Hu Lin sells grapes on the street
Hu Lin, a college student from the Emei campus of Southwest Jiaotong University, was unfortunately diagnosed with uremia. With no other choice, he decided to take a leave of absence and rely on dialysis to sustain his life. After the Spring Festival this year, 23-year-old Hu Lin started selling fruits on the streets of Emeishan City to earn money for his dialysis expenses.
On the streets of Emeishan City
The "fruit boy" draws attention
"How much per pound?" "4 yuan and 50 fen!" "A bit expensive." "Would you like it for 4 yuan?" Yesterday morning, on the steps in front of a bank at Mount Mingdong Road in Emeishan City, a thin and dark-faced young man was sitting there, holding scissors to trim the grape stems in his basket while haggling with customers.
"Please weigh me three pounds of grapes!" A lady walked over without asking the price. The lady said that she knew the story of this young man; he is a college student who had to take a leave of absence due to a serious illness and came out to sell fruits, "It's not easy for him, I often come to buy his fruits as a way to support and encourage him."
"I saw him selling fruits on the street for the first time probably in March this year," said Mr. Li, who sells peaches. The young man braves all weather conditions and basically appears on the street every day.
Just entering university
Uremia interrupted his dream
The boy's name is Hu Lin. In September 2009, this young man from a rural area in Ziyang was admitted to the university, becoming a freshman in Class 3 of the Rail Vehicle major in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Emei campus of Southwest Jiaotong University. However, just one month after entering the campus, a nightmare befell him. During the National Day holiday in 2009, Hu Lin experienced abnormal health issues, and the examination results revealed uremia.
To treat his illness, Hu Lin processed the leave of absence formalities and spent around seventy to eighty thousand yuan. The family savings were exhausted, and his parents and younger brother went to work at a construction site in Chengdu, leaving Hu Lin alone in his hometown of Ziyang for dialysis. Since he had urban resident medical insurance when he entered school, after the Spring Festival this year, Hu Lin came alone to the People's Hospital of Emeishan for dialysis. According to Hu Lin's attending doctor, the best treatment option for Hu Lin is a kidney transplant, which costs at least 150,000 yuan, requiring a suitable kidney source; otherwise, he can only rely on dialysis to sustain his life.
Earning money by selling fruits
Receiving care and encouragement
"I need dialysis twice a week, costing 4,000 yuan a month," Hu Lin said. Initially, he lost confidence and felt hopeless about life, but later, thinking about his working parents and younger brother, he felt he should find a job to subsidize his treatment expenses. Selling fruits doesn't require too much capital, and the risks are not significant. For the first time, Hu Lin went to the fruit market, carrying back thirty pounds of bananas in a basket to sell on the street. At that time, he didn't know how to bargain and was too shy to shout loudly, so this business almost made no profit. Once, when selling apricots, he even lost more than 100 yuan.
Afterward, Hu Lin gradually learned bargaining techniques from his peers, and his business began to improve. "Sometimes I make twenty to thirty yuan a day, and sometimes I've earned over 300 yuan in a day," Hu Lin said. He gets up at 6:30 every morning to go to the fruit market for wholesale purchases and eats only after selling all the fruits.
Some citizens, knowing about Hu Lin's situation, often come to patronize his business, sometimes even paying a higher price for his fruits, but the stubborn Hu Lin insists on giving back the change, "Although it's hard work, earning money through my own labor feels very solid and gives me a sense of accomplishment."
"In these past few months, I've encountered many kind-hearted people who have given me a lot of help," Hu Lin told Chengdu Business Daily. A fellow patient with uremia gave him an old bicycle. Hu Lin often places a small bouquet of gardenias on the handlebars, saying that every time he smells the fragrance of the flowers, it increases his courage to face difficulties.
Whether or not he can return to school
The school says they will consider his special circumstances
In October this year, Hu Lin's two-year leave of absence will be up. According to relevant school regulations, the cumulative duration of a student's leave of absence cannot exceed two years, and those taking a leave of absence due to illness must recover their health before they can apply for re-enrollment. "Perhaps I can never return to school again," during this period, Hu Lin's mood has been a bit low.
Yesterday afternoon, the reporter accompanied Hu Lin to the Emei campus of Southwest Jiaotong University. Mr. Yin Jun, the counselor of the 2009 class of the Mechanical Engineering Department where Hu Lin belongs, said that when Hu Lin was initially diagnosed with uremia, the school organized a donation campaign raising over 34,000 yuan in love funds. Regarding Hu Lin's current situation with his two-year leave of absence coming to an end, Dean Gao Ming of the school's Academic Affairs Office said that according to regulations, it would be difficult for Hu Lin to resume schooling, but understanding his special circumstances, the Academic Affairs Office would propose a solution—whether allowing him to continue his leave of absence or process re-enrollment would require further study by the school.
Considering Hu Lin's actual situation, the Emeishan People's Hospital will also reduce some of his dialysis treatment fees. Hu Lin said that he does not know how long he can live, but he will remain strong and live each day well.
Chengdu Business Daily intern reporter Gu Aigang, photography report
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