“I was once a burden on society, and I feel that it is my duty to reciprocate,” 33-year-old Liu Wen-chung (劉文中) said as he busied himself in the kitchen of his restaurant.
Despite starting the restaurant only a year ago, Liu said he had spoken with his wife and was adamant about providing free meals for those in need.
“One set of our meals is priced at about NT$30, and it is still within an affordable range,” Liu said.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Liu shared his story to explain his wish to help and why he thought he had been a burden on society.
He was targeted by bullies as a child due to his short stature, Liu said, so he began fighting back to protect himself, but in the process fell in with a bad group of friends.
As a result, Liu said he was in and out of detention centers and when he was older, he started his own gang.
“I was influenced by my father, and the notion stuck in my head: Success was tied to making big money,” Liu said.
At the height of his underworld career, Liu said he had four underground gambling dens and by the age of 20 he was driving a BMW.
It seemed a glorious life, until one of his lackeys pulled a gun and robbed a customer at his establishment after losing money, he said.
The incident was taken to court, he was ruled an accomplice and was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison, Liu said.
“I was only 20 years old ... and going to jail at that age was like ruining my entire life,” he added.
During his time in prison, his only source of support was his mother, who imparted her belief — through letters — that her religion, Buddhism, would help him find the inner strength to get through the ordeal, Liu said, adding that faith had indeed kept him strong.
He said that this experience gave him the incentive to make something of his life.
In 2009, he was transferred to an open prison and applied for a job washing the laundry and dishes of other inmates, Liu said, adding that he earned NT$20,000 a month.
“I must have been the inmate who made the most money while serving their sentence,” Liu said jokingly, adding that the washing job grew so much that he eventually hired 10 other inmates to help.
Liu was given parole in March 2013, but “no one would hire me because of my criminal record,” he said.
Liu said he was finally taken on as an official employee by a family restaurant and worked there until February last year.
Liu said his mother decided to give him a hand by selling her house in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢) and used the funds to help him start his restaurant.
“I finally found my calling and a business to call my own,” Liu said, adding that, more importantly, it gave him the chance to give back to society.
“We willingly provide free meals for any who ask when they walk in through the door,” Liu said.
However, he added that he would still refuse someone, depending on the circumstances.
Individuals with tattoos and cigarettes between their teeth will have to pay because they still have the money to purchase cigarettes, Liu said.
When asked if he was worried that his kindness would be taken advantage of, Liu said he would be lying if he said he was not worried, but added: “I believe that people are inherently good.”
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