Forty-year-old Chen Yuan was homeless and had no family to rely on. In his early years, he had to work carrying steel bars and connecting shafts for fifteen hours at the construction site. He suffered from blockage and became weak every month.
After three years of hard training in massage to relax tendons and Baduanjin to strengthen bones, I rented a small shop in an old alley and opened a massage parlor, specializing in soothing the muscles and bones of lower-class neighbors. I never asked for exorbitant prices, but only charged some money for herbal supplies for the lonely elderly and migrant workers.
An orphan boy who was afraid of the cold picked up a small stone at the entrance of an alley. The cost of having another mouth to eat directly overwhelmed his meager income. The rent, herbs, and food all cost money, and I really couldn't bear it. I ran out for takeout in the early hours of the morning, closed down stalls, and set up street vendors. I could also go to the construction site to do odd jobs during my free time.
Later, he met an abandoned daughter with insomnia, a homeless child with a cough and asthma, and an autistic child with a special sense of smell. He took care of all four frail children.
While running a shop to make a living and recuperating from his old illness, he took care of four orphans. In his spare time, he worked as a sideline by typing records in the market. He worked hard to save money day and night, just to fulfill his dream of furthering his studies.
There was no chance encounter with a miracle doctor, no overnight fortune. A middle-aged, low-income man relied on his craftsmanship, physical strength and soft-heartedness to slowly turn a hard life into a good one.
