This is a heartbreaking story that happened in 2022, telling the tale of a life quietly sacrificed behind the scenes.
During the lockdown at Shenzhen University, there was an elderly cleaning lady whose name was never truly known until the very end. She wasn’t just another anonymous staff member working behind the scenes. She was the one who set up a makeshift bed in the corners of the campus, used the restroom to shower and dry her clothes.
During the lockdown, strict measures meant that most people could not leave campus. While students were isolated from the outside world and couldn't make contact, their basic living conditions were still provided for. However, for the support staff, life was a much harsher ordeal. There was no accommodation for them, and with no way to go home during the lockdown, they had no choice but to sleep in various corners of the campus. She would sneak into classrooms and hallways after students had finished their late-night study sessions, finding whatever corner she could to set up her makeshift bed.
Her "bed" wasn’t a warm blanket, but a corner of the cleaning supplies room, surrounded by cleaning tools and everyday items. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the only space she could find.
Her daily life seemed to be one of endless toil. She wasn’t just a cleaner; she also worked part-time at the campus cafeteria. Almost every moment of her day was consumed by work. It was said that she worked until 2 or 3 a.m. every day. In order to keep her job, there were months when she had to pay 3,000 yuan to the property management company just to ensure her job security. She worked three jobs just to make ends meet. Despite the hardship, loneliness, and lack of understanding, she continued.
Her story didn’t draw much attention until she made the tragic decision to end her life by jumping off a building. After the incident, students expressed their shock and grief on social media, and many began to question whether the university had ever really cared about the lives of its support staff.
Some students said they had seen her, exhausted, heading towards the cafeteria in the dead of night. Her face was always filled with helplessness and persistence. She was the least noticed person, but always working quietly. Her tragedy left everyone with a deep sense of sorrow and reflection, and forced a broader societal questioning of the lives of those in the most vulnerable positions.
After her story spread, many people started rethinking the lives of the grassroots workers around us. They provide the essential support for society to function, yet are often overlooked and forgotten. Her story is a painful lesson, a wake-up call for us to pay attention to those who seem insignificant, understand their struggles, and cherish every humble job.
In the end, everyone realized: she wasn’t just a name, but a person who had endured too much pressure and struggle in the background, a regular person whose life was quietly and tragically taken.
