Deliveryman shoulders heavy workload, but finds life surprisingly rewarding

Liu Li, 40, a deliveryman who came to Beijing in June last year from his hometown of Fuxin city, Liaoning province, had little hesitation in applying to work in controlled zones in the Panjiayuan community in Chaoyang district.

“To be honest, I was a little scared. Anyone would be afraid of becoming infected,” he said.

“I thought about applying for no longer than a minute. I knew that my family would definitely be worried about me if I decided to do such work, but I still signed up. There must be people on hand to perform these duties at such a time.”

On the night of April 24, Liu received a message from his Wechat group, telling him that the delivery station he works at was calling for 60 staff members to work in the controlled zones.

The 60 places were quickly filled. Liu was assigned to work mainly for Carrefour supermarket. Previously, he delivered takeout orders, but now he is in charge of delivering daily necessities.

“The number of orders has nearly doubled — and sometimes they are heavy, be it a can of milk powder or a box of drinks,” he said.

Working from 7 am to 11 pm, Liu only takes a short break for a late lunch at 4 pm. He rides his electric motorcycle more than 200 kilometers a day, charging the battery five to six times every 24 hours.

During his lunch break, he usually chats with family members via video calls.

“I haven’t told them I am working in controlled zones, as I don’t want them to worry about me,” he said.

Before arriving in Beijing, Liu also worked as a deliveryman in his hometown. His main aim in coming to the capital was to make more money.

“However, I never expected to be so close to the epidemic,” he said.

In Beijing, he has earned more — but his additional income is due to the booming number of deliveries, rather than increased prices for orders.

Little surprises from time to time have warmed Liu’s heart.

“Some customers ordered drinks and snacks, asking the stores to divide them into several packages,” he said. “When I gave them to the customers, they said one of the packages was for me.

“It is so rewarding to know that people care about us.”