Mr. Ke said that in the second month of his shoe-repairing work, his wife fell ill and lost her ability to work, unable to do anything but housework or help take care of his shoe stall. The whole family relied on his shoe-repairing income.
Mr. Ke was born in a rural area of Shangluo, coming from a poor family. As a child, he suffered a high fever which left his left leg disabled. In 1998, a newborn girl was abandoned at his doorstep, whom Mr. Ke adopted and raised until now. After marriage, he and his wife had a boy, and currently, the family of four rents a house in Changli Village.
Reporter's Visit: A family of four relies on his shoe-repairing for survival, with his hands full of cracks.
"I think she will return it, there are still more good people in this world."
When asked about the reason for posting the open letter, Mr. Ke said: "I can't understand why I worked so hard repairing shoes, spent so much effort, and missed other customers' business, how could she forget to pay me?"
On the evening of February 8, netizen "A San's World" posted a photo on Weibo, later retweeted by other netizens and named "An Open Letter from a Shoe Repairman." These few lines revealed the hardships of a shoe repairman.
"Ms. from Nandemen: Do you remember leaving without paying on the 14th day of the first lunar month? I know it wasn't intentional, your 'lightness kung fu' is too fast, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Although it's only 6 yuan, I was too busy and your shoes were very difficult to repair. You said you go to work at Nandemen every day at 7 o'clock on bus No. 204, so I leave this message here. Don't blame me, if you give 5 yuan out of 6 yuan, that's fine. If you really don't give it back, it's also okay, no problem. When I see my cracked hands and the heavy burden at home, I will try my best." Signed as Beikou Shoe Repair Stall on Xueshi Road.
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"The City South Tavern - Sailing" said: Pay quickly, it's not easy for small businesses. More than ten years ago, when I was in high school, I ate wontons outside at noon and forgot to pay before returning to school. The next day, I made sure to pay the vendor. It's not easy for everyone to earn money!
"Translated as Always" said, hoping that the lady who repaired the shoes sees this and quickly returns the money. The amount is not large, but the matter is significant, related to character.
Mr. Ke told the reporter that the woman who came to repair her shoes lived in Changli Village, and he had seen her several times. Since her high heels were worn out and particularly difficult to repair, it took him 30 minutes to fix them. However, after he handed over the repaired high heels, before his wife could turn around to collect the payment, the woman left.
"Although it's only 6 yuan, your shoes were very difficult to repair."
Written and photographed by reporter Hai Peng Wang, interns Jia Yi Yan, Rui Xue Gao
Shoe Repairman: I think she didn't mean to, she probably just forgot.
"I think she didn't mean to, she might have just forgotten. I often encounter customers who forget to pay." Mr. Ke firmly believes that the lady will return the money, as there are still more good people in this world.
"The whole family's income depends on my shoe-repairing to sustain."
Netizens' Reflections: The master earns his living not easily, the lady who repaired the shoes should quickly return the money.
Yesterday morning, the reporter went to the north entrance of Xueshi Road in the southern suburbs, where the open letter was posted on the roadside 204 bus stop sign. After some twists and turns, we found Mr. Ke, the shoe repairman who posted the open letter. At 36 years old, Mr. Ke is from Shangluo. He came to Xi'an in 2005 to make a living, starting to repair shoes and copy keys at the north entrance of Xueshi Road in Changli Village the following year, having run his stall here for seven years.
The "6 yuan" sparked a big discussion among netizens. Once this Weibo post was sent out, it was widely forwarded. By 3 PM yesterday, the Weibo post had been forwarded nearly 200 times, with more than 70 netizens commenting. The shoe repairman's open letter moved many netizens. They also speculated that the reason for not paying might be that the lady simply forgot.
Netizen "Jun An's Dog One" said: Perhaps she overlooked it, quickly return the money and apologize, the master earns his living not easily!
In today's world where 6 yuan can't even buy a bowl of noodles, shoe repairman Mr. Ke posted an "open letter" on the bus stop sign asking a lady for 6 yuan in shoe repair fees. Yesterday's interview revealed the numerous difficulties faced by a rural family trying to survive in the city.