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Fran Lu

A grocery shop owner has kept her lights on all night, continually for 13 years, to help people make their way home when it is dark.
Sun Meihua, 60, opened the shop in the old town of Changsha in central China’s Hunan province in 2012.
During the first month of her new business, some young women told her that the light in front of her shop made them feel secure when they finished work late.
Since then, Sun has never turned off the light at night.
She also adjusted the opening hours to close at 2am for those in need, and sometimes walked timid girls home.
Some people have nicknamed Sun “street light auntie”.

The thoughtful shop owner also moved the landline phone from her home into the business premises.
She lets the elderly and young children make free calls to their families.
Sun said the neighbourhood has many elderly people who are unfamiliar with mobile phones and children who are not allowed to take phones to school.
The shop owner has to change the telephone set every year as it gets worn out very fast, but she has never thought of stopping the service.
“I just want to help those in need,” said Sun.
Sometimes, when the calls did not get through, Sun also sent messages to the person for her neighbours.
Sun even keeps spare keys for locals for free.
An octogenarian neighbour said she would go to Sun every time she needed help: “I trust Meihua,” she said.

Another neighbour said they did not have spare keys and simply give the only one they have to Sun when they go out.
Sun and her husband have lived in the neighbourhood for more than two decades. They used to have no full-time work and lived on allowances.
The shop owner said she had received a lot of help from her community and wanted to repay it.
“It is easy to be a Good Samaritan for once or twice, but it is not easy to do that for life,” one online observer said.
“It is a grocery shop that gives love for free,” said another.


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Owner who provides protective ‘love for free’ at grocery outlet, even takes landline calls, keeps spare keys of locals


Owner who provides protective ‘love for free’ at grocery outlet, even takes landline calls, keeps spare keys of locals.


Caring China shop owner keeps store lights on for 13 years to aid women coming home late

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Owner who provides protective ‘love for free’ at grocery outlet, even takes landline calls, keeps spare keys of locals

Owner who provides protective ‘love for free’ at grocery outlet, even takes landline calls, keeps spare keys of locals