When passing by a hospital, Chen Shu saw a woman in her thirties at the door. She was holding a three- or four-year-old child and kneeling beside the hospital door. In front of her was a large piece of colorful paper with the words "Pray for financial support."
"Disease", the content is nothing more than an introduction to the child's severe illness and the conditions of poor families.
There are two QR codes printed in a conspicuous place, and you can tell at a glance that they are for collecting money.
This phenomenon of kneeling on the side of the road crying about poverty and begging for medical expenses has been going on for decades, and there is always an endless stream.
Compared with organized crime in the early years, after being cracked down by the public security organs, now it is more self-reliant and self-employed.
Technically, we also keep up with social trends and advance with the times. In addition to placing an empty bowl to collect cash according to tradition, there is actually no cash to collect now. The symbolic meaning of this empty bowl is far greater than its practical significance.
Of course, a QR code is posted next to the empty bowl to facilitate the use of electronic mobile payments by people passing by.
I also thoughtfully included two QR codes for different payment channels. I’m afraid you don’t have enough WeChat, so just pay and get them.
There are real people like this, and there are fake people, but most of them just ask for money for nothing because of their misery. If they really receive the money, they won't use it for medical treatment. After they have used up the food and drink, they will come again and just lie down.
Chen Shu, who was a bit drunk, sneered: "It's so late, why don't you just call it a day and go home?"
The woman raised her head, and finally saw someone stop one night, pleading as if grasping a life-saving straw: "Brother, my child is very ill. I have spent all the money, but I still haven't cured the child's disease.
Please, give me some money."
Passersby passed by in a hurry, some avoided his gaze, while others walked by indifferently and turned a blind eye.
Even the Internet celebrities holding selfie sticks quickly walked around and felt that this kind of money-seeking routine had long been used and was extremely outdated. They connected to their live broadcast room for a few seconds and acted like a little kid.
The materials are not up to scratch.
Chen Shu thought of the two old couples he met at the entrance of the hospital when he was in Dongzhou.
It was still summer when the sun was shining brightly, and Chen Shu saw the couple when he was sending the suspect to the hospital for a physical examination.
The man knelt down and kowtowed, while the woman lay beside her with her eyes closed tightly and wrapped in a thick quilt.
Chen Shu, who received an internship salary of 500 yuan per month, wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave a red one generously.
A few days later, Chen Shu caught a cold. When he went to see a doctor at another hospital near his home, he saw the couple again at the door. They were exactly the same people and acted exactly the same.
But at this time, it was the woman who knelt down and kowtowed, while the man lay beside him covered with a big cotton quilt.
Seeing this, Chen Shu felt that the 100 yuan he gave away earlier was really not as good as feeding the dog, at least he could wag his tail for him to see.
"Brother, please give me some money for food. I haven't eaten for a day. If you don't give me money, you can just buy me a takeaway! Please, I can do whatever you want!"
A woman holding a child prays for the kindness of passers-by.
Chen Shu stood in front of her and said coldly: "Have you sold your house or car?"
The woman was stunned. She didn't expect why the young man in front of her would ask this, but she still answered honestly:
"I don't have a car. The house is in my hometown in the countryside and I can't sell it for money."
“Have you ever used apps like Douyin and Easy Chip?”
"Well, I just gave some from relatives and friends."
“Have you contacted public interest media?”
"I called and they were very polite and said that a reporter would contact me..."
"No contact?"
"Um..."
"Where is the child's father?"
"He's running takeout."
"Since you have income, how can you not even afford a meal?"
"I can't bear to part with it. I want to save more money for my child's medical treatment."
"Why don't you go out to work together?"
"No one takes care of the child, so I have to take her to the hospital for medical check-ups on weekdays."
When talking about the latter part, the woman stopped and hesitated. Perhaps it was rare that she met someone who could talk to her. She blushed and continued: "Besides... besides, right now... I can do more...
Collect some money..."
As soon as the words came out, the woman felt a little ashamed. She was afraid that the man would not believe it, so she took out a "certificate" from the local villagers' committee and handed it to Chen Shu.
It roughly says the following:
"Hou Yiqi, Xie Wuxiu and his wife, villagers of Group 6 of our village, gave birth to a girl on x, month x, 20xx, named Hou Xixi, who suffers from cancer. Due to the high medical expenses, her family is too poor to treat the child.
“Specially apply for assistance!”
At the end of the article, in addition to the seal of the village committee, there is also the official seal of the township civil affairs office.
Chen Shu read the document and threw it back to the woman casually.
"Brother, there's nothing we can do. The hospital bill keeps getting bigger and bigger. In the end, if it weren't for Xixi being still young, we really don't want to go through it again..."
The woman's eyes were full of helplessness. She hugged the child tightly in her arms. With a little free hand, she carefully folded the thin piece of paper and put it into her intimate underwear pocket.
Her clothes were shabby, and her face was full of sadness and sorrow. When she spoke, she glanced at the child from time to time, and her eyes were full of tenderness and love.
This action moved Chen Shu.
Chen Shu knelt down and patted his cheeks, trying to wake up his drunken self a little. Then he stretched out his hand to tease the child a few times, but the child closed his eyes tightly and did not respond, sleeping soundly.
Chen Shu simply sat on the ground, looking at the woman for a while, then at the child in her arms, and then at the pedestrians rushing nearby from a distance.
This action frightened the woman a bit. Originally, she was just stopping by someone to ask for a meal shamelessly, so that she could at least squeeze out some milk for the baby.
Unexpectedly, this man sat directly next to her without saying a word. He looked at her and the child with a somewhat scary look in his eyes. She just thought that the man was trying to do something bad for her and her mother.
At this moment, she regretted it.
Smelling the smell of alcohol on the other person's body, the woman cautiously advised: "Brother, it's windy and quite cold at night. Why don't you go home first?"
Chen Shu smiled: "If you are not cold, then your child is not cold either?"
The woman showed a bitter smile: "It's okay, it's okay..."
Chen Shu asked again: "You are okay, how many days has your child been hungry?"
The woman waved her hands quickly, but her tone was weak: "It's okay, I can hold on..."
Chen Shu continued to ask: "If you can hold it, will your child be able to hold it really well?"
After repeatedly mentioning the woman's sadness, she finally lowered her head and fell silent.
When Chen Shu saw that the other party was silent, he got up and walked to a small stall far away, asked the boss to pack a portion of pasta, and asked the other party not to add salt or any other seasonings.
Returning to the woman with the noodles, Chen Shu handed it to her.
The woman nodded gratefully, then carefully placed the pasta on the side, took off the only coat she had on and wrapped it up. It looked like it was going to be left for the child to eat.
Chen Shu pointed to the noodles and said, "Eat it. After you finish eating, I will buy another one for your child."
The woman was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the still sleeping child, and finally opened the plastic bag again, wolfed down the noodles inside, and even drank the water soup.
After drinking the sugar water, the woman wiped her mouth, obviously very satisfied.