Hello everyone, I am a veteran journalist and have been in the industry for 10 years. Over the years, I've always adhered to a "simple and easy" reporting style, and I like to show the ins and outs of events through detailed descriptions. Today, I would like to share with you a story that has left me feeling difficult to calm down for a long time.
A few days ago, I went on a business trip to Shangrao, Jiangxi. When passing by a vegetable market, I saw an old man with a wrinkled face squatting on the side of the road and setting up a stall. Beside the old man were bundles of fresh bamboo shoots, which were still stained with mud and looked like they had just been dug up from the mountain. I guess the old man probably wants to sell these bamboo shoots to supplement his family.
At this moment, a middle-aged man who claimed to be the administrator of the vegetable market walked over quickly. He didn't say a word, and shouted at the old man: "Hey, old man, you have to pay for setting up a stall here, 10 yuan a day, it's about to be paid!"
The old man was stunned, took out a shabby cloth bag from his pocket, poured out some change, counted it carefully, looked up and said to the administrator: "Young man, I have a total of 8 yuan and 5 cents here, you see ......"
Before the old man finished speaking, the administrator interrupted him impatiently: "Don't talk nonsense with me, say that 10 yuan is 10 yuan, if you don't have any money, quickly collect the stall and leave, don't get in the way here!"
The old man sighed helplessly, slowly stood up, and bent down to pick up the bamboo shoots on the ground. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I stepped forward and asked the administrator: "Big brother, the old man has a stall on the side of the road, and he doesn't occupy a place in the vegetable market, how can you charge him a stall fee?"
The administrator gave me a blank look and said disdainfully: "Can you manage it? Who let him put it at the door of our market? Besides, you have to pay for setting up a stall, otherwise everyone will come, wouldn't it be a mess?"
I was about to theorize a few more words, but the old man had silently picked up the bamboo shoots on his back and walked in the direction he came. I hurriedly caught up with the old man and started talking.
It turned out that the old man was over 80 years old, and his children were all working in other places, and he was alone at home. I usually rely on planting some land and raising a few chickens to barely survive. This spring was dry and crops failed, making life even more difficult. The old man pondered that it would be better to dig some bamboo shoots in the mountains and sell them in the city, maybe he could earn more living expenses.
The old man said that he went up the mountain early this morning to dig bamboo shoots, and it took him a long morning to dig up these bundles. When I arrived in the city, it was already noon, and my stomach was rumbling with hunger, so I wanted to set up a stall on the side of the road to sell some first, and earn a few dollars to buy a steamed bun to fill my stomach. Who knew that before it opened, it was arrested by the administrator and charged a "protection fee".
The more I listened, the more sad I became, and I couldn't help but ask the old man: "Uncle, how much do you sell these bamboo shoots for?"
The old man said: "My bamboo shoots are not very good, they are small and old, and no one wants 1 yuan and 5 pounds." I thought that I would charge a booth fee for 10 yuan, and sell 20 catties of bamboo shoots to return to the capital. Now it's okay, the bamboo shoots haven't been sold, the money has been paid first, and the fare is not enough to go back. "
After listening to the old man's words, my nose was sore, and tears almost fell. In today's skyrocketing prices, 10 yuan may be insignificant for many people, but for this 80-year-old man, it may be half a month's living expenses!
He would rather go hungry and sell bamboo shoots into the city, just to earn more money to support himself and reduce the burden on his children. But in exchange for such treatment, what happened to our society?
When I got home, I posted the incident online, which quickly caused a heated discussion among netizens. Many people were outraged by what happened to the old man, and they condemned the administrator's actions too much. Some people also questioned why the administrator charged for roadside stalls, where are the government departments, and why do they not care?
Some netizens proposed that the stall fee in the vegetable market should be charged according to the size and location, and those who set up temporary stalls like the elderly are enough to charge 1-2 yuan, 10 yuan is really outrageous!
Seeing everyone's comments, I smiled faintly. In fact, after many years of interviewing at the grassroots level, I have seen few similar things? Sometimes the reason why the poor are getting poorer and poorer is not entirely because they are not working hard enough, but because the injustice of this society has deprived them of the opportunity to compete fairly.
Each of us may have struggled with life, but we must never forget to be kind and empathetic to others. Empathy is sometimes more valuable than money.
As a journalist, I can't change the world, but I have the responsibility to use my pen to trigger more people's kindness and evoke social justice. I really hope that when we feast on a steaming bowl of roasted pork with bamboo shoots, we don't forget that there may be the toil and tears of the elderly behind the ingredients.
Dear readers and friends, how do you feel about this story? How do you think we should help and treat the disadvantaged groups around us? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area to share, and look forward to discussing with you.
(Disclaimer: The content of this article, videos, pictures, and articles are all from the Internet, for reference only!