Young woman wins hearts hauling refrigerators

20-year-old university student becomes online celebrity for helping disabled father deliver appliances in Hubei

Cao Youyuan never expected to become an internet celebrity, let alone become the focus of so much public attention. "For me, it is normal and ordinary to help my father deliver refrigerators to customers' doorsteps," said the sophomore at Hubei Polytechnic Institute.

The 20-year-old has become a well-known figure in Hubei province and has amassed online friends since her story appeared in the media after a video of her carrying refrigerators on her shoulders was posted online.

Cao reckons she has helped her disabled father, Cao Xiangjun, carry around 1,000 refrigerators over the past few years, touching the hearts of many residents and netizens.

She said that she just wanted to help reduce the burden on her family and help her father who always works very hard. "I did not want to become an internet celebrity, but I was moved when I discovered that many residents and netizens care about me," said Cao, adding that she was happy with the praise she received from some netizens.

"Many think I have worked very hard, but I don't think carrying one or two refrigerators a day is hard," she said in an interview with China Daily. "And after years of carrying refrigerators, I can do it easily, so it doesn't feel too hard."

Cao said the heaviest refrigerator she has ever carried weighed around 70 kilograms.

"I can carry something like that as far as the second floor, but I have to ask for help if I have to carry it any higher," she said. "Most of the refrigerators I have carried are between 40 to 45 kg. I can manage anything under 45 kg," she said.

Cao said that she can earn — or rather, save — her father about 70 yuan ($10) by carrying and delivering a refrigerator. Her father began having mobility issues as a result of polio as a child, which was compounded by a fractured leg that he sustained when he was 14. Cao Xiangjun now runs a small appliance store in Huangshi.

"Many buyers ask us for home delivery when they purchase refrigerators and other large household appliances," said Cao, adding that she was touched when some customers tried to help her deliver refrigerators.

"They probably think that my father is disabled and I am just a girl, so they help," she said. "But that makes me feel like this is not just a job, or about money between customers and couriers. I am happy because I am accepted by friends, classmates and relatives, and my work is recognized by the public."

At first, Cao didn't tell anyone what she was doing, as she did not expect they would care all that much.

When she and her father delivered a refrigerator to an elderly woman earlier this year, she only realized that it was the house of a high school classmate when the door opened. "We were both happy to see each other again, and my classmate told me I was doing a really good thing," Cao said.

In fact, Cao's father was against her helping him carry refrigerators at first because it is hard work and he felt it might have a negative impact on her health.

"But I insisted and finally he agreed," she said, adding that despite concerns, a recent checkup shows that her work has not had a negative impact on her health.

Cao Xiangjun said he is very pleased to have such a sensible and clever daughter.

"I hope she will grow up to be healthy and well-educated," he said.

Her aunt, Wu Luying, said that Cao has been sensible since she was young and that while she loves her niece a great deal, she worries that she has been working too hard.

Cao, who is majoring in preschool education, said she wants to become a civil servant if she can pass the entrance exams. She is also considering becoming a teacher, as she likes to spend time with children.

Meanwhile, she is a member and monitor with her institute's Organization Department of the Youth League Committee, and is also deputy director of its broadcasting station.