At the break of dawn, the case investigator rolled out of bed with a grunt. It was a day for a home visit to Yilan, also known as Taipei's backyard and the trip was a long one, so the investigator figured that if he didn't leave early, he'd be stuck in a long and snaking traffic jam.

The office was empty in the morning, so he quickly prepared the necessary documents and interview equipment for our work, brought along important supplies, mineral water, found his partner Ducky, who was coming with us all the way today and set the first destination on the navigation device. The day began with the rumbling of the car engines and the staid voice of the navigation audio guide.

The Chiang Wei-shui Memorial Freeway (National Freeway No.5) cuts through the Xueshan Range, a transportation artery that connects Taipei and Yilan, bringing the distance between the city and the countryside closer, but also causing the originally green fields to be now dotted with increasingly crowded colorful farmhouses like spring mushrooms, like a simple village girl who has been powdered and painted overnight, attracting the attention of the urban crowd, but not bringing back the tranquil peacefulness that once characterized the fertile fields.

Home visits to case subjects are often challenging and surprising in equal measure. In the middle of summer, the scorching heat of the tarmac surface seems to penetrate through the soles of the shoes and rushes to the brain; at the tail-end of winter, the cold northeastern monsoon winds penetrates through the winter clothes and freezes the heart. But the unexpected natural and humanistic beauty and the unreserved warmth of people in the countryside makes all the hard work and sweat worthwhile, leaving only the joy and gratitude of helping people for good.

From dawn to dusk, from Su'ao to Toucheng, we finally finished the day's home visits. The car drove at tortoise speed in the long northbound traffic of the Xueshan Tunnel. Originally the case investigator was muttering under his breath, "We hit the road a bit too late today, it’ll be deep into the night when we return to Taipei." However, in the words of the case subject Uncle Ah-Hsiung " young man, I didn't know you drove down from Taipei, it's really a long way to get here. Your foundation is doing so much good deeds for the people of Yilan. I’m really touched, thank you." When it reverberated in the case investigator’s ears, a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. Suffice to say, that is the most rewarding recognition and encouragement for this job.