Elderly fruit picker's kindness wins online applause

XI'AN－When Tian Qian met an older man selling wild kiwifruit at a morning market in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, the short conversation between the two strangers ended in a heartwarming story that has since gone viral on Chinese social networks.

"He was very friendly, so I talked to him and learned that he picks wild kiwifruit in the mountains in Lantian county (in Shaanxi). Everything he was selling had grown in the wild," the 27-year-old woman said.

"I mentioned that my former hometown was also in the countryside, and that my grandparents used to collect wild jujubes for me when I was little. I told him that I missed their flavor," Tian said, adding that the old man told her that there were still a few wild jujubes in the mountains, and that he would find some for her.

Tian didn't really take his words to heart as she didn't even know the man's name, but the story didn't end there.

When she saw him two days later, she was in for a surprise.

"He was waiting for me. He quickly stuffed a big bag of wild jujubes into my hands as well as a bag of wild honeysuckle flowers (a traditional Chinese medicinal herb), telling me to stay healthy," the young woman said. "No money," the old man said. "I promised I'd find some, they're for you. I can't take your money and I won't give them to you if you pay me."

Tian recorded the exchange on her cellphone and later uploaded it online, attracting more than 600,000 views within a few hours.

Netizens were moved by the man's actions and praised him for keeping his promise and for his kindness.

"He wins respect as he lives up to his promise.""His actions warm the world and fill it with love," some netizens wrote. "I was touched, as I didn't expect him to remember something he'd been told by a stranger. I bought a lot of wild kiwifruit from him so that he could go home earlier that day," Tian said.

The man in question, Huang Yangsheng, comes from Zhaijia village in Lantian.

The 69-year-old said he was happy because Tian had referred to him as "grandpa" that day.

"She said she wanted to eat wild jujubes. So I thought I could find some for her since they are difficult to buy from markets," Huang told Xinhua.

He traveled about 15 km on his electromobility vehicle and found some wild jujube trees in the mountains the next day. He spent an hour picking the fruit and went to the market to give them to Tian.

"Keeping one's word is a traditional virtue in China. I was touched by the story between the two strangers," one netizen named Haoqixin wrote. More netizens wished Huang a long and healthy life because of his honesty and warmth.

Xinhua