It was 2:00 PM in Hangzhou when temperatures reached 37 degrees. The sun was blazing upon the city and baking paved roads as if they were cooking inside an over. Needless to say, it was a very hot day for Hangzhou and its residents.
It was 2:00 PM in Hangzhou when temperatures reached 37 degrees. The sun was blazing upon the city and baking paved roads as if they were cooking inside an over. Needless to say, it was a very hot day for Hangzhou and its residents.
“Hurry up, hurry up” a sweaty young delivery man told himself while holding a long stick and running around a residential area in his orange uniform.
Photo credit: 人民日报
20 mins before his escapade, Mr. Wang had received an order to be delivered ASAP and relentlessly called in vain the person who had originally placed the order.
You see, Mr. Wang suffered from an accident over 2 years ago that cost him a leg. Despite the loss of one of his limbs, however, he went on to work as a food delivery man and has been occupying this role for two years.
Photo credit: 人民日报
Fortunately, he eventually found his client next to a swimming pool and was able to delivery the order in time.
“Luckily for me, this order didn’t require me to run up a staircase,” Mr. Wang said in relief. The young man worked from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM that day and received a total of 11 orders. He eventually returned home and slept for about 5 hours before kicking off his next shift from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. To fight this exhaustive heat, Mr.Wang drank 7 cups of water that day. He can earn up to RMB 200 a day.
Photo credit: 人民日报
“I love this job and I love Hangzhou,” he said. “My co-workers have been kind to me and have helped taking care of me over the years.” But there are also times when Mr. Wang feels wronged despite his best intentions.
He recalled a particular time when he received an order to delivery food to someone working in a corporate office. He tried calling the customer several times but was unable to reach him because he was already in a meeting, so Mr. Wang handed the order over to other staff of the company who assured they would pass it along to his customer. The situation was out of his control, yet that customer gave our strong-willing delivery man a two-star review for failing to deliver the order directly to him.
But there are, of course, other instances when customers show genuine appreciation for his service. One time, one of Mr. Wang’s customers admitted feeling drunk and threw the keys out her window so he could come up to her apartment and open the door himself. When the customer realized that Mr. Wang was missing a leg, she felt an immediate sense of regret and guilt: “I am SO sorry for asking you to come upstairs like that,” she told him. “You should have told me on the phone! Here’s a tip to thank you for your service.” Mr. Wang kindly refused to take her money, to which she replied jokingly: “No no no… Please accept it, otherwise I will give you a bad review on the food delivery app.”
Photo credit: 人民日报
Some loyal customers, aware of Mr. Wang’s physical conditions, make the effort to meet him downstairs to pick up their order.
Photo credit: 人民日报
“I have two dreams,” Mr. Wang told us. “One is to be able to find a prosthetic leg so I can walk like a normal person again. The other is to meet a girl who will love me for who I am. I want to keep working hard for our future.”
Photo credit: 人民日报
We tend to get wrapped up in our own problems, complaining about the hot weather, traffic, spending too much money or time flying past us too quickly. But let’s not forget that there are people out there like Mr. Wang who, despite their own misfortunes, decide to move forward and work hard to pursue their dreams under the burning sun.
Life can be tough, but don’t let it get in the way of your goals. Keep fighting for what you believe in!
