Women in Taipei (台北女子圖鑑)

WOMEN IN TAIPEI

Standing at this familiar yet unfamiliar place.

I just realized...

I always wanted to keep moving forward...

but did not look back on the good things I had.

EPISODE 11

A NEW WOMAN IN TAIPEI

In the past, I thought nothing would change,

including my mom.

I'm done with dinner.

You always have to keep nagging me.

Lin I-Shan.

See how much her monthly expenses are and how much her yearly expenses are.

If you can afford it, just go.

I won't give you any funds. Figure it out.

I never said I wanted your money.

This one's cooked.

I worked really hard to stay skinny.

Why isn't anyone going after my pretty daughter?

Or maybe there are no nice guys in Taipei anymore.

(SIGHING) I'm thirsty.

There's juice and soda.

You said you were staying for the holidays.

Why are you leaving after two days?

Something urgent came up at the office.

You're 30 now. Be sensible

-and take care of your health, okay? -(GROANS)

You're too skinny. Eat more, okay?

-Okay. Okay, okay.

-Cut down on alcohol. -Goodbye.

Bye.

Take care. Drive safe.

I shouldn't have let you girls come to Taipei.

See how you've messed up your lives now.

So abnormal.

Messed up? Abnormal? How?

What?

See? It's not that I don't want to talk.

Mom will have her second round of chemo next week.

She has a poor appetite. We have to find a way to make her eat.

What did the doctor say?

Would she really lose her hair?

I paid for a cooling cap that can cool her scalp.

The doctor said it reduces hair loss.

It's a good thing you paid for add-on equipment.

Last time I went with her to her chemo assessment,

we saw some patients who had lost a whole patch of hair.

Having lost everything...

I'm afraid she won't be able to handle losing her hair.

If it makes her happy, I don't care how much it costs.

Here, the broth has been boiled.

You can start boiling the beef.

I'm so hungry.

I-Shan knows how to choose beef pretty well now.

She knows beef flank goes well with broth.

I always used to tell her, but she never listened.

After she went to Singapore,

she even learned the proportions of the shank and the brisket.

Hey, Dad.

All right then, dig in.

I made the braised version for Glow. He likes it spicy.

Dad.

Even if you use the same recipe in different places,

it will taste totally different.

Dad's food still tastes the best.

Back when we were kids, we’d have beef soup all the time.

We'd always eat it when we visited Taipei.

Then, I met A-Nan.

Beef noodles became an everyday dish for me. It's so funny.

And it was because of beef noodles that I met Owen in Singapore.

Didn't Owen make you some super beef noodles in Singapore?

Did they taste good?

They were good. But the broth was too clean.

Like a French-style beef soup.

Come to think of it, you really had a good time.

You got to eat different things in every city you went to.

Not like my Glow, who only knows how to cook instant beef noodles.

Mom.

Mom.

I thought I could smell beef soup.

It got me feeling so hungry.

I'll have a bowl of it.

-Is this enough? -Yeah, that's fine.

It's so good.

Dig in.

Being able to have a good meal together as a family,

shows that happiness can be so simple.

Whilst I was home,

I felt like my mom had suddenly grown so old.

I feel like a huge amount of time...

has been secretly deleted.

So, what are you going to do back here?

I haven't figured it out yet.

I'll probably start my own business.

Something where I get to have a flexible schedule.

A few days ago, Liang-Liang and the family came back home

and my dad made boiled broth beef soup.

My mom had a poor appetite because of the chemotherapy,

but when she smelled the soup, she ate a couple of bowls.

That was the first time I saw her like that.

Then I realized...

growing up, we'd always start eating first.

Mom would clean the kitchen before sitting down for dinner.

And I realized...

I've never sat beside her and had dinner with her.

Nor hold a proper conversation with her.

But are you...

Are you really going to quit your job and never go back to Singapore?

I want to spend more time with my mom while she's still here.

Besides, my dad retires next year.

I think I'll help look after my mom until he retires.

-Hey, Lin I-Shan. -Maybe they can go on a trip.

I'll take care of your car after you return to Singapore.

Hi, Ms. Lin, here's some paperwork for the car handover.

Left-hand drive. Can you do it?

I can. You better be sure of it.

Li Cheng-En, you're freaking me out. Keep it down.

I am keeping it down. Red light.

-That's a red light. Take it slow.

Hello? Honey, I got it.

I'm not crying, I'm just so happy.

I've never seen her like that.

Tell me, tell me.

Crying and laughing.

I didn't hear her, though. What did she get?

From the way she looks, it's probably the court ruling.

She and A-Kuai can finally adopt Kuai-Mei.

You have no idea how long it took them to apply for the adoption.

Not every kid is a good fit.

Kuai-Mei is the only one that made it through the six-month trial.

Hui-Ju has been through a lot to accomplish her goal.

-Hello, sweetie. -She's finally a mother now.

What about you? Why aren't you going back to Singapore?

It's not about going back or not.

Singapore isn't my home.

I thought that British guy was treating you well.

What? Did he treat you badly?

Then why did you and Hsiao-Ping get divorced?

Huh?

Huh?

Just tell him it's not that you don't love him,

you just don't wanna live in Singapore.

How would you know?

If I were you, I'd be frank with him.

You just aren't used to living there.

You like sorting and recycling your garbage,

but it's not mandatory in Singapore.

That's a sanctimonious excuse.

It sucks.

-I know. -Hey.

You should say something like

you're not used to romantic gestures.

I'd get berated by you for giving you flowers on your birthday.

You idiot, that's even worse.

Or what else? It makes perfect sense. Not worse at all.

Are you guys trying to help me or not?

Eat the olives, okay?

I mean the shrimp.

Forget about the shrimp.

You are biased.

Your hands are sticky already. Peel one for me.

Hey, I'll visit you and Kuai-Mei when I'm in Taipei.

But we're looking for a bigger place now.

So, maybe after the new year. I'll let you know when I've moved.

Where are you moving to?

Uh,,, We're checking out some places in Minsheng Community.

A-Kuai said he likes places with greenery and trees

and places closer to where we work.

I see. Minsheng Community sounds nice.

There are many parks and great amenities.

Hey, should I find a place for you too?

Me?

Well, if Owen changes his mind and moves to Taipei to marry you,

you should be looking for a place, right?

All right.

Take care.

Take care.

I'll wait for your good news about Owen.

If you're ready, just go already.

(LAUGHS) Go and clear things up with him.

Bye.

You have the poorest taste.

-Thank you, Cheng-En. No problem.

What did the doctor say?

Is it food poisoning or stomach flu?

Um, maybe she should tell you herself.

What is it, I-Shan? I'm pregnant.

Nine weeks.

Liang-Liang, let's go upstairs.

Let’s go find some treasure.

-Find treasure! Let's go.

Hey, watch out.

What's wrong, Mom?