A young woman seen carrying huge fridges on her back to help her disabled dad has been praised for her devotion to her family.
The 20-year-old named Cao Youyuan who is also a student, lives in central China’s Hubei province, where her parents own a small home appliance store.
She said she stepped in because her crippled father can no longer make deliveries to customers from his home appliance store and is frequently seen climbing stairs with the huge refrigerators on her back.
After breaking both of his legs at the age of 14, her father Cao Xiangjun, who had been diagnosed with polio as a youngster, developed significant walking difficulties as a result of bad care.
Cao told local media: “Many customers require the product delivery service. But my parents’ store makes little profit. We cannot afford to hire a delivery worker.”
She said the first time she helped her father deliver a fridge to a customer was six years ago when she was a secondary school student.
“That fridge was not heavy. I tried carrying it on my back and found the weight was manageable. Since then, I have been helping my father with deliveries in my spare time,” said Cao.
So far, Cao said she had delivered more than 1,000 fridges and other heavy home appliances to customers, During every delivery, her father would normally walk behind her.
“The heaviest fridge I can carry on my back is 70kg, but I can only take it to the first floor and cannot climb to higher floors after that,” said Cao.
“Doing this work also requires skills. I think I have grasped them after doing it so many times. Usually, I deliver one or two fridges a day and don’t feel very tired.” said Cao.
Cao’s father, concerned about the amount of manual effort she was performing, took her to the doctor a few years ago.
Cao senior agreed to let his daughter continue after physicians gave her a clear sheet of health.
Her father said: “I feel relieved that I have such a sensible and obedient daughter.”
I also want to tell my daughter to stay healthy and study hard at school.”