Turning into the main road of Ciyakang’s Fifth Section, residential houses gradually become sparse, but there is one grocery store that everyone knows well—“Jia-Hui Store.”
Jia-Hui offers an impressive variety of goods, including candies, dry foods, beverages, stationery, toys, eggs, seasonings, clothing, and hardware. In addition, local farmers sometimes bring their fresh produce for consignment sales. Conveniently, Black Cat Delivery Service has set up two collection points in Ciyakang, and Jia-Hui is one of them.
Occasionally, when delivery couriers arrive but residents are not home, Jia-Hui kindly allows parcels to be left there for later pickup when residents return.
The store owner, Hosi Umiq, shared that he originally worked outside the village but decided to return home to take care of his aging parents. At first, he took on odd jobs nearby but noticed that many stores had opened and closed along this Fifth Section road over the years. This posed significant inconvenience to elderly residents who had to travel elsewhere for necessities. Additionally, sometimes when he felt hungry late at night, nearby stores or shops in Linrong weren’t open. That’s when he thought, “Why not open a store myself?”
He said he doesn’t have any grand plans, but the store has been running for over 20 years now. With a smile, he shared that he hopes to keep it open for as long as he can. Glancing at his children, he added, “When I get too old to run it, I’m not even sure if my kids would want to take over.”
Hosi said, “Whether it’s work or running a business, patience is key. Running a store is tough—it requires long hours, and sometimes, just sitting there for an hour can be exhausting!”
Moreover, operating the store has allowed him to get to know the people in the community. When customers walk in, he can tell what brand of cigarettes they smoke, what kind of alcohol they drink, what their personality is like, and what they need to buy before heading home.
Over time, as he became familiar with everyone’s needs, he started factoring them into his purchasing decisions—choosing products that sell better and cutting down on those that aren’t in high demand. For example, even though there’s a stationery store in Fenglin and schools organize group purchases, there are times when students urgently need supplies and must look for something nearby. So, he still stocks basic stationery items.
When we asked Hosi if there are peak and off-peak seasons for the grocery store, he replied, “Of course! At the beginning of the month, when people have just received their paychecks, they’re more likely to come and spend at the store. Naturally, by the end of the month, spending slows down.”
Hosi also shared with a sense of nostalgia that back when the farmland near the village was actively cultivated, farm owners would hire many temporary workers to harvest crops like sugarcane and watermelon. Naturally, this brought more people to the store. However, as the farmland gradually declined and fewer temporary jobs were available, business has not been as vibrant as it once was.
Still, he remains pragmatic, saying, “That’s just how running a business is—you can’t expect great sales every day. As long as I can make enough to manage, that’s good enough for me.”
Every time I visit Jia-Hui to buy something, Hosi always speaks to his customers in his native language. He explained that he observes the person first—he generally converses with local residents in Truku, but with some younger people who don’t speak the language, he switches to Mandarin. However, he emphasized that he hopes young people can learn at least a little of their native tongue.
If you ever visit Jia-Hui, it’s a great opportunity to practice Truku. A tribal grocery store like this is the perfect place to learn and use the native language in everyday life!
