The elderly man's life is not easy. On a freezing morning, the nearly 90-year-old man sat by the gate of Suojin Second Village Community in Xuanwu District of Nanjing City at more than 7 o'clock and started selling baked pears. The spirit of self-reliance of the old man moved and admired people. On December 14th, a netizen posted on Weibo: "On such a cold day, that elderly man who is almost 90 years old sat by the gate of Suojin Second Village Community at more than 7 o'clock in the morning and started selling baked pears. The spirit of self-reliance of the old man is touching and admirable."
Soon after the post was made, it spread among netizens and attracted many replies. Many netizens were moved by the photo of the old man. Most netizens praised the old man's spirit of self-reliance, while some believed that the old man should go home and enjoy his retirement. However, others found out that the old man's life was not easy.
The old man's name is Fu Wanxiang, who is 89 years old. He usually sells not only baked pears but also roasted sweet potatoes, which he has been doing for more than ten years. When asked why he started selling baked pears, Fu Wanxiang told reporters that he didn't originally plan to do this business, but because of the cold winter weather and the poor health of his family members who always coughed, he baked some pears to nourish their lungs. Later, he also shared them with his neighbors. The neighbors thought they tasted good and encouraged him to set up a stall to sell baked pears to supplement the household income.
Fu Wanxiang was an old urban construction worker who had two daughters and a son with his wife. However, his wife had been in poor health, and his son was disabled since childhood, so the family's economic situation had always been difficult. The family relied on him selling baked pears and roasted sweet potatoes to supplement their income. "I don't want to be a burden on my children. I want to earn more money while I still have the energy, although sometimes my legs hurt, but my body is still fine!" said the old man.
Although his daughters cared about his age and advised him to rest more, Fu Wanxiang could not give up this business. Since the story of "Baked Pear Grandpa" went online, many kind-hearted people came to buy pears every day, making Fu Wanxiang's business better than before. Facing the enthusiastic actions of many netizens "group-buying pears", the old man felt a bit embarrassed. He said, "I want to thank everyone for their kindness, but I still hope to live a self-reliant life through my own efforts." (Comprehensive)