再蓋一棟新民宿
早餐店裡，三個男人吵得不可開交。
壽哥：「今年工錢是毋是又閣起價？」
老陳：「你最近閣拍算欲起新民宿？」
老闆：「夭壽喔，整粒島攏變成工地！本島人毋是來看恁起厝的！」
壽哥：「本島人攏愛選新房間啊，哪無繼續起，伊欲蹛嗎？」
老闆：「阮綠島本底是風景真水，大家才會愛來，這陣哩？行到佗攏是恁的鷹架！」
壽哥是四十出頭的民宿業者，多年來他買地、蓋民宿、租給經營者經營。對他來說，得用這樣賺錢的方式，等之後孩子長大到台東讀高中時，才有足夠的錢在市區置產，讓他們能有個家住；況且，父母近年也時常要去台東的大醫院看病，能儘早找到適合的房子就再好不過了。待會吃完早餐，他就要回家帶父母去南寮漁港搭船，下午要去醫院回診。
老陳是年近七十的建築工，年輕的時候島上沒什麼工作機會，他便在台東成功鎮工作許久。十年前，綠島的建築工程增加，他便趁勢回老家跟母親同住了。只要他願意做，這輩子是賺都賺不完，蓋民宿的風潮使得島上非常缺工人，有時候想拒絕還拒絕不了。
對年邁的早餐店老闆來說，小時候整個村莊、大家都是親戚，誰家要蓋房子大家就一起去海邊打咾咕石。時代不一樣了，土地誰先搶先贏，還不是自己人要住，實在看不下去。
早餐店的角落坐著兩個潛水常客Ken和Jim，他們一邊咀嚼早餐、一邊側聽著在地人辯論。多年來，他們倆新民宿、老牌民宿都住過，但還沒有遇到說得上喜歡的地方。Ken看著牆上的風景明信片，一張黑白、一張彩色的，照片裡的房子顯然是不同時代拍下的。
Ken：「以前的石頭屋好美喔，現在的房子好醜喔。好想要住看看這種老房子改建的民宿！」
Jim：「那種房子很原始、很不乾淨欸，感覺會有很多蟲。我不要。」
Ken：「原始才有感覺啊！你看看我們這次住的，跟南部的透天厝有什麼不一樣。」
Jim：「可是這家很乾淨啊！那你平常會想住三合院嗎？為什麼來這裡就想住石頭屋？」
Ken：「因為這裡是綠島啊！」
Ken期待海島的風情萬種、原始聚落的懷舊面貌，滿足外來者消費在地文化的慾望；Jim則期待乾淨衛生的房間，去文化、去脈絡的建築形式也無妨，以現代人的基本消費標準為原則。兩個本島人爭論著，究竟綠島民宿要如何符合他們對觀光的期盼，兩人的想像分歧而顯得不切實際，沒有一致而理想的結論。
但無論如何，很久很久以前，從第一座監獄施工的那天起，綠島便跟著本島的需求不斷的變化。先是天然的監禁島，再是觀光的天堂島。此刻，整座島上的建築工都已睜開雙眼、正吃著早餐，準備在烈陽裡上工，繼續蓋下一棟新民宿。
Building Another New Guesthouse
Three men were arguing fiercely in a breakfast shop.
Uncle Shou: "Has the labor wage gone up again this year?"
Old Chen: "Are you planning to build another new guesthouse soon?"
Boss: "Oh my god, the whole island is turning into a construction site! The people from the main island of Taiwan don't come to see you guys build houses!"
Uncle Shou: "They love to choose new houses. If there are no new ones being built, will they stay here?"
Boss: "Green Island's attraction lies in its natural scenery. People come here to enjoy it. But now, everywhere they go, it's just your scaffolding!"
Uncle Shou is a guesthouse operator in his forties. Over the years, he has bought land, built guesthouses, and rented them out to other operators. For him, this is the only way to make money, so that when his children grow up and attend high school in Taitung, he will have enough money to buy a house in the city for them to live in. Moreover, his parents often have to go to the big hospital in Taitung in recent years, so it would be great if he could find a suitable house as soon as possible. After breakfast, he will take his parents to Nan-liao Fishing Harbor to catch a boat, and then go to the hospital for a check-up in the afternoon.
Old Chen is a construction worker in his seventies. When he was young, there weren't many job opportunities on the island, so he worked in Chenggong, Taitung for a long time. Ten years ago, when the construction projects on Green Island increased, he took the opportunity to return to his hometown and live with his mother. As long as he is willing to work, he will never run out of money to earn. The trend of building guesthouses has made the island in great need of workers. Sometimes he can't even refuse a job.
To the elderly owner of the breakfast shop, when he was young, the whole village was like a big family, everyone helped each other out when someone wanted to build a house by going to the seaside to gather coral stones. Times have changed, and now everyone is competing for land, but in the end, it's still their own people who need to live there. He really can't bear to see this.
Two regular divers, Ken and Jim, sat in the corner of the breakfast shop, chewing on their breakfast while eavesdropping on the locals' debate. Over the years, they have stayed in both new and old guesthouses, but have not found a place they really liked. Ken looked at the landscape postcards on the wall, one black and white, one color, and the houses in the photos were obviously taken in different eras.
Ken: "The old stone houses were so beautiful, but the new houses are so ugly. I really want to stay in a guesthouse that is built from an old house like that!"
Jim: "Those houses are very primitive and dirty. There might also be many worms. I don't want to stay there."
Ken: "The primitive atmosphere is what makes it unique! Look at the guesthouse we are staying in this time. Is there any difference from the houses in the south?”
Jim: "But this guesthouse is very clean! Do you usually want to stay in a three-section compound? Why do you want to stay in a stone house here?"
Ken: "Because this is Green Island!”
Ken looks forward to the diverse scenery and nostalgic appearance of the primitive settlements on the island, satisfying the desire of outsiders to consume local culture. Jim, on the other hand, expects a clean and hygienic room, and an architectural form that is free from culture and context is acceptable, based on the basic consumption standards of modern people. The people from the main island of Taiwan debate how Green Island's guesthouses can meet their expectations for tourism, but their divergent imaginations seem unrealistic, and there is no consistent and ideal conclusion.
However, no matter what, since the day the first prison was built, Green Island has been constantly changing in response to the demands of the main island. It started as a natural prison island and has now become a paradise for tourism. At this moment, all the construction workers on the island have already opened their eyes, had breakfast, and are preparing to work under the scorching sun, continuing to build another new guesthouse.
《後來的人寄出的風景》展出於2023年綠島人權藝術季《傾聽裂隙的迴聲》，共有五組風景明信片和故事。以下為故事連結——
"Sceneries Posted by Those Who Came Later" is exhibited at the 2023 Green Island Human Rights Arts Festival, "Listening to the Echoes of the Cracks". There are five groups of photos and stories. Below is the link to the story——
〈那座到不了的島〉That Unreachable Island
〈背上有字的石頭〉A Rock with Lettering on Its Back
〈大浪襲來的五分鐘〉Five Minutes when the Big Waves Stroke
〈再蓋一棟新民宿〉Building Another New Guesthouse
〈照片裡看不見的虱目魚苗〉Unseen Milkfish Fry in the Photo