‘I will never give up on her’: single mother, 21, works as courier after being kicked out by boyfriend’s mother following his death

The 21-year-old woman took a courier job to support her child after her boyfriend’s mother kicked them out

The woman says she is happy because she can support her daughter, which is her primary goal

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A 21-year-old single mother delivers food to raise her daughter after being kicked out by boyfriend’s mother. Photo: SCMP composite

Published: 9:00am, 1 Oct 2022Updated: 9:18am, 1 Oct 2022

Being a single mother is a full-time job, so the ability of a 21-year-old woman to raise her toddler amid tragedy while working as a courier won plaudits across China.

The woman, surnamed Chen, from the southeastern Chinese province Anhui, took up the delivery job after being kicked out of her boyfriend’s family home after he died in a road accident.

She said she is satisfied with the job from which she earns 8,000 yuan a month (US$1,120), doubling the minimum salary in the region. More importantly, Chen is allowed to take her daughter on delivery runs, she told an Anhui-based vlogger using the pseudonym Xiao Yuan Lai Le O.

“When my daughter was still too young to walk, I strapped her to my chest or held her on my back while I rode the electric bike to deliver goods,” she said. “Later, when she was a bit older, I often left her at a McDonald’s restaurant where the staff was nice and helped me look after her.”

Chen with her daughter, who started kindergarten this year. Photo: Weibo

Chen said since her daughter started attending kindergarten this year, she takes her to the kindergarten at 8am every day, then picks her up at 5pm before dropping her off at a McDonald’s branch until 9pm when she finishes her work.