodai Ancient Town. There is a Hakka Tulou here, and inside the quaint building are various traditional Chinese clothing and accessories shops, attracting many young ladies to try them on. In front of the Tulou is a not-too-big square with a water pool. The water in the pool is clear and transparent. We sat along the pool, and the open-air tea house here charges based on the tea, not the time. It is a good place to enjoy tea, chat with friends, and appreciate the scenery.
I don't know if there are any ancient towns in your city. It seems that the business model of ancient towns is the same nationwide. After visiting many of them, they are generally the same. There is nothing amazing about them. The shops are similar, and they are just shops opened in old houses, selling similar things. Perhaps you can buy better and cheaper things on Taobao... I don't recommend visiting ancient towns unless you just want to relax 😜.
Chat/Epilogue#
After being tormented by work for a week, these moments of leisure and relaxation seem so precious and beautiful. Perhaps most people, like me, are constantly struggling in this mundane life. Although we have not been defeated by life, the sense of responsibility prevents us from taking a step back. Take some time to accompany friends and family, go out and take a walk, leave behind your phone and computer, put aside work, and enjoy even just a moment of nature. Sunbathe, feel the rain, and breathe fresh air. The tranquility of nature will soothe your heart and give you the motivation to move forward. I hope you will not be overwhelmed by life, face life directly, and love life.
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